Rotor Torque

After Operating Beechcraft King Airs at the Army Aviation Centre, Oakey, Queensland, the Squadron Will Be Designated 173 Aviation Squadron, Under the Command of 6 Aviation Regiment, and Relocate to Holsworthy Barracks Southwest of Sydney.

173 Avn Sqn Will Be Equipped With Eight Bell 206b-1 Kiowas, Including Some Recently Retired From Darwin’s 1 Avn Regt, to Provide Operational (Command and Liaison) and Light Aviation Support in Sydney and Southeastern Australia.

Holsworthy Barracks is Already the Home to 171 Aviation Squadron’s Fleet of 12 S-70a Black Hawks Which Conduct Counter Terrorism Operations.

In Other Kiowa News the Defence Materiel Organisation Issued a Request for Tender on November 28 for a New Kiowa Deeper Level Maintenance Contract. Boeing Defence Australia Currently Maintain the Army’s Kiowas at Oakey, With the New Five Year Contract Due to Commence on July 1 2010.

Aw149 & Aw159 Make First Flights

the Agustawestland Aw149 Multirole Military Variant of the Aw139 Medium Twin Helicopter Completed Its First Flight on November 13, a Day After the Aw159 Lynx Wildcat for the British Military Flew.

The Aw149’s 20 Minute Flight, From Agustawestland’s Vergiate Plant in Northern Italy, Was Captained by Agustawestland Chief Test Pilot Giuseppe Lo Coco, and Included an Assessment of the Helicopter’s General Handling and Basic Systems.

A Second Aw149 Prototype, With Production Standard 2000shp Class Ge Ct7-2e1 Turbines With Fadec and an All-new Transmission System, Will Fly in 2010.

Ioc for the Aw149, Which Can Seat Up to 18 Troops and Has Been Developed for an Italian Air Force Sar Requirement, is Slated for 2014.

Meanwhile, the Uk’s New Agustawestland Aw159 Lynx Wildcat Made Its First Flight on November 12.

The Aw159, an Advanced Development of the Lynx, Performed Basic Handling Checks During Its Flight From Yeovil in the Uk.

The Aircraft Features Two Honeywell/rolls-royce Lhtec Cts800-4n Engines, a Composite Faceted Airframestructure, and New Avionics and Weapons Systems. The First Aircraft is Due to Enter Service in 2014.

The British Army Has Ordered 34 Aw159s and the Royal Navy 28, While Agustawestland Believes There Are Sales Opportunities for the Aircraft in the Middle East and Africa.

Winch Cable Breaks During Rescue

a Queensland Ambulance Service Paramedic and a Helicopter Rescue Crewman Received Serious Injuries After Falling 16m Onto the Deck of a Merchant Ship After Their Winch Cable Broke During a Rescue Attempt on November 9.

The Crew Were Being Winched Down From an Australian Helicopters Operated Bell 412, Vh-emz, to Treat an Ill Sailor Onboard the Ship 111km West of Horn Island in the Torres Strait When the Cable Snapped.

A Spokesman for Australian Helicopters Said in a Statement That Initial Reports Suggest That the Winch Cable Came Into Contact With the Ship’s Superstructure (King Post).

A Second Rescue Helicopter Retrieved the Seriously Injured Paramedic, While the Crewman and Sailor Were Taken by Pilot Launch to Thursday Island Hospital.

Australian Helicopters Said That a Winch Rescue Onto a Vessel Was a Difficult Exercise, but the Helicopter Pilot, Who Hadmore Than 10 Years’ Experience With the Company in the Torres Strait, and Crew Constantly Trained for Such Missions.

The Atsb is Investigating the Incident.

Air-cranes Arrive for the Summer Onslaught

Six Erickson Air-cranes Have Arrived in Australia to Tackle This Summer’s Bushfire Season, With the National Aerial Firefighting Centre (Nafc) Bringing Them Into Country a Month Earlier This Year.

Elvis and Isabelle Arrived in Melbourne via Ship on November 20. The Following Day the Firebombing Helicopters Were Reassembled and Flown Off the Wharf to Nearby Essendon Airport.

Shortly After Arriving at Essendon Isabelle Refuelled and Flew to Sydney to Commence Its Nsw Rural Fire Service Contract.

Another Four Air-cranes Arrived in Melbourne via Ship on December 8.

“we Will Have a Spare ‘crane’ Again This Year Which Will Remain at Essendon,” Said Erickson’s Australian Representative Mark Robertson.

“under Contract We’ll Have Two Based at Melbourne/essendon, Two in Sydney/bankstown and One Up in the Adelaide Hills at Brokunga. ” Elvis (N179ac) and Elsie (N218ac) Have Taken Up Residence at Essendon, Isabelle (N178ac) and Delilah (N194ac) at Bankstown, and Christine (N173ac) at Brokunga. Georgia Peach (N154ac) Will Be the Spare Helicopter.

Each Air-crane is Accompanied by a Container With 10 Tonnes of Spares, Including Rotor Blades, Transmissions, Engines, and a Belly Tank.

They Will Remain in Australia Until March.

Mrh Sea Trials a Success

Two Adf Mrh 90 Helicopters Recently Completed First of Class Sea Trials With Hmas Manoora Off the Coast of Tasmania.

Mrhs A40-007 and -008 Performed More Than 200 Deck Landings During the Trials, Operating From the Ship’s Three Helicopter Landing Spots.

More Than 520 Trial Test Points Were Completed, With the Helicopters Operating at Weights of Up to Nine Tonnes.

The Helicopter’s Serviceability Rate Was Higher Than 77 Per Cent, According to Mrh 90 Prime Contractor Australian Aerospace.

The Trials Also Validated That the Mrh 90’s Fly-by-wire Flight Control System Will Allow It a Wider Parameter of Ship Operation Limits Compared to Existing Types Such as the Sea King and Black Hawk.

Separately, an Mrh 90 Recently Landed on a Navy Anzac Class Frigate Which Was Alongside at Garden Island in Sydney. That Trial Successfully Validated the Mrh’s Ability to Fit in, and Be Worked Upon Inside, an Anzac Class Frigate’s Hangar.

Helicopter Shark Patrol for Greater Sydney Beaches

in Late November the Nsw Government’s Industry and Investment Nsw (I&i Nsw) Called for Expressions of Interest From Helicopter Companies to Tender for a Trial Shark Patrol Contract of Greater Sydney Beaches to Supplement Existing Measures Against Shark Attacks.

Subsequently Won by Newcastle Helicopters With an R44, the Trial Will See the Helicopter Patrol All Beaches Between Newcastle and Wollongong During the Peak Periods of the Summer Holiday Season.

The Contract Was Due to Start on December 19.

Briefs

• in Late June the Governor- General Authorised the Recommissioning of the Navy’s 808 Squadron to Operate Mrh 90 Maritime Support Helicopters From Early 2011. The Nowra Based 808 Squadron Was Decommissioned in December 1958 Having Flown Sea Furys and Sea Venoms. Separately, 817 Squadron Will Disband in December 2011 With the Retirement of the Sea Kings Which the Mrh 90s Will Replace.

• Gold Coast Airport Based Racq Careflight’s New Bell 412hp, Vh-xco, Performed Its First Rescue Mission on November 28 After Completing a Major Overhaul and Repaint.

Xco is Careflight’s Second 412 and Was Previously Operated by Emergency Management Queensland as Vh-esa.

• the Flight Safety Foundation Created the Australian Helicopter Advisory Group (Ahag) on November 25.

The Role of the Ahag, a Subsidiary of the Foundation’s Australian Advisory Board, is to Pursue the Improvement Ofhelicopter Safety and Accident Prevention. Rotor-lift Aviation’s Terry Summers Will Chair the Ahag.

• in November Aeronautical Engineers Australia Obtained a Transport Canada Stc for Its Range of ‘helistinger’ Lightweight Helicopter Survey Probes for Bell 206/206l and Eurocopter As350 Series Helicopters.

• Three Incidents Involving Helicopters Conducting Bushfire Operations in Nsw Occurred Within a 24 Period in Early December With One Claiming the Life of a Nsw National Parks and Wildlife Ranger. It’s Believed the Bell Longranger in Which the Parks Ranger Was Travelling Hit Power Lines While Observing a Fire Near Dorrigo, on the State’s North Coast Hinterland, on December 10.

A Day Earlier the Pilot of a Bell 204 Made a Heavy Landing, Approximately 40km Southeast of Tamworth, After Experiencing Engine Trouble. Later the Same Day a Bambi Bucket Hanging Below a Bk117 Struck the Tailrotor of a Squirrel Flying Beneath It. Fortunately, Both Helicopters Landed Safely.

• the Italian Navy Will Introduce Its Nfh90 Helicopters in a Phased Approach in Order to Speed Up Their Service Introduction.

A Small Number of ‘step a’ Aircraft Will Be Accepted in Late 2010 Giving a Meaningful Operational Capability, Allowing for Initial Training and a Syllabus to Be Finalised. Full Operational Capability Aircraft Are Planned to Follow in 2011 After Certification of Their Ge/avio T700/t61e1 Engines. Italy Has Ordered 46 Nfh90s and 10 Navalised Nh90 Transports.