Rotor Torque

The CAE 3000 Series-based AW139 FFS was jointly developed by Leonardo and CAE, and is installed in Toll Helicopters’ new Aeromedical Crewing Excellence training centre at Bankstown Airport. The sim recently achieved full Level D flight simulator Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) accreditation – the first civil helicopter simulator to achieve both EASA and CASA recognition in Australia.

The agreements establish Toll Helicopters as a regional centre for the delivery of OEM AW139 training courses fully compliant with Leonardo’s standards.

“This allows us to provide OEM supported training to all AW139 operations in the region,” Toll Helicopters general manager Mark Delany said. “To have full access to Leonardo’s training systems, courseware and technical support models guarantees the highest quality and fidelity of training for all air crews. ” The full motion simulator has on-board and off-board instructor operator consoles including the ability to drive the simulator from the cockpit through a mobile tablet instructor/operator console.

“The fidelity achieved by combining the OEM flight model and aircraft systems with the CAE300 platform . . . is unrivalled,” said Toll’s in-house flight test engineer Chris Andretzke. “Being part of the existing AW139 FFS network will provide ongoing benefits through timely upgrades to the device, keeping it closely aligned with the AW139 aircraft as enhanced capabilities are introduced. ” The training centre also includes facilities for maintenance, crew training, a virtual reality crewman and integrated crew training simulator and a high fidelity helicopter underwater escape training device, which features a wave pool, wind generator, lighting and sound effects.

Toll Helicopters was selected in December 2014 to operate a 10-year aeromedical contract for NSW Health servicing the southern half of NSW and the ACT commencing early next year.

As reported in Rotor Torque last issue, a separate Level D AW139 simulator built by Thales has been installed at Aviation Australia’s new education campus at Brisbane Airport, as part of Queensland-based LifeFlight’s HEMS academy.

ATSB releases final report into S-76 engine failure

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has released its final report into the engine failure of an Esso Australia Sikorsky S-76C on the morning of July 11 2013 while the helicopter was departing from an offshore platform.

The failure of the right-hand engine in VH-EXU occurred as the helicopter was climbing out on departure from the Snapper platform in Bass Strait, 74km east of Longford, south-east of Sale on Victoria’s Gippsland coast. After setting the nose-down attitude for the departure, the crew reported a loud bang accompanied by significant airframe vibration. The helicopter descended rapidly toward the surface of the water, before the pilot and co-pilot recovered the descent within 30ft of the sea surface and established positive rate of climb. The crew also discharged fire extinguisher agent into the right engine compartment during the recovery in response to an engine fire warning indication.

The helicopter, with the two crew plus 10 passengers on board, then made a single-engine landing back to Longford under escort by other company helicopters.

The ATSB report said the engine failure was attributed to the fracture of a second-stage, high-pressure turbine blade. The liberated blade impacted and damaged adjacent blades with the resulting loss of power and associated increased vibration.

The engine and failed blade structure were inspected by engine manufacturer Safran Helicopter Engines (formerly Turbomeca), which concluded that the failure was due to a combination of metal fatigue, blade creep and oxidation deposits.

While a definitive cause for the blade fracture has yet to be determined, blade material, dimensional and quality assurance checks have ruled out any deficiencies.

“In the absence of a conclusive cause of the blade fracture and remedial information, the operator imposed a service life limitation on their helicopters’ engine turbine assemblies that were fitted with the same blades,” said the ATSB report. “In addition, the engine manufacturer issued notifications to operators and introduced specific inspection requirements relevant to potentially affected turbine assemblies. ” The ATSB said the recovery from the engine failure and the safe return to Longford reaffirmed the benefits of effective crew interaction, thorough pre-briefing and anticipation of what can go wrong.

Safran is continuing its investigation into the cause of the blade fracture.

RAC Rescue completes 5,000th aeromedical response

Western Australia’s RAC Rescue helicopter service completed its 5,000th life saving mission in mid-October after 13 years of providing aeromedical retrieval and search and rescue services around Perth and south-west WA.

Operated on contract by CHC Helicopter (CHC), the Department of Fire and Emergency Services’ (DFES) RAC Rescue helicopter service commenced operations in Perth in 2003 with one Bell 412EP.

Sponsored by the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) since its inception, the service responds to incidents involving farming accidents, marine and land search and rescues and time-critical hospital transfers. However, the most common incident response was to motor vehicle accidents, which account for two thirds of the services’ callouts.

On February 1, DFES launched a second rescue helicopter, another Bell 412 also operated by CHC, based at Bunbury Airport, 175km south of Perth, to service the growing population in the state’s south-west and Great Southern regions.

“With the addition of the Bunbury-based helicopter we can now cover 95 per cent of the state’s population, which greatly increases our capacity to help people in need,” said CHC pilot and Jandakot base manager Michael Perren. “We have had several instances already where both helicopters were sent to incidents at the same time. Previously these cases would have had to be prioritised with the helicopter sent to one while it is likely a road ambulance would have responded to the other. ” In its first two months of operations, the Bunbury-based RAC Rescue helicopter responded to 52 incidents and spent more than 80 hours in the air.

Before the end of the year, the Bunbury service will move from its temporary facility into a new permanent base being constructed by DFES at the other end of the airfield.

CH-47F LHD first of class flight trials conclude

The first of class flight trials (FoCFT) for the Australian Army’s CH-47F Chinook type have concluded after two of the medium-lift helicopters spent seven weeks onboard the Canberra class amphibious assault ship HMAS Adelaide to assess all aspects of the ship, helicopter and equipment interface.

The Adelaide sailed from Tasmania to Darwin to conduct cold and hot weather aspects of the trial which saw the pair of Foxtrots fly 119 hours and conducted 625 deck landings. The test team collected data from 1,342 test points.

“This data will facilitate the establishment of a comprehensive suite of enduring operating limits for the Chinook,” said Commander Australian Fleet, Rear Admiral Stuart Mayer.

The FoCFT process identifies conditions in which the ship, helicopter or equipment may need to be modified to ensure safe flying activities with the results used to set the operating limits for the operations of the CH-47F aboard both HMAS Adelaide and Canberra.

Robinson Helicopter added to New Zealand accident watchlist

New Zealand’s Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) added Robinson Helicopter to its watchlist of most pressing concerns on October 27 following a number of recent fatal accidents caused by mast bumping.

The TAIC said since 1996 the Commission and the NZ Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) have investigated 14 mast bumping accidents involving Robinson helicopters which claimed the lives of 18 people.

“We understand what mast bumping is, but it is often difficult to determine exactly what happened to cause the mast bump,” said TAIC Commissioner Stephen Davies Howard. “We know the condition results when Low-G occurs or from an inappropriate control input. Low-G can be caused by turbulence, but it is not normally a condition that causes concern beyond discomfort. However, it can lead to mast bumping which too often has fatal consequences in Robinson helicopters with their rotor head design. ” Four recommendations made by the TAIC as a result of mast bump accidents have yet to be actioned by the US Federal Aviation Administration.

“We also found that the format of the Robinson flight manuals and terminology did not draw enough attention to safety critical instructions and conditions that could result in serious injury or death,” said Davies Howard. “We therefore remain concerned that there is a real risk that we will see more of this type of accident. ” Around 300 Robinson Helicopter R22, R44 and R66s are registered in New Zealand, making up approximately 40 per cent of the country’s total helicopter fleet.

Bravery award for rescue crew

A Sydney-based Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter crew was awarded a Group Certificate of Merit with Silver Insert by Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) at its Annual Awards of Excellence evening on October 22 after rescuing a man who was swept off rocks by large waves.

On February 28, the crew of ‘Lifesaver 21’, pilot Rick Walden, aircrew officer Keith McReynolds and rescue crew officer John Molnar were called to Garie, south of Sydney, following reports that several people had been swept into the ocean. Arriving on the scene, the crew observed that two men had scrambled safely up onto rocks, but a third male was not accounted for.

With seas in excess of three metres and strong winds hampering the rescue effort, the missing man was located having surfaced in the raging white water being pummelled against the rocks in the surf.

With powerful waves breaking over him, Molnar was winched into the water to secure the unconscious man in a strop before the pair were winched up into the helicopter with CPR commencing immediately. After landing in a field nearby, the man was transported to hospital by ambulance. Unfortunately he died of his injuries several days later.

Due to their perseverance and actions in trying conditions, all three crewmembers of Lifesaver 21 were presented the SLSA’s highest award for bravery.

Briefs

Boeing Defence Australia has been awarded a five-year contract valued at up to $20 million to provide maintenance to the Army’s new fleet of CH-47F Chinooks at Townsville. Boeing Defence Australia had provided CH-47D maintenance at Townsville since 2010.

-Airbus Group has announced plans to cut 582 positions from its Airbus Helicopters division due to the ongoing slump in demand from the oil and gas industry and the fallout of the fatal crash of a H225 Super Puma in the North Sea on April 29, which killed 13 people and saw the global H225 fleet grounded.

-The NSW government has committed $2. 3 million in funding towards a new base for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service New England-North West. The new facility, currently under construction at Lake Macquarie Airport, Belmont, near Newcastle, is expected to be operational by March 2017.

-The US Marine Corps has completed initial operational testing of Lockheed Martin’s CH-53K King Stallion. Verification of the new heavy-lift helicopter’s key capabilities included an external lift of 12,200kg in a hover and carrying a 5,420kg external load over a 110nm radius. The King Stallion will carry three times the external payload of its predecessor, the CH-53E Super Stallion.

-Bell Helicopter has signed a framework agreement with Shaanxi Aviation Industry Development and Xi’an Helicopter Company for the assembly, resale, training and maintenance of Bell 407GXPs to government and government-related customers in China. Part of the signing included the negotiation of a five-year purchase agreement for 100 407GXPs to be used for HEMS and law enforcement missions in the country.

-According to the UK’s Flight Ascend Consultancy low oil prices, the grounding of the Airbus Helicopters H225, AS332 L2 Super Puma types and fleet cuts resulting from CHC’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection have hit the offshore helicopter industry hard, with the number of in-service heavy helicopters falling by 38 per cent since the end of 2015, resulting in up to 75 per cent of the global fleet being valued at below base level.