Rotor Torque

below) Power ‘Medusa 01’ from the A109E Flight displays over Lake Burley Griffin on March 10 as part of the Canberra Day celebrations. Note the Power’s emergency pop-out floats. (Dept of Defence & Lindsay Northrop)

$40m to Be Salvaged From Seasprite

the Federal Government Has Reached an Early Resolution With Kaman, the Manufacturer of the Royal Australian Navy’s Sh-2g(a) Seasprites, to Conclude the Seasprite Program Following the March 5 Announcement That the Program Would Be Axed.

The Agreement Will See the Nine Sh-2g(a)s Already Handed Over to the Ran, Training Equipment and Some Spare Parts Returned to Kaman for Possible Onsale to Other Customers. In Return, the Government Will Receive at Least 50 Per Cent of the Proceeds of Any Sale, With a Minimum Financial Return of $39. 5 Million.

The Agreement Has Also Seen the Government Retain About $30 Million Worth of Spare Parts From the Seasprites, Mostly Engine Components, Which Are Common to the Ran S-70b-2 Seahawk and Army S-70a-9 Black Hawk Fleets.

Although Kaman, as Prime Contractor, Had Missed Several Key Performance and Delivery Milestones Over the Protracted Life of the Program, It is Believed the Navy Conducted Two Public Winching Demonstrations in Canberra During March. (Above) Sea King ‘shark 20’ of 817sqn is Pictured During Its Winch Demonstration at the Half Time Break of the Act Brumbies Versus Queensland Reds Super 14 Rugby Match on March 1 at Canberra Stadium. (Below) Power ‘medusa 01’ From the A109e Flight Displays Over Lake Burley Griffin on March 10 as Part of the Canberra Day Celebrations. Note the Power’s Emergency Pop-out Floats. (Dept of Defence & Lindsay Northrop) the Government Had Few Legal Grounds on Which to Claim Further Compensation Due to Its Claimed Mismanagement of the Aircraft’s Certification Issues Which Ultimately Led to the Fleet’s Grounding by Previous Defence Minister Brendan Nelson in 2006.

Kaman Has Previously Claimed That in 2001, Four Years After the Contract for the Helicopters Was Signed, the Government Specified That the Sh-2g(a) Must Meet Civil Far29 Certification Standards, but Then Failed to Fund or Allocate the Necessary Resources to Complete This Process.

“we Appreciate the Australian Government’s Willingness to Work With Us to Develop a Mutually Satisfactory Path to Conclude Their Super Seasprite Program,” Said Kaman Chairman, President and Ceo Neal Keating.

“we Are Also Pleased to Have the Opportunity to Sell These Highly Capable Aircraft to Another Customer. ” It is Unlikely Kaman Will Be Able to on-sell the Aircraft in Their Complete Form Without Major Modifications to Their Flight Control Systems.

The Seasprite is Also Operated by New Zealand, Polandand Egypt, Albeit in Different Forms, Although Many of the Former Ran Aircraft’s Dynamic Components Including Gearboxes and Rotor Blades and Some Airframe Structures Are Common to Those Used by These Operators.

Atsb Releases Preliminary Pier 35 R44 Crash Report

the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (Atsb) Released Its Preliminary Report Into the Fatal Accident Involving R44 Raven I, Vh-meb, Which Crashed After Taking Off From Melbourne’s Pier 35 Helipad Located Adjacent to the Yarra River Near the Westgate Bridge on December 29 2007.

Witnesses to the Accident Reported That Shortly After Takeoff the R44 Banked Left and Passed a Marina at a Height of About 30-35ft Above the Water. The Helicopter’s Forward Airspeed Then Decreased as It “rocked or Wobbled in the Air”, Pitched Nose Up, Rolled to the Left, Descended and Impacted the Water.

Pilot Edward Geldard Sustained Fatal Injuries While His Copilot, James Riess, Was Treated for Hypothermia After Being Picked Up by a Passing Boat.

Footage From a Port of Melbourne Corporation Cctv Security Camera Recorded the Helicopter’s Takeoff and Impact With the Water, and Confirmed Witness Reports and Revealed That the Helicopter Momentarily Lost Altitude Following Takeoff and the Main Rotor Appeared to Slow Prior to Impact.

The Atsb’s Preliminary Report Raised Concerns About the Pier 35 Helipad, Operated by Heli Air, Saying That It Does Not Comply With International Standards and Recommended Casa Guidance and Practices Concerning Helipads. 35 Helipad Requires Users to Phone the Helipad Manager to Arrange Landings, Parking and Payment of a Usage Fee.

The Atsb Said There Was No Readily Available Information for Pilots Planning to Use the Helipad, Unauthorised, Regarding Its Unique Characteristics Including Constraints on Operations (the Location of Powerlines and Wind Being Affected by the Surrounding Structures) and the Fact That the Windsock May Provide Erroneous Wind Indications in Some Weather Conditions.

In Response Heli Air Said, “while the Helipad May Have Some Unique Characteristics a Properly Trained Helicopter Pilot Should Be Able to Identify Whether the Helipad is Safe to Use and if So, How to Use It. ” in February Heli Air Decided to Restrict the Use of the Helipad to Its Staff and Contractors Only. Heli Air Said the Decision Was Made for Commercial Reasons Relating to the Lease of the Land and Was Not Related to the Accident.

The Atsb’s Investigations Into the Exact Causes of the Accident Are Continuing.

Melbourne F1 Grand Prix Choppers

the First Round of the Formula 1 Grand Prix Season Roared Around Melbourne’s Albert Park on the Weekend of March 15- 16, Attracting an Abundance of Helicopter Activity to the Melbourne Cbd.

A Temporary Helipad Capable of Parking Up to 14 Helicopters Was Set Up at the Harry Trott Cricket Ground Adjacent to the Race Circuit.

The Helipad, Operated by Professional Helicopter Services (Phs), Was Within a 3nm Restricted Zone Controlled by Airservices Australia.

Moorabbin Airport’s Microflite Was Kept Busy Flying in Vips Using Its Fleet of Bright Red and Gold Coloured Ec 120bs, an as 350b3 and an Ec 130.

Phs Conducted Joyflights Throughout the Weekend Using a Jetranger and an R44, Taking Passengers on Two Counter Clockwise Circuits of the Track From 1500ft.

Three Navy as 350ba Squirrels for Its Taipan Display Team Were Based From the Helipad, as Was Chc Australia’s Raaf Sar S-76a Chopper 2. The Normally East Sale Based S- 76 Undertook Pilot Transfers for the Raaf Roulettes Aerobatic Team and F/a-18 Hornet Pilots to and From Essendon and Tullamarine Airports Respectively.

Nz Engineers Found Guilty Over Crash

the Nz High Court on March 13 Found Former Owner of a Nz Maintenance Company, John Horrell, and a Senior Engineer, Ronaldpotts, Guilty of Manslaughter and of Causing Injury to a Passenger.

Philip Heney Was Killed and His Passenger, Hamish Teddy, Was Seriously Injured When the Tail Rotor of an R22, Zk-hvn, Failed While Attempting to Land at Heney’s Farm at Murchison, Southwest of Nelson, on August 26 2005. They Had Just Collected the R22 From Horrell’s Skytech Aviation Where It Had Undergone a Main Rotor Blade Replacement, a 100 Hour Inspection and Defect Rectification.

An Investigation Found That the Tail Rotor Driveshaft Flange Had Failed Completely Around the Circumference of the Root Weld, With the Aft Coupling Found to Have Been Assembled Incorrectly.

The Defendants Failed to Ensure the Work Was Directly Supervised by a Licensed Engineer, the Crown Prosecutor Said.

V-22 Makes a Ton, Still Faces Engine Troubles

Bell Boeing Celebrated the Delivery of Its 100th Production V-22, a Cv-22 for the Usaf’s Special Operations Command (Soc), During a Ceremony Held at the Bell Helicopter Amarillo Military Aircraft Assembly Center, Texas, on March 12.

Meanwhile, the 12 Cv-22s Currently Employed on Transport and Troop Support Tasks in Iraq With the Usmc, as Well as Aircraft in Service With Usmc and Usaf Soc Training Units, Are Reportedly Experiencing Higher Wear Rates on Their Ae1107c Engines Than Expected. While the Engines Are Designed to Last Several Thousand Hours Under a ‘power-by-the-hour’ Support Arrangement With Manufacturer Rolls-royce, Some Are Having to Be Replaced After Just a Few Hundred Hours Due to Having to Be Run Hotter Because of Increased Wear Rates on Blades and Seals.

The Problem Has Become So Bad That Elements Within the Us Navy, the V-22 Program’s Parent Service, Are Studying the Possibility of Fitting New-build Aircraft With the General Electric Ge38-1b Engine, Currently Under Development for the Ch-53k Program.

The V-22 Program Received a Substancial Order on March 28 When Bell Boeing Signed a Us$10. 4bn (a$11. 34bn) Five Year Multi-year Procurement Contract With the Us Department of Defense for 167 V-22s. The Order Comprises 141 Mv-22s for the Us Marine Corps, and 26 Cv- 22bs for the Usaf Special Operations Command.

Rolls-royce Delivers First Production Rr300 Engine Rolls-royce Delivered Its First Production Rr300 Turbine Engine in Mid March.

Assembled and Tested at Rr’s New Small Engine Assembly Line in Indianapolis, Indiana, the Rr300 Delivers 300shp (225kw) at Takeoff.

The First Production Engine Delivery Signalled the Start of Full Rate Production for the Engine, Which Had Gone From Concept to Reality in Under Two Years.

The Rr300’s First Application is Robinson Helicopters’s New Five-seat.