H E L I C

O P T E R L I F E S U M M E R LIFESUMMER 2006 / 2 www.helicopterlife.com BELL 407 T EST FLIGHT 0

0 £3.99 6

THE MYSTERY CHOPPER

lands on Mount Everest summit

STANLEY H ILLER JR (1924-2006) V OLANTE FLYING C AR H ELIEXPO IN D ALLAS TX N EW O RLEANS AFTER K ATRINA

HELICOPTER LIFEis theHIGH LIFE

HELICOPTER SUMMER 2006 LIFE

Show & Tell Guide 4 The Mystery On aviation shows and conferences. Chopper 38 Alan Norris inter - The Editor’s Letter 5 viewed Didier Delsalle about his Guest Columnist 6, 8 record breaking The Lord Glenarthur looks back on his life. achievement landing the first Letters to the Editor 7 helicopter on COVER STORY Mount Everest. Flying Crackers 9, 11 HAI Heli-Expo 48 Obituary 12 2006 show in Dallas, in the Lonestar State. Stanley Hiller, Jr. (1924-2006) by Willie Turner The Big Easy Hummingbird 54 King Island 30 years after 16 How the Sikorsky S-58 and a Bell 205 Capt Janie Foster writes about how she flew came Alaskan eskimos back to their native island. to the rescue after Hurricane Katrina Volante the struck, as told to Flying Car 18 Georgina Hunter- Inventor and Jones by engineer K.P. Hummingbird’s Rice shows that pilot and operator the future of the Captain Charles flying car has a Priestley . much greater chance of success. After the Deluge 60 Capt Janie Foster The Royal Police 23 tells Georgina Bryn Elliott on how the ROP was formed. Hunter-Jones about her rescue Aerial Forum 27 and aid flights For pilots to discuss their heartfelt views. with Evergreen Helicopters’ Bell Helicopter Simulator 28 412 during the Georgina Hunter-Jones on Heliservices new toy. aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Bell 407 Test 30 Georgina Hunter- Book Review 63 Jones pays a visit John Matchett reviews Uniform Kilo by Tim to Bell Helicopter Gilbert; a novel about Tim’s adventure flying an in Fort Worth TX, R44 from Cambridge to Adelaide in . where Capt Randy Rowles shows her Accident Reports 64 all the ins and outs of the Bell 407. House & Helicopter 66

HELICOPTER LIFE,Sum mer 2006 3 SHOW & T ELL G UIDE

17 June 2006 VERTICAL CHALLEnGE 2006 Helicopter Air Show San Carlos Airport, California USA Tel: +1-650-654-0200 Ext. 205 [email protected] www.hiller.org/vertical-challenge.shtml

23 June - 25 June 2006 AEROEXPO 2006 Wycombe Air Park Paddy Casey Tel: +44 (0)20-8255-4218 Astrid Ayling Tel: +44 (0)20-8549-5024 Fax: +44 (0)20 8255-4300 [email protected] www.expo.aero

17 July - 23 July 2006 FARnBOROuGH InTERnATIOnAL 2006 Farnborough International Ltd. 1 Queen Anne’s Gate London, SW1H-9BT Tel: +44 (0)20-7976-3330 Fax: +44 (0)20-7976-3349 www.farnborough.com

28 July - 30 July 2006 WESTOn-SuPER-HELIDAYS 2006 The Helicopter Museum Locking Moor Road Weston-super-Mare Somerset, BS24-8PP Tel: +44 (0)1934-635-227 Fax: +44 (0)1934-645-230 www.helicoptermuseum.co.uk/helidays.htm

23 September - 25 September 2006 HELI JET SHOW CAnnES Palais des Festivals & des Congres Cannes France Tel: +33 (0)4-9390-4185 Fax: +33 (0)4-9390-4189 [email protected]

HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2006 HELICOPTER T HE EDITOR S LETTER

verest has always had an incred - ible pull on us, from the first Esuccessful ascent in 1953 by Sir LIFE Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay to last year’s first successful helicop - SUMMER 2006 ter landing by Didier Delsalle. That it is the highest mountain in the world HOn. EDITORIAL BOARD seems to be only one reason that men Captain Eric Brown, CBE, RN and women of adventure have longed The Lord Glenarthur, DL to reach the summit. Perhaps that it is Jennifer Murray because Everest rises a few mms Michael J. H. Smith every year (the result of geological Wing Cdr. Ken Wallis, MBE, RAF forces; in 1999 it was noticed that the EDITOR-In-CHIEF / PILOT mountain had increased an extra 6 Georgina Hunter-Jones foot) that gives it some kind of spiri - series test-flights in the hope that that [email protected] tual waywardness that we hope to will give some information that will CREATIVE DIRECTOR absorb. In the modern jet era most of Hilaire Dubourcq help the buyer. Most recently I flew [email protected] us have flown far higher than the Bell 407 and was captured by its COPY EDITOR Everest, but have not stopped to wait: power compared to the JetRanger, Evangeline Hunter-Jones, JP perhaps that is the attraction, which it resembles in many ways, COnTRIBuTInG EDITORS although even the longest stop at the and its versatility. Bryn Elliott, Capt Janie Foster top was only 21 and a half hours, by This spring Stanley Hiller died at The Lord Glenarthur, John Matchett Alan Norris, Capt Charles Priestley Babu Chiri Sherpa, hardly enough to the age of 81 and Willie Turner from K.P. Rice, John Smith, Willie Turner call it home! Or maybe it is simply the Hiller Museum has written a very COnTRIBuTED PHOTOGRAPHY that we know that, however many thorough obituary. Hiller was not Eurocopter, Capt Janie Foster landings we do there, the mountain only a brilliant inventor and busi - Hiller Aviation Museum, Alan Norris Patrick Penna, Sam Pourciau will never be ours, never be con - nessman (something unusual in Alan Staats, Dan Tendem quered. itself) but he had very democratic SPECIAL THAnKS TO Helicopters on the other hand are views on how a company should be Doral Hotel Fort Worth TX Capt Randy Rowles of Bell Helicopter made to be conquered and bought, run and was determined to make the which may be the reason why this ‘feudal’ way of business so typical at ADVERTISInG Telephone: (44) 20-7430-2384 seems to be the Year of the his time should be replaced by more [email protected] Helicopter Show. In February we had flexible systems. He was a very spe - SuBSCRIPTIOnS HeliExpo, in April Fly, The London cial man. Go to our website or turn to page 64 Airshow, in June we have AeroExpo, EC directive statutory instruments [email protected] in July Farnborough, in August The 55/2001 and 85/2001 declares it will WEBSITE Helicopter Museum’s Helidays, in www.helicopterlife.com be a crinimal offence for shopkeepers September Heli Jet at Cannes, and in to make any reference at all to COVER PHOTOGRAPH December the Dubai Helicopter pounds and ounces, inches or feet By Patrick Penna Show, to name just a few. It was clear after January 1, 2010. Is this then

HELICOPTER LIFE is published quarterly from The London Airshow that many something we pilots should be wary by FlyFizzi Ltd. people are indeed looking to buy hel - of, having, as we still do, height in 59 Great Ormond Street icopters and perhaps after this year of feet, even though we have visilibity London, WC 1N-3 Hz . visiting shows and reading the maga - Copyright © FlyFizzi Ltd. 2006. in metres? Will we have to change, or ISSN 1743-1042. zines they will have found out what does flying have a dispensation? All rights reserved. Opinions expressed seems right for them. Buying a heli - Does anybody know? herein are not necessarily those of the pub - copter is something as individual as lishers, the Editor or any of the editorial staff. Reproduction in whole or in part, in any buying a house or a car, but form whatever, is strictly prohibited without Helicopter Life is continuing with a specific written permission of the Editor.

HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2006 5 G UEST C OLUMNIST Reflections on a Li in the Rotary World The final part of TheGlenarthurs Lord ruminations on his long and successful carreer in both civil and military aviation

e were in great demand by Faulkner, home to his house at and snorkelling, and I am only sorry the two Cavalry Yeomanry Seaford one evening as the political that our flying of a cameraman for a W regiments, one in the South scene became particularly grim. He BBC wildlife documentary principal - and one in the North of England. tried to persuade me to stay for sup - ly in search of the Manatee (sea cow, Most of the flying was required at per, but the aircraft was needed for to the unfamiliar!) never received weekends and we regularly deployed night flying and I returned to credits due to Air Squadron 1st Royal two or three helicopters to fulfil our Aldergrove. The next day Brian Tank Regiment when the film was proper armoured reconnaissance role. Faulkner resigned, I took him home televised. But we made great friends On one occasion, appalling weather and this time did accept his kind invi - with Krov and Annie Menhuin. And forced a diversion to the United tation to dine and talk about anything where else could one gain the experi - States Air Force Base at Upper other than Ulster politics. I recall ence of hovering along the back of a Heyford. They were particularly sen - both the Taoiseach and Sir Alec surfaced whale lying on the surface sitive about our arrival at an F1-11 Douglas Home telephoning during about 50 miles offshore when en nuclear base. A request for fuel was dinner as Brian Faulkner and I dis - route to Half Moon Quay? accepted, a 64-thousand gallon I had made up my mind to bowser was filled with ...Sir Alec Douglasleave the army at the end of 115/145 Av-gas and drew up to Home telephoned this flying tour and through refuel us on dispersal. The during dinner as Brianvarious contacts it had been refuellers were not particularly suggested that, at least in the amused when I said I would Faulkner and I interim, British Airways take 9 gallons and my fellow discussed the finerHelicopters might be interest - pilot 15! And we were denied ed in employing me. But with access to either the United points of foxhuntingno experience of gas turbine States Air Force meteorological peo - cussed finer points of foxhunting, aircraft, I persuaded the powers that ple or our own people at Upavon. We something with which he was much be to send me on an Allouette conver - did not have the necessary authorisa - involved in Northern Ireland and to sion at Netheravon and whilst flying tion. After half an hour or so, we whom my father had drafted some it concurrently with the Sioux, man - were rescued by the RAF Liaison hounds from Ayrshire. aged to master the intricacies of fly - Officer, who took us to his house say - Half the squadron was deployed to ing different aircraft with rotors ing: “Welcome back to England!” Belize in early 1975, and I went with going round in opposite directions. Northern Ireland loomed again and them for 6 weeks to ensure that they Leaving the Army in October the squadron deployed there in April were safely settled in and my new 1975, I embarked upon the necessary 1974 for a 6-month tour, which coin - second-in-command (now a very examinations for civilian licence and cided with the Ulster Workers senior General) comfortable with his heard that I had been successful just Council strike and the collapse of the role. Belize was not without its before Christmas that year. And in power-sharing agreement. I recall attractions – wonderful offshore early 1976, embarked upon the very taking the Prime Minister, Brian islands, fantastic swimming, diving (Continued on Page 8)

6 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2006 Helicopter Museum LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Dear Georgina, 59 Great Ormond Street, London WC1N-3Hz, England. Like many other non national muse - Telephone: 020-7430-2384, Fax: 020-7430-2384, Email: [email protected] ums up and down the country The Please include your name, address, home and daytime phone numbers. Helicopter Museum continually suf - fers from a shortage of funding. Despite being a registered charity where the lack of a decent building (Friday 17th March) stated that the we get no local authority grant,the means much of the material has to RotorSport UK Ltd A1 Approval Chancellor has just changed the Gift be stored off site where conditions Certificate for Gyroplane Design Aid rules which were worth £4,000 are at least dry. This means it is sim - and Manufacture will be issued a year to us, and the Museum and ply not available to researchers and ‘shortly’. This will include Flight Libraries Association, which is the other visitors; again an education Testing to F1 B conditions. government authority for national opportunity lost. This follows the satisfactory com - grant aid, is focused on staff training Despite these setbacks I am proud pletion of all company audits to their and education, which is of little use of what we have achieved: more satisfaction, including overseeing if you can't afford to employ the than 70 helicopters and autogyros one carried out in Germany. staff in the first place!! conserved, many of them rare and This part of the UK Spec MT-03 Finally the Heritage Lottery Fund recognised as of national importance implementation project has been has less and less money as the pun - and a 4.5 acre site,including the dis - completed on time, and we are very ters realise A) the chances of win - play hangar, restoration facility and grateful for the help and assistance ning are slim and B) that the govern - office accommodation, owned out - given by all those involved. ment is creaming off the money to right by the museum and all done RotorSport UK Ltd also expect to bolster their own ambitions. without ever borrowing money. make a similar announcement short - We have the ridiculous situation Elfan ap Rees ly regarding the Permit to Test for at the moment where we are trying the UK spec MT-03 2 seat gyroplane. to raise the money to build a new Gyroplane Pitcairn Yours happily, restoration facility, thus giving new Gerry Speich Dear Georgina, opportunities to current and fresh Received the latest HL and, as usual, volunteers to learn about restoration you have produced a great issue. and engineering but, because it is DVDs Some comments on the Udvar- the building shell that needs to be Dear Georgina, Hazy article - there is no “gyro - funded rather than the equipment, I was wondering if anyone had copter” section - more correctly, the which we already have, the HLF thought of making a series of pro - generic “gyroplane” section contain - says it isn't educational enough. The grammes or specialist DVDs, in the ing autogiro, rotary-wing kite, auto - same argument applied to our bid to vain of Top Gear, albeit classier, sur - gyros and gyrocopters. Note also build a library, where the industry rounding the flying & testing of all that the American inventor’s name is stepped up to help fit the facility out the different types of helicopters? Harold F. Pitcairn, not Pitcain. Also, but HLF would not contribute Plenty of onboard footage & all dif - the “Pitcairn, with radial engine...” is towards the construction. Another ferent camera angles would be great actually the Kellett YO-60 Autogiro. project shelved: It is especially frus - with a commentary by the instruc - Regards, trating since we are asking for rela - tors & the test pilot whilst the Dr Bruce Charnov tively small sums, say £400- walkround check & subsequent 500,000, when you see government flight is carried out. I’ve spent many sponsored pet schemes being funded Gyroplane Approval years reading all the articles you’ve to the tune of several millions! Georgina, produced for the different magazines At the moment the tragedy is that I would like to update your readers on & thought a series of programmes we are having to turn away people our gyroplane introduction process: then released to DVD would be both who want to volunteer because our “RotorSport UK Ltd CAA Company fascinating & enlightening for any - present restoration facility isn't big Approval for Gyroplane Design and one interested in helicopters, both enough and yet we have a number of Manufacture.” civil & military types in their roles. rare aircraft seeking TLC. The same We are very, very pleased to Yours sincerely, applies to the library and archives announce that the CAA yesterday Sven Atkin

HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2006 7 G UEST C OLUMNIST

(Continued from Page 6) Foreign Office. I never ceased to be work of that body and I gladly took different world of civil aviation, join - amazed at how easy it was to find up the challenge. Before long, I ing British Airways Helicopters at one’s way into the left/right hand seat became involved with the European Aberdeen and undergoing a 4-week of a civilian or military helicopter or Helicopter Association of which ground school and type examinations fixed wing aircraft and be given con - BHAB is a member and was eventu - on the Sikorsky S61N. How very dif - trol almost at once. In particular in ally persuaded to become its ferent it was to have nineteen or more Hong Kong, I regularly toured the Chairman for some seven years. passengers in the back, sometimes province, with the Governor and oth - During that time we were able to with a cabin attendant, and to fly in a ers in the back seat. We used to reinforce not only the importance of straight line for anything up to an switch off the rear intercom and the European dimension in helicopter hour and a half at a time, or more, undertake a confined area landing regulatory matters but also in the role and land on a platform, rig or vessel. and sloping ground en route from of the helicopter as seen through the Transit flying was often thoroughly point A to Point B. How therapeutic eyes of the International Civil monotonous but very disciplined. this was when about to be faced with Aviation Organisation. Throughout Landings and take-off however, were the baying Hong Kong press corps! that period, the support of John a very different kettle of fish, partic - On leaving the government in Friedberger and Dick Whidbourne at ularly at night or in adverse wind 1989, another opportunity arose to BHAB, Jan Willem Stuurman at conditions, some of which affected continue my interest in aviation when EHA and Frank Jensen and Roy performance not least when Resavage at HAI created an the flare stack was blowing hot extremely happy and construc - air over the deck. Instrument ...where else could toneive working environment; one flying and instrument rating gain the experience ofthrough which it was possible became a sine qua non and to develop the International after about 16 months of work hovering along the backFederation of Helicopter as a First Officer came promo - of a surfaced whale?Ass ociations for which I was tion to Captain. alternately Chairman and But in all honesty, I cannot Vice-Chairman. say that the work was too intense; I joined Hanson PLC which then Here we are: some 37 years there was still plenty of time for owned Air Hanson, one of the lead - involved with helicopters of various many thoroughly enjoyable ‘country ing members of BHAB. At that time sorts, many happy memories, many pursuits’ with gun or rod in Hanson PLC also became one of a good friends and quite a lot of Aberdeenshire. Subsequently, con - group of five companies to embark achievement within the industry. I version to the S76A, flying single upon the potential construction of the have always worked on the basis that pilot under IFR became a very inter - City of London Heliport. I worked nothing should be embarked upon esting challenge but after two years on that project with others for many unless it is likely to be fun. I can hon - of this I decided that enough was months and it was extremely sad that, estly say that my past and present enough and that life held other possi - in the event, planning permission was involvement with the helicopter com - bilities and left to join the govern - denied, not least because City of munity has not only been fun but also ment as a junior Minister. London who had initially come up immensely rewarding. There are I thought that would be the end of with the idea, had formally to object many other exciting developments to flying for me but not so. A continual to their own proposal because of come, not least in tilt-rotor and other itch to get my hands on the controls political pressures. technology (having had 45 minutes of anything that flew followed me It was at about that time that I was flying the XV15, I can vouch for the from department to department and I approached to ask whether I might former!) and I only hope that, was able to fly a variety of aircraft: consider becoming Chairman of the although I shall continue to retain a Lightning, Harrier, Tuccano, Jaguar, British Helicopter Advisory Board in close interest and help the industry in Optica and helicopters of all sorts, order to help add credibility through any way I can, my successors can not least during my days in the my government experience to the themselves enjoy as much as I have.

8 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2006 LYING Pilots are Cheaper F In some states in the USA pilots are charged less for car insurance than other professions, after a study found cue, ‘too risky’. Ironically, while the ing aircraft systems and flight manu - them some of the safest drivers in the Bell 407 had infrared and night als, officials said. The men were later world. A 2004 study, done by Quality vision equipment the Sheriff’s heli - released when it was discovered they Planning Corp, matched the copters had neither. The Sherrif’s were students at the Department of Motor Vehicle records office demanded that such jobs company and were reading Bell heli - with its own database of 14 million should be left to professionals. Guess copter manuals! auto insurance policies to match inci - what the families thought! dents, drivers and occupations. It Flying Tomatoes! found the worst drivers: students, Flying Therapy Australians have a new threat to avi - medical doctors, attorneys, architects A Nebraska prisoner has choosen fly - ation: flying tomatoes. Anthony and real estate agents, had twice as ing as his rehabilitation therapy. Douglas Donohue, of Queensland, many accidents as the safest: home - While he was still in jail, local cor - was given two years on probation makers, politicians, pilots, firefight - rections officials and the FAA after admitting threatening to bring ers and farmers. allowed Barry Greg Caughlin to fly down a helicopter by shooting toma - alone, according to a report by local toes from a homemade bazooka. Boeing Barrier NBC news. Caughlin has, to date, Donohue became annoyed over the A retired Air Canada 737 became kept his promise to come back each helicopter’s repetitive survey flights British Columbia's seventh artificial time as he builds time toward his pri - over the house he shares with his par - reef when it was sunk off the coast of vate pilot certificate. However, ents and called in the threats to Air Vancouver Island. Foremerly used ironically Caughlin’s conviction, for Services Australia, the government for carrying Canadian tourists to which he has been behind bars for agency that regulates civil aviation. Florida, it might now become a more than four tourist attraction itself. The 100-foot years, is for airframe was winched from a barge vehicular homi - and lowered into Stuart Channel. cide, and he can - Within minutes the divers reported a not have a dri - level landing of the craft on the ocean ver’s licence until floor 88.5 feet below and the jet's 2011. Prison offi - four-year journey from wreck to reef cials said the was finally complete. decision to let him go ahead was Sour Grapes after rescue not taken lightly. Using night-vision goggles, pilot David Gunsauls and helicopter Dangerous owner Dan Kohrdt spotted Revina Reading? Dennis and her cousin Austin Rogers Five men on an on a lava-rock-strewn hillside miles American away from the ground party looking Airlines flight for them. Gunsauls toed the helicop - from Dallas to ter into the hillside while Korhdt Newark set off a pulled the kids inside the Bell 407. security alert and The girls, who got lost while explor - were detained ing the hills near Paradise, in last month after California, were dropped off to their passengers and families in a school playing field. crew members However, it didn’t take long for the said they were local sheriff’s office to distance itself acting suspi - from the celebration, calling the res - ciously and read -

HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2006 9

FLYING Plane stealing Heard over the UNICOM: Cessna XYz: “Cessna XYz taking 10.” aboard an AS350 costs $31,800, Marchis, an experienced pilot. Sky Unknown voice: “Well, don’t take it although a customer who uses the Arrow spokeswoman Arabella too far. There’s another plane on helicopter for half a day “will only be Bortolotti said the accident shocked finals.” charged for one hour,” says Frederic those who knew the victims. “It is Aguettant. mind boggling to think that two of new diesel engine needs money 's best pilots were aboard,” she DeltaHawk, a small company based Perfect Crime? told ANSA. in the USA has been working for Howard Jamison, a New zealand about a decade to develop a diesel skydive operator claimed he had been First Heli Jet Show engine for GA aircraft: “the only such forced to ditch and has lost his plane From September 23-25, 2006 the first engines being built in the USA,” in the waters off New zealand. Heli Jet show will be held at Cannes according to the company. The However, last week he was charged in France. The aim of the show is engine first flew in May 2003 in a with using a document to obtain both to demonstrate the incomprable Velocity RG fixed wing aircraft, and pecuniary advantage, after the plane connection between helicopters, since then has been making the was found. Jamison admitted con - boats and finance and to promote rounds of trade shows as research and cocting an elaborate scheme to claim business enterprise. There will be development continues. A few 200- a $258,000 NzD insurance settle - displays of aircraft, helicopters and hp engines have been built for exper - ment aimed at getting him back on limosines, as well as sizeable boats imental aircraft, but, the company his feet financially. Now, he faces a with helicopter pads. For more says, it is still at least 18 months possible jail term and will likely have details email the Heli Jet office at: away from having an FAA-certified to sell off all of his assets, including [email protected] engine, and money problems are the Cessna 185 he slowing down the process. With a lit - ‘ditched’ in a stor - tle luck, and a cash injection, the age container. company hopes to sell more than 3,600 of the engines in 2010. Angelo D’Arrigo He soared over Helicopter Credit Card Mt. Everest in a French helicopter and business jet hang glider, charter company Aviaxess launched crossed the Europe's first helicopter card, the Mediterranean in Corporate Helicard. Card programs one and set myriad allow customers to pre-pay for their aviation records, travel in exchange for reduced rates but sadly he was and other services. This is popular killed at an air amongst companies and individuals show in Italy. with the need to fly but lacking the Angelo D'Arrigo, resources or will to buy their own who was also business aircraft. known as the President Frederic Aguettant has Human Condor, established operator members in 12 was a passenger in European cities, giving the company a Sky Arrow 650 access to 35 helicopters ranging from TNT that crashed the Eurocopter AS350 light single to on approach. The the Sikorsky S-76 medium twin. The plane was flown Helicard is available in 25- and 50- by retired Italian hour blocks at a fixed price through - Air Force Gen. out Europe. Pricing for 25 hours Giulio De

HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2006 11 O BITUARY Stanley Hiller, Jr. 1924- 2006 Helicopter pioneer and founder of the Hiller Aviation Museum tanley Hiller Jr., age 81, died Corp. Hiller developed and advised at up to 60 miles per hour, and before peacefully at home on the nation's business community on long a local department store was SThursday, April 20, 2006, of how corporate governance needs to selling Comets from a production complications associated with reform to succeed in a global econo - line of neighborhood boys in the Alzheimer’s Disease. my. He warned of the feudal system Hiller back-yard shop. By the time he Stanley Hiller was born November at the top of many large corporations was 17, Hiller Industries was turning 15, 1924 in , which would ultimately undermine out 350 miniature cars each month, at California. He began his career as the American system of free enter - the rate of $100,000 a year. With one of the world's three principal prise he cherished. In 1990s speeches some help from his father and a developers of vertical flight while and articles, he pressed for structural draftsman, Stanley invented a die- still a teenager. Hiller innovations in solutions in such trends as growing casting machine based on a cooling the technology of vertical flight trade deficits, paralyzing federal process which increased the strength included the first helicopter flown in debt, and against corporate boards of aluminum castings for the Comet. the western , the world's too weak to redesign failing and Now a freshman at the University of first successful co-axial helicopter, greedy managements. California at Berkeley, Stanley was the famed Flying Platform, the one- Stanley Hiller spent his youth in soon discovered by the U.S. military man foldable Rotorcycle, the unique Berkeley California. His father was as a resource for aluminum fighter Hornet helicopter powered by rotor- an engineer and inventor. Using his plane parts. tip-mounted ramjet engines, and the father's tools, workbench and devot - Hiller developed an interest in first high-speed vertical take-off-and- ed encouragement, Stanley at age 8 helicopters when at age 15 he read landing tilt-wing troop transport. connected an old family washing about Igor Sikorsky's experiments Hiller started the machine engine to a homemade with rotary wing aircraft, noting that Corporation in 1949. A formalisation buggy frame and began driving it, the early vehicles were compromised of the original United Helicopters somewhat recklessly, on neighbor - by the elaborate ways of compensat - started when Hiller was 18 years old. hood sidewalks. Father Stanley had ing for inherent instability. “I have HAC was soon producing the first built and flown his own airplane in ideas about how to correct that,” he battlefield evacuation helicopters for 1910 at age 20. When Stanley was told his father, who suggested he put the French Indochinese War and the asked by a reporter years later how he the ideas into hardware. The teenag - Korean Conflict. had achieved so much in so few er's idea was a co-axial rotor design, After leaving Fairchild Hiller Corp years, the 23-year-old replied, “I was which would avoid the elaborate tail in 1966, Stanley Hiller created The fortunate in my choice of a father.” rotors and gears that controlled the Hiller Group, utilizing his leadership Stanley learned to fly before he inherent yaw of Sikorsky's single concepts to turn around failing com - was 10, and became interested in rotor models. panies in diverse fields, including building and flying model planes, Stanley finished high school, Reed Tool Company, Bekins Corp., which to his consternation, tended to entering the University of California and the huge York International air crash. His response was to apply one at Berkeley at age 16. His college conditioning manufacturer. His of the airplane gas engines into a phase lasted a year: he was consumed efforts were responsible for a trans - model racing car. It was a turning with the history and technology of formation of Baker International into point in the boy's career: the Hiller vertical flight, intensifying his design its present structure as Baker Hughes Comet sped around a back yard track of a co-axial with the aid of a drafts -

12 HELICOPTER LIFE, Spring 2006

O BITUARY

man, a welder and an auto mechanic. figuration, the system achieved When the Korean Conflict broke Although many materials were remarkable stability with a simplicity out in 1950, the U.S. Army finally frozen by the War Production Board, in parts. It was upon this design plat - responded to Hiller earlier pleas to he managed to improvise a 100- form that the famed Hiller 360 began create a light capa - pound model. Discouraged by Army the Hiller ascendance as one of the bility. Soon Hiller Aircraft was deliv - officials, the 17-year-old inventor few full production helicopter com - ering a helicopter per day for the lugged his aircraft and drawings to panies in the world. The 360 was Korean battlefronts, and a progres - Washington DC, where higher only the third helicopter licensed by sion of technical advances provided authorities not only permitted his the Civil Aeronautics Administration Hiller a family of aircraft alongside proposed XH-44 helicopter to be fin - in U.S. history. the other major manufacturers, Bell, ished, but granted Stanley a defer - Post-WWII aviation was not an Sikorsky and Piasecki. ment from the draft board. encouraging environment for a As early as 1947, the Hiller cre - Although UC Berkeley had little young helicopter company. Now ative group had experimented with chance to influence young Stanley, operating as Hiller Aircraft Company, rotor systems that tilted forward for the university did yield the love of his Hiller became the first American higher speed horizontal flight. The life, Carolyn Balsdon, company's concept of whom he married when pure jet lift was the first they were both 22. in its genre proposed to By 1944, Stanley the military. By 1951 Hiller, Jr., completed the Hiller was flying a two- first successful flight of place Hornet powered a helicopter in the west - by ramjets at the blade ern United States. He tips, where, Stan Hiller flew his yellow fabric- had long maintained the covered contraption power was needed, himself, although he eliminating much of the had never flown a heli - helicopter's weight and copter nor seen one fly. complexity in transmis - The flight propelled the sions and tail rotors. A young inventor into fleet of H-32 Hornet international headlines. evaluation aircraft were He became the youngest delivered to the Army, person ever to receive Navy and Marines in the coveted Fawcett Aviation Award company to produce helicopters 1956. Huge Flying Cranes were stud - for major contributions to the without military sponsorship. Capital ied under military contract, in the late advancement of aviation. Eventually, was acquired from businessmen who l940s, later replacing the tip ramjets the little co-axial XH-44 Hiller- had faith in the promise that helicop - with more fuel-efficient turbojets. Copter would earn a permanent place ters would revolutionize such utility The Hiller Flying Platform in Smithsonian Institution. chores as agricultural management, perched a pilot on ducted propellers, C o

The early successes also attracted crop spraying, mis - requiring him to lean in the direction u r t

business investments in Hiller's sions, and remote field installations. he wanted to go. Improbable as it e s y

enterprise. United Helicopters The stable reliability of the 360 in appeared, the platform hovered and o f t h

became a corporation in 1945, hope - utility jobs resulted in the helicopter's darted, with its standing passenger e h i

ful of opening a new age of commer - recruitment as a medical evacuation often using both arms to fire a rifle or l l e cial vertical flight with the Hiller vehicle in the French Indochinese take photographs. r A v i A

Commuter helicopter. When this war starting in 1949. The UH12-360 Begun for the U.S. Navy Bureau t i o crashed, Hiller tried the Rotormatic became the first light helicopter of Aeronautics in 1954, the Hiller n M u

Control System. Although reverting applied to that task under difficult XROE-1 one-man Rotorcycle could s e u to a single rotor-plus tail-rotor con - jungle warfare conditions. be parachuted in a pod behind enemy M

14 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2006 O BITUARY lines, assembled in just nine minutes The Hiller group launched a 20- company posted a five-fold increase by its recipient on the ground, and year progression of corporate turn - in profits, a 130% rise in stock price, take off to fly with all the speed, alti - arounds, starting by cleaning up and a stable employment. tude and hovering capability of a mini-conglomerate G.W. Murphy Stanley Hiller was often quoted in large helicopter. Industries which the group changed the media on his abiding opposition In 1956, as Hiller military and into Reed Tool Co and in 1979 sold it to business practices which under - commercial utility helicopters con - to energy giant Baker International. mine the vitality of corporations. tinued to gain acceptance as depend - Soon after that success, the Hiller Among them were the unfriendly able workhorses in the nation's verti - group took control of the nation's takeovers; slash-and-burn tactics cal flight realm of aviation, Hiller largest moving and storage company, aimed not at building companies but chose another daring step: the devel - Bekins Co., reversing 20 years of draining their assets; excessive remu - opment of a high speed vertical take - declining earnings. neration of many American CEOs off and landing transport plane to Approaching age 60, the man who and the feudal system at the top of deposit troops and equipment into had started as CEO of his own com - many companies that stifles change restricted battlefield locations. The pany as a teenager now became and innovation. Hiller stressed project's X-18 test bed throughout his long was made of borrowed career, from age 15 to engines and fuselage beyond 70, what people parts, but the 17-ton plane can do when motivated managed to complete test and enabled. flights at Edwards Air Acknowledging that Force Base in 1959-60, aviation was an exciting proving the long-held career, Hiller created an Hiller idea that a tilting education-based avia - wing-engine approach to tion museum, now one high speed vertical flight of the nation's largest, in was feasible. The result San Carlos, California. was production of a eval - The Hiller Aviation uation fleet of Air Force Museum is an institu - tilt-wing XC-142 trans - tion of education and ports by the consortium research aiming to stim - of Hiller, Chance-Vought ulate communities to and Ryan. Challenged in use their imagination jungles and on aircraft carriers, the deeply committed taking the roles of the future of aviation, with a focus on XC-142 proved the point, as did all CEO or board chairman of challeng - unique technological innovations. Hiller's experimental hardware sur - ing enterprises in a wide variety of In his 78th year, Stanley Hiller was prises: they did what they were sup - industries. One of Hiller's most suc - awarded Smithsonian's 2002 posed to do, safely, and with consid - cessful turnarounds came close to the National Air and Space Museum erable fanfare, minus only full pro - end of his career when he persuaded Trophy for Lifetime Achievement. duction contracts to follow. Clearly, Borg-Warner to spin off to sharehold - That year his aviation community these and many other Hiller creations ers its failing York International, one honoured his lifelong contribution to were meant to teach the world what of the world's largest air conditioning the progress of aviation with its could be done in vertical flight in firms, and put him in charge as CEO. Medal of Achievement, from the San every possible field requirement. Stanley and Carolyn Hiller took up Francisco Aeronautical Society. In 1968, after merging Hiller residence in York, , Stanley is survived by his wife, Aircraft into what became Fairchild until the job could be completed. A Carolyn Balsdon Hiller, his sons, Hiller Corporation, Stan Hiller left year after Mr. Hiller took the helm of Jeffrey and Stephen and his many aviation for business and opened the the once-floundering company he grandchildren. Hiller Investment Company. affectionately called Yorkie, the Willie Turner, Hiller Aviation Museum

HELICOPTER LIFE, Spring 2006 15 King Island 30 years after... Two Evergreen pilots transported 17 Inupiat Eskimos back to their native Alaskan King Island BY CAPT. ANIEJ FOSTER ing Island, Alaska, is a rock- and their summers engaging in simi - Christmas, by Jean Rogers, illustrat - cliff land mass about 1.6 km lar activities on the mainland near ed by Rie Munoz, which showed the (1 mile) long. It rises out of Nome. Their name for the island was devastation the islanders felt at hav - K the Bering Strait, 95 miles Ukiwuk. After the establishment of ing to change their way of life as well from Nome and 40 miles from Cape Nome during the 19th century gold as leave their homeland. Wooley, and for centuries was occu - rush, the islanders began to sell intri - The 400 surviving Ugiuvangmiut, pied by the Inupiat Eskimos, known cate carvings to residents of Nome who are now in their 60s, 70s, and as ‘King Islanders’ or Ugiuvangmiut. during the summer. 80s, live mostly in Nome and Gradually, though, the island’s In 1959, however, the Bureau of Anchorage. They are the last genera - population started to decrease and Indian Affairs decided it was too tion who have lived on the island and younger members moved away. The costly and too dangerous to run the wish to return seasonally, with their C

island became the winter home of a island and closed the island’s school, children, to their homeland to try and A p t group of about 200 Inupiat who leaving the King Islanders no choice recreate their former life. The King J A n i called themselves Aseuluk. The but to relocate with their children to Island Native Corporation, which e f o

Aseuluk spent their winters engaging Nome. This departure was the subject owns the land, is working to protect s t e in subsistence hunting on King Island of a children’s book, King Island and rebuild the island’s modest r 16 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2006 homes and public ceremonial build - ings, most of them originally made of wood with walrus skin roofs, to allow the islanders to return. However, with little or no maintenance in a half-cen - tury, some of the structures have already collapsed while others are in danger of being washed into the sea. Richard Moe, president of the National Trust said: “To the Ugiuvangmiut people, this rugged island is more than a historic site: It is the cradle of their culture...unless Capt Janie Foster getting the Evergreen Helicopters ready to fly (we) preserve the structures that remain...the Ugiuvangmiut will have to watch as their community collaps - es and is lost forever.” The abundant animal life made a thriving King Island community pos - sible, despite a formidable environ - ment. Civilization was advanced with intricate knowledge of climate, ocean patterns, and marine life. As with all native populations, epidemics brought by outsiders decimated them; King Island’s population was Crew and passengers line up at the fuel cache before departure cut in half between 1900 and 1950. The cost of rebuilding King Island has not been estimated. However, involved parties are seeking funding to provide transport to and from the island, to assess current conditions and write restoration plans. I was one of two Evergreen pilots who flew on a mission that involved transporting 17 native elders in a Bell 212 from Nome to visit their former home on King Island. Although the Inupiat women wearing their mustang survival suits island is rocky and uninviting it is possible to land at the top on a flat plateau. Most of the people I trans - ported had not been back to the island in the last 30 years, which made the trip very emotional. Owing to the icy nature of the water all the passengers and crew had to wear survival suits; something which contrasted anachro - nistically with their own clothes, which at the time they lived on the island was their own survival gear! VECO Polar Resources sponsored the expedition. Inupiat women in traditional Kuspuk hooded dress: survival suits of their era HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2006 17 Volante the Flying Car This time the future of the flying car looks a little more possible, says an inventor and engineer

BY K. P. ICER n the past our imaginations have for your attention, but, in contrast to that has stopped all such programs in been stimulated by the appear - many past efforts by others, it is both the past. This has been the huge pro - ance of new flying cars in duction investment that finan - Iaviation journals and cial people have not been will - Sunday supplements. Some ing to provide for a machine of have shown great promise, like unproven, even if promising, Molt Taylor’s Aerocar, others worth. In contrast, the Volante have lacked various necessi - flying car will be offered to ties. All have faded from view home builders in kit form for without ever having an oppor - their own assembly and indi - tunity to explore the contribu - vidualistic touches. The cus - tion that such a machine could tomers would be the D A make to the general aviation Starting from a basic car model and growing wings! Experimental Aircraft n t e n

spectrum. a sound car and a quality aircraft. Association (EAA) members and fol - D e The Volante is another candidate Furthermore, it avoids the impasse lowers. This organization has provid - M

18 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2006 ed, under FAA guidance and sanction, plus Paul Poberezny’s watchful eye, more home-builts in the last 40 years than the leading light plane builder, Cessna. This year over 10,000 kits will be sold to enthusiastic builders. What did I want the flying car to do? I immediately decided against trying for VTOL. The reason for this is that most of suburbia and city dwellers will not take kind - ly to the noise and downwash problems these machines currently present thus you must operate from an airport most of the time, so VTOL makes little sense. In time, as attitudes and facilities change, the VTOL machines will probably have a more prominent place in the market but at the moment they do not seem to fill a large- scale need in any practical manner, and are more expensive than the potential customer at can afford. I want a vehicle that will enhance the life of the vast majority of neither rich nor poor pilots, looking for more utility in their investment. For similar reasons, the flying car ahead of you on the freeway which suddenly sprouts wings and takes off from its place in traffic, is impractical. There are regulatory, if not technical, problems, something we will have examine in the future. There are two types of flying cars, both of which use airfields figure at some phase of their development. The first is the ‘leave a piece at the airport’ (LPA) type of flying car, which leaves the flight component at the air - port when the car drives away. The disadvantage is you must return to the same landing place to fly. The second is the ‘take-it-all-with-you’ (TAW) flying car. After landing all of the parts go with you, so that you can travel to another airport to continue your flight. There are two types of vehicle in this latter category. I borrow Lionel Salisbury’s ‘Roadable Times’ definitions here: Firstly, the integrated flying car with wings and empennage that fold and store, plus a stationery propeller, which allows you to drive an entire, albeit folded up, aeroplane on the highway. Secondly, the modular flying car. In this case the car returns to being just a car and the flight component becomes a trailer or some such attachment. Both have advantages and disadvantages. Firstly, the LPA. This machine is much less complex to build, requires fewer licenses to operate, and may well satisfy some people’s needs, however, you still have hangar or tie-down rent and significant operating restrictions. Secondly, the two types of TAW: the integrated machine, basically a fold-up aeroplane for highway trav - el, is great if you’re willing to put up with certain penal - ties. These depend on the sophistication of the design. It is relatively easy to conceptualise such a design but far more difficult to make it happen reliably. There are also the conflicting centre of gravity requirements of a car and an aircraft, fuel storage space and so forth. The highway

HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2006 gawkers are the least of the problem. and having to service complex fallible hangar as you initially paid for the kit I’ve got over a 100 sketches and still machinery when you land on a dark itself. Instead of which you can keep don’t have what I consider to be a rainy night in ‘Nowheresville, USA’. a flying car in your garage and use practical solution for this design at With the Volante, I have achieved the car a lot more than the hundred this time in history. Don’t give up the a design that will provide the largest hours per year that the average pilot sketch pads, I’m sure someone will number of presently recognized fly - flies his aircraft. do it well eventually. ing car advantages with a minimum Next the modular flying car. I of complexity. On top of that, the utility chose this for the Volante for several practical dual use of the separable car This average pilot does not fly reasons. I could not get an integrated makes a lot of sense. Needless to say, enough to maintain proficiency in all design to meet all of the types of weather. Accident combination aircraft-car reports are full of harrowing requirements without com - tales of the pilot who plex heavy machinery and I thought he saw a hole up didn’t think the world was ahead! With a flying car, ready for it on an economic however, the pilot can drive basis. It may well be that to the airport, take off, fly up unit production cost at to the edge of a weather sys - 100,000 vehicles or more tem, land, drive the car por - per year will be low enough tion to the other side of the for a significant number of problem and continue flight pilots to own, but it will be to his final destination air - some time before the market port, or his actual final desti - develops to that point. I The Volante provides the largest number of advantages nation. He has no need to chose the kit route for initial intro - this design, in contrast to many inte - take chances. This avoids the vaca - duction, because I think the flying car grated designs, also allows all of the tion trip that turns into a nightmare has to demonstrate its projected value ease of use of the LPA machine. If an when weather keeps you grounded before any entrepreneur will invest LPA machine meets your needs, it is for days on end. To quote Paul the magnificent sums required for your choice to build when you buy a Poberezny, April 1976: “All who serial production. We really have owned aeroplanes need to learn the ‘real world’ know that their investment contribution a flying car sits on the ground probably makes within the aviation more than 95% of its life - spectrum before we know time, either in the hangar or what it should look like, tied down out in the ele - how it will operate, what are ments. As I have often said, its economies, all of its pros one must have a strong love and cons, considered within for aviation to tolerate such an evolutionary framework a vehicle.” which simultaneously deals with necessary regulatory Convenience and facility changes. While the convenience of Once again I made many Separating into car and wing mode is relatively simple scheduled airlines is ques - configurations and even built another Volante kit. tionable at best, travel with them has flying car prior to the presently flying A few of the advantages and disad - become vastly more complicated and design. This No. 2 design has vantages of owning a TAW flying car: time consuming since 9/11’s security evolved even further in a production measures. Prior to 9/11 the average model, which for proprietary reasons Affordability speed for an airline distance of 500 I am holding close to my vest. I tend With an aeroplane, you can only tie it miles was estimated at between 50

to have to learn by experience and down outside and pay increased and 60 mph door to door, today this D A what I think I have learned is that ‘the maintenance costs, or you can hangar speed has been reduced dramatically. n t e n

devil is in the detail’. You don’t need it, and over a 5-year period, in As a further advantage, the pilot of a D e the disadvantages of a large toolbox, California, you pay as much for the flying car is able to avoid the overly M

20 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2006 long commute from the closest air - ward section which actually forms a means of trailer wheel jacks; the trail - line airport to a final destination, slot to insure that this surface will not er wheel jacks are lowered to high - which normally has a small airport of stall prematurely. Stall seems to be way travelling height and the outer its own often without rental cars. In straightforward without wing drop at wing panels folded across the centre some areas, the flying car capability 70 mph without flaps at slightly section nearly ready to go. may be the only available ground below gross weight. Meeting the My plan is to complete the flight transportation. Alaska, for example. cruise speed also does not seem to be test and update the production proto - The current Volante is a two-place a problem. In general the handling type design with all changes indicat - composite machine with an empty qualities are working out well. ed by test and convenience, I am cur - weight of about 1,200 lb. and a gross At present the whole thing is in my rently exploring ways to proceed weight of 1,850 lb. with the kitting operation, Conversion time, either way, backed by reliable suppliers. in leisurely style, is less than From production compo - ten minutes and the job can nents a prototype will be be done by one person. It assembled and tested for will cruise at 150 mph with a demonstration and proof of Lycoming 0320 and drive at the entire package. At this normal highway speeds. I’m point, we will truly be ready not sure yet about speed to realize the full potential of with the flight section trailer a flying car, and I plan to ask attached, as it will depend a builders to report their uti - lot on crosswind. If you can lization so that I can docu - blow over an 18-wheeler, ment, analyze, and deter - you can also make travel KP Rice, designer, standing beside his flying car mine the evolutionary pro - with a Volante package exciting. shop while I install the ground vehi - gression of the flying car from At this point in time the concept cle drive that was tested in the Dune today’s version to the single-button prototype has completed about 20 Buggy, and to make the wings fold as transformation from aircraft to hours of successful flight test, tem - provisions were incorporated to do. A ground vehicle we all dream about. porarily without wheel pants. In the slightly wider fuselage will have to From the time I have all of my course of flying this prototype, many wait for the production unit. financing in hand, I expect the car kit improvements have suggested them - By carefully designing the Volante to be out and flying in about a year or selves, as well as ways to make it a to incorporate the best features of the less with the flight component to fol - better product conversion-wise as flying car design family, we will be low as soon as the production proto - well as aesthetically. These modifica - able to offer both a kit car and kit type confirms the satisfactory flight tions, not required immediately, are flight appendage, which are appeal - characteristics of the developmental being incorporated in the production ing and from which builders will unit, probably about sixteen months. prototype version, which will be kit - realize many advantages over pure For more information see: ted in composite structure for buyer aircraft. In fact, the prospective http://www.volanteaircraft.com assembly. A preliminary look at builder must ask sources for all components is under - himself, why he way at this time, as well as the would build a required organization to engineer, pure aircraft if test, assemble, and market the kits. the performance Based on flight test data, I have penalty for build - made several changes. First, I had to ing a flying car is tighten up the rudder system and put minimal. in bell cranks to reduce friction. Transferring Initially the rudder cables ran through the Volante from Nylaflow tubing but there was too being an aircraft much friction. Next, as I ran centre of to a car is simple: gravity range tests I found a need to the flight section add horizontal stabilizer area, which I has been lifted did by installing an add-on on the for - off of the car by

HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2006 21 P eckham D iamonds are a Girls best Friend !

A Helicopter Adventure to Russia ! A novel by Georgina Hunter-Jones

Send a£ 18 cheque (incl P&P) to: FlyFizzi Publishing Order Now : 59 Great Ormond St. LondonWC 1N -3 HZ , England or go toF lyFizzi Book Store: www. flyfizzi.co.uk The Royal Oman Police A look at the Police Air Wing and how i development reflected chance rather tha choice

BY BRYN ELLIOTT

he Sultanate of Oman (or the country until the starting of oil pro - Provost trainer and the Scottish

t Muscat of Oman as it was duction in 1967. Air power in Oman Aviation Pioneer utility aircraft, gave t o i l known until 1971) occupies was British sourced and manned. The way to modern types including jets l e

n over 82,000 square miles of first air equipment of the Sultan of after the oil revenues became avail - y

r T

B the south-eastern corner of the Oman’s Air Force (SOAF), later able. The impetus behind the acquisi - f o

y Arabian peninsula, with the coastline renamed Royal Air Force of Oman tion of the aircraft was to assist s e t

r overlooking the strategic Straits of (RAFO), including examples of the British forces in quelling rebel activ - u o

C Hormuz. It remained a backward lightly armed piston engine Percival ity which had been afflicting the HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2006 23 country since the 1950s. The British with a civil face, was primarily as a separate section with its own aided conflict against the rebel ele - tasked with policing in the face of facilities in 1975. Based with the ments continued until 1975. communist inspired rebellion from Royal Flight at Seeb International Until 1970 the country remained factions in Yemen. As a national Airport it was tasked with the provi - virtually untouched by modern civil - force they undertake the roles of sion of emergency and routine patrols isation, life under the rule of Sultan Customs, Immigration. Coast Guard, and the conveyance of police person - Sa’id bin Taimur nel on a daily basis, seeming sometimes a means of over - almost medieval. coming poor road The sparse popula - communications. tion of the desert The initial PAW areas was mainly pilots and air crew from the wandering were all ex-patriates Bedouin tribe, a but even then it was background which a mixture including tends to instil in British, American them little day to day and Swiss. Much of interest in politics the choice of early but requires the ROP equipment was to garrison isolated inspired by chance oil installations in rather than choice. the interior in addi - The first aircraft tion to being respon - The Huey was to be used to undertake the heavier work it was designed for assigned to ROP air sibly for overall security. Fisheries Protection and support duties in July 1974 was a Around the national capital of Environmental Pollution Control. Pilatus PC-6 Porter obtained directly Muscat, and for 220 miles or so up to The flying activities of the police from Switzerland. The Porter was the Straits of Hormuz, the northern encompass the provision of air trans - rugged and capable of being operated terrain is mountainous and in the port for various other agencies hav - from rough strips or roads. Although south, across a desert it was feared ing no natural affinity with policing. it offered only eight seats and was the population would break away The formation of a Police Air relatively slow its limited capacity from the country and was offset by being increase ties with ideal for supplying Yemen in the west. the initial police The southern portion posts - most of of the country could which were not not be reached by more than 80 nm road, part of the from the centres of gravel track still population. being liable to The first addition ambush and mining. to the single PC-6 In the north much of Porter aircraft was the population lived an -Bell in the mountains 205A transferred which could only be from the SOAF on reached by air. The eight months loan in growth, and eventual September 1974 downsizing, of The Police Air Wing had a mixture of fixed wing and rotary aircraft pending the arrival C o u r

police flying in Oman was to reflect Wing (PAW) in 1974, later appended of five Bell 205A-1 helicopters, the t e s the gradual improvement of the sur - Directorate of Police Aviation (DPA) civil equivalent of the military UH- y o f face infrastructure. in 1985, was as a formation con - 1H (Huey). The aircraft were shipped B r y The Royal Oman Police [ROP], joined with the Royal Flight. This by sea from Houston, Texas, arriving n e l l

formed in 1972 to replace military link was never to be totally severed in Oman during March 1975. The i o t law enforcement with an organisation even though the Air wing was set up parts of these helicopters, spread t

24 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2006 among thirty four crates, were assem - nel exchange role when not operating en-suite wash room and shower, the bled with the aid of Bell representa - for the Royal Guard. rear was set out with 72 standard tives and the first of the batch flew on A third Buffalo acquired a couple seats to enable it to perform flight April 6. The first official operational of years after the initial pair was a schedules in place of the Buffalo’s. flights of the new aircraft added to civil example with the rear air drop A type subsequently tried and the PAW fleet took place at 0710hrs loading doors deleted and an execu - found unsuitable was the Bell 222, on Sunday May 11, 1975. The rest of tive, or airline, interior and belonged two of which were acquired in 1980. the fleet was declared fully opera - to the palace for use by the Sultan Representing a major investment for tional on May 16. but was again operated by and avail - Bell, the result of considerable effort To further expand this spread of able to the Air Wing. When intro - and investment by them to produce a police aviation the PAW decided to duced to service it was marked as a sleek and comfortable and quiet acquire a type of machine that would police aircraft - a short lived turn of executive helicopter the concept was be able to transport seven or eight events that was personally reversed unfortunately not completely people across the country at speed. by the Sultan. The royal crest embraced by the ROP. Following a demonstration flight in replaced it. Bereft of its doors, unex - With its role displaced the Oman during September, a Gates pectedly the civil example suffered LongRanger was sold off to a pur - Learjet 25B (replaced by a 35A in severe corrosion in the lower fuse - chaser in the USA. 1978) was acquired for VIP use and lage area, damage which affected the The projected performance for the to be flown by the police. flight control runs. In retrospect it is new full IFR twin Bell 222 led to it To allow the 205 fleet to be thought that this was a direct result of being ordered virtually off the draw - released to undertake the heavier the removal of the doors. The utility ing board in 1978, for 1980 delivery. work they were designed for, two variants were regularly left with their The ROP used them almost exclu - contracts were signed for two Bell rear doors open on the ground, a fac - sively for VIP transport, the crews 206B (A4O-AR, A4O-AS) and one tor which ensured good circulation of tending to fly it in full ROP uniform Bell 206L (A4O-AT) for 1976 deliv - air in the rear fuselage, a facility rather than a flight suit. Not having a ery. The acquisition of the denied to the hotter travellers in the crewman the pilot had to undertake LongRanger’s was in itself an interim civil variant. measure forced onto the Air Wing by The largest type the absence of the type they were to yet serve with really seeking to have; an executive the ROP was an twin engine helicopter. eleven year old In 1976 the Air Wing was tasked 1965 vintage with providing transport for up to 16 Boeing 727-100 members of the Royal Guard at one acquired from the time. The primary route was a three German airline times a week shuttle between the Condor. In addi - north and south of the country. As tion to maintaining with other types, when these were not a fast connection required by the Royal Guard the between Muscat police were to have full use of them and Salalah it for similar transportation tasks. A served as a back pair of Swearingen Metro’s were up to the Royal selected by the Royal Guard who Flight. Its intro - were to pay for them. Massive expan - duction led to the sion of the Royal Guard from battal - ROP employing a ion size to a brigade meant that after flight engineer and only a year or so of operation the male and female Metro was no longer adequate for the cabin staff. The primary task. In 1978-79 this devel - Boeing performed opment brought about the acquisition a dual role and the of two rugged twin engine DHC-5D front cabin was set Buffalo aircraft which supplemented out as a ten place police Porter’s in the routine person - VIP lounge with

HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2006 25 refuelling from 44 gallon drums sin - the Bell 205s were to be replaced by Wing had been operating some 15 gle handed. The pilot was required to the arriving 214s in 1984 three were years but, not surprisingly in view of handle the heavy drum to the rear of retained for special use with ROP the background of the population, its the aircraft [rolling the drums was no Special Task Force and the Sultan’s locally recruited strength grew only problem, but getting them upright own Special Forces. slowly. Contract pilots were still was] and transferring the fuel by Two twin airliners being sought for service with the means of an electric pump powered were introduced to replace the Porter ROP in 1998. Engineering was self by the aircraft battery. The Jet aircraft in 1984. All of the original contained within DPA with a team of Rangers and 205's had a socket into police posts supplied by the Porter aircraft engineers, again including an which went a lead from the motor, now had good road connections but element under contract, working in a thus enabling the aircraft battery to there remained some far flung ones large police hanger at Seeb Airport. be used. Being an executive type not that still had to be supplied by air. The hanger, large enough to accom - designed for such low tech condi - One Porter, the first, was damaged modate two 727s, contains the spares tions, the 222 battery was of fairly in a taxiing incident at Ibri when its department, stores, engine and paint low capacity so an additional battery port wing tip struck the only security shops, sheet metal facilities and an was carried in the avionics section. luggage compart - There was plenty of ment, handily hav - space but rarely ing its door on the enough personnel. right side, by the Early in 1999 there fuel filler. Use of the are only a handful 222 for police work of ex-pats left on was rare. After near - the Air Wing, two ly seven years in helicopter and two operation they were fixed wing pilots made redundant by and three helicopter the arrival of Bell A&C engineers. 214 helicopters and Even with the addi - finally sold directly tion of one or two to the UK. nurses the total The type that had strength of foreign shown the 222 a The single engine Long Ranger was regarded as a temporary measure workers with the clean pair of heels, the Bell 214ST, fence within 200 miles. To enable it whole ROP is less than ten. was acquired to replace the fleet of to return to Seeb it was temporarily A single Pilatus Britten-Norman 205’s from early in 1984. The type repaired the next day with the use of BN2T was acquired in the autumn of had been a contender in the market Dexion bracing and some "Gaffer 1989 but was temporarily lost from for a replacement for the Huey in US Tape". To ensure the unusual repair service when after the cockpit filled military service but had lost out to the remained in place the Porter was with smoke and obliged the pilot to Sikorsky UH60 Blackhawk and was escorted at close quarters as it flew at undertake an emergency landing on then offered on the civil market. It 10,000 feet back to base. This Porter what was found to be unsuitable ter - was to enjoy only a very limited suc - was later sold in Switzerland after an rain. It was repaired and returned to cess, exactly 100 were built by Bell, Omani pilot managed to put the other service. and in spite of high operating costs it one in to a thorn bush at Ibri. As the With the changing times and the - fitted the needs of the ROP useful lives of the Buffalo fleet growth of the roads and other infra - admirably. The six Bell 214STs ini - expired without the appearance of a structure the transportation needs tially ordered were equipped with a direct rugged terrain replacement assigned to the police fleet has C

variety of useful all weather naviga - increased rotary wing operations dis - reduced. The fleet of 214s has dwin - o u r tional aids that were to be a boon placed some of those of the fixed dled, with three reported sold abroad. t e s tracking across the featureless desert. wing fleet. The Sultan donated one None-the-less the experience of hav - y o f

It flew all of the operations that had Buffalo to the Sudan where it was ing the sturdy, useful helicopters B r y been undertaken by its predecessor shot down soon after. remains as beneficial and helpful in n e l l but it did them a bit further, faster and By 1989 the reliance upon ex- the minds of those involved. i o t better but at greater cost. Although patriate pilots remained. The Air t

26 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2006 A ERIAL FORUM

hen I left the forces, some ness’. While some instructors may and to get political. Extra hours thirty years ago, I started use the defence that this is common might be a great help, but not if these W instructing at a civilian sense, and thus cannot be taught, I are wasted. The CAA reason for not school in the UK, a common practice beg to differ. An aware and informed doing full-down autorotations is that in schools of the time which had instructor alerts his student to the more helicopters are destroyed in mostly ex-forces instructors. Then inherent dangers of aviation, and by practice than engines fail in reality: after a few years I went into another constantly monitoring their levels but this I think just begs the question. aviation job, for about twenty years. I helps increase their sensitivity. Who Perhaps if we followed the US have now returned to instructing, and amongst us has forgotten the ‘old- model more closely with free tests what a shock that has been. My first time’ instructor saying: “you’ll think from approved examiners who are impression was that standards are so of me sitting beside you when...” up-to-standard, and then concentrat - low as to be underground, and this Factors that comes up again and ed on the parts of flying that are like - impression has not changed with again are a lack of understanding in ly to kill you, then we would start to closer examination. the correct fuel use, and of weather produce better instructors and hence Firstly, it seems that almost no observance, hence the number of better PPLs. instructors are ‘prepared’ to teach accident reports where PPLs ran out I suggest that included in the engine-off landings, that is to full of fuel or into terrain, and a basic lack PPL(H) should be 10 hours of fixed touch-down. A few individual of facts as to why we do things. wing flying. This would alert stu - instructors and examiners tell me This I think leads on to the greater dents to essential differences, such as they do, but far more PPL(H)s tell me problem, that instructors are no runway usage and genuine blind fly - they have not done a single engine- longer of the calibre they used to be. ing, while not substantially increas - off in their whole training, ing the cost, indeed if it was and some have not even done instructors are no longerdone before the helicopter an autorotation to a hover flying or in the early stages it recovery, their instructors of the calibre they usedmigh t toactually reduce the having done all the autos to a be number of practice hours and go-around. That they do not thus leave time for more even do engine-off landings in a test It is true that as an ex-forces pilot I important parts of learning. I find almost unforgivable, even look on civilian instructors with We are in a era where education in more so when I am told that this is no some reservations; however, I have the factual sense is no longer valued. longer required in a test! God forbid met good instructors who did not I see this from my grandchildren’s that any pilot so ignorant should have come through a military route, but school work, and from the comments an engine actually fail on him. who are prepared to give themselves of their teachers, as well as from the The second thing which is no to the job and to the through ground - press, but in aviation learning and longer taught appears to be tail-rotor ing and teaching of their students: instruction is not just invaluable it is failure. I have many PPL(H)s coming sadly these are far and few between. a life and death matter and should be to me for advanced training and not The majority I find uninterested in treated seriously. I hope it is, or it will one of them knows anything about the job and wanting only to go on to not be just for ecological reasons that tail-rotor failure. The best I could get other forms of flying. Many of these PPLs will find themselves grounded. out of one student was that he had not young instructors were not well Take my advice. Question your done any because “the school did not taught themselves and are perpetuat - instructor. “Why don’t we do engine have a simulator” and that tail-rotor ing the problem in their students. off landings/tail-rotor failures,”ask failures are too dangerous to practice. The problem does not stop there. him what he would do if the worst The third, and somewhat more The CAA themselves do not seem to occurred. His answer will at least abstract thing, I notice about students be using their powers to improve avi - give you something to think about. and PPLs lack is ‘aviation aware - ation, only to feather their own nests John Smith

HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2006 27 Virtually holding its O s Heliservices demonstrates how the new software based simulator has now been authority approved and used for training

BY G EORGINA H UNTER -JONES

his is the future of at the cost of 120,000 Euros. At the Examiner rating, something that will training,” said Leon time we visited their facility at make instrument flying a whole lot Smith, of Heliservices, Wycombe Air Park they were just a cheaper and easier to achieve. There T flying delicately few weeks away from CAA approval are also a variety of further training around the hold at Southampton, cop - (another £20,000) the first simulator that can be done in the simulator G e ing with a breezy wind and rain on of this type in Britain to get it. This which will not necessarily go o r G i the ‘cockpit’ window, “the simulator approval will allow PPL students to towards an ‘hours’ requirement. n A h

is just about to come into its own.” do 5 hours in the simulator (all they The Heliservices simulator is set u n t e

Heliservices have just bought a need for the instrument part of their up in JetRanger mode, but there are a r - J helicopter simulator from Piet de PPL) and 40 hours towards the variety of machines as which it can o n e Backer’s Aero Simulators in Belgium Instrument Rating or Instrument be configured, including an EC135, s

28 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2006 an Agusta 109 and many others. They behind the student and taking the add rain, wind and other problems, chose the JetRanger because for the place of the ATC tower. Ian stresses such as loss of fuel, and sometimes variety of students they fly this the role of the simulator in practising how slowly the student can recognise seemed the most practical. emergencies: “Wherelse,” he points what has happened. Ian Jones, a former Fleet Air Arm out, “can you practice a real tail rotor There is also an option for the stu - instructor, BA pilot and one of the failure, or low rotor rpm emergen - dent and his instructor sit side by side two simulator in the cockpit, with instructors at a third person sit - Heliservices says: ting behind and “The reality of simu - manipulating the lator training is; first computer. This, Ian of all, you can save a says, “is particular - lot of time, secondly, ly useful in FIC you can freeze the training as the screen at any time if trainee instructor you want to break can be observed by off and explain his instructor while something to the stu - teaching a real stu - dent. This is to say dent, then they can nothing of the envi - discuss the teaching ronmental benefits angles arising.” (the simulator runs Both Ian and on 15 amps) of not The instructor can sit beside or behind the student, giving flexibility Leon find there is a doing all your training circling cies. We do these as well as engine very real advantage in the student around the Berkshire countryside, out and engine failure: I find most doing a session of holds and and the safety benefits. And of course students don’t know the difference.” approaches in the simulator, followed it saves the student considerable We ‘flew’ the simulator from High by flying the same instrument holds amounts of money.” (The Wycombe to Heathrow and back, in the helicopter. Heliservices simulator is £150 an doing an ILS into Heathrow and then Of course there are always minor hour, approximately a quarter of the flying along the runway watching the quibbles against simulator training; normal cost of hiring this one was a little a JetRanger). more twitchy than a Other advantages real helicopter, and of doing training in there is no ‘feel’ in the simulator include the controls. The the ability to practice graphics are not the start-up in the perfect, I also dis - JetRanger until the covered that inspite student feels perfect - of trying very hard ly confident in deal - to crash the ing with a hot or machine into build - hung start, some - ings it was quite dif - thing one cannot ficult to do! But practice in reality. these are nothing in There is also the comparison to the chance to do naviga - fun of flying the tion training, what - Ian Jones teaching Johm Martin instrument approaches in the simulator simulator and the ever the weather (and even to vary graphics of airliners and fuel tanks practical benefit of being able to fly the weather en-route). “Navigation,” popping up as we flew past them. many hours without incurring huge Ian Jones says, “is very badly taught While the graphics on the screen are costs. Training schools are never in most schools.” Radio training role- not perfect, they are pretty good, and quick to grasp new methods and play can be nicely done in the simu - one of the interesting things is the machines, but when they do this one lator, with the instructor sitting ease with which the instructor can will make a real difference.

HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2006 29 Refuelling and preflight check of the Bell 407 with Capt Randy Rowles of Bell Helicopter

he Bell 407 was not only the sule which gives an extra eight inch - The controls are fully hydraulic, first single engine helicopter es of width in the cabin) the machine unlike the earlier JetRangers, which to arrive at the South Pole, it is immediately familiar to those used have mechanical pedals, and the sys - T was also the first recorded to flying the JetRanger, but there are tems is 1000psi (that is 400 psi more helicopter to fly across Drake’s quite significant differences. The than the JetRanger), with a small Passage (other helicopters and gyro - most immediately difference is that reservoir. This is due to increased copters have been used in the South while the JetRanger has two blades feedback from the elastomeric Pole but they were transported there the 407 has four, which allows lower dampers. by boat). This flight was done in angles of attack and thus lower disc Inside the engine bay everything 2003 by Jennifer Murray and Colin loading. The blades are composites, looks neater and cleaner than the Bodill, who are now planning to which can be a problem at extreme JetRanger, this is thanks to the recreate this flight and continue on to temperatures, but otherwise is an FADEC computer box, which takes the North Pole, thus aiming to advantage, and there are elastomeric the place of the many cables and con - become the first single helicopter to dampers, necessary on a multibladed nections in the old system, and fly from one pole to the other (Steve machine. Randy Rowles, with whom because there are more electric than Brookes and Quentin Smith have I flew the 407, told us that Bell’s pol - pneumatic lines, which also means flown to both poles in Robinson icy is now to go for many blades, as reduced weight. Randy points out R44s, but not in the same machine). this is better for faster work, and only that on start-up, always a source of Based on the standard Bell type where the machine is intended for joy to JetRanger instructors with low (the fuselage is a Long Ranger body lifting, will they stay with the two time students, while the FADEC on with the interior replaced by a cap - blade module. the 407 will not do an automatic shut- 30 The JetRanger grows up

HELICOPTER LIFEvisited the Bell Helicopterplant in Fort Worth TX where Capt Randy Rowlestook Georgina Hunter-Jonesfor a test flight onB ellthe 407. Here is her dispatch: down the starter will remain automat - when they are working with them as bearings. The design is simple but the ically on, preventing the need for the any undue roughness can result in tail rotor authority is good, especially student to keep his hand on the but - broken joints. at altitude and is certified up to 35 ton. The engine is a Rolls Royce 250c Terminology on the 407 is some - knots sideways. Early on in the days 47B, with take off shaft horsepower what different from the JetRanger, of the machine, there was a problem of 814 and maximum continuous of with mean gas temperature taking the with increased heat in the tail rotor 701 shp. In the engine there is a com - place of TOT, Na instead of N1, Np bearing so Bell put scoops in to bined engine oil and fuel assemble stead of N2; this is in order to stan - increase cooling. Also in the early (CIFA) and little red buttons (LRB) dardise the industry. days of the machine there were prob - which pop out in the event of clog - Many things are, however, the lems with the tail rotor coming in ging in the by-pass. same as the JetRanger, such as oil contact with the tail boom, thanks to The drive shafts are K-flex so are coolers, tanks and blowers. its long reach. So, to counteract this, greaseless and thus cleaner, but the The tail rotor is a solid spar system the shaft was extended out to allow mechanics do have to be careful and is composite with elastomeric longer pedal travel without touching Photographs by Alan Norris and Hilaire Dubourcq the aircraft. On the pedals is a pedal was advisable, if the pedals had been lock which, once the 407 is travelling stuck, to get an engineer to look at more than 55 knots, comes in to place them before flying again! and will not allow full pedal move - Start-up with the FADEC was ment (a cockpit light warns that the indeed more relaxed than the normal pedal lock is engaged). When the 407 JetRanger start, in that you give the is decelerated to below 50 knots the starter switch (no longer a button) on light goes out and the pedals give full the collective a two second push and travel as normal. then wait for it to spool up, before On the horizontal stabilizer and on manually bringing in the fuel. the fin are little gurney flaps, which create a high pressure in the airflow and stimulates a longer chord so the air behaves as though it is travelling over a longer fin or stabilizer, while still allowing for a reduction in weight. There are also slats on the front of the stabilizer, similar to the spoiler on the JetRanger. In the head Bell have used floating mounts on the gearbox to minimize the vibration. There are also weights to reduce the vibration in the tail skid, horizontal stabilizer and the fin. Once in the cockpit you notice the seats are lower and wider, and that there are overhead blisters, allowing more space for taller people. Everything inside is very reminiscent of the JetRanger, although there is more room in the back for the passen - gers (the Bell 407 seats seven in this configuration) there is still the intru - sive divide between the passengers and the pilots: some people prefer this as it gives the passengers more privacy; others dislike it feeling the passengers are too segregated.

Cockpit preflight checks included the pedal stop, which can be moved through the lock to full travel on the ground. If it gets stuck in flight it can be ‘emergency released’ with a little pull-lever under the collective between the pilots: you are then lim - ited to flying at 60 knots until the lever is re-set. Randy pointed-out that while this can be re-set by the pilot it

3232 Otherwise the pattern to 15% was effective tail rotor (there was about much the same. 25 knots of wind at Alliance Airport, Gross take-off weight is 5000 Fort Worth (where Bell training is lbs/2268 kgs, but with only four of based) and the 407 hovered well with the seven seats filled and 60 gallons nice light controls. of fuel (maximum is 136.8 US gal - Once in flight and heading over to lons with the auxiliary tank fitted) we the Bell practice area Randy gave the were well under weight. Take off was 407 a FADEC failure. There was a nice, fluid and just like the JetRanger. slight rotor droop and, like many of Turns on the spot benefited from the his student pilots, I immediately wanted to put the machine into

autorotation before Randy pointed out I had not lost an engine, only had suffered from a change from auto - matic to manual transmission. “Think of it,” he said, “as turning the throttle into a piston.” The FADEC regained, Randy then gave the 407 a hydraulic failure. The controls felt heavy, however, he explained the secret of working with a hydraulic failure is to find the ‘sweet spot’ in the machine. “The general problem,” he said, “is over-controlling and trying to fight the weight of the controls. Once you find the sweet spot you can work

around that area. There are more back-forces than in the JetRanger because of the different rotor system. “However,” he added, “what a real hydraulic failure would be like would depend very much on what caused the failure; this is why you isolate the system immediately to prevent it With all the controls working as because of the extra blades and low surging in and out.” normal the 407 flew beautifully, the disc loading (lower pitch and angle of With hydraulic failure the best machine is light on the touch and attack) the collective has double the speeds to work with are between 70 highly manoeuvrable. Then, as we ‘throw’ of the JetRanger, so it is very and 100 knots and using these we came to a hover at 12 feet, Randy easy to cushion the machine down came down to the ground and did a gave me a hovering autorotation. The onto the ground. run-on landing, which was surpris - machine behaved impeccably. There Back into the circuit for a straight- ingly smooth, although the passen - is so much stored energy in the four in autorotation, a 180 autorotation gers in the back mentioned they did blades that the descent to earth was and an engine failure while hovering notice a difference! slow and extremely gentle and, out-of-ground-effect to a fixed spot.

34 From this you can see that Bell’s inertia systems such as the R22 or Thanks to the large tail fin the 407 instructors are pretty proud of the Schweizer 300, with the gentle cush - also has good performance with tail way the 407 behaves in autorotation, ioning on at the bottom. VNE in rotor problems. Randy gave me a and it is not surprising. RPM in autorotation is 100 knots, 55 knots is fixed pitch left pedal in the hover and autorotation does rise and lower rap - the minimum rate of descent and 80 a stuck right pedal in flight. He point - idly as is characteristic of a low iner - knots is the best extended glide con - ed out that the severity of the move - tia system but the machine descended figuration. It was also interesting to ment will depend on where the pedal slowly, less than 1,000 feet per see that only a small increase of col - gets stuck, one good reason for not minute, and the recovery was amaz - lective pitch really increased the over-controlling or putting the con - ingly easy compared to other low- length of the glide. trols into extreme positions. With the left pedal fixed just the helicopter to land. machine to fly; apparently it has beyond neutral, we spun around to The stuck right pedal made no dif - excellent hot and high characteristics, the left. To counteract this, we par - ference while we were in forward although in Texas in the winter we tially closed the throttle to reduced flight. However choosing a place to were not able to test these, and cer - tail rotor rpm (the tail rotor is geared land and keeping a left crosswind, we tainly a safe machine, which is pre - 4:1 with the main rotor) while using made a steep approach and landing. sumably why the Bell instructors are the collective to maintain height and There was a slight movement to the so keen to show you all the things allowed the machine to continue left as we closed the throttle but this which can go wrong without any real around until it was into wind then, was amply countered by the wind. problems for the pilot. Of course, as giving a little forward cyclic, allowed The Bell 407 is a really nice Randy pointed out, the more practice you have in coping with emergencies the Whisper Jet and apparently does years ago, the market was in a par - the better you become at recovering make a noticeable noise reduction (I lous state and Bell did not build many from potential disasters, but at least didn’t hear one myself). machines, now the market is increas - with the 407 you have the machine The price for a ‘green machine’ (ie ing and they don’t have the machines which can get you out of a bad situa - a brand new Bell 407) is 1.8 million to fill the need. tion if the pilot knows what to do, US dollars, however, interestingly and one whose build is designed to the price for a used machine is Helicopter Life stayed in Fort Worth prevent emergencies happening. It is between 1.8 and 2 million US dollars. courtesy of: also possible to buy a ‘hush kit’ for This is the result of lack of availabil - The Doral Tesoro Hotel & Golf Club the 407, which is similar to that on ity. When the 407s came out, five http://www.doraltesoro.com

Bell 407 Specifications 4 blade main rotor, 2 blade tail rotor, 7 place single engine helicopter

Performa nce (ISA except as noted) Take-o ff, gross weight: 5250 lbs IGE hover ceiling at 5250 lbs - 5400 feet; at 4000 lbs - 19,200 feet OGE hover cailin g at 5250 lbs - 5400 feet; at 4000 lbs -17,600 feet Service ceiling @M CP at 5250 lbs - 16,050; at 4000 lbs - 20,000+ feet Cruise range: at 5250 -326 nm; at 4000 lbs - 342 nm Max cruise sp eed at 5250 - 132 knots; at 4000 lbs - 136 nm

Engine: Ro lls Royce 250-C47B with FADEC Take off: 813 shp Max continuous: 701 shp

Transmission: Take off: 674 shp Max continuous: 630 shp

Fuel Capacity (useable) Standard: 127.8 US galls Auxiliary: 19 US galls Georgina Hunter-Jones and Randy Rowles standing by Weights: the Bell 407 outside the Empty weight: 2668 lbs Alliance Airport base, after Useful load: 2332 lbs a successful test flight Exernal load: 2646 lbs From left to right: Jacques Escalffe, Didier Delsalle, Fabrice Bregier CEO at the Eurocopter booth at HeliExpo Dallas 2006 HELICOPTER SUMMER 2006 LIFE THE M YSTERY CHOPPER HELICOPTER LIFEhad the unique opportunity to interviewDidier Delsalleabout his achievement in landing the first helicopter on Mount Everest

By Alan Norris Photographs byPatrick Penna

n the 14th and 15th May stipulated by the Fédération of the FAI Rotorcraft section, during 2005, a standard Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) the recent Heli-Expo show in Dallas, Eurocopter AS350 B3 regulations. Texas. O Ecurecuil landed on the On 14th February 2006, the FAI val - top of Mount Everest: the first heli - idated the high-altitude world record HL - When did you get the idea to copter in history to do so. Piloted by achieved with two landings and attempt Everest ? Eurocopter Experimental Test Pilot take-offs on top of Mount Everest at Didier Delsalle, the two flights 29035ft altitude. The official certifi - DD - It began in 1972, when Jean included landings on the mountain’s cate was handed over by Jacques Boulet took the SA315 Lama to peak, both exceeding two minutes as Escaffe, the French Chief Delegate more than 39,370ft. After this we were sure that a helicopter could be landed at the top of the world. But we had to wait, although we knew that we had the power. To be really sure we would be safe we needed a very reliable engine designed to operate at very high altitude and a good rotor system. Because to fly in open air at very high altitude is one thing but to be able to cope with the turbulence and abrupt up or down drafts when flying in the mountains is another thing. So it took us nearly three years to pre - pare because at first we had to prove to everybody at the Eurocopter that it was possible to do this with a helicopter from the product range.

HL - Did you carryout any special 30,000ft. At this height I was able when is the best time to climb tests before the trip to Tibet? to make 360 degree turns with no Everest and we were told that May problems and after that we had the is the best period as the weather DD - Yes, we carried out some high green light to go to Tibet. window of opportunity is the altitude flight tests in France. I took largest. This is also the time the jet the AS350 B3 to 33500ft to evalu - HL - Why did you choose to go in streams above Everest are moving ate the control response, trying to May? north and so the winds are a little hover out of ground effect, and the bit lower than other times. One big maximum height I achieved was DD - We asked a lot of climbers problem in the area is that the

50 Preparing the Squirrel AS350 B3 at base camp at the foot of Mount Everest Didier Delsalle leaving base camp for his record flight onto Mount Everest

42 weather changes very quickly, and The Nepalese authorities were very AS350 B3 was a production aircraft one thing that we had to do was to well aware of what we were doing that we borrowed from a customer get up very early in the morning, at as the helipad we used was inside and took from the factory just after 04.00, to be able to take off at 0630 the local police barracks and we the production test. We removed all in the morning because by 1100 the always had the local police moni - the seats and electronics that we did mountains were covered in cloud. toring us. In fact, I had to put the not need, to reduce the weight of chief of police on to a peak oppo - the aircraft. And the actual weight HL - Where did you set up your site so that he could observe us; of the helicopter was 11,000kgs base camp? this was one of the requirements of empty weight. With my equipment the Nepalese authorities. I weighed 80kgs and also 100kgs of DD - Lukla airport. This is at fuel, so, I landed on top of the 10,000ft and the summit is at HL - Why did you chose the mountain at less than 13,000kgs. 29,000ft. Flying to Lukla airport AS350B3? The biggest surprise of the whole was not a problem as we had bro - attempt was the power, I was actu - ken a number of ‘time to Climb’ DD - The AS350B3 is a high alti - ally too light and I was not heavy records during our preparations for tude work horse for us and we took enough to have the controls to land the Everest record including the the B3 because of the lower empty on Everest because of the updraft, I 29,500ft in 9 minutes, 26 seconds. weight. The configuration of this think we could have been at least During the approach to the summit, Didier Delsalle encountered severe updrafts and downdrafts

three on board and still be able to use it. I took off with roughly 1 summit I encountered severe stay on the top. Engine was a stan - hour and 45 minutes of fuel, which updrafts and during one of my ini - dard engine and the rotor system is was plenty because to go to the top tial approaches, to check how to the same as fitted to the B2 or B3. of the Everest summit took me not land on the summit, I was pushed more than 40 minutes. I was obvi - away by the updrafts even though I HL - How did you obtain fuel at ously flying with oxygen and I was in a position of full pitch down those heights? actually had less oxygen than fuel and nearly over spinning the rotor which was more of time restraint at and I was still climbing at 1000ft DD - We did not use any special the summit. per minute. And a few yards away fuel, just normal Jet A1 purchased you had a down draft of more than in Kathmandu and flown to Lukla HL - What factors determined your 2000ft per minute. So the hardest in a rented Mil Mi-17. I did put approach path? thing was to find a good way to some fuel near base camp at the land avoiding the updrafts and foot of Everest but I did not need to DD - During the approach to the down drafts. The approach I chose 44 DD - One of my problems was that expected from the helicopter. With I did not know if I would be land - 60 degrees winds from the left side ing on snow on rocks or snow on I could not choose the direction as ice and it was impossible to see the it was strictly forbidden to cross the landing spot from the side of the Tibetan boarder and the only way helicopter. So it was important to to fly the approach was to keep the keep the helicopter firmly on the wind on the left. That was not good ground because of the powerful for the right pedal, as the right updraft. I was nearly at full pitch pedal is the power pedal for the down, collective full down, and AS350, but at the moment of land - each time I had a wind draft it ing I still had at least 15% of right would try to push me off the sum - pedal remaining. mit. I had to land the aircraft on the port side only as I could not land HL - Why did you have to go back the second skid and at this altitude three times? the snow is very hard and icy. The record was ‘Take off’ and so to val - DD - I went back there the day idate the record I had to stay on the after because we thought we had summit for 2 minutes and once on some data recording problems. The the summit I started to count down, logger that we used is normally but I counted down so slowly in used to record altitude and GPS fact I stayed there for 3 minutes position in gliders competitions. On and 50 seconds. the following day the wind had increased and I could not keep the was a very flat one because the air - HL - Were the flight controls at helicopter on the skid so I buried craft was at the limit of the known 29,035ft any different from normal? the nose of the helicopter in to the territory for the AS350 B3 and I did snow to keep the helicopter on the not want to be too abrupt with the DD - For a pilot it is important to summit. In fact we did not have a engine controls initially, so it was feel the link between our inputs and recording problem so the first very difficult not to touch the col - the helicopters response, and I did attempt had been successful. lective, which was not so easy not feel any lag or sluggishness of because of the turbulence there. On the control inputs. During one of HL - What was going through your the day of the record climbers the test flights I wanted to check mind when you were on the summit? reported wind speeds of 60 to 70 the control response and when I miles per hour. was at 30,000ft I hovered the heli - DD - It may seem strange but I did copter and moved the controls 1 or not think it was happening, I had HL - What was the actual landing 2 inches and the response of the spent a lot of sleepless nights think - on the summit like? helicopter was exactly what I ing about what I would do if this To validate the record happened or that happened and it Didier Delsalle had to stay took me a long time to be mentally on the summit for 2 min - prepared. So at the moment of land - utes, but he counted so ing I was concentrating on my fly - slowly he stayed there for ing, checking for any noises from 3 minutes and 50 seconds! the helicopter or any unusual vibra - tions and not really thinking that I was on the top of the world. But once I was back at Lukla airfield I was very happy.

HL - Despite having an official observer on another peak near by what was the problem with the gov - ernment after completing the record?

DD - We still do not understand what happened after the landing. During the preparations of the mis - sion I met the Nepalese Ambassador in France, and after arriving at Kathmandu I met the local director of the civil aviation authority. I had the best wishes of them before we were there but once we had done the landing they can - celled all the flight clearances. What was the exact reason? We do not know and we still do not know. We even asked questions about landing a helicopter there for reli - gious reasons but the answer was it would not be a problem. Everest is not the most sacred mountain and before we went there the helicopter was also blessed by a local monk. HL - Do you think that you can some climbers photographed me HL - Why did it take the FAI in rescue people at those altitudes? and they were very surprised to see Switzerland so long to ratify the a helicopter at that height. On their record? DD - I can say that up to 26,200ft internet site they called us the mys - we are able to; I think that, depend - tery helicopter, so we christened the DD - Because they had to check that ing on weather conditions, we helicopter with this name. we had all authorisations and all the could be at least two persons on clearances, and it took some time to board to make a rescue at those HL - Do you think the record will do that as the Nepalese authorities altitudes. The problem is the be broken in the future? did not want to recognise this amount of oxygen needed to rescue record at first, and the FAI had to one person and of course if nature DD - Well to break the record the be sure I had all the correct authori - will allow you to go there. FAI regulations say that you have ty from all the ministries. I wrote to to achieve a 3% increase over the the police, transportation and even HL - Why did you call the helicop - previous record. As the summit at to the National Parks ministry and ter ‘The Mystery Helicopter?’ Everest is increasing in height at 20 we had all the clearances and the cm a year I think it will be a long FAI had to check all of this as well. DD - During my first test flight time before the record is broken. Moun t Everest historical facts 1865 Named after S ir Georg e Everest, the British surv general of Indi eyor- a, and the first person to r and lo ecord the height cation of Mount Everest. 1953 First a scent by S ir Edmund Hi llary (New zealand) and Tenzing norgay () via the South Col Route. 197 5 First female ascent by J unko Tabei () v Col Route. ia the South

1978 First ox ygenless ascent by R einh old Messner (Italy) and Peter Habeler (Austria) via the South-East Ridge. 1980 First solo ascent by R einhold Messner (Italy) North-East via the Ridge to the North Face. 1988 Fastes t descent by J ean-Marc Boivin (France) of 11 min utes with a paraglider. -

1990 Tim Macartney-Snape (Aus tralia) was the first person hike from sea level to to summit with no oxygen. 1996 Fastest a scent (north side) by H an s Kammerlander (Italy) via the North Col Ridge R oute, of 16 hours 45 min from base camp. utes 2000 One of my problems was First ski descent by D a vo Karnicar (Slovenia). that I did not know if I 2005 Didi would be landing on snow- er Delsalle lands the first helicopter on Mount Eve on-rocks, or snow-on-ice rest. H DAL LAS * HELICOPTER LIFEflew out to Dallas Texas to attend the HAI Heli-Expo he 2006 HAI HeliExpo was held at Dallas in Texas. Georgina Hunter-Jonesreports Outside the temperature from the Lone Star State: T varied from 50 to 90, inside the temperature changes were modest but the excitement was high with a total of 16,629 helicopter professionals visiting: a record attendance. One press conference, in particu - lar, had journalists glued to their seats, fighting to ask questions and talking for hours afterwards: Lynn Tilton, Chairman of the Board of Directors at MD Helicopters. It is well known that MD has been in trouble for some years. With each HAI there was another assur - ance from the current MD that he would not be deserting the compa - ny, that orders would be fulfilled and that debts were not as bad as reported. Now we have Lynn Tilton. She says the company is in a mess, that suppliers were not pro - viding, that neither the money nor the commitment were there and that it takes “a woman like me” to sort it out. A woman like her is rare. Lynn Tilton owns 67 companies under her 5 billion dollar investment fund Patriarch Partners, allegedly only sleeps four hours a night and, although she is reputed to be wary of the press, she certainly knows how to give a stirring speech. Pointing out she already owns two autopart manufacturing compa - nies, she said she will by-pass those suppliers who either from lethargy or incapability cannot give her the MD 902 in flight; Below: the MD Heli- Expo booth; Bottom: LynnTilton, MD’s new proprietor

parts she needs to get her heli - the future it will be Lynn Tilton, copters going and if necessary who has already proved herself she will create a new company to over and over again. This is cer - do it. She said she is not afraid of tainly a woman worth watching. out-sourcing and announced, On the practical side Lynn is “our single engine parts will be looking to upgrade the Notar built at Patriarch’s automotive system, develop a new tail forum in Monterey Mexico.” boom, new flat screen panels, She has recently bought the into single Heritage Aviation and is looking engine helicopters as well as the

for a company to buy in to 902 and she is looking at all t o p supply the Asian, African and Middle types of innovation. : community that mediocrity is the C o

Eastern markets. norm. “It will,” she said, “be costly Also looking at innovation is Bell, u r t e

On the positive side she said, MD and it will be difficult, but I aim to with their new Bell 417, which was s y o

plans to become the number one in build the spectacular.” unveiled at the show amidst journal - f M customer service and that the Inevitably there was lots of cyni - istic derision of, “just a 407 with D

h e

NOTAR is already the safest helicop - cism from the assembled journalist, another engine.” However, Bell CEO l i C o ter in the World. The NOTAR she but if anyone is able to lead MD into Mike Redenbaugh said, “I am very p t e r

explained is 25% safer than pleased at having the s ;

M

other helicopters because Honeywell HTS900 engine i D D l

25% of accidents are caused not only for the ARH (the US e :

h i by the tail rotor. It is also a Army’s new armed recon - l A i r much quieter helicopter than naissance helicopter) but for e D u

most so MD will have a our commercial 417. This is B o u headstart when the inevitable vital for the commercial/mili - r C q ;

happens and many places ban tary crossover, which is one B o t all but the quietest helicop - of the fundamental things the t o M : ters from their grounds. US Army is looking at.” He A l A

She plans to overcome pointed out that industry n s t industry lethargy and the speculation will soon lead to A A t feeling within the aviation blushes when they see how s

50 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2006 Enstrom’s new improved 480B turbine leaving the Heli-Expo; Below: Enstrom’s Heli- Expo booth; Bottom: Sikorsky S92 arriving by truck at the Heli-Expo

good the new machine will be. Keystone Helicopters to add to Bell Textron is a company on their purchase of Schweizer, the rise, with a turnover in 2005 both companies remaining virtu - of $2.1 billion, 28% up on 2004. ally independent and retaining They took orders for 402 air - their former names. craft, with a current value of Jeff Pino talked about the new $2.8 billion and delivered 105 X2 helicopter, which will be able civil and 59 military aircraft. to fly at 250 knots, has contra- They also increased their facili - rotating rotors and a rear propul - ties and hired a further 3,000 sion fan. It is being developed at people. Redenbaugh said that the Schweizer in Elmira NY. The company is well on the way to dou - of the S76C++ and the S92, particu - company hopes to be able to fly the bling its business by 2010, a goal he larly talked about in Great Britain aircraft at the beginning of 2007. originally set in 2004 when revenue where it will be replacing the Coast Jeff said the company had was $1.6 billion. Guard’s current fleet of S61s when “improved greatly in the last five s i r r Sikorsky is another company aim - CHC takes over from Bristow in 2008. years and was now chasing o n ing to become the market leader. United Technologies, which owns Eurocopter for domination of the n A l

A Although having problems at home market.” This year they will build

Sikorsky, have recently bought : M o with the striking teamsters 150 helicopters and expect to t t o

B (Jeff Pino said at the press be building 200 by 2008.

; q

C conference 35,000 employ - Like Lynn Tilton earlier he r u o ees were on strike over insur - agreed the supply chain does B u

D ance rates) the new CEO was hold back the speed of pro - e r i

A determined to show how duction, but unlike Lynn he l i h

: much Sikorsky has done in has no plans to change this. e l D D

i the last year, and how much Paul Schweizer said he M

; they have planned for the was very excited with the s i r r future. Two helicopters in new developments in con - o n n particular are getting into the junction with Sikorsky. The A l A

: public eye, the S76D, which company took twenty eight p o t will be the upgraded version orders at the show including

HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2006 51 eight for the Mexican border Sloane’s order is the largest sin - control, Caseright in Britain also gle civilian order they have ever sold several 300CBis, the received. Sloane has a subsidiary demand for which increases company in Mallorca () inspite of the reputed slowness and is also opening another facil - of the Elmira company. Paul ity in Ireland. Schweizer said at the press con - “The market in which we are ference that the company was competing is vibrant and always undergoing re-organisation and in search of state of the art tech - would be considerably more nology, performance and safety,” productive in the future. said Jeremy Awenat, MD of Enstrom president and CEO, Jerry Helicopters announced an order for a Sloane Helicopters. “We are confi - Mullins, is seeking potential total of 44 new AgustaWestland heli - dent that we will turn this challenge investors to support the company’s copters valued at approximately Euro into a success because of the quality expansion plans. They had five heli - 200 million (£133 million). of our products, coupled with the copters on show at HeliExpo and AgustaWestland are one of the professionalism of our people. were about to start a road show of the world’s largest manufacturers of The helicopter market in the UK 480B police helicopter. Mullins said civilian and military helicopters and and in the is the that the plant in Menominee, second most important in the Michigan has the capacity to world after the USA,” said produce 50 to 60 aircraft per Giorgio Bendoni, Sales & year, roughly twice the cur - Marketing Director Sloane rent amount. Mullins noted Helicopters. “We are proud to that a customer can expect represent two of the best sell - delivery of an aircraft within ing brands in the helicopter 90 days of placing an order, market (the other being something unusual in small Robinson). However, the helicopter companies where products are not everything: production is often not up to the quality of our support has the speed of demand. been decisive in making At HeliExpo Sloane Sloane Helicopters the pre -

52 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2006 ferred choice for our customers.” Army’s LUH (Light Utility Frank Robinson announced Helicopter) competition with there were no particular changes their EC145, their competitors in the Robinson company and including Bell and MD. Looking that their success continues. The to the future Eurocopter envis - most innovative use of a R22 is ages more partnership deals, by the Boeing company, which including working with the has been using a Robinson R22 Chinese to build a new seven- drone to complete successful ton competitor for the autonomous Flight Control AgustaWestland AW139. They Technology Program. With a will also be looking at an eight- team of university scientists they worth of orders on its books. They ton helicopter with Korea. completed a research program to are currently 54% military but CEO The mood of the show was develop and demonstrate cutting Fabrice Brégier said that he and the extremely dynamic, helicopter manu - edge flight control technologies that CEO of American Eurocopter, Marc factures are generally doing well, dramatically enhance the Paganini, are hoping to see a more taking large numbers of orders and autonomous operations of advanced equal balance in the future. have very good forecasts for the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). Eurocopter are hoping to win the US future and there was a very upbeat During flight demonstra - feel in the industry, with its tions, the last of which took ever increasing sectors, its place on Feb. 23 before U.S. attempts to get quieter, green - Department of Defence and er and more cost effective. NASA observers at Moreover, thanks to Lynn Victorville, Calif., the SEC Tilton, there is now the software assumed control of knowledge that it is possible a DARPA Renegade rotor - to use companies outside the

q craft UAV and successfully helicopter world when those C r u executed a series of advanced inside it cannot or will not o B u manoeuvres totally unmanned. supply. These are very excit - D e r i Eurocopter had another ing times to be in, or around, A l i h good year with $4 billion the helicopter industry.

HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2006 5353 The Big Easy

54 Hummingbird

As told toGeorgina Hunter-Jonesby Capt Charles Priestley

EMA (Federal Tennessee,” he said, “and had bad were fantastic about picking up and Emergency weather through Mississippi. feeding the crews. There were big Management Agency) Hattiesburg was our final fuel stop pots of jambalaya and cakes and so Fhas a network of oper - and then on to Baton Rouge, the forth, all made by locals. ators,” explained Charlie Priestley FEMA assembly point. There was When we first arrived FEMA of Hummingbird Helicopter Service no electricity, no sanitation. People gave an excellent, really sharp in Connecticut, in answer to how he had bought cases of water with briefing and there were facilitators. happened to be called in to help them, granola bars and anything There were 100s of helicopters after Hurricane Katrina struck they could find. there, no planes. Between us, Louisiana. “We are one of the few Although Baton Rouge had no Hummingbird and Evergreen, we operators that have a hoist on their electricity it was otherwise OK. We arranged what heights we would fly helicopter, so I took the S-58 and slept in the fire training academy, at, which directions and frequencies leased a Bell 205 from a private which had showers, and being on we would use. operator. We expected to be there the airfield made getting off in the The military were primarily for two weeks, but we were still morning very quick. doing SAR, civilians other jobs. One there six months later.” A week later we were allowed to of the major problems was we had Charlie and his crew of six peo - use the prison airfield, 10 minutes no ATC, so we had to keep visually ple and two helicopters arrived flying time to the north, and then clear of other aircraft, and no one about two days after the hurricane. local people would drive us to the knew what anyone else was doing. “We came down through hotel. People from the community Early on a P-3 Orion started Photographs by Sam Pourciau monitoring the zone. Flying overhead so we were flying in generators and helicopters. All thanks to local net - he gave you a squawk, and a zone to medical teams. Chalmette has an oil working and a strong national bond. work in. Later we could call New refinery and there were oil leaks into One of our jobs was flying in ice. Orleans Approach for flight following. the flood waters. The parish president St Bernard’s Parish, which was total - The idea was to load up with as had just had abdominal surgery and, ly devastated by the hurricane, had, much food and water as you could when asked, the medical teams said just before the hurricane, had all the take and go to a certain latitude and they needed clean dressings. The hel - hospital staff except one doctor and longitude given you by FEMA. Once icopter crew took back this message three nurses laid off. When we at the specified lat and long you were and asked the inn-keeper where they arrived the remaining doctor and looking for local landmarks, for were sleeping if she knew where they nurses were exhausted, they had 40 example, we were looking for the could get this kind of equipment. She bodies in the hospital and needed ice Winn-Dixie (a local supermarket) to passed the message on and two to stop them decomposing fast in the land at and drop supplies. It was women spent the evening calling heat. We brought in ice, both with important to liaise with the local around getting everything the team internal and external loads police force. needed, calling as far away as (Evergreen helicopters were doing In Chalmette Parish the leadership Colorado. Thanks to ‘human power’ the same) and they needed everything had set up an operation centre. This by the next day everything was ready we could bring in. was an area with two levee breaches, to be flown into Chalmette by the When we took in medical teams

56 they talked to the local doctors and ly unsupervised. There were also Plaquemines Parish, 20 miles nurses and discovered what they some incidents such as when a Puma south of New Orleans, was complete - needed, went back and told FEMA rolled over on the ground and a Black ly levelled. We landed the helicopter and FEMA found what the townspeo - Hawk hovering above a JetRanger, on the Sheriff’s complex and saw a ple needed. They even managed to waiting to do a rescue, accidentally bunch of houses sitting there. The find a full replacement medical team. forced the 206 into the water with his Sheriff told us that 2 weeks ago those In St Bernard’s they said it was downwash. houses had been 2 miles away, but about 48 hours before anybody However, there were no mid-air had floated down the flooded main responded to their calls for assis - collisions, something surprising with highway. There were also two ships tance, but once they did they had the number of helicopters around. which had floated onto the abutment medical replacements in 24 hours. And the New Orleans Approach con - a good 15 feet above the water. Most things they asked for arrived. trollers were exhausted, they had no Also amongst the debris were cat - Often the helicopters had to land on radar, no procedures and no manuals, tle, horses and 55 gallon drums of islands in the middle of flooded it was back to basics. We were given who knows what. There were trailers, areas, or on bridges or parts of road. call signs when we entered the TFR boats, rubbish and a variety of things Another problem was the lack of and kept them. The ATC was manual - which had floated up the rivers and monitoring of the helicopters, so any - ly plotting where the aircraft were been deposited here and there by the one could go in, and many did, total - and what speeds they were travelling. retreating water.

“In the first few days we used ‘FEMA Lifeguard’ calls to get priority. This was especially true when we were carrying ice and needed to go before it melted!” So the horses and cattle did not the time we got the medical team experience that the police would have starve several helicopter crews took loaded it was dusk. The 205 left ear - pulled out of the Lz (landing zone) if out hay to them, later, when the water lier to check out the area, and I fol - it was not good. Thanks to the team retreated further, they were rounded lowed in the S-58. I had to do a run - effort we got down without incident. up by men on horses. ning take off as I had 4,200 lbs of During the first few days, I had When Hurricane Rita came in we cargo equipment on board. Eric Martinez and Michelle Dale made the decision to stay there and When I arrived, I was instructed to helping me in the S-58, which meant tied down the helicopters securely. land on a hospital rooftop helipad, I could trust them and the women All the other helicopter operators and it was still blowing very hard, from FEMA (known as the FEMA opted to leave, so only the S-58 and there were some small lights but I Warriors) to do the loading correctly. the Bell 205 were left on the airport. decided it was not enough and went We did not shut down but did hot- Rita had passed but the wind was instead to a parking lot. The lights loading. Through the days we refined still 25 knots gusting to 40kts. We were all out here, and there were the process of getting the pallet in, were out checking on the helicopters wires, but there was much more for example, most places needed when FEMA called on my cell room. The police knew what to do water, so we weighed each shape and phone. They needed a medical team and they shone the lights from their style of container so we knew exact - to go to Lafayette. There was no cars on the poles so I could see how ly how many and what shape we obstruction lighting out there but by to avoid them. I also knew from past would need for the right amount of weight. Once that was done all the were carrying ice and needed to go could have been better but the locals pilot needed to do was check the load before it melted! gave an amazing response, helping sheet and OK it. Most, if not all, of There were some oddities: for where they had little themselves, and my departures were running take- example, in the French Quarter there there were lots of examples of real offs. Here the controllers at Baton were refrigerators everywhere. That humanity which has restored my Rouge were phenomenal. It is a Class part of New Orleans was not so dam - faith in human nature. All the various C airport, which suddenly became aged, and people returning to their responders of Hurricane Katrina do the second busiest airport in the homes found fridges full of food. The deserve enormous credit for the work country (Kennedy was still busier). didn’t want to open them because they did, and when you look at the Everyone worked together and adapt - with no electricity the food had real people involved it gives me a lit - ed. For example, fully laden I needed become rotten, so they just taped tle hope for humanity: no body was to take off into wind, whatever that them up and left them on the street. talking about anything negative and meant, even if it meant taking off on After a couple of weeks deserted were just getting on and doing their a taxi-way. I called, ‘FEMA Heavy,’ fridges were so common that the san - jobs until the politicians and press got and the ATC let us have priority. itation men came around and collect - involved. Now, though, we need to In the first few days we used ed them, filling a land-fill site: the get ready for the hurricane season of ‘FEMA Lifeguard’ calls to get priori - stench could be smelt for miles. 2006, said to be another rough one ty. This was especially true when we Perhaps the bureaucratic efforts and there is still a lot to do.”

Civilian and military pilots worked together in the new Orleans relief operations 59 After the Deluge

As told toGeorgina Hunter-Jonesby Capt Janie Foster anie Foster had just transferred tions. Postal mail was the one of the Jacksonville, and later we flew to from Alaska to Evergreen’s better forms of communication and Baton Rouge where 30 helicopters Galveston base in August when it had to be flown in by helicopter. were based, Evergreen themselves Jthe Katrina hurricane struck. “When we arrived at Jackson at having around 15 helicopters. She was flying second-in-command 7.00pm,” said Janie, “everything We flew a variety of FEMA mis - in a Bell 212, as well as a was closing. There 5-hour lines for sions, such as delivering water, ice, LongRanger on offshore contracts. gasoline, so there were no shuttle MREs, CDC staff, FEMA staff, and For this mission they took the 212 buses or cabs but we were given a Louisiana legislators through and Janie flew as co-pilot. “We lift by one of the other pilot groups. Mississippi and in/around the New arrived on day 12 after the hurricane Everything was totally different Orleans area. The devastation was and it was quite chaotic.” from normal. One MacDonalds, for unbelievable - simply amazing how They flew first to Jackson, example, had run out of many food much force that hurricane had in it. Mississippi where they were based items and had stopped serving until FEMA sent us out with MRE at Hawkins Field to work primarily a new truckload arrived. Many (meals ready to eat, usually given to for FEMA (Federal Emergency major highways were closed, so this the military) taking them either to Management Agency). In a strange added to the delays for shipments. FEMA bases in parking lots or to return to the past there were numer - Wherever we flew we had to call church distribution centres. ous electrical outages in the affected ahead to see if there was any fuel Sometimes people would come up disaster areas, and so there was lim - available, as this could affect our to the helicopter asking for water ited or no access to communica - route. There were 10 helicopters at when we landed.

60

We were used for aerial recon - naissance, looking for sewage leaks for example, and when we flew some Louisiana legislators out to assess the damage, we saw boats on the roofs and completely flattened buildings. We saw animals wander - ing around. Most military helicopter pilots would not take pets but some civilian helicopter operators went out collecting dogs and cats, trying to return them to their owners. One dog was adopted by the manager of the Superdome heliport. FEMA set up mini camp cities with trailers, satellite phones and communication equipment. We would take people, ice and MREs out of these places but we had to be careful looking for hazards such as power lines, which had often moved and were unmarked on the map. For the most part only the mili - tary flew at night, the rest of us had to be down by ‘pumpkin time’ (30 minutes after sunset). There was added danger flying at night with downed power lines and unlit tow - ers, some as high as 3,000 ft AGL. Soon after Katrina we evacuated our helicopters out of Galveston to escape Rita's path. About 15 crew and 7 helicopters ended up in Gulf Shores, Alabama and had to wait out the hurricane for three days at The Beach Club, a spendy high-rise resort on the beach It was pretty bad: I had my own condo with an ocean view and the grounds were lush with palm trees, swimming pools, jacuzzis, tennis courts and a long stretch of beach. Occasionally we get some surprise perks! After Rita we began taking crews and engineers out to the rigs to assess and repair damage. One rig was listing badly, which made for some interesting landings!” Operations are just getting back to normal for many oil and drilling companies, but forecasters predict another active hurricane season.

6262 B OOK R EVIEW From Cambridge to Adelaide in a R44 John Matchett UNIFORM KILO by Tim Gilbert Trafford Publishing ISBN 141207504-1 www.uniformkilo.com he story of two intrepid pilots Bangkok and you have the ingredi - you these two pilots are not chancers flying from Cambridge to ents of a read that is going to hold but thinking, professional men who TAdelaide in a Robinson 44 you riveted until the two adventurers prepared as well as they could, knew Imagine flying 10 miles out at sea reach Australia – almost an anticli - the risks and were the equal of every avoiding an unfriendly Iran, situation thrown at them. out of radio contact from Humility, humour and brav - anywhere, too far from your ery are cornerstones of the take off point to turn back, story. Many of the situations no shipping in sight, with a are overcome through shear spluttering engine that you strength of character and suspect might be caused by nerves of steel, when most clogged filters and dirty of us would head to catch fuel. Well, if that doesn’t the next flight home. I phase you, try fleeing from counted over a dozen situa - a military coup in tions that would test the and if you survive that, how resolve of the best of us. It about a 370 mile air dis - will come as no surprise tance sea crossing over the that flying outside Europe shark infested Timor sea puts you in a potentially with a maximum range of hostile environment with only 400 miles, or having to punitive regulations, limited fly by instruments and GPS radio cover and fuel avail - for 150 miles in bad weath - ability as infrequent as gold er, constantly worried by dust. Reading this book you the possibility of unseen feel you are cockpit-sharing obstacles or running into the anxieties, the frustra - high ground? This book is tions and the fun. I would stirring stuff. I often had to have liked to have heard remind myself I was read - more about the unfolding ing a work of non-fiction scenery, which must have rather than the script of a been dramatic and absorb - latest Spielberg block - ing. That said, for anyone buster. Indeed, with bat - interested in helicopters, tered brown akruba the this is a compelling book character figuring in the that you won’t be able to put photograph on page 111 down and you will undoubt - could be mistaken for Indiana Jones max in its achievement. edly go back to again and again. As in person. Include the intriguing saga Superbly written by Tim Gilbert, the experience must have been for involving a few Thai girls in with lots of interesting facts that tell Martin and Tim, it is memorable.

HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2006 6363 Bell 206B Jet Ranger 111, G-CVIP The pilot had hired the helicopter to fly with friends in the local area and land at a private site at Flecknoe. The weather was CAVOK with winds of 030/6 knots, and pilot had just carried out a 28 day check ride with an instructor. Having completed the pre-flight checks and noted the fuel on board was 67 US gallons, the www.helicopterlife.com pilot started the engine. He depressed the starter but - HELICOPTER ton and, as the engine N1 increased to 15%, opened the throttle. The engine at first accelerated normally, but as N1 reached 50% the engine began to run down. The pilot maintained the starter engagement until the LIFE N1 reduced to approximately 20%, at which point he SSAVINGS CC ERTIFICATE shut down the engine. Having never experienced this before the pilot sought out a more experienced com - YES P LEASE ! Send me two full years - mercial instructor, who did the second start with the 8 exciting issues - of pilot observing. This time there was no problem. HELICOPTER LIFE The pilot and passengers flew around the local area for 20 minutes, during which time the low voltage 2 Years (8 issues) only £22.00 (30% savings) light ‘blinked’ twice. The pilot depressed the light to I prefer 1 Year (4 issues) only £14.00 (15% savings) re-set it and after blinking a couple more times it extinguished. The pilot considered it safe to continue Please add £8 for each foreign order and prepay in UK funds. and it did not illuminate again during the flight. Upon reaching the private site at Flecknoe, the fuel was noted as 50 USG, temperatures and pressures YOuR nAME: were normal. Name (PLEASE PRINT) As the pilot approached, into wind and reducing Address speed to about 70 knots, an instrument check showed City Postcode everything normal. However, at about 100 feet he became aware of an intermittent audio warning tone, GIFT FOR: followed by a continuous audio warning tone. He Name noted that the Rotor Low RPM warning light was illu - (PLEASE PRINT) Address minated and so he immediately entered autorotation, concentrating on carrying out an emergency landing. City Postcode At about 20 feet the pilot flared the helicopter and raised the collective control lever ‘aggressively’ to SEnD ALSO TO: check the rate of descent. There was a loud bang and Name (PLEASE PRINT) a violent shuddering through the airframe. The pilot Address lowered the collective and allowed the aircraft to run City Postcode along the grass. There was a cloud of grey smoke, and the pilot evacuated the passengers and shut down the Payment enclosed (Make cheques out to Helicopter Life ) aircraft. The tail pylon had been severed from the air - Send form and cheque to: craft aft of the horizontal stabilizer by the main rotor HELICOPTER LIFE Magazine blades. A subsequent check of the engine showed that 59 Great Ormond Street, London WC 1N 3Hz , England it was working normally. Savings are off the £3.99 per issue price. AAIB analysis states that: In the absence of any tech - Please allow 6-8 weeks to receive your first issue. nical reason, a possible cause of the inability of the engine to accelerate beyond 50% N1 was the throttle HELICOPTER LIFEis theHIGH LIFE

64 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2006 A CCIDENT R EPORTS

not being opened sufficiently to permit adequate fuel The group took off from the racecourse at about 1710 flow. During the flight the low voltage light illuminat - and flew for about 20 minutes to the hotel. The land - ed indicating that the voltage of the battery had fallen ing site was about 60m by 50 m, a grass site which momentarily below a pre-determined level. On the sloped away from the hotel. It was surrounded on final approach the sound of the Engine Out warning three sides by tall trees. was heard, followed by the continuous tone of the low The pilot completed his approach and, in a low hover, rotor RPM, but the pilot did not recall seeing the ENG turned up the slope to land. The helicopter then OUT caption light illuminated and the engine was still touched down and the pilot stated that at that moment working when the pilot landed as he had to shut it he lost control, the helicopter pitching forward and down. His action in lowering the collective lever striking one of its main rotors on the ground. The hel - would have minimised further rotor RPM decay, but icopter turned through 180 degrees, striking the end initiated a high rate of descent and his aggressive of its tail rotor in the ground, however it remained movements, while ensuring there was no fast or heavy upright. The engine was still running and a fire quick - landing, did cause the main blades to sever the tail ly developed, all three people on board managed to rotor. The AAIB concludes that the pilot clearly had evacuate the aircraft unassisted and were unhurt. the warnings and symptoms of some sort of power Some time after the accident the pilot returned to the loss and so he performed an emergency landing. landing area in another R44 with an instructor. The instructor reported the slope on the landing area var - Robinson R22 Beta, G-IOnE ied, with some small areas being nearly level, but The aircraft was prepared for take-off, while posi - other places around 10˚. He also commented that tioned directly into the surface wind of 300/10 knots, when below the level of the trees surrounding the on a private tarmacadam landing site. After receiving landing site, site of the horizon was effectively lost. clearance from Glasgow Approach to depart for a The AAIB analysis states that: the pilot was inexperi - local flight, the pilot lifted into the hover. As he sta - enced and attempting to land at a site for which he had bilised the helicopter he felt uncomfortable in what he little information. perceived to be a cross-wind component from the left. He decided to lower the helicopter back onto the Robinson R22 Beta, G-CBPT ground but in doing so allowed some roll to develop Whilst flying north of Cowes on a sightseeing trip, the and landed on the right hand skid. The roll continued pilot heard a loud bang and found that the helicopter and the helicopter came to rest on its right side. The was no longer flying normally. He immediately pilot was uninjured and vacated through the normal entered autorotation and was able to make a con - exit. Adjacent to the landing site, and directly upwind trolled touch-down by the Prince Consort Buoy, at the at the time of the accident were some large storage entrance to Cowes Harbour. He and his passenger sheds that may have generated an unexpected cross - were rescued immediately and were not injured. The wind component. helicopter sank quickly and could not be recovered. The symptoms reported by the pilot were consistent Robinson R44 Raven 11, G-CDEY with the failure of one of the two drive belts transmit - The pilot took off from Manchester Barton Airfield ting power from the engine to the main transmission. with two colleagues as passengers, late morning on In AAIB Bulletin 1/2004 on G-LEDA, an account of the day of the accident. They flew to Carlisle an accident to a similar helicopter, it is noted that low- Racecourse where they spent the rest of the afternoon. time belts are vulnerable to failure due to stretching That evening they intended to fly to a hotel some 35 after installation, which can allow the belts to partial - nautical miles away for a meeting with some business ly ride-up out of the pulley grooves during clutch partners who were already at the hotel. At 1400 hours engagement and incur damage eventually leading to one of the group at the hotel telephoned the pilot to failure. G-CBPT had a matched pair of new belts fit - give him a description of the hotel landing site and ted 20 hours prior to this accident, although a check of inform him that the correct landing point would be the clutch rigging and adjustment of belt alingment marked with a white sheet. had been carried out 6 hours prior to the flight.

HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2006 65 H OUSE & H ELICOPTER

arrods Aviation’s Sikorsky S76C flying past The Parliament to have Buckingham Palace instead having Houses of Parliament (officially known as the been politely declined). H New Palace of Westminster) in London, England. The fire destroyed all but the Crypt Chapel, The House of Commons and House of Lords are both Westminster Hall and the cloisters. Westminster Hall, the locate in the New Palace of Westminster, which was built oldest part, was originally built by William Rufus, son of on the banks of the . William the Conqueror, in 1097. For many years the Although still a Royal Palace, the last monarch to live Royal Courts of Justice met there and both the trial of in the Palace of Westminster was Henry VIII, who moved Guy Fawkes (after the failed Catholic conspiracy to blow out in 1512 having recently acquired Cardinal Wolsey's up Parliament on November 5, 1605) and that of King Hampton Court and built St. James Palace. Charles I (after the English Civil War, 1642-48) took Parliament has met in the Palace of Westminster since place here. Both were executed in the Old Palace Yard. around 1550. The idea of ‘Parliament’ started in 1215, In 1840, Sir Charles Barry designed the New Palace of when the Magna Carta was signed by King John, Westminster. The House of Lords was completed in 1847 although Edward I was the first to consider a ‘Model and officially opened by Queen Victoria in 1852. The Parliament.’ The Model Parliament of 1295 encompassed House of Commons, was not fully restored until 1950. a mixture of clergy, lords and elected officials. The Palace is divided into three areas reflecting the Representatives of the knights and burgesses were also three parts of Parliament: the Royal Apartments, the assembled to give approval. This developed over the House of Lords and the House of Commons. years from the small group of nobles advising the King of Big Ben, the hour bell of the present clock tower of the C

England, into the present day Parliament of the Monarch, Houses of Parliament, was installed in 1858. It was o u r t

House of Lords and House of Commons, with a Prime named after the First Commissioner of Works at the time, e s y

Minister and a cabinet Sir Benjamin Hall. The bell weighs over 13 tons, the o f

There has been a royal palace on this site for nearly clock mechanism alone weighs about 5 tons. The figures h A r r

1,000 years but most of the current building dates from on the clock face are 2 feet long, the minute spaces are 1 o D s

the middle of the nineteenth century when the Palace was square foot and the copper minute hands are 14 feet long. A v i A rebuilt after a fire destroyed most of the earlier mediaeval The tower stands 320 feet high. A light above Big Ben t i o buildings in 1834 (an offer by King William IV to allow signals that Parliament is in session. n 66 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2006