Rotor Torque

“nowra is a Most Suitable Location to Provide the Broad Range of Training Environments Required for the Adf’s Aircrew,” Defence Minister Brendan Nelson Said. “it Has Varied Terrain to the West of the Base Where Overland Skills Such as Low Level Navigation Can Be Practised Without Undue Noise Impact. To the East, Jervis Bay and the Eastern Australian Exercise Area Are Ideal for Maritime Training and Provide an Opportunity to Work With the Navy’s Warships. ” Work Will Commence on the New Facilities in 2012 and Training Will Commence a Year Later.

A Sneak Peek of the Robinson R66

a Photo Posted on the Robinson Helicopter Owners Group Website in Late October Showed the Robinson R66 Turbine Helicopter, Spied at the Robinson Helicopter Factory in Torrance, California.

Looking Remarkably Like a Bigger R44 From Side on, the Five-seat R66 is Approximately 20cm Wider Than the Piston Powered R44 and Seats Three Abreast in the Back. Its Two-blade Main Rotor Has the Same Diameter as That of the R44, but is 20cm Taller. It Will Be Powered by the New 300shp (225kw) Rolls-royce Rr300 Turboshaft Engine.

Since It Was Announced at Heli Expo at Orlando Earlier This Year, the World Has Been Eagerly Awaiting the First Glimpse of the R66.

Racq Careflight Gets Bell 230

Southeast Queensland Based Racq Careflight’s Fleet Has Grown to Three With the Recent Addition of a Bell 230 to Complement the Rescue Service’s Bell 412 and as 350ba Squirrel.

Racq Careflight Acquired the Twin-engined Spifr Bell 230 in April and Has Recently Completed an Avionics Upgrade and Medical Fit Out. Boeing Australia Donated the 230’s New Yellow and Blue Colour Scheme, Painting the Helicopter at Its Raaf Base Amberley Facility.

Racq Careflight Will Base the Bell 230 at Its Toowoomba Airport Base, Southwest of Brisbane, to Provide a Permanent Twin Engine Helicopter Rescue Capability for the Southeast Queensland and Northern Nsw Region From December.

The 230 Will Also Be Used to Support Careflight’s Gold Coast Operations While Its 412 is Off Line for Maintenance, With the Squirrel in Turn Backing Up Operations at Toowoomba.

Ran Sea Kings Return to Flight

the Ran’s Fleet of Five Sea King Helicopters Returned to Flight Status on October 22 Following a Three Week Suspension.

The Aircraft Were Grounded After One Was Forced to Make an Emergency Landing While Conducting a Post Maintenance Check Flight. It Was Subsequently Found That the Tail Rotor Control Assembly Was Not Functioning Correctly, and an Investigation Ensued.

“having Thoroughly Investigated This Matter Through an Independent Technical Airworthiness Authority, and Upon the Recommendation of This Authority, the Commander Naval Aviation Group and the Commanding Officer 817 Squadron, I Am Satisfied to Lift This Suspension,” the Commander Australian Fleet and Naval Operational Airworthiness Authority, Rear Admiral Nigel Coates, Said in a Statement.

The Navy Was Also Forced to Refute Claims Made by the Bulletin Magazine That Sea King Crews No Longer Have Confidence in the Aircraft.

“sea King Helicopter Crews Are Confident in the Safety of the Aircraft and Are Preparing to Resume Flying Operations as Soon as Possible,” Commander of the Australian Naval Aviation Group, Commodore Tim Barrett, Said in an October 16 Statement. “we Reject Reporting in the Bulletin Magazine Today That Aircrew at Hmas Albatross Fear for Their Safety When Flying the Sea King. Any Safety or Maintenance-related Concerns Expressed by Our People Are Treated Seriously.

All Credible Claims Will Be Investigated and Should Be Reported to Commanding Officers or Supervisors. ” This Most Recent Grounding is the Third Since a Sea King Crashed on the Indonesian Island of Nias in April 2005 Resulting in the Loss of Nine Lives.

Emq Unveils First Aw139 for Australia

Emergency Management Queensland (Emq) Officially Unveiled Its First Aw139 During a Ceremony on October 24.

The Aw139, Registered Vh-esh, is the First of Type for Australia and Was Delivered to Emq Fully Configured for Search and Rescue Operations and is Nvg Capable.

After Some Minor Delays in Obtaining Emq’s Aoc, the Aw139 Took to Australian Skies for the First Time on October 26.

Three Aw139s Have Been Acquired to Replace Emq’s Bell 412s at Its Archerfield, Townsville and Cairns Bases.

After Endorsement Flying and Crew Training the Aw139 Will Enter Service in December.

Powers for Nz New Zealand Defence Minister Phil Goff Has Announced the Selection of the Agustawestland a 109luhto Fulfil a Training Helicopter Requirement for the Nzdf.

Five a 109s and a Flight Simulator Will Be Acquired to Train Pilots for New Zealand’s Sh-2g Seasprites and Forthcoming Nh 90 Helicopters, and Will Replace the Obsolete Bell 47g Sioux in the Role.

“the Negotiations for Five Agustawestland a 109luhs and a Flight Simulator Will Commence Shortly and I Expect a Contract to Be Signed in the First Quarter of Next Year,” Goff Said in a Statement. “the Helicopters Should Enter Service With the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 2010. ” “as Well as Training, the a 109 Has Light Utility Capabilities Including Air Transport, Search and Rescue, Aero-medical Evacuation, Disaster Response and Surveillance and Counter Terrorism Support,” Goff Added. “it Can Work Alongside the Nh 90 or Carry Out Tasks for Which Its Size Makes It More Suited and at Less Expense Than Using the Nh 90. ” the Adf Has a Similar Requirement Under Phase 7 of Its Air 9000 Program, and Has Recently Taken Three Leased a 109 Powers on Strength With the Navy to Provide Flying Training and to Maintain Minimum Flying Hours for Navy Pilots (See Rmi Feature in Our October Edition).

Eurocopter Goes 24/7 With Customer Support Hotline

Eurocopter Has Unveiled Its New Customer Support Centre (Csc) Hotline on October 30 Which Will Be Manned 24 Hours a Day, Seven Days a Week to Provide Assistance to Its Customers and to Solve Problems.

The Csc Has Been Established to Receive All Customer Calls With Requests for Information Entered Into a Centralised Information System for Answering.

Responses to Simple Questions Concerning Availability and Price Catalogues Will Be Handled Immediately While More Complex Requests Such as the Administration of Contracts, Trouble Shooting, Technical Information, Forecasts, Stock Availability or the Exchange of Faulty Parts Will Be Passed on to a Team of Specialists.

Bell Freezes 429 Exterior Design

the Exterior Profile Design for Bell’s New Twin 429 Helicopter Has Been Finalised Following the Successful Conclusion of an Initial 400 Hours of Flight Trials by Two Prototypes, Since the First Flight of the Type in February.

“this is One of the Mostsignificant Events in the Development of an Aircraft” Said Robert Fitzpatrick, Bell Senior Vice President for Marketing and Sales. “this Means Our Design Meets the Aesthetic and Inflight Handling Specifications We Set Long Ago. ” So Far Bell Has Received Over 240 Purchase Agreements for the 429.

With First Delivery Slated to Occur at the End of 2008, Bell Plans to Ramp 429 Production Up to 60 Aircraft Per Year by 2011.

One of the Prototypes is Currently in Colorado Performing High Altitude Testing While the Other is in Arizona Conducting High Temperature Testing.

Corrosion in Uk Merlin Fleet

Corrosion Has Been Found in the Tail Booms of Some of the Royal Navy’s 38 Agustawestland Eh 101 Hm. 1 Merlins.

The Corrosion, Which Affects an Untreated Bulkhead That is Exposed When the Merlin’s Tail is Folded, Has Required Agustawestland to Design and Build a Replacement Part for Each Helicopter, and to Self-fund the Production of Two New Tail Jigs to Support the Work.

Agustawestland Expects to Complete the Repairs Within a Year, With the Repairs Covered by Its 25 Year Integrated Merlin Operational Support (Imos) Contract With the Uk Ministry of Defence.

The Royal Air Force’s Fleet of 22 Merlin Hc. 3s and Other Eh 101 Operators Have Not Reported the Corrosion Problem.

Briefs

• Southern Region Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter Service Has Sold One of Its Two Bk 117b2s, Vh-sls, to Newcastle’s Hunter Region Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service. The Bk Replaces the Hunter Region’s Bell 407 Vh‑hrr, and Will Complement Bell 412 Vh-hrs.

• the Us Coast Guard’s Fleet of Eurocopter Hh-65c Dolphin Helicopters Passed One Million Flight Hours Recently. The 96 Helicopters Represent About 10 Per Cent of the Global Eurocopter Dauphin Fleet but Have Logged More Than 20 Per Cent of the Flight Hours.

• the Rockwell Collins Common Avionics Architecture System (Caas) for the Boeing Ch-47f Chinook Has Been Declared Operationally Ready for Deployment by the Us Army. The Caas Has Been Designed to Provide Common Configurations Across the Army’s Fleet of Mh/ch‑47, Uh-60m and Arh-70a Helicopers, Plus Coast Guard Mh‑60ts, and Marine Corpsvh-60n, Ch-53e and Ch-53k Helicopters, Providing Commonality of Parts, Maintenance and Training Systems.

• the First Prototype of the Light Combat Helicopter Being Designed and Developed by India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (Hal) is Expected to Be Ready for Its Maiden Flight in the Last Quarter of 2008. Detailed Design Drawings of the 10 Tonne Lch Will Be Completed by December With Manufacturing of a Prototype Commencing as Early as February.

• the First Monolithic Machined Panel for the First Agustawestland Future Lynx, a Lower Fuselage Bulkhead, Was Manufactured at Oldland Cnc’s Facility in Bristol, Uk, in Late October.

The First Future Lynx, a Battlefield Reconnaissance Helicopter (Brh) Variant for the British Army, is Scheduled to Fly in Late 2009 and Will Be Followed by the First Surface Combatant Maritime Rotorcraft (Scmr) Variant for the Royal Navy.

• Eurocopter Commissioned Its First Six-axis, Full-motion Ec 135 Simulator at Its Donauwörth Facility on October 19. A Second Ec 135 Simulator Will Be Installed Soon at American Eurocopter in Dallas, Texas.

• the Ian Pain Memorial Hangar at Tauranga Hospital, Bay of Plenty, Was Officially Opened on October 30 by New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark. The New Hangar and Facilities House the Trustpower Tect Rescue Helicopter Service.