Rotor Torque

“the ‘huey’ Has Been a Part of the Australian Defence Force for 45 Years and in That Time It Has Been a Part of Life for So Many People, Both in the Services and the General Public,” Said Brigadier Nick Bartels, Commander of Army’s 16th Brigade (Aviation).

However, the Last Official Iroquois Mission to Be Performed by an Operational Army Squadron Was Conducted Two Days Later on September 23 From the Army Aviation Centre at Oakey, Near Toowoomba, Queensland.

Iroquois A2-489, Callsigned Destrier 489, From a Squadron, 5 Aviation Regiment, 16 Brigade (Aviation), Was Tasked to Perform a Public Relations Visit to the Nearby Toowoomba Grammar School to Attend the Sony Foundation Children’s Holiday Camp, for ‘developmentally Delayed’ Children, Before Returning to Oakey.

Piloted by Captain Andrew Riches and Lieutenant Brad Marshall and Crewed by Corporal John Neenan, the Final Flight Wrapped Up A2‑489’s 37 Years of Service and the Iroquois’s Distinguished 45 Year Army, Navy, and Air Force Career.

One Last Iroquois Remains Flying With Ardu Based at Raaf Edinburgh, South Australia, Used in Support of Weapons and Systems Trials.

This Iroquois is Expected to Be Withdrawn From Operations in December and Will Perform the Final Ever Adf Iroquois Flight.

Army’s 25 Iroquois Are Now in Storage in Brisbane Awaiting Disposal, With Someto Go to ‘approved’ Museums (Including the Raaf Museum – See Warbirds – and the Australian War Memorial), Others to Be Used as Training Aids Within the Adf, and Some to Be Sold (Possibly to Fly Again) by Tender.

The Iroquois Retirement Makes Way for the Introduction of the Army’s First Mrh 90s, the First of Which is Due to Arrive in Australia Later This Year.

Southern Region Life Saver Update

Rumours Circulating Recently Suggesting the Southern Region Westpac Life Saver Helicopter Rescue Service Had Closed and Disappeared for Good Are Far From the Truth.

“we’re Still Here,” Said Peter Yates, Chief Pilot of Australia’s Oldest Civilian Surf Rescue Helicopter Service.

The Southern Region Westpac Life Saver is Fully Owned and Operated by Surf Life Saving Australia (Slsa), and Has Undergone a Period of Substantial Change in Operations Since Losing Its Nsw Health Air Ambulance Contract in May This Year.

“there Have Been a Number of Regrettable Redundancies of Staff as We’ve Had to Down-size Our Operations,” Yates Told Australian Aviation.

“we Have Become Very Much a Part of Surf (Life Saving) Again – It’s Where We Started 34 Years Ago. They’ve Basically Got a Resource Now Which They Haven’t Had for a Long Time and Are Trying to Put It Into Play the Way It Should Be Used. ” With Summer on the Way Westpac Life Saver is Gearing Up for the Busiest Time of Year Along Sydney’s Beaches and Waterways.

“we’ve Been Flying Up and Down the Coast for Around Three or Four Days a Week on Beach Patrols Leading Up to the Summer Season and Have Been Encompassing Training During These Flights With Some of the Surf Clubs With a Lot More to Follow Before Summer Arrives,” Said Yates.

Slsa Continues to Operate Its Two Bk 117s. It Will Continue to Operate at Least One Bk 117, Which May Be Replaced by a New Twin Type.

Life Saver is Still Negotiating Third Party Contract Work to Supplement Its Operations.

Regardless, the Service Says It Will Continue to Operate Over Sydney’s Beaches and Waterways as a Dedicated Rescue Helicopter Service for Many Years to Come.

Sea Kings Grounded After Incident

a Sea King From 817sqn Made a Controlled Landing at Hmas Albatross, Nowra, on September 27 After the Crew Became Aware of a Fault in Its Tail Rotor Control Assembly Shortly After Takeoff.

The Sea King Was Conducting a Maintenance Test Flight as Part of a Scheduled Testing Program.

Navy Grounded Its Fleet of Six Sea Kings on October 2 Five Days After the Incident to Allow the Cause of the Fault to Be Fully Investigated.

The Latest Grounding is the Third for the Troubled Sea King Since the Crash of Shark 02 on the Island of Nias in April 2005 Which Claimed the Lives of Nine Adf Personnel.

New Helipad for Mater Hospital

Brisbane’s Mater Hospital Opened Its New $9 Million Helipad on September 20.

Constructed on the Roof of the Mater Adult Hospital, the Singapore Designed Aluminium Construction Was a Birthday Gift From the Queensland State Government as Part of the Mater’s 100th Birthday Celebrations Last Year.

Officially Opened by New Queensland Premier Anna Bligh and Hospital Ceo John O’donnell, the Helipad Will Enable Improved Patient Deliveries by Helicopter Which the Mater Receives From Across the State and Northern New South Wales.

Around 800 Sick or Injured Patients Have Been Flown to the Hospital During the Last Two Years – Many of Whom Were Premature Babies.

Agustawestland Turns 100

Agustawestland Predecessor Agusta Turned 100 Years Old on September 23, and Celebrated the Occasion With a Flying Display at the Company’s Cascina Costa, Italy, Headquarters.

The Helicopter Manufacturer Treated an Estimated 18,000 Spectators to a Performance by Some Ofits Helicopters Including the Ba 609 Prototype and an Ab 47g. On Display Were Agustawestland’s Complete Range of Helicopters Including an Aw109, Aw129, Aw139, and Aw101.

Agusta Was Founded by Giovanni Agusta Who Flew His First Aeroplane in 1907.

In July 2000 Finmeccanica and Gkn Merged Their Respective Helicopter Subsidiaries (Agusta and Gkn‑westland Helicopters) to Form Agustawestland.

Healthy Decade Ahead for Eurocopter and Robinson?

Us Market Research Firm Forecast International Has Released a New Study Titled the Market for Light Commercial Rotorcraft 2007- 2016, Which Projects the World’s Helicopter Manufacturers Will Deliver Approximately 14,200 Light Commercial Helicopters During the Next Decade Worth Us$30. 7bn (a$34. 9bn).

The Report Estimates 6891 Pistons and 7311 Turbines Will Be Built, With Turbine Powered Helicopters Accounting for Us$28bn (a$32bn).

The Study Forecasts That Robinson Helicopter Will Deliver 6086 Machines Through to 2016, Accounting for 42. 8 Per Cent of Light Commercial Helicopter Units With a Value of Us$2. 2bn (a$2. 5bn).

Eurocopter is Projected to Deliver 3141 Helicopters During the Decade or 22. 1 Per Cent of the Market, Worth Us$8. 9bn (a$10. 2bn).

Bell Helicopter is Expected to Run in Third Position With 1576 Units Worth Us$5. 8bn (a$6. 7bn), Followed by Sikorsky With 1123 Units Worth Us$3. 4bn (a$3. 9bn) and Agustawestland With 941 Units Totalling Us$4. 9bn (a$5. 6bn).

Combined, the World’s Top Five Helicopter Manufacturers Are Projected to Account for 90 Per Cent of the Total Expected Production and 82 Per Cent of the Total Value of Production for the Light Commercial Helicopter Market.

Forecast International Says Twin Turbines Will Be Built in Slightly Larger Numbers Than Single Turbines (3708 Versus 3603), the Value of Production for the Single Turbine Market Projected to Be Us$5. 7bn (a$6. 5bn), Compared to Us$22. 3bn (a$25. 5bn) for Twins. Singles Will Be Far More Popular in North America Than Ineurope as Their Use Over the Latter’s Built-up Areas Remains Restricted Because of Government Regulations.

Besides Struggling to Keep Up With Demand in the Us and Europe the Study Suggests Continuing Strong Growth in Fast Growing Emerging Markets, Particularly China.

Usaf Looks at Csar-x Alternatives

Stung by a Us Government Accountability Office (Gao) Instruction to Re-bid Its Next Combat Search and Rescue Helicopter (Csar-x) Program, the Usaf is Reportedly Examining Possible Alternative Approaches to Fulfil the Requirement.

The Usaf Selected Boeing’s Hh-47 Chinook to Replace Its Ageing Hh-60g Fleet Late Last Year, but This Decision Was Overturned by the Gao After Protests by Rival Bidders Sikorsky (H-92) and Lockheed Martin (H‑71/ Eh 101) Were Upheld.

While Undertaking to Restart the Bid Process, in Order to Bring a New Capability to Service as Quickly as Possible the Usaf is Also Examining a Proposal to Acquire a Fleet of 55 Lower Spec Helicopters Under the Previously Rejected Common Vertical Lift Support Program (Cvlsp), Which Would Have Replaced the Ubiquitous Uh-1h ‘huey’ in Service With a Type That Can Easily Be Adapted to the Csar-x Role if Required.

The Usaf Has a Requirement for Up to 144 Csar-x Helicopters.

Eurocopter’s ‘designer’ Vip Ec 135

Eurocopter and French Design House Hermès Unveiled Their Collaborative ‘designer’ Vip Ec 135 Concept at the 2007 Nbaa Convention at Atlanta, Georgia, on September 25.

L’hélicoptère Par Hermès, is Designed to Fill a Gap in Business Vip Travel by Offering the Same Comfort Levels and Features as a Corporate Jet.

L’hélicoptère’s Interior Has Been Completely Redesigned by Hermès to Maximise Available Space.

It Features a New Colour Scheme and Crafted Fittings to Give an Impression of Greater Space.

Equipped With a Telephone and Connectivity for Laptop Computers the Luxury Interior is Standardised With No Scope for Customisation.

Only a Limited Number of Colour Schemes and Internal Colour Options Will Be Available the Ec 135’s Interior Has Been Divided Into Threezones, the Cockpit, Passenger Cabin, and Baggage Compartment.

The Cabin is Separated From the Cockpit by Perspex Screens, One of Which Slides Down to Allow Communication With the Crew. It Has Two Rear Facing Seats With a Separating Cabinet Containing a Mini Bar and Glasses, and Two Forward Facing Seats.

Up Front, the Cockpit is Appointed With Similar Luxuries to the Cabin Including Leather Seats and Trim and Rectangular Styling to Emphasise Cabin Width.

The Luggage Space, Accessed via the Type’s Usual Clamshell Doors, Has a Shelf for Lightweight Items and a Lower Section Able to Accommodate a Pair of Golf Bags.

The Helicopter’s Exterior Paint Scheme is Designed to Accentuate the Aircraft’s Lines and Emphasise Its Large Windows, and Features a Flowing Ribbon Running From Nose to Tail.

A Noticeable External Feature is the Redesigned Landing Gear to Accentuate the Helicopter’s Looks and to Improve Access to the Cabin.

Eurocopter Will Manufacture the L’hélicoptère at Its Donauwörth Plant at a Rate of One Every Two Months.

First Customer Deliveries Are Expected in October 2008 After Certification is Achieved Around the Middle of Next Year.

Briefs

• Casa Has Approved the Use of Night Vision Goggles (Nvgs) by Helicopter Operators. Emergency Management Queensland is Due to Become the First Operator to Be Certified to Use Nvgs, While Another 10 Operators Have Reportedly Expressed Interest in Gaining a Similar Certification.

• the Us Army’s Troubled Arh-70 Helicopter Program Has Received a Funding Boost From the Us Senate’s Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Which Voted to Fully Fund a Restructure of the Program and 16 Low Rate Initial Production (Lrip) Aircraft.

• Australia’s First Aw139 Arrived in Country on September 27. Registered Vh-esh, the First of Type Will Be Operated by Emergency Management Queensland From Archerfield.

• the First Combat Deployment of the V-22 Osprey Has Departed the Us for Iraq on Board the Uss Wasp. The 10 Mv-22s of Us Marine Corps Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 Departed for Iraq on September 14, and Will Be Joined by Two More Squadrons Which Are Expected to Self-deploy Mid Next Year.

• Boeing’s A160t Hummingbird Vertical Takeoff Uav Performed an Eight Hour Demonstration Flight on September 26 While Carrying a Representative 500kg Payload.

• the Nsw Land and Environment Court Has Approved the Development of a Heliport at Capertee, Northeast of Lithgow, Subject to Strict Conditions Being Met. An Operator Who Wanted to Operate Joy Flights in the Capertee Valley Area Took Lithgow City Council to the Court After the Council Rejected His Development Application.