Rotor Torque

Aviation Australia provides access to its facilities at Brisbane Airport for training and events, and through hosting fundraising activities.

For the last 12 months Aviation Australia has contributed $30,000 to CareFlight, and has committed to a further $30,000 for the coming year. To acknowledge this, CareFlight has displayed the Aviation Australia logo on its Bell 412 based at Gold Coast Airport.

Aviation Australia CEO Bill Horrocks said: “We are very proud to be associated with CareFlight who do such a valuable service for Queensland, and having our logo displayed on the aircraft is something the staff at Aviation Australia are very proud of and worked hard to achieve.”

US sells eight Apaches to Indonesia

The US will sell eight new AH-64E Apache attack helicopters to Indonesia in a deal that aims to further strengthen military relations between the countries.

During a recent visit to Indonesia, US defense secretary Chuck Hagel said the US$500 million deal would include pilot training, maintenance and radars. A delivery schedule for the eight helicopters was not disclosed.

Hagel told reporters during the visit: “A strong Indonesia is good for the region. Providing Indonesia these world-class helicopters is an example of our commitment to help build Indonesia’s military capability.”

Indonesia’s defence allocations for 2014 are US$7.65 billion, representing the largest share of any government program.
Military relations between the US and Indonesia were restored in 2005 after a more than three-decade severance of ties during the Suharto presidency.

ADF accepts first MRH90 simulator

The Defence Materiel Organisation has accepted the delivery of the first of two MRH90 helicopter simulators for the Army Aviation Training Centre in Oakey, Queensland.

The MRH90 simulator is accredited to level D standard, meaning an hour in the simulator equates to an hour in the real helicopter. Army and Navy pilots will train on the facility.

Commandant of the Army’s Aviation Training Centre Colonel David Burke said the MRH90 simulator was the best he had flown.

“This simulator allows instructors to present pilots with a wide range of operational training scenarios such as flying in to remote bush landing sites, flying in formation with other aircraft, and being safely exposed to complex emergency situations,” Burke said.

“The majority of basic training will now be conducted in the simulator before pilots get to the real aircraft.”

A second simulator will be installed at the main MRH90 operational base in Townsville during 2014.

AgustaWestland and Russian Helicopters to develop a new 2.5 tonne helicopter

Russian Helicopters and AgustaWestland have signed a heads of agreement to jointly design and develop a new 2.5-tonne class single-engine helicopter. The agreement was signed at last week’s MAKS 2013 airshow in Moscow.

Under the program, responsibility for which will be shared 50/50, preliminary assessment of the helicopter’s technical design and commercial opportunities is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The new helicopter is being designed for the worldwide market and a wide range of applications, the partners said.

“This agreement is a new step in the mutually beneficial cooperation between our companies,” said Dmitry Petrov, CEO of Russian Helicopters.

The agreement between Russian Helicopters and AgustaWestland builds on a partnership that started with the establishment of the joint venture HeliVert for assembly in Russia of the AW139.

Russian Helicopters says it has built around 35 per cent of the global combat helicopter fleet and nearly 17 per cent of the ultra-heavy helicopter fleet worldwide (MTOW more than 20 tonnes), as well as 56 per cent of global helicopter fleet with a MTOW from eight to 15 tonnes.

AHIA events announced

The Australian Helicopter Industry Association (AHIA) has announced two events to be held this and next year.

The Pacific 2013 Offshore Helicopters Symposium will be held on October 8 at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour. International speakers include popular Kimberly Turner, CEO of Aerosafe Risk Management, Paul Fillhart and David Bree from Jeppesen, with key note speaker Peter Howe, Head of Flying Operations at CHC.

Presentations from the Australian Chief Pilots Working Group will be given on concerns about the new CASA rules on commercial operations around the latest IFR and co-pilot qualifications and multi-engine engine performance standards and firefighting legislation. The AHIA’s CASR Part 61 Working Group reviewing the new rules for training will provide a presentation on the Manual of Standards for Part 61.

On May 24 and 25, Rotortech will be held at the Sunshine Coast. This is the first significant standalone trade show arranged by the new AHIA. It reflects the determination of the executive to provide a strong and capable representative service to the helicopter industry during a period of continuing strong growth at around 10 per cent.

Matt Zuccaro, President, Helicopter Association International will be the keynote speaker. The HAI runs the Heli-Expo events in the USA, which are the largest helicopter exhibitions in the world.