Rotor Torque

Unveiled at the National Press Club in Washington DC on September 22, the V-247 has been designed as a ship-based UAS able to undertake electronic warfare, ISR, escort, C4 and precision strike missions, and has been named V-247 because of its intended operation in a pair to provide 24/7 ISR coverage.

Bell says the 13 tonne Vigilant will cruise at 250kt with a top speed of around 300kt and climb to a maximum altitude of 25,000ft. It will have a combat radius of 450nm, a total range of 1,400nm and have 17 hours of internal fuel, bolstered by an air-to-air refuelling capability. Power for the single-engined, V-tailed design would come from an as yet unselected 5,000-6,000shp (3,670-4,410kW) class turbine.

The V-247 would have a wing span of about 20m, and with its blades folded and the wing swivelling along its 11m fuselage it would have the same footprint as a UH-1Y Venom, allowing it to fit inside a ship’s hangar or for two V-247s to be carried inside a C-17 transport.

Another key feature is a modular payload system designed to carry up to 5,900kg of fuel, armament and sensors, including high definition sensors, sonar buoys, light detection and ranging (LiDAR) modules, a 360-degree surface radar module, the Mk-50 torpedo or AGM-114 Hellfire and JAGM missiles.

The USMC’s aviation plan timeline for the ship-based UAS calls for a technology demonstrator in 2018 with initial operational capability in 2026.

Bell says if the V-247 Vigilant is approved, it could be available for production as early as 2023.

EASA lifts Puma grounding with conditions

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has lifted its temporary flight suspension of commercial operations by Airbus Helicopters H225 (EC225LP and AS332L2) Super Puma helicopters. The agency had put in place an Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) to ground the type on June 2 following the fatal crash of an EC225LP in Norway on April 29.

The suspension lifting comes with a number of mandatory actions to permit the type to return to flight. These include all second stage main gearbox (MGB) planet gears, such as the type involved in the accident, be replaced with another type which has a demonstrated reliable service life.

The service life of these newer type of second stage planet gears will also be halved resulting in the time before replacement and their current value being reduced by 50 per cent. Engineers will also have to conduct a daily inspection, or after 10 flight hours, of MGB chip detectors and the oil filter.

EASA also said that all MGBs that have suffered from unusual events such as an external shock but have no visual evidence of damage will have to be withdrawn from service.

At the time of writing, directives issued by the Norway Civil Aviation Agency and the UK Civil Aviation Authority to prohibit commercial operations of the H225 remained in effect. And despite the EASA suspension being lifted, Bristow said its H225s will remain grounded for the time being as the company continues to monitor the situation closely.

“In light of EASA’s directive, we are working with local regulators, Airbus, HeliOffshore and our clients, to carefully evaluate our next steps for this aircraft type in both our oil and gas and search and rescue operations in Norway, the United Kingdom and Australia,” said Bristow in a statement.

“Until we are confident that the aircraft can operate safely, Bristow will continue to suspend all operation of our EC225s, including for SAR and training. ”

Perth CBD floating heliport closer

Plans to install a floating helipad on Perth’s Swan River between Barrack Street and Victoria Avenue are a step closer after a development application by Skyline Aviation Group was approved by the Western Australia Department of Parks and Wildlife on September 15.

In 2013, the City of Perth released an expression of interest for a new CBD helipad facility for tourism, but this was retracted after council determined the cost of such a project could not be justified.

Subsequently on November 3 last year, the City of Perth recommended Skyline’s project for approval and also named the group as its preferred operator of the helipad.

“We now have to go through a request for proposal after both of our proposals were approved,” said Skyline Aviation Group’s Brett Campany. “Perth will eventually have a floating helipad facility but not in time for this summer. It has been a long process over the last three years but there is now a light at the end of the tunnel. ” With its designs finalised, Skyline Aviation Group’s development application was submitted to be signed off by a number of state and federal government agencies including CASA.

“We have contracted a marine engineer who is currently finalising our helipad design using the CubiSystem as a floatation device and the construction of the frame, netting and deck for the helicopters to land,” said Campany.

“There is still a lot of work to do before we commence our operations, however we are in the final stages of approval. We are hoping that we will be able to join many other tourism entities in Perth to be able to provide another attraction for all of our local, national and international guests. ” As part of its development approval, the City of Perth and the Department of Parks and Wildlife require a second helipad to be included in the design for use by other commercial and private operators and to be capable of landing an AW139-sized helicopter for EMS or law enforcement operations.

AW139 simulator a cen-trepiece of Aviation Austra-lia’s new campus

Aviation Australia’s new education campus at Brisbane Airport which includes Australia’s first AW139 Level D full-flight simulator, was officially opened on September 28.

The $10 million, 5,000m2 facility funded by Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC), is an expansion to Aviation Australia’s training base at Brisbane Airport and includes 20 new lecture rooms, a technical training centre and cafe.

Part of a $3. 8 billion investment into the airport over the next decade, the new development will be able to accommodate an additional 500 students on campus and brings Aviation Australia’s total lease area on the airport to approximately 19,000m2 including its adjacent training centre and airside hangar.

The new training campus features a co-located Thales LifeFlight Simulation Centre, part of LifeFlight’s HEMS Academy, with its Thales’s Reality H AW139 full-flight simulator as a centrepiece.

Fully compliant with CASA and EASA Level D certification requirements, the AW139 simulator is fitted with the latest Hexaline electric motion system, a 235 by 80 degree visual display and ThalesView image generator.

The full-motion simulator will be used to provide LifeFlight’s own pilots and crew as well as other aircrew from all around Australia and overseas with high-risk scenarios such as engine or hydraulics failures, severe weather and offshore flying, while using night vision imaging system (NVIS). Additionally, it will also support pilot conversion onto type, initial and recurrent IFR training, NVIS and night VFR refresher or initial training, along with tailor-made mission courses.

Cow brings down R22, no bull

The ATSB is investigating an animal strike and collision with terrain involving a Robinson R22 on Coen Cattle Station, Cape York Peninsula on September 18. During an aerial mustering operation, the Fox Helicopter Services R22, VH-PFX, accidentally struck a cow with its skid landing gear. Local police reported that one of the skids hooked onto the cow’s horns putting the helicopter off balance.

The 35-year-old male pilot tried to recover from the situation, but the helicopter subsequently collided with terrain. He walked away from the crash uninjured before the helicopter was destroyed by a post-impact fire.

As part of the investigation, the ATSB said it will interview the pilot and gather additional information.

The cow escaped unharmed.

First HATS instructors get airborne

The first tranche of Helicopter Aircrew Training System (HATS) flying instructors from the Royal Australian Navy, Australian Army and Boeing Defence Australia began flight trials at HMAS Albatross on September 22.

With the first student course to train under HATS using a fleet of 15 Airbus Helicopters H135s (EC135 T2+) not due to commence until 2018, the focus for the initial HATS instructors is on helicopter familiarisation and training design efforts.

CHC awarded Army AME con-tract

CHC Helicopter has signed a 21-month contract to provide the Australian Army with aeromedical evacuation (AME) and crash response support for training deployments throughout Australia, commencing on October 1.

CHC currently provides search and rescue (SAR) services to the RAAF and will use that fleet of Sikorsky S-76s and Bell 412s to provide its AME services to Army.

The medical team for the contract, including a dedicated doctor and paramedic, will be provided by Medical Rescue Air Ambulance (MRAA), a current provider to CHC.

Voice-controlled helicopter avionics in development

Rockwell Collins is developing a voice-controlled avionics system for civil helicopters to help reduce the workload of single pilot operations. As an option to its Pro Line Fusion avionics suite for helicopters, the system responds to voice commands by pressing a push-to-talk button on the cyclic. After the pilot confirms the system has understood the voice command by either a digital readout or a synthetic voice heard in their headset, the command is validated with another press of the push-to-talk button, otherwise the system cancels it.

Some of the common commands the system is able to do for the pilot include radio frequency changes, transponder use, map zooming, engine parameter readouts and autopilot orders.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has established a 95 per cent recognition rate as a minimum requirement for certification. During its testing, Rockwell Collins used a range of helicopter types with various sound proofing to test readability in different noise environments and achieved a 98 per cent recognition rate.

It is expected the voice recognition system will be certified and available for installation in new helicopters and available as a retrofit kit in 2019.