Rotor Toque

Crew Training is Now More Than Two Years Behind Schedule, the Paper Reports, With Six Aircraft Currently Delivered to the Army Aviation Training Centre at Oakey, a Seventh, Fully-in-strumented Tiger About to Be Delivered to Ardu (the Raaf’s Aircraft Research & Development Unit) and 10 Expected to Be in Service by Year’s End.

“the (Tiger) Fleet Has Flown More Than 1500 Hours to Date for Testing and Training and Selected Arh Qualified Flying Instructors Have Conducted Lead-in Skills Training on Agusta a 109 Civil Helicopters,” Majgen Tony Fraser, Head of Dmo’s Helicopter Systems Division, Told the Paper.

Australian Aerospace Has Also Provided a Eurocopter Test Pilot to Assist in Train-ing Australian Qualified Flying Instructors, and Other Initiatives Will Be Examined,” Majgen Fraser Said.

The Dmo Ceased Progress Payments to Australian Aerospace, the Tiger Project Lead Contractor, in July, Mainly Due to Its Failure to Meet Training Milestones.

“the Milestones Also in-volved Training, Numbers of Aircraft Delivered and Other Contracted Deliverables,” Said Majgen Fraser.

Meanwhile, Three Tigers Deployed to Darwin in August for Two Weeks of Training as Part of the First Tiger Qualified Instructor’s Course. Once the Flying Instructors Complete Their Own Training, They Will Be Able to Begin Training Line Pilots in Preparation for the Mid-2008 Arrival of 1st Aviation Regiment’s Own Tigers.

Second Bell 429 Flies

Bell Helicopter Says the 429 Light Twin is on Track for First Customer Deliveries by Late Next Year, Following the August 28 First Flight of the Second 429 Prototype.

“this Second Aircraft Will Allow Us to Increase the Pace of Our Test Program as We Progress Towards Our First Deliveries Late Next Year,” Said 429 Program Executive Director Bill Stromberg.

Following the Second 429’s Flight, the Two Proto-types Were Due to Reposition to Arizona and Colorado in September for Hot Weather Testing and Flights by Faa and Transport Canada Pilots.

“we Are Rapidly Closing in on a Final Configuration and We Are Very Confident That Performance and Handling Qualities Will Meet Our Tar-gets,” Stromberg Said. “the Flight Manual and Mainte-nance Manual Are Over 50 Per Cent Complete and Long Lead Spare Parts Are on Order to Support Initial Deliveries to Customers. Preparation of Customer Training Cur-riculum and a Flight Training Device Are Also Progressing on Schedule. ” Bell Says It Now Has Orders for “over 200” 429s.

Black Hawk Boi Hearing of Evidence Concludes

the Hearing of Evidence for the Black Hawk 221 Board of Inquiry (Boi) Concluded in Sydney on August 3.

The Board Reconvened on August 29 for Final Submis-sions From Counsel Assisting the Inquiry and Counsel Representing and Have Now Retired to Consider the Evidence and Submissions.

The Board Will Prepare a Report for the Chief of the Defence Force to Be Handed Down by January 31 Next Year.

$173m Mrh 90 Works Project

the Parliamentary Joint Standing Committee on Public Works is Expected to Approve a Dept of Defence Proposal to Construct Support Facilities for the Forthcoming Eurocopter Mrh 90 Helicopter Worth $173m.

Facilities to Support Mrh 90 Operations, Training and Maintenance Will Be Built at Hmas Albatross, Raaf Base Townsville, Army Aviation Training Centre Oakey, and Gallipoli Barracks Enoggera, Includ-ing Mission Planning and Computer Based Training Facilities. If Cleared by the Committee, Work Would Begin in Mid 2008 and Conclude by Late 2010.

Defence Has Ordered 46 Mrh 90s to Replace Army Black Hawks and Navy Sea Kings.

Distinguished Flying Cross Awarded for Iraq Rescue

the Pilot and Gunner of a Us Army Ah-64d Apache Were Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in August for Their Roles in Rescuing the Crew of a Oh-58 Kiowa Which Crashed After Being Shot Down by Enemy Small Arms Fire in Iraq on July 2.

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Allan Davison and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Micah Johnson From Company a, 1st ‘attack’ Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, Had Set Off on a Reconnaissance Mission in Their Apache and Overheard That an Allied Aircraft Was Taking on Small Arms Fire.

Davison and Johnson, Plus Three Oh-58s and Another Apache Responded Immediately to the Call, Quickly Finding the Wreckage of a Burning Kiowa. Closer Inspection Revealed the Crew Had Managed to Extricate Themselves From the Wreck-age and Were Possibly in the Vicinity, Evading Capture.

The Downed Kiowa Crew Was Found 15 Minutes Later Hiding in a Nearby Canal, Leading One of the Kiowas to Request an Apache Perform the Rescue Pickup, as the Apache is Capable of Conducting a ‘spur Ride’ – a Rarely Used Rescue Procedure in Which Soldiers Can Be Strapped Onto the Weapons Stub Wings of the Apache and Sandwiched Under the Engine and Flown to Safety.

Setting Down Only Metres From the Battered and Bruised Crew Chief Warrant Officer Johnson, the Front-seat Pilot of the Helicopter, Climbed From the Cockpit to Assist Loading the Pair on His Aircraft While the Second Apache Flew Top Cover.

Johnson Took One Pilot to the Left Wing and Helped Him Strap on, Then Gave Up His Own Seat Inside the Apache to the Second Kiowa Pilot, Strapping Himself to the Other Wing.

“it Looked Like They Were Both in Pretty Good Shape, but One of Them Kind of Looked Like He Had Been Through Enough, Like He Was a Little Shocked, as I Would Be, Too,” Johnson Said. “i Told Him to Get in Front. ” Johnson and the Kiowa Pilot Held on for the 10 Minute Flight Over Baghdad to Baghdad Airport With Speeds of Up to 113kt.

“we’ve Seen a Lot of Aircraft Shoot-downs,” Johnson Said in an Interview. “every One That We’ve All Probably Seen, It’s Resulted in Burning Aircraft and Black Smoke and Usually Catastrophic Loss of Life. If Not Loss of Life, Then There Have Been Serious Injuries. Just to See Those Two Alive, It Was Amazing. It Was Great. ”

Ch-47f Combat Ready

Boeing’s Ch-47f Chinook Has Been Certified Combat-ready by the Us Army, After Fielding Its First Operational Ch-47f Unit on August 14.

Following Operational Testing Which Included More Than 60 Flight Test Hours of Simulated Mission Scenarios Including Air Assault, Combat Re-supply and Transport Oper-ations, the Us Army Assigned the First ‘foxtrot’ Model Chinooks to Bravo Company ‘varsity’, 7th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, 159th Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

Navy Rescue Mission a Success

a Lone Yachtsman Was Rescued From His Yacht Lamachan by the Royal Australian Navy After It Ran Aground on Elizabeth Reef, Approximately 160 Kilometres North of Lord Howe Island on August 1.

With the Yacht in Danger of Breaking Up in Heavy Seas the Navy Responded to a Request From the Rescue Coordination Centre in Canberra by Dispatching a Sea Hawk From 816sqn and a Sea King From 817sqn, From Their Base at Hmas Albatross, Nowra. Both Helicopters Were Supported by the Anzac Class Frigate Hmas Ballarat.

After Covering Close to 1500km Since Launching From Nowra, the Seahawk, Supported by the Sea King, Winched the Uninjured Yachtsman, Steve Landles of London, to Safety Late in the Afternoon of August 2 and Transported Him Back to Lord Howe Island.

Mdh Delivers 100th explorer

Md Helicopters (Mdh) Delivered Its Real 100th Explorer During August.

In March 2002, Mdh Issued a Press Release Stating It Had Delivered Explorer Number 100, but This Turned Out to Be Serial Number 100 and Not the 100th Customer Delivery.

Rotorhub. Com, a Helicop-ter News Website, Claims to Have Calculated the Absence of 20 Serial Explorer De-liveries Making the Recent Delivery of Serial Number 120 – to Florida-based Columbo Yachts – the True 100th.

Mdh is Not Alone With Its Premature Announcement of Its Century Delivery. Earlier This Year at the Paris Airshow Agustawestland Issued a Press Release Advising of Its Handover of the 100th Aw139. It Was Actually Se-rial Number 100 and Not the 100th Aw139 Delivery.

Upgraded Engines for India’sdhruv Alh

India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (Hal) Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter (Alh) Program Received a Significant Boost in Performance With the in-corporation of New Ardiden 1h (or ‘shakti’ in India) Turboshaft Engines.

The 1200shp (900kw) Engines, Jointly Developed by Hal and Turbomeca, Offer a 30 Per Cent Power Increase Above the Helicopter’s Origi-nal Tm333 2b2 Engine.

The Ardiden/shakti en-gines Are Expected to Receive Certification by January 2008.

Hal Demonstrated Two of Its Re-engined Alhs on August 16 at the Company’s Bangalore Production Facility. One Was an Armed Version of the Dhruv and Featured Dummy Unguided Rockets, Stinger-type Mis-siles, a Nose Mounted Electro-optical/infrared Targeting Pod, and Installa-tions for Defensive Sensors.

Hal’s Development of a New Light Combat Helicopter for the Indian Army Will Also Be Powered by the Ardiden/shakti and is Expected to Fly for the First Time in August 2008.

Us Army Reports Uh-72a Problems

the Us Army’s Director of Operational Test and Evaluation Has Published a Report Saying Its New Uh-72a Lakota Light Utility Helicop-ter (Luh), a Militarised Ec 145, is Not Operation-ally Suitable in Hot Weather Environments and Has Inadequate Air Conditioning.

The Report Was Based on Testing the Army Performed With Six of the Recently Delivered Helicopters in the Desert Conditions at Fort Irwin, California.

The Us Army Said the Lakota “is Effective in the Performance of Light Utility Missions” but It Cannot Lift the Desired Loads at High Altitude-hot Conditions, is Too Small, is Not Organised Properly to Allow a Medical Attendant to Care for Two Patients on Stretchers, and Crews, Patients, and Passen-gers Become Very Uncom-fortable Due to the Poorly Air Conditioned Cabin.

In an Article Published in Texas’s Star-telegram Randy Hutcherson, Vice President of Rotorcraft for Eads North America and Man-ager of the Us Army Luh Program, Said the Uh-72a Does Meet All of the Specific Mandatory Requirements Laid Down by the Us Army and is Discussing Ways to Address the Air Conditioning Issues Identified in the Report.

Hutcherson Also Said the Army Never Specified a Requirement for the Helicop-ter to Be Suited to Caring for Two Stretcher Patients at the Same Time, Adding This Was Something That Was Not Even Required by Civil Medical Evacuation Helicopters.

Briefs

• the Us Army’s Fleet of Bell Oh-58d Kiowa Warriors Reached 300,000 Combat Flight Hours on August 8.

• Lockheed Martin Has Been Awarded a Us$951. 7m (a$1. 19bn), Five Year ‘multi-year’ Contract to Manufacture and Integrate Mission Systems for 139 Sikorsky Mh-60r Helicopters Through to 2013.