Rotor Torque

Eurocopter’s EC225 – a derivative of the Super Puma – is returning to flight after main gear box shaft failures on two EC225s in the North Sea during 2012 forced the grounding of the aircraft.

The airworthiness suspension was lifted in late July following approval by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and UK CAA of prevention and detection measures developed by Eurocopter for the twin-engine helicopter. Also validated by EASA are Eurocopter modifications to the EC225’s main gearbox emergency lubrication system that ensure its full performance throughout the flight envelope.

“I am convinced that the designed and approved measures are the right ones, allowing a safe return to service of the entire fleet,” said Guillaume Faury, Eurocopter CEO. “Eurocopter’s teams remain entirely mobilised to support our customers in the return to service and full availability of their EC225s. Together, we are committed to a shared priority – safety first.”

The grounding badly affected North Sea offshore oil and gas transportation missions, while some countries, including Australia, didn’t formally ground the aircraft. Locally, operators Bristow and CHC elected not to fly the EC225 until satisfactory corrective measures were implemented by Eurocopter.

Bell 412EPI Compliance, Australian Demo

Hawker Pacific brought a new 412EPI demonstrator to Australia during August. The visit coincided with the aircraft’s compliance with single pilot Category ‘A’ operations for elevated helipads.

The 412EPI improves on the 412EP with the Bell BasiX ProTM fully-integrated glass flightdeck and incorporates Pratt & Whitney’s PT6T-9 Twin Pac engines that give it a 15 per cent increase in shaft horsepower and improved single-engine capabilities.

Hawker Pacific’s Tony Jones said confirmation of compliance with single pilot, Category A operations for elevated helipads means almost no mission or operating environment wouldbe beyond of for the 412EPI.

“Australia represents a solid market for EMS, special mission and utility helicopters, and the 412 is valued by operators and crew alike for its outstanding performance, ease of maintenance and overall reliability. We’re excited to present this aircraft to the local industry so they can see first-hand the significant improvements to this already well respected aircraft.”

The Bell 412 has amassed more than 4.5million flight hours across the global fleet.

Bell announces 525 Relentless updates
Bell Helicopter has announced updates to the 525 Relentless, which include improved speed, range and payload capabilities, as well as a higher maximum gross weight.

The enhanced specifications include a cruise speed at maximum continuous power and maximum gross weight of 155+kts, a range of 500+nm and a useful load of 7,400+lbs (3,357kg). The maximum gross weight for the Relentless is now 19,300+lbs (8,754kg).

Based on customer feedback, Bell has also updated design features. Sponsons have been added to the aft fuselage for retractable wheeled landing gear and internally-stowed floatation devices. The sponsons will provide a weight-efficient configuration for fuel-efficient, high-speed flight. In addition, a cross-sectional area of the tail boom was reduced to optimise payload and airframe lateral drag in sideward flight. Cowls and fairings above the cabin roof were modified for easy maintenance. With the input of pilots, the flightdeck arrangement was slightly adjusted to further improve situational awareness.

The Relentless is progressing towards its first flight in 2014. Bell will begin assembling the first 525 Relentless later this month.

Bell 429 upgrade for RMI program

The Bell 429s operated under Navy’s Retention and Motivation Initiative 2 (RMI 2) program have been upgraded with a 225kg increased max takeoff weight (to 3,405kg), bringing with it an increase in the helicopter’s payload-range.

“With this upgrade, one aircraft can now execute substantially more tasks in a single mission,” RMI contractor Raytheon said in a statement. “During conversion training, the endurance level for a sortie with a crew of four has increased by 35 per cent. Operationally, the radius of action has grown by 100 per cent for some missions and the payload has increased by two people. This means that for missions where the platform could previously take four crew members, it can now carry six and still fly for 20 minutes longer. ”

Additionally, the RMI 429s’ avionics has also been upgraded with the addition of a Helicopter Terrain Awareness and Warning System.

RMI 2 enables junior qualified aircrew to consolidate and enhance their skills before they commence operational flying training. Raytheon Australia works alongside the RAN at HMAS Albatross to provide 1,500 flight hours a year using three Bell 429 helicopters.

New flight guidance concept for quieter helicopter landing procedures

Eurocopter has demonstrated new landing procedures relying on augmented satellite guidance that can be tailored to improve compliance with the local environmental requirements.

These new landing procedures were validated with a Eurocopter EC155 during recent flight tests performed as part of the company’s participation in the Green Rotorcraft Integrated Technology Demonstrator program.

Eurocopter’s validation flights demonstrated significant reductions in the helicopter’s perceived sound footprint. They also confirmed that automated low-noise approaches could be tailored to local environmental requirements, particularly suited to highly sensitive environments.

The flight-testing involved the use of optimised noise abatement flightpaths compatible with Instrument Flight Rules operations. During the EC155’s landing approaches, vertical guidance was provided by the European Satellite-Based Augmentation System, with the helicopter’s Flight Management System coupled to the Automatic Flight Control System. This enabled the new approach profiles to be flown accurately, minimising the pilot workload with an automatic monitoring of speed profiles and ascent/descent rates.