Rotor Torque

Citing Drownings and Road Trauma, the Warrnambool Community Had Been Pushing the Government for Over 12 Years to Get a Rescue Helicopter Permanently Based in the Region.

“this New Air Ambulance Will Give People in the State’s Southwest Access to the Best Pre-hospital Emergency Care Anywhere in the World,” Said Victorian Minister for Health, Daniel Andrews. “in Medical Emergencies, This Helicopter Service Will Allow Critical Cases to Be Flown Directly From an Incident Site to a Major Trauma Centre in Melbourne. ” the New Air Ambulance Base Features Hangar Space for One Helicopter, Crew Rest Areas and Rooms for Operational Flight Planning, Meetings, Training and General Administrative Duties.

The First Mission for the New Helicopter Came in the Early Hours of the Morning of July 5, Responding to a Car Accident at Lawloit, Close to the South Australia-victoria Border, With a Badly Injured 18 Year Old Male Flown to Melbourne’s the Alfred Hospital.

Telstra Child Flight Fundraising for Ba609 Upgrade

Telstra Child Flight Launched a Fundraising Campaign in June for the Purchase of a Bell/agusta Ba609 Tiltrotor to Replace the Service’s As365n2 Dauphin.

Based at Westmead Hospital, Telstra Child Flight, Which Celebrated 20 Years of Service in April, Says the Ba609 Will Be the Single Largest Capital Expense for the Child and Baby Retrieval Service.

“the Ba609 Will Ideally Suit Our Missions With Its Range, Cabin Size, Ability to Comfortably Cruise at 250kt While Pressurised to Sea Level at 16,000ft,” Said Telstra Child Flight Chief Pilot Greg Duncombe. “it Will Be Just Like a (Beechcraft) King Air That Can Hover. ” Having Recently Seen the Ba609 First Hand and Flown It in the Simulator, Duncombe Says He Could Not Fault the Type and Says Child Flight is Excited to Become Australia’s First Operator of the Tiltrotor. “sure There May Be Some Teething Issues With Introducing the New Type Into the Country, but It Has Been an ‘experimental’ for Such a Long Time Now That Most of the Bugs Have Already Been Ironed Out. Spanning Only a Metre and a Half Wider Than an Aw139’s Fuselage Length, We Will Be Able to Fly From Pad to Pad, Above Weather, Pressurised, at Speeds That Will Virtually Halve Our Mission Times. ”bell/agusta Aerospace Company (Baac) Will Conduct Icing Tests on the Ba609, the First Civil Tiltrotor Aircraft, in December, and Hopes to Have the Type Certified During 2011 for Deliveries From 2012.

The Ba609 Has Been in Development Since the Mid 1990s With the Prototype Making Its First Flight on March 6 2003.

Baac’s Two 609 Prototypes Have Logged Close to 400 Hours in Both Helicopter and Aeroplane Modes.

Telstra Child Flight Also Hopes to Replace Its Bk117b2 Backup Machine, Which the Service Has Operated Since New for 19 Years.

New Headquarters, Third Helicopter for Nrma Careflight

National Ems Operator Nrma Careflight Was Given a $2. 2 Million Grant by the Nsw State Government’s Motor Accidents Authority in Late June to Help Fund the Construction of a New Headquarters to Coordinate Its Network of Medical, Rescue Helicopter and Air Ambulance Services.

The New Headquarters, to Be Housed in an Existing Building Recently Completed but Never Occupied, is Located Just Outside the Westmead Hospitals’ Campus Adjacent to Careflight’s Long Standing Helicopter Operations Base, Which Remains in Use for Helicopter Operations and Medical Training.

Meanwhile, Careflight Recently Introduced a Second Bk117b2 Into Service to Bring Its Helicopter Fleet to Three. The New Bk, Vh‑bif, Has Been Based at Darwin Airport Since December to Provide Ems/sar Support for the Northern Territory Government. The Machine Was Kept Busy During the Wet Season Flying Medical Transfers From Katherine as an Explosion of Wallaby Numbers at Raaf Tindal Made It Unsafe for Fixed Wing Aircraft to Land There.

The Nt Government Has Indicated That It Will Call a Tender, Possibly as Soon as August, for the Future Provision of Aeromedical Support to the Territory.

Anao Audit of Seasprite Project Released

the Australian National Audit Office (Anao) Released Its Comprehensive Audit Report Into the Cancellation of the Seasprite Project on June 17.

The 352 Page Document Lists Nine Factors as Contributing to the “unsatisfactory” Outcome of the Project’s March 2008 Cancellation. These Comprised: Seeking Complex Capabilities in a Smaller Helicopter Than the Anzac Frigates Were Designed to Operate (the Helicopter Size Was Determined by the Need to Operate Off Smaller Offshore Patrol Vessels That Were to Be Procured Jointly With Malaysia); That the Requirement Definition and Tender Evaluation Processes Did Not Provide an Adequate Understanding of Project Risk; Inadequate Cost Estimation That Saw the Number of Airframes Acquired Cut From 14 to 11; Large Program Payments Were Made in the Early Phases of the Project Despite Evidence of Schedule Delays and Growing Risk; the Project Office’s Difficulties in Attracting and Retaining Qualified Personnel; the Dmo’s (Defence Materiel Organisation) Limited Ability to Oversee the Integrated Tactical Avionics System (Itas) Subcontractors’ Development Work, Despite the Itas Being Critical to the Project’s Success; Accepting the Seasprites in an Interim Configuration Was Poorly Implemented, Shifted Risk From the Contractor to the Dmo, and Did Not Deliver Desired Outcomes; There Was a Disparity Between the Contract and Contemporary Adf Certification Standards for the Seasprite, Which Defence Did Not Seek to Have Amended in the Prime Contract; and Poor Project Management Practices Within Defence and the Dmo, Which Contributed to Ongoing Contractural Uncertainty.

The Defence Department’s Response to the Anao Report Detailed That, “since Initiation of the Seasprite Project in 1994, and Contract Signing in 1997, Defence Has Implemented Significant Reform in Its Capability Acquisition and Project Management Practices Particularly Since Implementation of the 2003 Kinnaird Review Two Pass Approval Process. These Reforms Include a Professionalisation Program, Improved Contracting Functions and Improved Governance Systems Across the Defence Materiel Organisation.

The 2008 Mortimer Review Was Undertaken With the Knowledge of the Seasprite Project Difficulties, and Will Further Strengthen This Reform. ” for Its Part, Prime Contractor Kaman Stood Behind the Seasprite in Its Response to the Anao Report. “in Summary, Kaman Remains Steadfast in Its Position That the Project Deliverables, Including the Aircraft, Other Equipment, and Documentation Were in Compliance With All Prime Contract and Project Requirements. Kaman Committed Significant Human and Financial Capital to the Super Seasprite Project Above and Beyond Contract Requirements in an Effort to Bring the Project to a Successful Conclusion. Despite the Obstacles to Completion, Kaman Persevered, Even to the Extent of Completing the Remaining Aircraft Development Tasks After the Project Was Cancelled.

The Result is an Aircraft That Reflects the Outstanding Safety and Reliability Characteristic of Its Sh-2 Heritage and Which Has Unmatched Performance Capability for Its Maritimemissions. Kaman Now Looks Forward to Fielding the Aircraft With Other Customers. ” the Contract for 11 Kaman Sh-2g(a) Super Seaprites to Operate Off the Ran’s Anzac Frigates Was Signed in June 1997.

Nine Seasprites Were Provisionally Accepted by the Dmo Between Late 2003 and Mid 2005, and Were Operated by the Ran Until May 2006 When the Type’s Australian Military Type Certificate Was Withdrawn.

Briefs

• Flight Training Adelaide (Fta) Took Delivery of Two New Schweizer 300cbi Helicopters in Late May, Bringing Its Helicopter Fleet to Four. Fta Will Use the Additional 300cbis to Fulfil Recently Won Training Contracts With the Hong Kong Government Flying Service and the Rescue and Salvage Bureau of China.

• Eurocopter and French Airborne Systems Integrator Ate Will Partner to Design and Develop a Stand-alone Weapon System (Saws) for Eurocopter’s Light and Medium Helicopters.

The Modular Weapons System Was Exhibited With an As550c3 Fennec at Eurocopter’s Paris Airshow Static Display.

(See Paris’ 09 Article This Issue).

• Sikorsky Will Add Two Additional S-76d Prototypes to Assist With Flight Envelope Expansion Work for Its Newest Version of the S-76. The Additional Aircraft Will Allow for an Accelerated Flight Test Program.

• Sikorsky’s X2 Technology Demonstrator Completed Two Test Flights in Early July That Included Full Engagement of Its Pusher Propeller for the First Time. During One Flight the X2 Reached a Speed of 52kt With the Pusher Propeller Providing Forward Thrust.

• Australian Aerospace Has Signed a Contract With Sagem to Provide Support Services of the Strix Sights Mounted on the Army’s 22 Tiger Arhs.

The Strix Observation and Sighting System Supports All Weapons on the Tiger and Features a Daytime and Infrared Channel and a Laser Designatorrangefinder.