Rotor Torque

“acceptance of the First Australian Assembled Mrh 90, in Addition to Recent Acceptance of the Fourth Aircraft From France, Will Enable an Increase in the Training Rate for Aircrew in Navy and Army,” Said Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Procurement Greg Combet at the Low Key Ceremony.

“the Acceptance on Schedule of the First Australian Assembled Mrh 90 Marks Another Major Milestone for Rotary Wing Manufacturing Technology in the Australia-pacific Region,” Australian Aerospace Chief Executive Dr Jens Goennemann Added.

The Remaining 41 of 46 Mrh 90s Being Assembled by Australian Aerospace for the Army and Navy Will Be Progressively Delivered Until the End of 2014.

Helicopter Shark Patrol for Perth Beaches

Surf Life Saving Western Australia (Slswa) is Now Patrolling Perth’s Beaches for Sharks Using a New Westpac Sponsored Bell 206a Jetranger, Vh-bin.

Westpac’s Three Year Sponsorship of the Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter Service, Operated by Slswa, Plus State Government Funding, Will Allow the Helicopter to Patrol an Average of Three Hours a Day on Weekends and Public Holidays Between 10am and 7pm Throughout the Summer Months.

Since 2001 a Similar Service Had Been Provided by Student Commercial Pilots From Edith Cowan University’s (Ecu) Aviation School While They Gained Valuable Flying Hours.

However, the University Had to Drop the Shark Patrol Service After the 2007/08 Summer Due to a Lack of Pilots.

Coincidentally Wa’s Shark Hazard Committee, Responsiblefor Assessing the Effectiveness of Shark Hazard Mitigation Strategies, Early Last Year Recommended a Change From Using Fixed-wing Aircraft to Helicopters for the Patrols.

“in Past Years, Aerial Shark Surveillance Patrols by Fixedwing Aircraft Have Been Part of the Overall Strategy to Minimise the Risk of Shark Attacks at Our Beaches,” Said Wa Premier Colin Barnett in a Statement.

“we All Know How Successfully Media Choppers Have Been Able to Find Sharks, Sighted Near Our Beaches. Manoeuvrability and Good Viewing Options for the Crew on the Surf Life Saving Helicopter Will Provide the Same Opportunities in This Dedicated Service for Perth Beaches. ” the State Government Believes the Helicopter Will Be Able to Respond and Provide Assistance to Surf Lifesavers in a Far Greater Range of Situations.

Shark Monitoring and Responses to Shark Sightings Will Form Part of the Wider Range of Patrol Activities for the Helicopter.

Temporarily Based at Rouse Heads (North Port) in Fremantle, South of Perth, Vh-bin Patrols the Coastline Between Dawsville in the South and Yanchep/capricorn in the North.

Slswa Started Using Helicopters for Beach Patrols During the 1980s but Ceased Their Use in the Early 1990s.

Eye in the Sky for Nsw Rural Fire Service

the Nsw Rural Fire Service (Rfs) Has Leased an as 350b Squirrel Equipped With an Infrared Capable High-definition Camera to Be Used in the Management and Containment of Bushfires Around the State This Season.

Launched in Mid January by Federal Home Affairs Minister Bob Debus and Nsw Emergency Services Minister Tony Kelly, the Infrared Vision From ‘firebird 255’ Allows Rfs Controllers to Virtually See Through the Smoke and Identify a Fire’s Movements and Hotspots.

“for the Commander of Firefighting Operators to Be Able to See the Line of Flame, to Be Able to See the Burning Logs That May Be Left in Real Time, Either Through Infrared or Daylight Photography, is an Enormous Advance,” Said Kelly. “it Will Greatly Transform the Way in Which We Can Do Firefighting in the Future. ” the Cineflex Camera Fitted to Sydney Airport Based Airview Aviation’s Vh-arq Can Stream Live Tv Footage From Fires Up to 65km Away (or 200km Plus With Booster) to Rfs Fire Control Centres.

‘firebird 255’ Proved Its Worth Within Days of Commissioning by Broadcasting Footage to Rfs Incident Controllers of a Large Fire Burning in Bushland in the Wingecarribee Area in the Southern Highlands, South of Sydney.

Name Change, Bigger Helicopter for Mich

the Mount Isa Community Helicopter (Mich) Has Changed Its Name to North Queensland Helicopter Rescue Service (Nq Rescue for Short).

The Mich Board Decided That a Name Change Would Help the Organisation Grow and Better Reflect the Region in Which the Service Operates.

“this Name Change Signifies the Recognition That Our Operation, Although Based Out of the City of Mount Isa, is Servicing the Entire Northwest Queensland Region,” Said Nq Rescue Ceo Alex Dorr.

Another Significant Change for Nq Rescue Came in the Arrival of a Larger Bell 206l Longranger in December to Replace Its 206a Jetranger.

Longranger Vh-zow, Previously Operated by the Energex Sunshine Coashelicopter Rescue Service at Maroochydore Airport, Will Provide Nq Rescue’s Crew With Additional Cabin Space for Transporting Patients While Giving an Increase in Range.

Nq Rescue Continues Its Fundraising Efforts to Upgrade to a Larger Twin Engine Bk 117 Helicopter Despite the Downturn in the Australian Resources Sector – a Primary Contributor of Funding for the Community Helicopter Service.

“we’ve Been in Service Now for Just on a Year and the Helicopter is Being Tasked More and More,” Said Dorr. “our Sponsors and the Whole Community Have Been Great With Supporting the Work That We’ve Been Doing With Generous Donations. The Downturn in the Financial World May Impact on Our Fundraising This Year. ” Nq Rescue Remains Focused on Upgrading to a Bk 117 Which Will Enable the Carriage of Queensland Ambulance Service Paramedics on Its Medical Taskings.

Charges Laid Over Sea King Accident

a Melbourne Man Was Formally Charged on December 16 in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court for Allegedly Carrying Butane Gas Canisters Onboard Navy Sea King N16-100 ‘shark 02’ Which Crashed on April 2 2005 on the Island of Nias, Indonesia.

Francis Tyler, 43, of Hawthorn East, Who Was Working as a Volunteer Field Manager With the International Medical Corps During the Tsunami Relief Operations, Allegedly Carried the Canisters on Board as Part of Relief Supply Packages.

The Accident Report Into the Crash of Shark 02 Stated That Butane Was a Causal Factor to an Explosion That Occurred Inside the Helicopter Approximately Five Minutes After It Impacted the Ground.

Tyler Was Released on Bail to Reappear on March 24 When the Case is Scheduled to Recommence.

First Nh90 Ffms Commissioned

the First Nh90 Full Flight and Mission Simulator (Ffms) Was Unveiled on January 15 at Helicopter Flight Training Services’s (Hfts) Facility at Bückeburg, Northern Germany, Adjacent to Launch Customer the German Army Aviation School.

Finnish and Swedish Armed Forces Will Also Use Hfts’s Bückeburg Facility to Train Their Nh90 Pilots.

Hfts, a Consortium of Cae, Eurocopter, Thales and Rheinmetall Defence Electronics, Plans to Build and Operate Four Nh90 Ffmss and Three Training Centres at Fassberg, Holzdorf and Bückeburg.

The Nh90 Ffms, Comparable to Level C Jar Fstd 1h Standards, Features Full-motion With Six Degrees of Freedom, an Instructor Station, Full Replica Cockpit and a Visual System Field of View of 200 Degrees Horizontal and 60 Degrees Vertical Daylight/dusk/night.

The Adf is Expected to Take Delivery of Two Level D Mrh 90 Ffmss in 2012 From Cae and Thales. They Will Be Based at the Army Aviation Training Centre, Oakey, and at 5 Aviation Regiment, Townsville.

Bait Box Rescue

Two Burmese Men Were Winched From a Floating Bait Box in Waters 60nm Northwest of Horn Island in the Torres Strait on January 20.

The Crew of an Australian Helicopters Bell 412, Operating on Behalf of Emergency Management Queensland, Rescued the Pair After They Had Reportedly Spent 25 Days Floating at Sea.

Australian Helicopters General Manager of Operations Peter Heath Said the Three Crew on Board the Helicopter Were Definitely Taken by Surprise.

“australian Helicopters Conducts Sar Operations and Rescues in the Torres Strait Onan Almost Daily Basis but I Have Never Heard of Something Like This Happening Before,” He Said.

The Pair Were Flown to Thursday Island for Medical Treatment and Were Later Handed Over to Customs and Immigration Officials.

Boeing A160t Shifts Gears, Passes 100 Flight Hours

Boeing’s A160 Turbine (A160t) Hummingbird Unmanned Rotorcraft Passed the 100 Flight Hour Mark on November 20, Then Five Days Later Changed Gears in Flight Using Its Two-speed Transmission.

“being Able to Shift Gears in Flight is the Final Significant Step in Realising the Full Potential of Our Optimum Speed Rotor Technology, Which Enables Game-changing Capability for the Warfighter,” Said John Groenenboom, Boeing’s A160t Program Manager.

Since Making Its First Flight in June 2007 the A160t Has Made an 18. 7 Hour World Record Flight, Carried Multiple Payloads of Up to 450kg, Hovered-out-of-groundeffect Flight at 20,000ft and Has Flown With the Forester Foliagepenetrating Radar Antenna.

French and German Tigers Certified

the European Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (Occar) Has Issued the French Délégation Générale Pour L’armement (Dga) and German Bundesamt Für Wehrtechnik Und Beschaffung (Bwb) With the Final Qualification of the Hap and Uht Variants of the Eurocopter Tiger Attack Helicopter.

The Australian Army’s Similar Arh Tiger Program Has Beendelayed by Almost Two Years Due to Delays in Certifying the Lead French and German Tigers, but This Qualification Marks the Final Step for Development of the Two European Variants, and Paves the Way for Local Certification Later This Year of Australia’s 22 Tigers, of Which 15 Have Now Been Delivered.

France Has Ordered 40 Hap Tigers, of Which 18 Have Already Been Delivered, While Germany Has Received 10 Out of Its Order of 80 Uht Tigers. Spain and France Have Ordered 24 and 40 Enhanced Had Tigers Respectively, Which Include Uprated Engines and the Ability to Launch the Hellfire Anti-armour Missile.

Briefs

• Eads North America (American Eurocopter) Announced in Jauary It Will Offer an Armed Version of Its Uh-72a Lakota, a Militarised Ec 145, for the Us Army’s Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter Tender, After Bell Failed to Deliver Its Arh-70 Due to the Tripling of Development Costs and Service Entry Delays of Four Years. In December American Eurocopter Delivered Its 50th and 51st Lakota and Operated for the First Time Its Full Motion Ec 135/ec 145 Flight Training Device (Ftd) at the Company’s Training Facility in Grand Prairie, Texas.

• France Has Ordered an Additional 22 Nh90 Tth Transport Helicopters to Add to the 12 It Already Has on Order.

The Order Brings Total Nh90/ Mrh 90 Orders to 529 Aircraft From 14 Countries, Including 46 From Australia and Six From New Zealand.

• Rolls-royce Has Been Awarded a 10 Year, £258m (a$556m) Contract by the British Mod to Provide Engine Support to the Uk’s Fleet of Sea King Helicopters.

• Boeing Says It Will Offer Two Helicopters for the Us Army’s Third Iteration of Its Arh Program. The Company Will Offer a Stretched Version of Its Ah-6 Little Bird, Dubbed Ah-6s Phoenix, as Well as an Aircraft Reportedly Nicknamed ‘apache Lite. ’