Rotor Torque

Ambulance’s Second Aw139, Vh-syv, is Due to Enter Service in November With the Third, Vh-syz, Coming on Strength in Mid 2009.

Two Aw139s Will Be Based at Bankstown Airport With One a Back-up Machine to Shift Between the Three Bases When Required.

Two New Ec 145s Are Also Being Acquired to Supplement the Aw139s on the Ambulance Contract, and They Are Expected to Arrive in Australia in February to Undergo a Medical Fit-out Prior to Entering Service in April and May.

The Ec 145s Will Be Based at Bankstown and Orange.

Southcare Signs Four Year Contract

Canberra Based Snowy Hydro Southcare Has Had Its Aeromedical Retrieval Contract Renewed, Extending Helicopter Rescue Services in the Act and Southern Nsw Region Until 2012.

During a September 4 Ceremony on the Lawns of Parliament House, Attended by Southcare’s Bell 412 (Pictured Opposite), Act Minister for Police and Emergency Services Simon Corbell and Nsw Ambulance Manager of Aeromedical and Medical Retrieval Services Graeme Field Signed Southcare’s New Four Year Contract With Chc Australia Executive Director Chris Ridings and Chairman for the Act and Southeast Nsw Aero-medical Service Limited Michael Pahlow.

The Contract Signing Also Marked the Launch of Three New Sponsors for Southcare Including Capital Chemist, John James Memorial Foundation and Canberra Yellow.

Mich Campaigns for a Bk 117 Upgrade

the Mount Isa Community Helicopter (Mich) is Campaigning the Mt Isa and Northern Queensland Districts for Funding to Support an Upgrade to a Twin Engined Bk 117.

Commencing Multi Agency Retrieval and Community Support Operations in February Using a Bell Jetranger Iii (See July Issue Aa), Mich Hopes to Raise $700,000 Through Sponsorship and Donations From the Corporate and Mining Sectors, Local Councils and the Mt Isa Community.

“the Bk 117 Has Been Tried and Proven Around the World in the Ems Role,” Mich Ceo Alex Dorr Told Aa. “the Bk’s Cabin Size, Range and Speed Makes It the Ideal Twin Engined Machine for Us. Additionally, Our Close Alliance With the Energex Sunshine Coast Helicopter Rescue Service (Which Will Soon Be Operating Three Bk 117s) Makes Sense From an Operational and Training Point of View. ” as a Prelude to a Twin Engined Upgrade Mich Recently Commenced a Temporary Lease of a Bell 206l Longranger, Replacing Its Jetranger.

“the Jetranger Was Just to Get Us Started,” Said Dorr. “now That We’re Being Called Out on More and More Taskings an Upgrade to a Longranger Will Be an Absolute Must. ” Mich Hopes to Be Operating a Bk 117 From Its Mt Isa Airport Base by the Middle of Next Year.

Army Uh-1h Iroquois Disposal Update

the Fate of Army’s Recently Retired Uh-1h Helicopters, Currently in Storage in Brisbane, Has Yet to Be Finalised.

Since Their Retirement in September Last Year There Has Been a High Level of Interest Expressed by a Number of Private Entities as Well as Commercial and Non-defence Government Agencies Seeking to Acquire Some of the ‘hueys’.

“a Number of Expressions of Interest Have Been Received From Foreign Countries Seeking a Number of Iroquois Aircraft and Components,” a Defence Spokesperson Said in Statement to Aa.

“all Options Are Being Reviewed Before a Final Decision is Made by Government. ” Defence Says That Since the Helicopters Are of United States Origin, Regardless of the Government’s Decision, Any Non-defence Uses of the Helicopters Requires the Approval of the Us Government.

“this Process Will Extend the Time Taken to Dispose of the Aircraft and Based on Previous Experience It is Highly Unlikely That the United States Government Will Approve the Transfer of These Aircraft to a Non-government Entity. ” Several Rsl Clubs and Museums, Including the Australian War Memorial, Are Keen to Acquire an Iroquois in Order to Preserve and Display the Helicopter’s Military Heritage.

Victoria Police Air Wing Update

the Victoria Police Air Wing Fleet, Operated Under Contract by Chc Australia, Will Soon Update Its Fleet With a New as 365n3 Dauphin and an Ec 135.

The New as 365n3 Will Replace the Air Wing’s Current as 365n3, Vh-pvh, Which Will Revert to a Backup Role While as 350ba Squirrel Vh-pvm Will Be Replaced by the Ec 135 for Regional Tasking Roles.

The Fate of the Air Wing’s Sole Sa 365c1 Dauphin, Vh-pva, Which Entered Service With the Air Wing Back in 1986, is Yet to Be Determined but It Will Soon Likely Be Retired.

All of the Air Wing’s Helicopters, Including Air Ambulance Victoria’s as 365n3 Vh-pvg, Are Having Their Cockpits Modified to Be Nvg and Single Pilot Ifr Capable.

The New Helicopters Are Due to Arrive in Australia in August 2009 and Enter Service by Late That Year.

35 Years of Helicopter Rescue in Australia

September Marked the 35th Anniversary Since the Establishment of Australia’s First Civil Helicopter Rescue Service.

Prior to the Summer of 1973 the Wales Bank (Now Westpac) Sponsored Sydney Slsa Surf Rescue Helicopter Service Conducted Its Inaugural Training Day on September 23 at the Isolated Burning Palms Beach in the Royal National Park South of Sydney.

Using Bell 47g Vh-csw, the Training Day Was to Familiarise the 36-member Rescue Team With How to Perform Surf Rescues Using a Helicopter – Until Then Something That Had Never Been Done Before in Australia.

Ian Badham Oam, Founding Director of the Nrma Care‑ Flight Service, Was Instrumental in Introducing Helicopter Rescue Into Australia.

“i Ran the First Training Day at Burning Palms, My Local Surf Club, as the Beach Had No Road Access So Our Team of Newly Volunteered Lifesavers Could Be Trained Away From Prying Eyes,” Recalled Badham.

The Wales Bank Sydney Slsa Surf Rescue Helicopter Service Was Formally Launched on September 30 1973. Three Weeks Later It Performed Its First Rescue in the Surf Off Bronte Beach, Near Sydney.

Thirty-five Years on and Nearly Two Dozen Government and Non-government Helicopter Rescue Organisations Perform Life Saving Work on a Daily Basis in Australia and New Zealand.

Of Note Too is That Westpac’s Sponsorship of Several Helicopter Rescue Services Represents the Longest Continual Sponsorship Program in Australian Corporate History.

First Production Vh-71 Flies

After Repeated Program Cost Overruns and a Major Redesign, the First Pilot Production Vh-71 for the Presidential Helicopter Replacement Program (Pp‑1) Made Its First Flight on September 22 From Agustawestland’s Yeovil, England, Facility.

Pp-1 is the First of Five Production Vh-71s Being Acquired Under the Initial, or Increment One, Phase of the Presidential Helicopter Replacement Program.

Some of the Presidential Helicopters the Vh-71s Will Replace Have Been in Service Since the 1970s and Are Scheduled to Be Phased Out at a Rate of Three Per Year Beginning in 2017.

Increment Two Will See the Delivery of 23 Operational Vh-71s Fitted With Upgraded Navigation and Communications Systems That Fulfil White House Requirements to Maintain Continuity of Government and Allow the President to Carry Out the Duties of the Office While Airborne.

However, the Future of the Vh-71 Program Remains Uncertain While the Us Congress Debates the Funding for the Helicopters. Earlier This Year Congress Slashed the Vh-71’s Increment 2 Phase Budget by Us$212m (a$256m).

In Early October Pp-1 Was Transferred by a Usaf C-17 to Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, Where Lockheed Martin Flew the Helicopter to Owego, New York, for Mission Systems Hardware Installation.

Five in One Week for Md Helicopters

Md Helicopters Set a Company Record When It Delivered Five New Helicopters During the Last Week of August.

The Deliveries Comprised a Md 902 Explorer, an Md 600n and Three Md 500es.

“it Was a Busy and Eventful Week for Us,” Said Craig Kitchen, Chief Operating Officer for Md Helicopters. “and It is Indicative of Our Turnaround and Growth. To Meet the Demand for Our Aircraft We Anticipate Many More Weeks Like This One. ” the Recent Deliveries Come as Good News for the Us Lighthelicopter Manufacturer, Which Has Been Returning From the Financial Brink Since Being Purchased by Venture Capital Firm Patriarch Partners in July 2005.

X2’s Second Flight

Sikorsky’s X2 Demonstrator Flew for the Second Time on September 18, Testing a Desensitised Version of the Flyby- Wire Control System.

Sikorsky Chief Test Pilot Kevin Bredenbeck Flew the X2 for 25 Minutes at Sikorsky’s Schweizer Aircraft Corporation Subsidiary’s Rapid-prototyping Facility in Horseheads, New York, Until the Flight Was Cut Short Because of Strengthening Winds.

Data From the X2’s First Flight on August 27 Was Replayed on a High-fidelity Simulator at Sikorsky’s Connecticut Facility. Flight Control Gains From All Three Axes Were Examined Then Modified in the Simulator Before Being Tested on the X2.

“on the Second Flight, the Controls Were Much More Comfortable,” Said Jim Kagdis, Sikorsky’s Manager of Advanced Programs.

Sikorsky Plans to Build Up a Total of Three Hours Flight on the X2 Time Before Grounding the Coaxial Rotor Helicopter to Integrate Its Pusher Propeller Into the Power Train and Control System for Faster Flights.

“the Pusher System Should Be Integrated by Year’s End, After Which the Remainder of the 15 Hours in Phase One Will Be Completed,” Said Kagdis.

Phase Two Will See the X2 Fly as Fast as 80kt Without the Aid of the Pusher Prop. In Phase Three, the Rear Propeller Willbe Engaged to Attain Speeds of 120kt. And in Stage Four, the X2 Will Attempt to Reach Speeds of 250kt or More.

Briefs

• the Royal New Zealand Navy Successfully Test Fired Two Agm- 65 Maverick Air-to-surface Missiles From One of Its Sh-2g Seasprite Helicopters on September 5, the First Such Test Firing of the Missile in Nz Service.

• Malaysia Has Chosen the Eurocopter Ec 725 Cougar to Replace Its Ageing Sikorsky S- 61a4 Nuri Transport Helicopters.

The Ec 725 Beat Out the Sikorsky S-92, Mil Mi-17, and Agustawestland Eh 101 for the 12 Aircraft Order.

• the Us Defense Security Cooperation Agency (Dsca) Has Notified Congress of a Possible Foreign Military Sale (Fms) to the Uae of 15 Uh-60m Black Hawk Helicopters as Well as Associated Electronic Warfare Over the Harbour Another Image of the Ambulance Service of Nsw’s New Aw139, Vh-syj, Pictured Over Sydney Harbour During a Recent Promotional Photo Shoot.

(Paul Sadler) Equipment, Spares and Services.

The Dsca Has Also Notified Congress of a Possible Fms Sale of 12 Ah-64d Longbow Apache Attack Helicopters to Saudi Arabia.

• India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Expects to Test Fly Its New Light Combat Helicopter (Lch) by March 2009.