Rotor Torque

The 412ep Features a Light Weight Trakkabeam A800 Searchlight and is Fitted With Standard Skid Gear. “the Floor Height is Nearly Identical to That of an Ambulance Meaning the Stretcher Can Simply and Easily Be Pushed on and Off the Helicopter,” Said Australian Helicopters General Manager of Operations Peter Heath.

On March 16 Hems 5 Began Its Ambulance Victoria Contract From Its New Essendon Airport Base. While Fitted With a Winch for Search and Rescue, the Helicopter’s Primary Role is for a Dedicated Adult, Neonatal and Paediatric Retrieval and Transfer Service of Patients Between Hospitals for Specialist Care.

The Second Bell 412ep, Vh-vao, to Be Based at Warrnambool in the State’s West, is Undergoing a Medical Fitout in Brisbane and is Due to Commence Rescue Operations From July 1.

With the Deliveries of Vas and Vao in February Australian Helicopters Briefly Became the Operator of Both the Newest and Oldest Bell 412s in the World. Australian Helicopters Currently Operates the First Production Bell 412 Classic, Vh-emz, on a Sar/ems Contract Based at Horn Island in Queensland’s Torres Straight.

Sea King Inquiry Recommendations Implemented, Charges Dropped

the Chief of Navy Has Announced That All 256 Recommendations of the Sea King Board of Inquiry (Boi) Have Been Implemented.

The Recommendations Were Published by the Boi in June 2007 Following the April 2005 Crash of Sea King ‘shark 02’ With the Loss of Nine Lives on the Indonesian Island of Nias During Earthquake Relief Operations.

“for Navy, and the Entire Australian Defence Force, Completion of All the Board’s Recommendations is a Significant Milestone, but Not the End of Our Enduring Focus on the Future of Aviation Safety,” Vice Admiral Russ Crane Said in Astatement. “implementing All of the Sea King Board’s Recommendations is the First Major Step to Embedding a ‘can Do Safely’ Attitude Into Our Activities.

I Am Committed to Ensuring Continued Improvement in Safety for All Our People Across the Range of Tasks They Consistently Conduct in the Defence of This Nation. ” in Mid March the Charges Laid Against an Aid Worker Who Allegedly Loaded Butane Canisters Onto the Sea King Were Dropped by Federal Prosecutors.

A Report in the Australian Claimed the Charges Were Dropped After a Key Witness for the Prosecution Who Lives Overseas Withdrew Her Cooperation, and is Unable to Be Compelled to Return to Australia to Testify.

While the Cause of the Aircraft’s Crash Was Attributed to the Failure of a Split Pin in Its Flight Control System, the Presence of the Butane Canisters is Reported to Have Contributed to the Ferocity of the Subsequent Fire and Thus the Inability to Rescue Survivors of the Crash.

Rrtm Engine Support Contract for Army Mrh 90s

Rolls-royce Turbomeca (Rrtm) and Australian Aerospace Signed a Throughlife Support (Tls) Contract for the Army’s Fleet of Mrh 90 Helicopters on March 11.

The Five Year Contract, With a Follow-on Option of a Further Five Years, Will See Rrtm Provide Technical, Logistics and Supply Support Services for the Mrh 90’s Rtm322-01/9 Turbine Engines Supported by Turbomeca Australasia, Which Provides Repair Services for the Engines From Its Bankstown Airport Facilities. The Adf Selected the Rtm322 to Power the Initial Batch of 12 Mrh 90s in 2005 and Placed a Follow-on Order to Power an Additional 34 Helicopters in 2007.

New Naming Sponsor for Sunshine Coast Helicopter Rescue

Agl Energy Limited (Agl) Has Become the New Naming Rights and Major Sponsor of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast Helicopter Rescue Service (Schrs) After Its 15 Year Energex Sponsorhip Ended.

The Three Year Agl Sponsorship, Which Commenced on April 1, Sees the Schrs Now Known as ‘agl Action Rescue’, While Its Three Bk117b2 Fleet Wears a New Blue, Orange and White Livery.

“the Name ‘agl Action Rescue’ Will Become Synonymous With How Quick Action Saves Lives,” Said Agl Managing Director, Michael Fraser.

Schrs Agl Action Rescue Will Celebrate Its 30th Anniversary of Operations With a Fund-raising Gala Ball on October 16 at the Novotel Twin Waters Resort. For Further Information Contact Colin Brown at Colin. Brown@ Schrs. Org. Au.

V-22 Design Flaw Found

a Design Flaw in the Bell- Boeing V-22 Osprey Has Forced a Temporary Grounding of the Operational Fleet of 84 Aircraft for Inspection.

The Flaw Was Found After the Crew of a Usmc Mv-22 Heard Unusual Noises While Landing After a Mission in Iraq in March. A Subsequent Inspection Found Four Bolts in One of the Aircraft’s Engine Nacelles Had Shaken Loose. The Bolts Are Key Components in Controlling the Tiltrotor’s Propeller Blade Pitch While in Helicopter Mode, the Failure of Which Could Be Catastrophic. A Subsequent Inspection of All Usmc Mv-22s and Usaf Cv-22s Found That the Same Bolts in Four Other Aircraft, All ‘high-time’ Aircraft and Three of Which Were Also Deployed to Iraq at the Time, Were Also Coming Loose.

The Fault Comes Just Two Days After the Usmc Declared the Mv-22 Had Reached Ioc (Initial Operational Capability) After an Otherwise Satisfactory Deployment of Two Squadrons to Iraq Over the Past Year.

While the Grounding Has Had No Direct Affect on the Operational Capability of the Tiltrotor, a Planned Us Marine Corps Osprey Deployment to Afghanistan Has Been Delayed in Favour of a Squadron of Ch-53es Due to the Unavailability of Any Mv-22 Units. The Usmc Currently Has Three Operational Squadrons, One of Which is Currently in Iraq, One Has Just Returned From Iraq, While the Third is Training for Its Iraq Deployment Later This Year.

Sikorsky Requests S-92 Grounding

Sikorsky Requested Operators of Its S-92 Helicopter Ground the Type on March 21 While It Conducted an Urgent Modification to the Aircraft’s Gearbox.

The Grounding Request Follows the Fatal Crash of an S-92 Off Newfoundland on March 12 in Which 17 Passengers and Crew Were Killed, and Which Investigators Have Preliminarily Traced Back to the Failure of a Transmission Component.

Chc, the S-92’s Largest Operator, Was Instructed by Sikorsky to Ground the Type “pending an Urgent Modification to the S-92 Fleet…prior to Any Further Flying Activity. ” Then on March 24 the Faa Issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive (Ad) for the S-92, Stating: “this Directive is Prompted by the Failure of Two Main Gearbox Filter Bowl Assembly Mounting Studs (Studs) That Were Found Broken During a Fatal Accident Investigation in Canada. We Are Issuing This Emergency Ad to Prevent Failure of a Stud Which Could Result in Rapid Loss of Oil, Failure of the Main Gearbox, and Subsequent Loss of Control of the Helicopter. ” Prior to This Recent Accident, Sikorsky Was Investigating a July 2008 Incident Which Also Involved Broken Mounting Studs. The Failures Have Been Tied to Fretting and Galling of the Original Titanium Studs. An Faa Ad Required the Removal of All Titanium Studs and Their Replacement With Steel Studs.

Chc Australia Operates a Single S-92 From Broome, the Only Example of Its Type on the Australian Register.

Erickson’s Flying Swiss Army Knife

Erickson Recently Announced It Will Provide Its Air-cranes for Us Homeland Security and Emergency Management Tasks With Its Air-crane Incident Response Systems (Airs) Program.

Erickson Describes Airs, Which Has Been Designed to Respond to All Types of Disasters, as a “flying Swiss Army Knife”.

Features of Airs Include the Under-slung Carriage of a Spool Which Unravels Water Hoses, Power and Communications Cables Over Any Terrain to Bring Power, Water, Fuel, and Communications to Isolated Locations or Areas Made Inaccessible by Disaster, and a Specially Designed Basket That Can Rescue Up to 60 People at a Time.

Meanwhile, Erickon is Moving Its Headquarters to Portland, Oregon.

India to Re-tender Attack Helicopter Contract

India’s Defence Ministry Has Retracted Tenders It Issued Last May for the Purchase of 22 Attack Helicopters for the Indian Air Force Because Offers Received Did Not Meet Its Requirements.

Agustawestland, Eurocopter, Kamov, Mil, Bell Helicopter and Boeing Had Been Invited to Tender, but the Latter Pair Both Withdrew From the Contest.

Boeing Declined to Submit an Ah-64 Apache Offer After the Indian Government Did Not Grant Its Request for an Eight Week Extension, While Bell Withdrew Its Ah-1z Cobra Which is Only Available for Export Through a Foreign Military Sale (Fms). India Had Insisted It Would Procure the Helicopter Directly From the Manufacturer and Not Through an Fms.

The Indian Government Said It Will Issue a New Rfp for the Attack Helicopters Soon.

Briefs

• Emergency Management Queensland (Emq) Captain Trevor Wilson Was Awarded Agustawestland’s Pilot Award 2009 on March 12 During a Ceremony at the Avalon Airshow, in Recognition of His Work in Introducing the First Aw139 Helicopter in Australia.

Wilson Was Also the First Aw139 Pilot and Certified Instructor in Australia.

• Bae Systems Recently Carried Out a Series of Flight Tests on Key Components of Its Echidna Electronic Warfare Self Protection System for the Army’s Black Hawks and Chinooks. Bae Systems Used a Specially Configured Electronics Pod Mounted on a Learjet Focusing on Detection, Identification and Tracking of Emitters.

• the Sikorsky Sea King Helicopter Community Celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Type’s First Flight on March 11. More Than 1500 Military and Commercial (S-61) Versions Have Been Built Under Licence in Four Countries and Operated by More Than 20 Nations Worldwide.