Rotor Torque

The award was accepted on behalf of EMQ by Brisbane-based pilot Peter Row during a helicopter rescue conference in Orlando, Florida. Row personally led ‘Rescue 510’ (flying a Bell 412) during EMS and search and rescue (SAR) operations in the flood-ravaged Lockyer Valley during January this year.

“While we don’t do the job to receive awards, this recognition from our colleagues around the world makes us extremely proud of the job we do,” Row said. “It was an honour to accept this award on behalf of EMQ which we dedicate to the survivors of Grantham and the people who tragically lost their lives.”

EMQHR personnel saved 43 people after flash flooding ripped through towns in the Lockyer Valley on January 10. Helicopter crews often had to contend with wild weather and extremely poor visibility over the entire week of rescue operations.

Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts said the award was “a tribute to the professionalism and dedication of the crews and their willingness to go above and beyond to help their fellow Queenslanders in their time of need”.

“Our pilots, crew and Queensland Ambulance Service paramedics are constantly training for days like the one they endured in the Lockyer Valley in January,” Roberts said.

“This international recognition proves that our crews are up there with the best helicopter rescue operation in the world.”
For full coverage of aviation’s role in the Queensland floods, read March’s edition of Australian Aviation.

Aw & Bae Team On Transmission Test Facility

AgustaWestland and BAE Systems have signed an agreement which will lead to the development of a helicopter transmission test facility in Australia aimed at supporting ADF helicopters.

The Multi-Purpose Test Bench (MPTB) will be the first of its kind in the southern hemisphere, and will provide a state-of-the-art, high-tech repair and overhaul facility for helicopter transmission systems and flight critical dynamic components. The site for the MPTB has not yet been chosen, but is expected to be operational by 2014.

“With this team, we have brought together the world’s foremost rotorcraft capability provider in AgustaWestland, and one of the world’s most capable through life support partners in BAE Systems,” said AgustaWestland senior vice president Government Sales, Giacomo Saponaro.

The facility will support the requirements for Project Air 9000 Phases 2, 4 and 6 (MRH 90) and has the potential to support Phases 7 (Helicopter Aircrew Training System – HATS) and 8 (Naval combat helicopter) based on the platform, which is yet to be selected.

Bae To Continue Chinook Support Work

BAE Systems will continue to provide deeper maintenance (DM) for the Australian Army’s fleet of six Boeing CH-47D Chinook helicopters under a new six year performance based contract.

The $20.9 million contract, which has options to be extended up to 20 years, will see BAE Systems Australia provide scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, repairs, engineering and logistics support services from its Townsville facility.

“It consolidates BAE Systems Australia’s reputation in this area, following its successes in December 2009 in winning support and maintenance contracts valued at $240 million for the Army’s Black Hawk and Navy’s Seahawk fleets,” said BAE Systems Australia managing director Jim McDowell.

“Successful conclusion of this contract, and the existing Seahawk and Black Hawk contracts means BAE Systems Australia will be well placed to provide future support for all ADF rotary-wing aircraft.

“Our solution will deliver to the ADF uninterrupted Chinook CH-47D support through to the end of the life-of-type of this aircraft in ADF service and the lowest possible transition risk for introduction of the Chinook CH-47F aircraft.”

Qld Govt Supports Phase 8 Bid

Brisbane-based Australian Aerospace’s bid for the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) lucrative Air 9000 Phase 8 naval helicopter program has received the backing of Queensland Premier Anna Bligh.

“In the past 10 years we have created 16,500 aviation, aerospace and defence jobs across Queensland on projects from aircraft design, manufacture, maintenance, modification, repair and overhaul; to emerging technologies and defence,” Bligh said in a statement. “The choice of Australian Aerospace’s NFH as the Navy’s new combat helicopter would create more than 250 full-time, highly-skilled jobs in Queensland and another 250 across Australia.

“It will also deliver another 250 indirect jobs in the industry. That’s why today I wrote to the Federal Defence Minister to ask him to consider what this contract would mean for Queensland. We don’t want to see local jobs lost overseas.”

Bligh also claimed that Queensland was “home to approximately 30 per cent of Australia’s aviation and aerospace companies”, with those firms employing “25 per cent of Australia’s workforce” in the industry. “We want to make sure the momentum and jobs we have created is continued long into the future,” the premier said.

Australian Aerospace CEO, Dr Jens Goennemann, praised the Queensland government’s “outstanding” support for Australian Aerospace’s production plant since its inception ten years ago. Since then, the plant has been assembling the Army’s ARH Tiger and MRH 90 helicopters. “Already, through these programs, Australian Aerospace has created close to 1100 jobs,” Goennemann said. “The highly-regarded economic analyst Access Economics estimates that assembling the NFH in Brisbane would increase Australia’s Gross Domestic Product by about $661 million – again, mostly in Queensland – over the next 13 years.”

R66 Certified For Australian Ops

The first Robinson R66 Turbine has been certified for operations in Australia by CASA.

The first two machines have been imported to Australia by Heliflite and Helibiz, and both were on display at March’s Avalon Airshow.

The R66 Turbine features a Rolls-Royce RR300 turbine but also incorporates many of the design features of the familiar R44 including a two-bladed rotor system, T-bar cyclic, and an open interior cabin configuration. The differences lie in its increased reserve power, increased altitude performance, fifth cabin seat, and large baggage compartment. Also standard on the R66 are HID landing lights, leather seats, and a stereo audio control panel are standard in the R66, while overhead air conditioning was certified by the FAA in early March and will soon be available as an option on Australian delivered machines.

Privatised Uk Sar Contract Abandoned

A contract for Search and Rescue services for the UK government has been abandoned following the discovery of alleged “irregularities” during the bidding process.

The £6bn (A$9.65bn) 25 year contract, won by the Soteria consortium comprising the Royal Bank of Scotland, Sikorsky, Thales, and CHC Helicopter was to provide privatised SAR services around the British Isles to replace those currently operated by RAF Sea Kings.

It has been alleged that information about rival bids was received by the Soteria during the bid process, and military police are investigating the claims.

“The government has sufficient information to enable it to conclude that the irregularities that have been identified were such that that it would not be appropriate to proceed with either the preferred bid or with the current procurement process,” Britain’s secretary of state for transport Philip Hammond, said in a February 8 statement.

Mr Hammond added that the UK MoD was looking at new options to fulfil the SAR service, incluing an extension of the RAF’s Sea King fleet.

Briefs

* Curtiss-Wright Controls has received a contract from Sikorsky to develop and supply blade fold distributor units and digital air data computers for the new CH-53K heavy lift helicopter for the USMC. The contract has a total potential value of US$16 million if development and all aircraft production options and phases are completed.

Heli-expo 2011 News

* Eurocopter unveiled a new version of its popular EC145 medium twin at Heli-Expo where its demonstrator was shown in an EMS fitout. Dubbed EC145 T2, the new machine features a Fenestron shrouded tail rotor, an enhanced digital avionics suite with a 4-axis autopilot, upgraded gearboxes, and more powerful Arriel 2E engines with FADEC. “Our EC145 T2 is the latest example of our company’s continued investment in innovation, which provides helicopters that are more efficient to own and operate, with higher performance and improved safety,” said Eurocopter President and CEO Lutz Bertling. The new version is expected to be available for deliveries from 2013.

* Eurocopter also revealed updated versions of several of its other products, including the AS350 B3e which features a more powerful Turbomeca Arriel 2D turboshaft with FADEC and an engine data recorder; the EC135 T2e and P2e which will have an increased MTOW of up to 2950 kg and a 40 kg gain in payload; the AS365 N3e/AS565 MBe versions of the Dauphin with Arriel 2N engines and dual-channel FADEC, the main gearbox from the EC155, a new Starflex rotor head, and a reinforced main rotor mast which will provide a 15 per cent increase in power; and improvements to the AS332L1e Super Puma which will see the integration of the cockpit and automatic flight control systems from the EC225/EC725.

* Bell has announced two new versions of the 407. Dubbed 407GX features a Garmin GMA 350 audio panel and a dual-display Garmin G1000H Integrated Flight Deck as seen on many fixed wing aircraft and which includes HSVT (helicopter synthetic vision) and HTAWS (helicopter terrain warning for maneuvering in bad visibility and through terrain. Bell also launched an armed 407AH version of the 407 which it plans to market to law enforcement and paramilitary organisations. The AH comes with a baseline 7.62mm M134T Minigun as well as the M260 2.75 rocket launcher, and options include chaff/flare counter measures, sliding rear doors, a cargo hook, and crew seat armour.

* Sikorsky has announced the expansion of the S-92A’s operating envelope with approval by the FAA to execute Category A vertical takeoffs and landings from ground-level helipads, and has also approved an advanced and highly integrated, all-weather operating system that enhances the S-92’s search and rescue (SAR) capabilities.

* Sikorsky says helicopter and corporate jet lessor Milestone Aviation Group has ordered five S-76C++ helicopters, while African offshore operator SonAir has ordered six S-76C++ helicopters for oil operations in Angola.

* Bell says it took orders for 41 new helicopters at Heli-Expo 2011, including 11 407GXs and a mix of 412EPs, 429s and 206L4s.

* Eurocopter announced sales for 68 new helicopters at Heli-Expo, including 17 orders for the new EC145 T2 including 10 from Spain’s INAER; six AS350 B3es including three plus four options from the US’s Air Medical Resource Group; the UK’s Bond Air Services ordered eight EC135 T2es; Russia’s UTair Aviation ordered 15 Eurocopter EC175s for delivery from 2013 for use on oil and gas exploitation support operations firming up a three year old Letter of Intent; five orders for EC145s and five options were placed by Mexico’s Transportes Aéreos Pegaso; and smaller orders were received for a total of four AS350 B2s, two EC130s and two AS350 B3s.

* AgustaWestland announced orders for eight AW139s for Japanese company, Mitsui Bussan Aerospace. The aircraft will be operated by the Japanese Coast Guard and the Japanese Fire Fighting and Disaster Relief Organisation. The order brings to 30 the number of AW139s operated by Mitsui Bussan Aerospace.