Rotor Torque

The 22-helicopter Fleet Was Grounded on June 26 After One of the Aircraft Was Forced to Make a Precautionary Landing at the Shoalwater Bay Training Area Due to the Fumes. It Was the Second Time This Year the Fleet Had Been Grounded for the Same Reason.

Defence Said an Investigation Had Determined That the Fumes Had Come From a Faulty Capaci-tor in the Power Supply Module of a Cockpit Multifunction Display. The Faulty Modules Will Be Returned to the Manufacturer for Modification.

The Tiger Fleet is Due to Reach Full Operational Capability by the End of the Year.

Queensland Police Helicopter Becomes Political Football

a Trial to Operate a Westpac Surf Life Saver Ec135 for the Queensland Police From the Gold Coast Has Become a Political Football After the Leaking of a Queensland Police Union Report That Criticised It as Ineffective.

The Report Was Published by the Gold Coast Bulletin, Which Detailed Concerns Over the Pilots Not Having Police Training and the Lack of Equip-ment Such as Night Vision Goggles and Oxygen Bottle-equipped Survival Vests.

It Said: “the Helicopter Also Will Not Be Equipped With a State-of-the-art Camera System, a Mapping System or the Abil-ity to Send Images to Police Centre Command – Which Are All Standard Interstate. ” the Article Was Pounced on by Queensland Opposition Police and Emergency Ser-vices Spokesman Bill Byrne, Who Said: “to Provide Them With a Sub-standard Helicopter is Not Only Short-sighted, It’s an Insult. ” but Queensland Police Minister Jack Dempsey Told the Aap News Service That His Political Opponent Was “lazily Regurgitating an Inaccurate Article”, and That “the Chop-per Will Have Night Vision and Mapping Capabilities, Each Crew Member Will Have Safety Vests That Include Everything From Floatation to Oxygen, and the Crew Includes Highly-skilled Emergency Pilots”.

The Ec135 Lease Was Due to Begin in August and Continue Through Until at Least Novem-ber. It Replaces a Trial Lease of a Heliwest Bell 206l Longrang-er, Which Also Lacked Night Vision Goggle Compatibility.

Ahia Names Steering Committee

the Fledgling Australian Helicopter Industry Associa-tion (Ahia) Has Appointed a Volunteer Steering Committee as It Moves Toward Its First an-nual Meeting.

Long-time Bell Helicopter Sales Executive Peter Crook is Steering Committee President With Fleet Logistics Manager for Refrigerated Transport Company Fridgelog Mark Scrymgeour Vice President. Both Are Sydney-based.

Aviation Marketing Con-sultant and Writer Rob Rich, Who Convened the Ahia, is Secretary/treasurer and Head of Development, Membership and Expositions and is Based in Brisbane.

The Ahia is Seeking Fund-ing From Aerospace Aviation, Organiser of the Australian in-ternational Airshow at Avalon. The Aal Was Due to Consider the Request at Its August 30 Board Meeting.

The Ahia Has Scheduled Its Inaugural General Meeting for November 3 at Brisbane Airport.

Boeing Demos Unmanned Helo

Boeing’s Unmanned Little Bird H-6u Helicopter Success-fully Performed 14 Autono-mous Takeoffs and Landings From a Ship During Test Flights in July in Another Milestone for Robot Flight.

The Tests Used a Commercial Off-the-shelf Takeoff-and-landing System Combined With Unmanned Little Bird’s Au-tomated Flight Control System. Two Pilots Were Aboard the Aircraft to Take Over in Case of a Problem but Were Not Required. It Made 20 Flights Hours With 100 Per Cent Availability.

Unmanned Little Bird is a Variant of the Md-500 Series Helicopters, Which Have Accu-mulated 14 Million Flight Hours Over Five Decades. The Aircraft’s Missions Include Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnais-sance, Precision Cargo Resupply, Weapons Delivery and Manned-unmanned Teaming.

Boeing Also Uses the Aircraft as a Technology Demonstrator for Multiple Platforms.

Bristow Wins Helo Contract for Major Offshore Gas Project

Bristow Helicopters Has Been Awarded a Contract for Heli-copter Services to Oil and Gas Company Inpex as Part of the $34 Billion Lng Project Off the Coast of Western Australia.

The Wa Company Will Supply Two Ec225 Helicopters to Sup-port Pipe Laying for the Ichthys Project, Which Will Build a 889km Undersea Pipeline From an Offshore Gas Field in the Browse Basin to an Onshore Liquefaction Plant in Darwin.

The Contract Also Includes Provisions for Up to Four Heli-copters for Offshore Production Facilities and the Provision of Fixed Wing Services Through Airnorth or Other Carriers.

Bristow’s 10-year Contract Begins in 2014.

Black Hawk Delivery Milestone

Sikorsky Has Delivered Its 500th Uh-60m/hh-60m Black Hawk Helicopter to the Us Army.

First Produced in 2007, the Latest Versions Are Used by the Us Army as Utility and Mede-vac Aircraft. The 500 Delivered to Date Are Part of a Produc-tion Plan Including 1,375 M Models to Be Delivered to the Army by 2026.

The Us Also Sells the Uh-60m Through Its Foreign Military Sales Program With Six International Customers Having Taken Delivery of 73 Uh-60ms.

Boeing Wins Second Contract for Avms Helicopter System

Boeing Has Been Awarded a Us$18 Million Us Army Con-tract for Phase Ii of Its Adaptive Vehicle Management System (Avms) Program, Designed to Improve Helicopters’ Manoeuvra-bility and Performance.

Boeing Claims the Advanced Rotorcraft Flight Control System, a Joint Development Project Between Boeing and the Army Aviation Applied Technology Directorate, Reduces Aircrew Workload and Overall Operating Costs. Avms Adapts the Flight Controls to the Aircraft’s Flight Condition, Environment and Even Pilot Intent.

Boeing Program Manager James Dryfoos Said: “this Second Phase Will Encompass More Than 100 Hours of Flight Test Time and Allow Us to Build on the Great Work We’ve Ac-complished Over the Past Two Years. ” in Phase Ii, the Team Will Fly the Avms System on the Modified Boeing H-6 Helicop-ter Used in Phase I, as Well as on the Larger Boeing Ah-64 Apache and Ch-47 Chinooks. The Tests Are Aimed at Demon-strating the Design’s Portability and Its Ability to Enhance Flight Performance During Attack and Cargo Missions.

India to Buy Up Big

India Has Issued a Request for Proposal to Acquire 56 Naval Utility Helicopters. The Twin-engined Aircraft Will Have a Maximum All-up Weight of 4,500kg and Carry 70mm Rockets, Torpedoes and 12. 7mm Machine Guns. The Helicopters Will Be Used to Replace in-dian Navy Hal Chetaks and Would Enter Service From 2016. India is Also Running a Separate Program to Acquire an Initial 16 Multirole Naval Helicopters to Replace Navy Sea Kings.

Nh Industries With the Nh90 and Sikorsky With the S-70b Seahawk Are Planning to Bid for the Program but Selection of a Type Has Been Delayed After Nh Industries Lodged a Complaint.

According to a Times of in-dia Report Quoting an Unnamed Official: “both Met the Naval Staff Qualitative Requirements After the Trials Last Year but the Complaint Has Delayed the Opening of Commercial Bids. It is Being Examined. ”

Briefs

• a Bell 214st Operated by Bell Helicopter’s Xworx Research and Development Arm Fitted With a Developmental Five-bladed Main Rotor – Possibly in-tended for the Forthcoming 525 Relentless – Made an Emergency Landing in a Paddock Near Avalon, Texas on August 7. The Helicopter Apparently Had a Tail Rotor Problem but Landed Safely Before Rolling Onto Its Side. The Two Pilots Were Uninjured.