Rotor Torque

“We have been delighted by the amount of interest that has been shown by the industry, and the public, that have come to be a part of this year’s event,” said AHIA president Peter Crook. “It is clear the industry wants to participate at Rotortech and we are seeking their feedback on what they liked and what they didn’t so we can make Rotortech 2018 even better. ” The AHIA says it has already received more than 50 expressions of interest from exhibitors who want to book display booths at Rotortech 2018. “Having turned away around 30 exhibitors from this year’s event due to limited space, we will be expanding the trade hall to accommodate even more exhibitors in 2018,” said Crook.

Highlights from Rotortech 2016 included the display of Australia’s first Eagle Copters 407HP, VH-EPU, a converted Bell 407 fitted with a Honeywell HTS-900D-2 turbine engine. Coffs Harbour Airport-based Eagle Copters Australasia took delivery of the 407HP in early May after it was converted in Canada. It was displayed alongside Eagle Copters’ Eagle Single, a converted single-engine Bell 212.

A major deal announced at the show was Professional Helicopters Services (PHS) signing a letter of intent to purchase three Bell 505 Jet Ranger X helicopters with local Bell distributor Hawker Pacific. PHS will be the first helicopter training school in the region to operate the new type. “We are delighted that Professional Helicopter Services has chosen the Bell 505,” said Bell Helicopter’s managing director of Asia Pacific Sameer Rehman. “This signing reaffirms the ongoing demand for the Bell 505 with more than 380 letters of intent around the globe, and more than 130 of those in the Asia Pacific region alone. ” Outside the trade hall, the line-up of 16 helicopters from three manufacturers included an example each of Airbus Helicopter’s H130, H120 and H135 families as well as six H125 Squirrel series helicopters, including MotoGP world champion Mick Doohan’s matte black-painted VH-MDQ and the pristine N609MK from motor yacht SuRi.

McDermott Aviation brought one of its new AS365 N3 Dauphins featuring an aeromedical-configured cabin, which was parked alongside its belly tank-equipped Bell 214B, VH-SUH. And while Bankstown Airport’s Heliflite had an example each of an R44 and R66 on display, bad weather along the eastern seaboard prevented a Leonardo Helicopters AW169 from making its first appearance at Rotortech.

CASA exemption relaxes flying experience for NVIS

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has published a new exemption that relaxes the flying experience required for helicopter pilots applying for night vision imaging system (NVIS) authorisations, following feedback from the aviation community.

Under the new exemption, EX77/16 Exemption – aeronautical experience for an NVIS rating or endorsement, published on May 27, helicopter pilots applying for a NVIS rating or endorsement now need to have 20 hours of aeronautical experience at night logged as either pilot-in-command (PIC), pilot-in-command under supervision, co-pilot or dual flight, with up to 11 of these hours able to be logged in an approved flight simulator.

Since September 2014, applicants for a NVIS rating or endorsement have needed at least 20 hours at night as PIC. CASA said this requirement introduced unexpected and unintended costs for operators and pilots who were having difficulty accruing the additional PIC experience.

CASA is currently conducting a broader review of how NVIS operations are regulated and says further changes to the NVIS pilot licensing requirements may be made in the future as a result of that review.

Preliminary report calls to extend H225 grounding to all flights

The Accident Investigation Board of Norway (AIBN) has released a preliminary report into the fatal accident involving CHC Helicopters H225 (EC225LP), LN-OJF, near Turoy, Norway on April 29, issuing an urgent safety recommendation to the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) concerning the type’s main gearbox (MGB).

Metallurgical findings during the investigation found features strongly consistent with fatigue in the outer race of a second stage planet gear in the epicyclic module of the MGB.

“It cannot be ruled out that this signifies a possible safety issue that can affect other MGBs of the same type,” said the AIBN’s report published on June 1. “The nature of the catastrophic failure of the LN-OJF main rotor system indicates that the current means to detect a failure in advance are not effective. The AIBN therefore recommends that EASA take immediate action to ensure the safety of the Airbus Helicopters H225 main gearbox. ” On June 2, EASA announced the prohibition of all flights by the Airbus Helicopters H225/EC225LP and AS332L2 helicopters as a precautionary measure and also issued another Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) that required further inspection and replacement instructions to ensure the correct installation of the type’s MGB suspension bars and attachment fittings.

The directive followed an earlier EAD, issued four days after the accident, that required a number of one-off precautionary inspections of the type’s MGB. In carrying out the original EAD, some operators reported to EASA they found tightening torque values on the attachment bolts of the MGB’s three suspension bars were out of tolerance, plus detected some incorrectly positioned washers in the fitting assemblies.

Immediately after the release of the preliminary report, the Civil Aviation Authority of Norway and the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority extended their ban to all H225/EC225 LP and AS332 L2 flights including search and rescue (SAR) operations.

In a statement, Airbus Helicopters said: “In light of new findings from the AIBN’s preliminary accident investigation report, Airbus Helicopters supports EASA’s cautious approach. We continue to fully support the AIBN, EASA, our customers and the ongoing investigation by providing information in full transparency, while working with the wider industry to ensure safety. ” The investigation into the exact cause of why the main rotor hub detached from the fuselage continues.

First Westpac Rescue AW139 arrives amid foggy concerns

The first of four red, yellow and white painted AW139s for the Northern NSW Helicopter Rescue Service has arrived at the service’s Newcastle base after officially being handed over by the aviation leasing arm of the Libra Group, Lease Corporation International (LCI) on May 13.

The AW139, VH-ZXA, will be used for crew training before having its medical interior fit-out completed. The new ‘Westpac 1’ will then enter service in the first quarter of 2017 on a 10-year contract, announced in December 2014 by NSW Health to provide aeromedical retrieval and rescue services for Ambulance NSW in the northern region of the state from bases in Newcastle, Tamworth and Lismore.

A report by the ABC’s 7. 30 program airing on June 2 raised concerns about the decision to build a new base at Lismore Airport as part of the 10-year contract as it is prone to a higher incidence of heavy fog which can prevent retrieval and rescue missions from taking off or landing.

The program said frontline staff of the service have been pushing to have the base built closer to the coast at Ballina Airport which is less susceptible to foggy conditions, and who also claim seven missions in February and March this year where grounded due to fog.

According to the program, an independent review by aviation management and safety consultant Avipro for Ambulance NSW found that fog between midnight and 8am was an issue on one third of the nights between May and September 2015, but concluded that Lismore Airport was still a suitable location for the new rescue helicopter base.

Director of Aeromedical Services with Ambulance NSW Dr Ron Manning told 7. 30 that records show fog affects a night mission only once every three to four months and the helicopter rescue service has worked successfully out of Lismore for the past three decades.

Ballina Greens MP Tamara Smith said she has called on NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner to put a hold on construction of the new base – which saw the first sod turned on June 10 – while an investigation of other locations including Ballina airport can be made.

Black Hawk accident remembered 20 years on

Commemorative services were held at the Black Hawk Memorial in the Townsville Palmetum as well as in Canberra, Sydney and at Campbell Barracks, Perth on June 12 to mark the 20th anniversary of Army’s worst peacetime aviation disaster.

On the evening of June 12 1996, a flight of six S-70A-9 Black Hawks from Army’s 5 Aviation Regiment were conducting a night-time counter-terrorism training mission with members of the Perth-based Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment in the High Range Training Area near Townsville, in preparation for the upcoming 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

As the formation reached the target zone, the lead Black Hawk, callsigned ‘Black 1’, converged to the right and collided with an adjacent Black Hawk, ‘Black 2’. As a result, both Black Hawks, A25-113 and A25-209, impacted the ground and were destroyed. Three Army aircrew and 15 members of the SAS Regiment were killed. Twelve others were badly injured.

“The loss of 18 soldiers was the most significant peacetime disaster to strike the Australian Army and the largest single loss of life for Defence since the 1964 HMAS Voyager disaster,” said Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Angus Campbell.

“Across the nation, these services are a reminder that our soldiers will not be forgotten. We also pay tribute to and thank the courageous people who worked to tend to the injured on that fateful night. ” Fourteen soldiers were awarded bravery decorations for their rescue efforts following the accident.

Foxtrot Chinook deck handling trials on board Navy LHD

The Royal Australian Navy Aircraft Maintenance and Flight Trials Unit (AMAFTU) has completed week-long deck handling trials with Army’s CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopter on board the LHD amphibious assault ship HMAS Canberra.

Two Foxtrot Chinooks from C Squadron, 5 Aviation Regiment, A15-304 and -307, landed on board the LHD for the first time while the ship was alongside at its home port in Sydney Harbour on May 17 for the week-long trials to develop its amphibious capability.

As a prelude to its first-of-class flight trials, expected to be held later this year, the deck handling trials assessed that the ship’s flightdeck markings, securing fittings, associated ground equipment, hangar arrangements and procedures were suitable for the Foxtrots when they are embarked on the LHDs.

“We collected a lot of raw data about what the aircraft was doing, but from the personnel side, we had a lot of integration and interface between Army personnel from 5th Aviation Regiment and the ship’s company of Canberra,” Army’s medium-lift helicopter cell commander Major Trevor Campbell told Navy News. “This helps to make sure all those key people, like aircraft life-support fitters and forward Army refuelling personnel, know how the aircraft can integrate with the ship and fit in with the work flow. ” The trials also evaluated removing the Chinook’s six rotor blades and lowering the helicopter below to the hangar deck via the Canberra’s rear aircraft lift.

In April, Army’s CH-47F fleet surpassed the 1,000 flying hour mark in less than 12 months since the type entered service.

Bell Helicopter on the move to optimise manufacturing

Bell Helicopter has announced it will relocate the production of three key programs in order to optimise manufacturing capabilities across its facility network.

Effective immediately, the 505 Jet Ranger X final assembly in Lafayette, Louisiana will be relocated to the company’s Mirabel, Canada assembly and delivery centre to make way for the 525 Relentless cabin subassembly, relocating from its Amarillo, Texas facility. The Northrop Grumman MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicle modification work will also relocate to Lafayette from Bell’s facility in Ozark, Alabama.

Less than a year ago, Bell had officially opened its brand new US$26. 3 million (A$36. 4 million) assembly centre specifically for the 505 Jet Ranger X at Lafayette Regional Airport. However, the move north to Mirabel has shored up the future of its Canadian workforce which has suffered from several rounds of redundancies recently.

Bell built its first three 505 flight test vehicles at Mirabel and is working closely with Transport Canada to achieve its type certification and production certification before the end of this year ahead of beginning production and deliveries in early 2017.

Bell says the moves are not expected to impact the certification timelines of the 525 or 505.

AW119 military trainer launched

Leonardo Helicopters (formerly AgustaWestland) launched a military training variant of its single engine AW119Kx Koala to primarily target the US Navy as the service looks to replace its outdated fleet of Bell 206-based TH-57 SeaRanger trainers.

Designated the TH-119, the new version features a dual-display Genesys Aerosystems cockpit allowing for instruction from either seat, a night vision device (NVD) compatible cockpit, reinforced skids with replaceable skid shoes, cargo hook and hoist options, a low-profile instrument panel, a five fuel cell option that provides more than five hours of flight time and a pressure refuelling port for hot refuelling.

Briefs

Two pilots, two aviation warfare officers and two sensor operators

have graduated from Navy’s first MH-60R Seahawk basic operational flight training undertaken in Australia. Previously delivered by the US Navy, trainees spent 70 hours aloft, over 110 hours in the simulator and were trained on aircraft systems, warfare theory and tactics at 725 Squadron, Nowra.

»»Airbus Helicopters will provide a fleet of H135 and H145 helicopters to the United Kingdom’s Military Flying Training System after being selected by Ascent, the UK’s Ministry of Defence’s appointed training partner, as the preferred provider for the £500 million, 17-year contract.

»»Robinson Helicopter received Federal Aviation Administration certification for its two-seat R44 Cadet trainer on May 6.

»»Honeywell and McDermott Aviation recently signed a new licensing agreement to enable operators of the Bell 214 equipped with T55-08D engines to continue receiving engineering and maintenance support. The T55 family of turboshaft engines remains a mainstay in Honeywell’s powerplant portfolio, but the company no longer manufactures the T55-08D.