Rotor Torque

The $9. 4 Million Modification Project Includes the Replacement of Analogue Attitude and Horizontal Situation Indicators With Sandel Electronic Displays; the Installation of Dual Garmin Gns 430w Gpss to Replace the Obsolete Vor, Marker Beacon and Instrument Landing System; and the Installation of a Garmin Gtx 330 Transponder to Replace the an/ipx-72 System.

Kiowa Obsolescence Issues Have Been a Concern for the Adf for Some Time With the Dmo Assessing That an Avionics Upgrade Would Be More Cost Effective Than Continuing to Maintain Older Analogue Instruments.

Once Complete, the Avionics Upgrade Will Allow the Kiowa to Fly Under Ifr Rules and Conduct Gps Approaches.

A Defence Spokesperson Told Australian Aviation There is No Relationship Between the Kiowa Upgrades and Air 9000 Phase 7 Hats (Helicopter Aircrew Training System) Which Will Ultimately Replace the Kiowa (and the Navy’s As350ba Squirrels), With Hats Continuing to the Current Defence Capability Plan Timeframe. Further, There Are No Currently Approved Programs to Provide Similar Improvements to the Navy’s As350bas.

Work to Upgrade the Kiowas Has Commenced and is Scheduled for Completion in July 2011.

Chc Australia Sar/ Ems Sale Off

Chc Australia Has Decided Against a Divestiture of Its Sar and Ems Operations and Instead Will Be Actively Seeking Additional Work in This Sector.

In December, Chc Appointed the Anz Bank to ‘test the Market’ for Interested Buyers of Its Australian Ems and Sar Operations, at a Time When It Was Bidding for a £5bn (a$8. 9bn) Search and Rescue Contract for the Uk Ministry of Defence/ Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Chc Was Part of the ‘team Soteria’ Consortium Which Was Subsequently Selected as the Preferred Bidder for the Uk Contract on February 9.

Chc Helicopters (Australia) Managing Director Chris Ridings Told Australian Aviation That the Sale Was Now Off the Table, Despite Chc Receiving Several Strong Expressions of Interest in Acquiring Its Australian Sar and Ems Contracts.

Meanwhile, Chc Expanded Its Raaf Sar Coverage on April 6 to Include Raaf Amberley in Support of the Newly Arrived F/a-18f Super Hornets.

The Raaf Requires Sar Coverage at Bases From Which Ejection Seat Equipped Aircraft Permanently Operate, Which Until Now Had Excluded Amberley Dueto the F-111 Being Fitted With a Crew Escape Module.

Amberley Becomes Chc’s Fifth Base Under Its Raaf Sar Contract, Which It Has Held Since 1989, With Chc Basing a Spare S-76 There as an Interim Measure Until a Dedicated Machine Can Be Procured.

Army ‘foxtrot’ Chinook Fms Contract Signed

the Defence Materiel Organisation (Dmo) Signed an Fms – Foreign Military Sale – Contract With the Us Army Security Assistance Command for Seven New Build Boeing Ch-47f Chinook Helicopters, Two Simulators and Spares During a Ceremony at the Australian Embassy in Washington on March 19.

Defence Minister John Faulkner Approved the Purchase of the Chinooks on February 25 Under Air 9000 Phase 5c, to Replace the Army’s Existing Six Ch-47d Chinooks Operated by C Squadron, 5 Avn Regt, Based at Townsville.

The ‘foxtrots’ Will Include Minor Australian Specific Mission Equipment Enhancements Including Crashworthy Crew and Passenger Seating, Fitment of Door Mounted Miniguns and Underfloor Ballistic Protection.

Largely, the Chinooks Will Be Common to the Us Army Fleet to Leverage Engineering and Other Support Benefits.

The First Two Ch-47s Are Planned to Enter Service in 2014, With All Seven Expected to Be in Service by 2017.

Army Chinooks Return to Afghanistan

Two Army C Squadron Ch‑47d Chinooks Have Returned to Afghanistan, Bolstering the International Security Assistance Force’s Heavy Lifting Capabilities for the Approaching Summer.

The Chinooks Arrived by Raaf C-17s in Early and Midmarch and Are Embedded With the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade Based at Kandahar Airfield, Southern Afghanistan, for an Eight Month Deployment Over the Afghan Summer.

“every Year When We First Arrive in Afghanistan We Have a Significant Job to Do,” Commanding Officer of the Detachment, Ltcol David Lynch, Said. “once the First Aircraft Arrives It’s All Hands on Deck to Get It Up and Running and Test Flown for Serviceability So We Can Commence Operations. ” the Deployment is the Fifth Chinook Detachment by C Squadron to Afghanistan Since the Army’s Ch-47s First Began Operating There in March 2006.

First Bell 429 Enters Service

the First Customer Delivered Bell 429, N911ed, Began Ems Operations in Late March With Mercy One Air Ambulance in Des Moines, Iowa.

The 429 Performed Its First Medical Mission on March 29 When It Was Tasked to Respond to a Car Accident Involving a Police Vehicle Late in the Afternoon. A Male Police Officer Was Airlifted Onboard the 429 to the Iowa Methodist Medical Center.

Since Making Its First Flight on February 27 2007, the New Twin Has Accumulated Around 2500 Flight Test Hours With Bell Recently Completing Flight Test Certification Work on a Skid Mounted Flotation System, the Helicopter’s 1360kg External Cargo Hook, Front and Rear Equipment Mountings and 270kg Retractable Human External Cargo (Hec) Rescue Hoist.

Results From the Tests Are Now Being Documented for Faa Certification Approval.

A Retractable Landing Gear Version of the 429 is Still on the Drawing Board as Bell Says It is Still Receiving Interest From Customers Requiring the Ability to Ground Taxi.

Production of the 429 is Gathering Pace With Between Two to Three Helicopters Currently Being Built Per Month.

Bell is Working Towards a Production Rate of Four to Five Per Month Before the End of the Year.

Australian Aviation Understands at Least One Local Ems Operator is Actively Looking at the 429 as a Replacement Machine.

India Combat Helicopter Flies

India’s Hindustan Aeronautics (Hal) Light Combat Helicopter (Lch) Prototype Made Its First Flight on March 29, Performing a Series of Low Speed, Low Altitude Checks During Its 20 Minute Sortie From the Company’s Bangalore Helicopter Complex.

The 5. 5 Tonne Lch is a Tandem Two-seat Attack Helicopter, Derived From Hal’s Advanced Light Helicopter, Powered by Twin Hal/turbomeca Shakti 1200shp (900kw) Turboshaft Engines. It Features Stealth Characteristics, Crashworthy Wheeled Landing Gear, a Glass Cockpit With Multifunction Displays, and a Target Acquisition and Designation System With Flir, Laser Rangefinder and Designator. Mounted on the Nose is a M621 Gun Mounted in a Nexter Thl 20 Turret Which is Operated by a Helmet Mounted Sight.

The Lch Prototype, the First of Three, Was Due to Fly in October 2008 but Was Delayed Due to Developmental Issues With the Program. Hal Will Carry Out an Extensive Flight Test Program Ultimately Leading to an Initial Operation Clearance by December 2011.

Hal Currently Has 65 Firm Orders for the Indian Air Force and 114 for the Indian Army, With the First Helicopters Anticipated to Enter Service in 2012-13.

CarefliGht Finds Laser Pointer Culprit

Darwin Based Careflight Helicopter Pilot Jeff Konemann and His Crew Assisted Police and Raaf Atc to Locate a Man Who Was Allegedly Pointing a Laser Beam at Aircraft Landing at the City’s Airport Late on March 31.

Numerous Pilots Reported Being Targeted by a Laser Including the Careflight Crew Whose Bk117b2 Was Hit by a Beam as the Helicopter Approached to Land From the South Following a Training Flight.

Konemann, Who Was Angered by the Laser Shinning, Told the Northern Territory News That “pointing a Laser Into the Cockpit of an Aircraft is Very Dangerous.

It Can End in Disaster. The Man Allegedly Shone the Laser at Several Aircraft, Including Commercial Passenger Jets, as They Prepared to Land at Darwin Airport. ” at the Request of Air Traffic Control the Careflight Crew Flew in the Vicinity From Where the Laser Was Thought to Being Used. “i Asked the Control Tower if They Wanted Me to Get a Position on Him. I Hovered Over the Area Waiting for Him to Shine the Laser at Me Again – and He Obliged. ” the Hovering Helicopter Directed Nt Police to a Cabin in the Free Spirit Caravan Park at Pinelands, 11km South of the Airport, Where They Located a Man Acting Suspiciously. A Hand Held Laser Pointer Was Seized and the Alleged Offender is Facing Federal Charges.

Dsm for Long Tan Raaf Iroquois Pilot

the Raaf Iroquois Captain Who Defied Orders to Fly in Urgently Needed Ammunition to Besieged Soldiers of D Company, 6 Battalion, During What Became Known as the Battle of Long Tan During the Vietnam War is to Be Awarded the Distinguished Service Medal (Dsm). The Honours and Awards Tribunal Recommended in October Last Year That Fltlt Cliff Dohle, Who Passed Away in February 2009, Have His Mentioned in Despatches Award Upgraded to a Dsm and That D Company Should Receive the Unit Citation for Gallantry for Their Actions During the Battle of Long Tan on August 18 1966.

Governor-general Quentin Bryce Recently Approved the Awards, With a Date for an Investiture Ceremony to Be Announced Soon.

Turbomeca Opens New Bankstown Facility

Turbomeca Australasia Officially Opened Its New Support Facility at Bankstown Airport During a Ceremony on March 12.

The New 2500m2 Facility Comprises Workshops, a Repair Hall for Mtr390 and Rtm322 Engines as Used on the Army’s Arh Tiger and Mrh 90 Helicopters Respectively, and an Rtm322 Engine Production Line.

The Facility is Also the First Approved Qualified Repair Centre for Mtr390-2c in the World, and Will Provide Deeper Maintenance Services for the Army’s Tiger Engines. The Facility Also Supports the Microturbo Apu and Air Turbine Starter on the Raaf’s Hawk 127s, and Will Soon Start Supporting the Sapphire 100 Apu on the Mrh 90.

Helicopter Tests Galileo Satellite System

Eurocopter and Funkwerk Avionics Completed the First Test Flight Using a Helicopter to Navigate Using Signals From the Future European Satellite Navigation System, Galileo, at Berchtesgaden, Southern Germany, on March 24.

Using Antennae on Six Mountain Peaks to Simulate the Galileo Constellation, the Pilot of an Ec145 Testbed Used a Synthetic Vision System Incorporating ‘tunnel-in-the-sky’ Symbology Developed by Eurocopter to Lead the Helicopter Safely Through the Mountainous Terrain.

During the Test Flight the Helicopter Demonstrated Its Ability to Fly Straight to the Location of an ‘injured Fireman’ in Possession of a Hand Held Ads-b Transponder With the Position Displayed on the Navigation System.

The Test Flight Was One of Three Demonstration Campaigns for the Mature Applications of Galileo for Emergency Services (Mages) Project Funded by the Galileo Supervisory Authority, Which Aims to Demonstrate the Benefits of Galileo for Emergency Services.

Avicopter Ac313 Flies

China’s Avicopter, Part of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (Avic) Group, Flew Its Ac313 Prototype Heavy Lift Helicopter for the First Time on March 18 From Its Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province, Facility.

The 13. 8 Tonne Ac313 Flew for About Half an Hour in Company With a Chase Changhe Z-8 and As350 Squirrel, Televised Live on China Central Television.

Able to Carry Up to 27 Passengers Over a Range of 485nm (900km), the Ac313 is Powered by Triple Pratt & Whitney Canada Pt6b-67as and Has Been Designed for Transport, Cargo, Sar, Ems, Firefighting and Offshore Exploration Roles.

The Ac313 is a Development of the Harbin Z-8, in Turn an Evolution of the Aerospatiale Sa 321 Super Frelon, and is the Largest Helicopter Manufactured in China.

Avicopter Says the Ac313 Will Fill a Gap in the Country’s Helicopter Product Line and Will Compete With the Agustawestland Aw101, Sikorsky S-92, Mil Mi-38 and Mi-17.

Flying Dragon Special Aviation Will Take Delivery of the First of Five Leased Ac313s Following Certification From the Civil Aviation Administration of China, Expected in 2011.

Avic Will Then Seek Easa and Faa Certification.

Briefs

• Eads North America Delivered the 100th Uh-72a Lakota (Ec145) to the Us Army During a Ceremony on March 11. The Uh-72as Are Not Certified for Use in War Zones, and Are Instead Employed on Utility Missions With National Guard Units.

• Lockheed Martin Successfully Test Fired Its Direct Attack Guided Rocket (Dagr) From an Oh‑58d Kiowa Warrior on March 29 From Ranges of 3. 5 and 5km, Hitting Its Targets Within One Metre of the Laser Aimpoint. Dagr is a Laser Guidance Kit Designed for Installation on 70mm Rockets to Give Guided Rocket Performance Comparable to Lm’s Hellfire Ii Missile.

• a Glass Cockpit Upgraded Md500e Made Its First Flight on April 6. The New Cockpit Features Two 20cm Sagem Avionics Flight Displays, Which Can Also Be Fitted to the Md530f and Md520n Models. Faa Supplemental Type Certification is Expected in May When Md Will Begin Offering the Glass Cockpit as an Option on New Md500 Series Helicopters.

• the Unmanned Boeing A160t Hummingbird Successfully Demonstrated Its Ability to Meet the Us Marine Corps’s Vertical Unmanned Resupply Capability Requirement During a Demonstration in Utah Between March 9-11.