Winter 2010 / £3.99 HELICOPTER www.helicopterlife.com LIFE Al Wasl 2010

HELICOPTER LIFE is the HIGH LIFE helicopter Winter 2010

LIFE COVER STORY

First Flight Show & Tell Guide 4 Aerogulf Dubai 32 Aviation shows and conferences. Georgina Hunter-Jones went flying over the The Editor’s Letter 5 city of Dubai with heli - copter operators Aerial Forum 6 & 10 Aerogulf who have Bruce Charnov more on the twisting rotors been flying in the United Arab Emirates Letters to the Editor 7 & 11 since 1976. Flying Crackers 8 & 9 Pre-Show Bangalore 38 Helicopter Life asks helicopter manufacturers about PZL Swidnik is Swietnic 12 the past year in India and looks ahead to the Rainer Herzberg test Bangalore Air Show. flies PZL Swidnik at Lublin in Poland and Lord of the Mountain 42 is impressed by the Cristian Schrik and manoeuvrability of the Elmar Keetman little composite heli - go to the bi-lateral exer - copter and dabbles cise between Slovenia with autorotations. and Hungary at Ljubljana-Brnik in New Technology 18 Slovenia and report. Alan Norris introduces Eurocopter X3 concept The Right Stuff 48 helicopter which the How the role of aerospace women is changing in European manufacturer both military and civilian sectors. is using as a basis for their further designs Helicopters in the Defence Review 51 and further experimen - The future of helicopters after the cuts. tation. Dubai and the Gulf Operators 52 HeliTech Portugal 20 Georgina Hunter-Jones Georgina Hunter- goes to the Dubai Jones goes out to HeliShow and talks to the Cascais in Portugal to major operators in the see the latest show, to regions and the manufac - hear about a new con - turers whose products are cept helicopter and to gracing the skies. watch the splendid fire fighting display. Swiss Retirees 56 Carlo Kuit and Paul Kievit Al Wasl from the Sky 24 on the retiring Alouette 111s and their replacment. A flight over Dubai in Areogulf’s LongRanger Book Review Winged Victory 62 VIP Hiller @ Verta 26 Rob Hields Book Review Helicopter Aerodynamics 63 flies from Leeds to London to sell his Hiller Accident Reports 64 UH12E4, this is his story about the trip and VIPs. House & Helicopter 66 helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 3 S how & T ell G uide HeLiCOPter

9 February - 13 February 2011 AEROINDIA 2011 LIFE Air force Station Yelahanka, Bengalaru (Bangalore) WInTER 2010 https://www.aeroindia.in/Main.aspx email: [email protected] HON. EDITORIAL BOARD Captain Eric Brown, CBE, RN 5 March - 8 March 2011 The Lord Glenarthur, DL HAI HELIEXPO Jennifer Murray Orange County Convention Centre Michael J. H. Smith Orlando, Florida, USA Wing Cdr. Ken Wallis, MBE, RAF http://www.rotor.com/Events [email protected] EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / PILOT Georgina Hunter-Jones [email protected] 19 May - 21 May 2011 4TH INTERNATIONAL HELIRUSSIA 2011 CREATIVE DIRECTORS Moscow, IEC Crocus Expo [email protected] www.helirussia.ru COPY EDITORS Evangeline Hunter-Jones, JP John Wilson, Gerald Cheyne 27 May - 29 May 2011 AVIATION EXPO EUROPE CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Bruce Charnov, Rainer Herzberg, Rob Hields, Bitburg Airport, Germany Cristian Schrik and Elmar Keetman, Alan Norris, Benelux Region Paul Kievit and Carlo Kuit http://www.expo.aero/europe CONTRIBUTED PHOTOGRAPHY Bruce Charnov, Cristian Schrik and Elmar 17 June - 19 June 2011 Keetman, Rainer Herzberg, Rob Hields, Alan Norris, Paul Kievit and Carlo Kuit, Robin AEROEXPO UK Dabrowa, Guneet Kaur Sywell Airfield, Northampton SPECIAL THANKS TO http://www.expo.aero/uk/event-info Dave Smith ATPL(H)IR, Robert Edmonds (trans - lator) Paul Herbert, Ozzie 20 June - 26 June 2011 ADVERTISING 49TH PARIS LE BOURGET AIR SHOW Telephone: +44-(0)20-7430-2384 Le Bourget, Paris, France [email protected] www.paris-air-show.com/en SUBSCRIPTIONS email: [email protected] Go to our website or turn to page 54 +33(0)1 53 23 33 33 [email protected] WEBSITE 20 August 2011 www.helicopterlife.com THE SECOND MIL CUP HELICOPTER RACE Blog Route Kiev – Moscow http://helicopterlife.blogspot.com Xth International Aviation & Space Salon MAKS. Kiev is the birthplace of Igor Sikorsky. COVER PHOTOGRAPHS Organizer Helicopter Industry Association and Russian Dubai from Aerogulf’s LongRanger Helicopter Systems. by Georgina Hunter-Jones. Inserts: Cristian http://www.helicopter.su/mil_cup/mil_cup.html Schrik and Elmar Keetman, Sean Brown email: [email protected] HELICOPTER LIFE is published quarterly by FlyFizzi Ltd. 59 Great Ormond Street 27 September - 29 September 2011 London, WC 1N-3 HZ . HELITECH DUXFORD Copyright © FlyFizzi Ltd. 2010. Imperial War Museum ISSN 1743-1042. All rights reserved. Opinions expressed herein are not neces - Duxford, near Cambridge, UK sarily those of the pub lishers, the Editor or any of the editorial http://www.helitechevents.com/duxford staff. Reproduction in whole or in part, in any form whatever, is strictly prohibited without specific written permission of the Editor.

4 helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 T he e diTor ’ S l eTTer

get nothing at all.” here were you when aero - At a moment when the future of the planes attacked the New aviation industry is looking precarious York twin towers on W it is interesting to look at what might September 11th 2001? help restore it to its pride of place: one I was in Lublin in Poland and had such things will be changing to more just done a test flight on the PZL environmentally friendly fuels. So, the Swidnik SW-4. Well, move on nine twenty-four-page PDF recently years and Rainer Herzberg has done brought out by the Air Transport another one, on the updated military Action Group on biofuels that can be version of the machine, and he had used in aviation is both very timely quite a ride. There have been some ance of helicopter aerodynamics, and and very helpful. Called the Beginners changes over the years, and whereas, the competition between them will Guide to BioFuels, it points out the when I was flying in Lublin, the test drive them on, this should be a very importance of aviation to the world we pilot did not feel that the machine was interesting time to be involved in heli - live in, the good and bad things about ready to do autorotations, Rainer’s test copters. aviation and how we are striving to pilot was happy not only to do them A few months ago, talking about the reduce the emissions caused by air - himself, but to teach Rainer to do them withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan craft. It also stresses how much more too. As you will see from the article, and how this will effect the population, efficient aircraft are than they were the machine has moved on in other a man at the meeting said, “we did not forty years ago, and notes that the ways as well. go in to Afghanistan to improve the lot Airbus 380 and the Boeing 787 con - Much of this issue is dedicated to of Pashtun women.” sume less than 3 litres of fuel per 100 the use of helicopters in Dubai and the This comment hovers around me, km, in which they are equivalent, in surrounding regions. Dubai has had a with its obvious counterpart - why, fact, to many small family cars. roller-coaster time in the last few then? Biofuels, however, are not the only years, going from being one of the Women make up roughly half of the development. In the last issue we men - fastest expanding success stories in the world’s population, and they also tioned the use of ‘clever materials’ in region to finding itself with the infa - account for a considerably greater per - aircraft construction and this too is a mous ‘Mercedes dumped at the air - centage of the illiterate and unem - growing market. For example, port’ reputation, fleeing ex-pats avoid - ployed population. In many countries Embrarer, the Brazilian Aircraft ing bankruptcy and collapsing real- there is a move to change this percent - Manufacturer, is constructing a new estate and construction markets. One age, and one way of doing so is to facility in Evora, Portugal, dedicated company I visited talked of new employ women in all those fields to making complex airframe structures AW139s sitting on the apron costing where they can do exactly the same job and components in composites. They money and going nowhere. as men, and at least as well. One of will later complement this with a However, the situation has become these is helicopter flying, and we have metallic airframe centre. Evora has the a little easier thanks to the changing a very interesting article about the second oldest university in Portugal, oil and gas revenues in the wider changing role of women in helicopters with a well-established engineering region. Construction is also returning as taken from the Women in Aerospace department. slowly to Dubai, although there are Conference in October. Jo Watkinson Continuing the theme of new tech - still warnings of further mortgage talks about her flying of the EH101 nology, Eurocopter have brought out defaults. As one operator said to me, Merlin in Afghanistan, and how men their X-3 concept. Alan Norris went “we will never return to the golden and women do the same job for the over to the South of France to view it days of the boom, but we are consider - same pay, and how much the lot of and he writes that this is not so much a ably wiser now than we were.” children there has improved. Perhaps new helicopter, as a new test-bed for one day we will only invade countries a There is even optimism there that in w experimental designs. In the next few o to improve the lot of all the people. r the next few years much needed b

a years, Eurocopter will use this plat -

D tourism will start to grow again. There Happy Christmas. n i form as a way of discovering what b

o again, though, it will be different. One r they can and cannot do to helicopters h porter told me (presumably with some P a to improve their performance. As r

g irony as I had just tipped him) “we o Sikorsky are also looking at how they t o used to get good tips, now we often h can change the aspect and perform - P helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 5 A eriAl F orum Which way to turn? Bruce Charnov adds his thoughts to the tail rotor debate enjoyed Reg Austin’s discussion in the ‘Aerial Forum’ of Liberatore begins his analysis with a discussion of the ori - the Autumn issue of Helicopter Life of the rationale behind gins of the rotor system, power plant, tail rotor system and Ithe tail rotor, but there is an equally fascinating other story fuselage of this speculative design. He concludes that the behind the evolution of the tail rotor itself. As you may know, drawing depicts “the end view of a transverse blade showing early helicopter evolution concentrated on co-axial designs, the root angle (45º) and tip angle (8º). The blades . . . appear obviously to deal with rotor torque. Often the earliest cited ref - tapered because of the high degree of twist.” He then con - erence to a tail rotor design is the 1874 illustration by Wilhelm cludes that “[t]he single spar-and-rib construction apparently Achenbach (acclaimed as the ‘first to use a tail rotor to counter - was inspired by the blades and rotor of a windmill.” act the torque from the main rotor’), but little is known of him Regarding the power plant, Liberatore draws upon a con - other than two contemporary comments on his drawing of a tail temporary account that called the Achenbach helicopter a rotor helicopter, published in the French poster Tableau ‘fliegender wurstkessel’ or ‘flying sausage boiler,’ because d’Aviation around 1880. the ‘boiler nested inside a combustion chamber’ had been in use on German farms to sterilize sausage since the 17th cen - tury. After comparing the drawing to 19th century boiler designs, Liberatore concludes that “Achenbach conceived a radial flow, reaction turbine that was unlike any other 19th century design.” In analyzing the tail rotor system, however, Liberatore

Eugene K. Liberatore, in his monumental 1998 Helicopters Before Helicopters, devotes only a single 10-word reference to Achenbach in an Appendix, and there only in conjunction with a larger discussion about the evolution of the tail rotor. In 2005, however, Liberatore offered a video presentation of his paper ‘Achenbach and the 1874 Tail Rotor Helicopter’ at the American Helicopter Society Forum 61, which was subsequent - ly published in the Proceedings of the American Helicopter Society Forum 61, and reprinted in a revised form in the Fall issue of Vertiflite of that year. As noted at the end of the Vertiflite article, “Liberatore’s investigation and analysis of the Achenbach helicopter entailed over 1000 hours of effort and included the construction of numerous models to help visualize revises the brief 10-word conclusion from seven years earlier the concept.” That speculative analysis produced a decidedly and breaks with virtually every other helicopter historian. As different, and revolutionary, view of Achenbach. he wrote: “The tail rotor system is an ingenious aspect of the design. Since the system is steam-driven, the tail-rotor is not an anti - torque rotor. It is primarily a propulsive device, with the capacity of providing yaw control while in flight. The rotor

has a swiveling feature implied by the gearing just below it.” v o n

If Liberatore is correct, and he certainly has made much r a h

of very little material, the Achenbach design was not the first c e c

tail-rotor employment, but there can be little doubt that many u r

who observed it in the years following its publication would b f o

have seen it as such, and been inspired by that line of y s e thought. But in addition to its innovative features, as detailed t r u o

at some length in Liberatore’s unique discussion, there was c s

another benefit from the Achenbach illustration: e r u t

continued on page 10 c i P

helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 L l eTTerS To The e diTor Letters continue on page 11 & 23

59 Great Ormond Street, London WC1N-3HZ, England. Telephone: 020-7430-2384, Email: [email protected]. Please include your name, and email or phone. Antarctic Autogyros New Jersey, airfield at the time of the turn-over of the gyro to Byrd. This is dated as September 22, 1933, but Dear Georgina. the article also says that the Pep Boys donated TWO For some time I have been collecting and organizing Kellett autogyros to Byrd, when all other sources, information about the aircraft used in Antarctica during including Byrd's book about the expedition, state that the first half of the 20th century. One of these is the only one autogyro was donated. Therefore, I'm not Kellett K-3 autogyro that was donated to Admiral sure if that picture caption is really correct. Richard E. Byrd for his second Antarctic expedition of Any assistance would be appreciated. 1933-1935 by the Pep Boys automotive store chain of Yours truly, Philadelphia. I saw an article about this autogyro that Richard Paul Smyers was published in the Winter 2006 issue of Helicopter [email protected] Life. Very little seems to have been published about that particular Kellett autogyro. The article ‘Bruce CAA Charges Charnov on the Beauties and Dangers of Antarctic Flying, Especially in the Years 1933-1934’ is some - Dear Georgina, thing I'd like to read thoroughly. I noticed your editorial this month mentioned CAA Also, I wondered if perhaps you or some of the readers charges, so thought I like to clarify some of the infor - mation you used. You mentioned landings at Ham Polo Club (and this applies equally to other places that may require flying over congested areas), and referred to a post from Pprune saying “that the CAA may require an applica - tion for each flight, at a cost of £108 per landing”. The CAA doesn't charge ‘landing fees’ in this respect and the figure of £108 (which is from the CAA Scheme of Charges (GA), available on our website here: http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/253GA.pdf) refers to 'Exemptions and Permissions in relation to low fly - ing' and in particular, permissions to fly below 1000' above the highest-fixed object within 600m of the air - craft. When granted, this permission allows for up to three separate locations to be specified and can be granted for a period of a year (as long as key details remain unaltered). The Flight Ops. Inspectorate (GA) deals with low-fly - ing permissions for Private/Corporate flight depart - ment/Aerial Work applications; advice for applicants v of Helicopter Life could help me pin down the precise o is available direct from the GA Department on 01293 n r a date on which the Pep Boys officially donated their 573525 or via e-mail at [email protected]. h c autogyro to Admiral Byrd. I have seen a photograph of e Hope this is useful, I am happy to discuss these things c u r Byrd christening the gyro, which he named the “Pep with any of your readers. b f o Boys Snowman,” but the picture's caption has no exact Kind regards, y s e date. It just says the event took place at Central t r u Airport, Camden, New Jersey, in 1933. o Nic Stevenson c h I did find an item on the Internet which showed a pic - P Assistant Director, Corporate Communications a r g ture of Byrd, two of the Pep Boys, and several others, o t o with a caption that stated it was taken at the Camden, h continued on page 11 P

helicopter LIFE, Winter 2010 7 F lyinG C rACkerS

US Mice Fight Back Against We will Weather the Weather Bell Feels the Earth Move Fixed wing pilots can invest in Snakes in Guam The Royal Meteorological Society, engine monitors, but Bell The United States military is waging one of the oldest and most respected Helicopters now have a certified war in the Pacific on invading jungle weather institutions in the UK, is system that goes one step further. snakes - by dropping dead mice launching ‘the Weather Club.’ The Aeronautical Accessories, Inc a Bell stuffed with household headache Weather Club is the first member - affiliate announced STC certification remedies on them from helicopters. ship organisation to be launched in of its Bell Helicopter Vibration Guam has been plagued since World the UK that brings the general public Monitoring System for the Bell 212. War II by an invasion of brown tree together in order to share their fasci - The system “provides drive train snakes, brought in by US troop nation with the weather. The club is health and engine monitoring” to ships, which have wiped out several aiming to attract 1,000s of members detect defects early. It helps diag - local kinds of bird. Measures such from all four corners of the UK. as ordinary snake traps aren't work - And, with a recent survey revealing ing. So, after intensive research, mil - that the average Briton spends an astonishing six months out of their lives talking about the weather some may say that the club is appealing to an eager audience.

Red Bull Air Race 2012 Agusta AW825 Should Happen As there is some doubt whether or itary scientists hit upon acetamino - not the Red Bull Races will actual - Christopher Forrest receiving the phen, a common domestic painkiller ly continue a site has been started Eric Brown Award for his contri - better known as paracetamol. To the on Facebook to encourage interest - bution to the helicopter industry bird-scoffing snakes of Guam it is a ed members to support the race. nose faults in the main rotor, tail fatal poison. The only problem was Tap in to Facebook for more infor - how to get the tree-dwelling reptiles rotor drive system, engine accessory mation. It might be an interesting gearbox and combining gearbox. to eat it. Hence the plan of lacing the addition to the 2012 Olympics. corpses of mice - a tasty treat for The company says it will help Bell snakes - with hefty doses.To get the 212 operators avoid problems and Two Minutes from Manhattan reduce costs associated with opera - mice into the high jungle canopies Helo Holdings has a new aviation where the scaly invaders congregate, tional interruptions as it has already HBO for helicopters. The 7.26 acre for the Bell 412. the US military use helicopters. FBO, is located in Kearny, New However, the mice aren't simply Jersey two minutes flight time from China's first Light Helicopter hurled out of the choppers willy- Manhattan. The company says, nilly. Rather, each drug-laced corpse The AC311 light civilian helicopter, a

“The barriers to developing a i

the first to be developed and manu - D is attached to a special drag streamer e Helicopter FBO traditionally have factured in China, flew for the first m D

which deploys on departing the air - L

been obtaining the necessary ‘spe - a time in November. The aircraft is r craft, designed to snare in the jungle e cial use’ zoning and government m being developed by Avicopter, part e

canopy and leave an irresistible dan - D

approvals. Helo Holdings Inc. has n of the China Aviation Industry Corp, a

gling drug-carrion treat right where a D

overcome these hurdles” Helo n a

(AVIC). Avicopter said the rotors are L

slithering passer-by is sure to stum - t

Holdings operating partner, the s composite, it can be powered by a e ble upon it. Radio beacons will lead Analar Corporation, will be one of w a

Honeywell LTS101-700D-2 or a t the US kill-teams in thereafter to s the HHI anchor tenants. Analar, u Chinese turbine engine, the WZ-8D. g assess the effectiveness of the new a

which does charters, fractional h Avicopter expects to sell 500 in the P tactic in the War On Snakes. (Thanks a r

ownership, maintenance, consulting g

next 10 years. Chinese certification o to Alan Norris for this piece). t and sales holds FAA Part 135. o is expected in 2012. h P 8 helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 F lyinG C rACkerS

Global Observer goes Stratospheric The demonstration program is now proceeding towards the hydrogen-fueled flight test phase AeroVironment, Inc. announced that the first aircraft developed under the Global Observer™ Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) program has success - fully completed initial flight testing consisting of multiple low-altitude flights at Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB) in California. This initial flight test phase of the demonstra - tion program employed batteries to power the hybrid-elec - tric aircraft and to approximate full aircraft weight and Eurocopter Armed Aerial Scout center of gravity for flight control, performance and 72X (AAS-72X) responsiveness evaluation. Eurocopter Scouts the Prize AeroVironment says, “The program team has installed and is currently ground-testing the aircraft’s innovative, EADS North America announced at the Association hydrogen-fueled generator and liquid hydrogen fuel tanks of the U.S. Army annual convention that its Armed which will power it through stratospheric, extreme Aerial Scout 72X (AAS-72X) industry team is endurance flights during the joint operational utility preparing for the first flight of one of three compa - assessment phase of the programme.” ny-funded Technical Demonstration Aircraft. EADS North America-led industry team, comprised of Lockheed Martin, Eurocopter and American Eurocopter, is developing three AAS- 72X aircraft to demonstrate the total capability of the aircraft with a fully- integrated Mission Equipment Package. The initial flight of the first demonstrator aircraft is scheduled to occur in December. “First flight is a key milestone that moves us down the technical path to demonstrating the capabilities of the aircraft and reflects our commitment to our Army customer and this important war fighting requirement,” said Sean O’Keefe, CEO of EADS North America. In July 2009, the AAS-72X industry team conducted a series of successful high/hot test flights that r e t

P achieved all test objectives including flight o c o

r endurance with a 2,300-pound simulated MEP. u e h

P Global Observer a r g unmanned aircraft o t o h P P o t t n e m n o r i v o r e a s h P a r g o t o h P It was exhibited on the grounds of the International Aeronautics and Automobile Exposition in Moscow in 1912, and won a gold medal for the inventor. That machine featured what would become a major influence on helicopter design a quarter century later: a two-bladed rotor with an anti-torque rotor at the tail, the first such design in aviation history. Although others were also suggesting the use of a tail rotor as an anti-torque mechanism, as in the Ornis helicopter design by continued from page 6 Henri Garard of Belgium in 1914, it was Yuriev who most closely “The passenger scene is of particular interest, approximated what would become the revolutionary design Three because it reveals Achenbach’s purpose for the drawing. de-Cades, by the first successful designer of a helicopter config - The man on the left is a swain with his legs crossed in a ured as proposed by Yuriev: Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky. casual pose, as if flying a helicopter is as easy as cruis - Yuriev’s developmental work on the 1912 helicopter ended ing along in a balloon. His lady is seated facing him, when the main drive shaft broke during ground run-up testing. The with one hand resting on a parasol. This scene of an aircraft never flew, and as Yuriev was short of funds, future devel - affluent couple is obviously meant to interest patrons in opment was impossible. Europe then entered the First World War, funding his project. He pictured them seated in his aeri - and Russia the convulsions of the Russian Revolution, both of al carriage, a landau. This is the type in which passen - which deterred further development. (It was reported that, prior to gers faced each other.” the revolution, further development was discouraged by the Tsarist Liberatore has cast real doubt on Achenbach’s origi - authorities, who announced that “[b]efore that man in the street is nation of the tail rotor, but there can be no doubt of the allowed to fly, one must teach the police how to fly.”) contributions of Russia’s Boris Yuriev. Subsequently Yuriev would supervise the construction of helicop - Boris N. Yuriev ( ? – 1962) had proposed a co-axial ters at the Central Aero-Hydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI). He died helicopter design in 1909, but it did not progress in 1962, and was mourned as the “patriarch of Russian rotary- beyond the drawing board. Later that year he produced wing aviation.” a modified design, but that also remained unbuilt, as no It would, of course, be another Russian, Igor Sikorsky, who suitable engine was available. Yuriev then proceeded to fully realized the tail rotor, and thus became a major influence on design a lighter helicopter around the Anzani 25-30 hp the helicopter designs discussed by Reg Austin. engine that was available at the Aero-Club of Moscow. Boris N Yuriev P i c t u r e s c o u r t e s y o f b r u c e c h a r n o v

10 helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 m ore l eTTerS To The ediTor

continued from page 7 LATEST GYROS FOR AIR SEARCH

All Electric Cri Cri Dear Editor, Please can I tell your readers about the latest gyros Dear Georgina, used in Air Search. Yorkshire Air Search has received I wondered if any of your readers had seen the all elec - the first UK customer delivery of the high tech 2 seat tric Cri Cri flown at Le Bourget in June this year by side by side Italian Magni M24 autogyro. Crews at the Didier Esteyne. OK strictly speaking it is not a helicop - Rufforth (York) Air Search base are currently undergo - ter but it follows all the other interests of the magazine ing type- conversion training. using biofuels and being electric and what a jolly little Not to be outdone, Lincolnshire Air Search are the first monster it is! It is jointly developed by EADS UK customer for the German Calidus enclosed two Innovation Works, Aero Composites Saintonge and the seat tandem gyro with heat- seeking camera - described Green Cri-Cri Association and is the first-ever four- by crews as “Like having your own Harrier”! engined all- electric aerobatic plane.The Cri Cri has a Air Search’s 150 pilots and observers provides volun - lightweight composite structure which compensates for teer air observation and search from its bases in the added weight of the batteries, four brushless electric Cumbria, Essex, Hampshire, Highlands, The Orkneys, motors with counter-rotating propellers which deliver Kent, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Sussex, Devon and propulsion without CO2 emissions and significantly Yorkshire. There are also three Air Search bases on the lower noise compared to thermal propulsion, and high continent, one in Netherlands and two in France, pro - energy-density Lithium batteries.This allowed the Cri- viding coastline coverage on both sides of the Channel Cri to fly for 30 minutes at 110 km/h, and do 15 min - in cooperation with the Kent and Essex squadrons. utes of aerobatics at up to 250 km/h, and a climb rate Yours sincerely, of approximately 5.3 m/sec. Arnold Parker Yours sincerely, 01274 563950 John Martin [email protected] continued on page 23

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RaInER HERzbERg FLIEs THE sWIdnIk sW-4 aT THE EagLEs sCHOOL PHOTOGRaPHs by RaInER HERzbERG

t is a gray November day in Lublin, Poland, and the decisive factor was that the people from PZL are proud of view from the hotel window offers little hope that we their product and hope to supply single-engined training Iwill be able to accomplish our test flight of the PZL helicopters to the Bundeswehr (German armed forces). SW-4. Rain, low cloud and visibility only as far as the next That a positive report in a specialist magazine could be at block of houses suggest that I might as well enjoy an least helpful, even if not decisive, must have occurred to unhurried breakfast before returning to my room to catch the high-ups, who were accordingly generous. up on work. But at eight o’clock sharp the driver is wait - The unit possesses twenty-one SW-4s in four ing, and he announces that the weather will sort itself out, squadrons, and they have flown a total of 4,500 accident- although we have seventy kilometres to drive and that will free hours since 2006. The machines fly for six hours take a while. Whoever has experienced country roads in daily, and their endurance of 4 hours 40 minutes means Poland will know that movement is none too brisk. After that they need to refuel only once. The students undertake an hour-and-a-half driving around the flat landscape the a hard and rapid training programme. After school-leaving driver is proved correct, for as we arrive at the gates of the exams, they spend two years at the Air Force Academy, Polish Air Force Academy, at Deblin, a little weak sun - followed by 180 hours of flying training. In this environ - shine allows me to hope that flying will be possible. ment the helicopters will be worked hard, a fact recog - SKOLA ORBAT stands in large letters over the entrance nised by the Poles in the design. The previous day I had a P

arch. “Eagles School” is the proud translation, for jet as good insight into the construction and systems on a visit to h o t well as helicopter pilots are trained here. The school is the Lublin works. The works does not merely build the o g r a

controlled directly by the Defence Ministry. As we are SW-4 and the PZL W-3A Sokol: it also completes fuse - P h s

expected, we pass the guard post without difficulty, and lages for the Agusta Westland AW139, AW 109 and AW r a i are received in the headquarters building by the squadron n 119, and components for Eurocopter, Airbus, ATR, e r boss, Captain Darius Rusakowicz, and instructor Falcon, Challenger and the Bell M 412. Through working h e r z

Lieutenant Krystof Czeroba. It is no easy matter for civil - with carbon and composite materials and with many years b e r ians to fly in military aircraft in any of the world’s armed experience of constructing metal airframes (MIL Mi-2), g forces, and so I was all the more surprised that the Polish PZL has accumulated extensive experience in all areas of Air Force hierarchy had agreed so readily. Perhaps the materials technology, and has brought this knowledge into

12 helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 PZL analogue the construction of the SW-4. cockpit The first flight was on the 26th October 1996, and the type was presented to the public at the Paris Airshow in 1997. It was conceived as a five-seat sin - gle-engined all purpose helicopter for business flights, air ambulance work and police operations, and the majority of these machines fly for the Polish military. The machine’s convincingly robust cabin structure is of carbon fibre, GRP and aluminium. It has a three-bladed GRP main rotor with a conven - tional rotor head and balance weights for vibration damping, and the main gearbox is a PZL design. A two-bladed tail rotor and the Rolls-Royce 250 C20- R/2 engine promise an uncomplicated and mainte - nance-light helicopter in a segment in which not too Big panels allow easy many new developments are in sight. It is built in access to all internal parts accordance with both FAR-27 and JAR-27 regula - of the helicopter tions, which considerably eases worldwide certifica - tion. EASA certification has been granted, together with that in Russia, South Korea, Ukraine and China, all of which have taken delivery of SW-4s. Back to the flight test: after a comprehensive briefing and update on performance we walk across the apron to our test machine, registration 6607, call - sign “Cobra 04”. We conduct a thorough external inspection. Every flap and hatch is opened. The slid - ing rear doors and the sideways opening jettisonable front doors give access to the whole interior, and optimize entry to the cabin. Excellent well-uphol - stered seats give good support and even the rear seats provide enough legroom. The spacious bag - gage hold can carry up to 150 kilos of freight, although it looks considerably more in the 0.83 cubic metres available. On the right side of the fuse - lage a hatch gives access to the external fuses and an electrical switchbox, and on the left side is the Three blade GRP main rotor with a conventional rotor and hydraulics installation. At eleven o’clock on the dot balance weights for vibration damping I take the right-hand seat in the generously glazed cockpit. Captain Rusakowicz now sits in the stu - dent’s seat and we run through the internal checks. The wide instrument panel consists of conventional round instruments. At first it looks a bit nostalgic, but it is very clear and I get along fine with it. In the

P fairly near future PZL will be offering an optional h o t o glass cockpit. This is necessary to take part in an g r a invitation to tender in Germany. There is something P h s else that should also be changed then: the collective r a i n lacks a twist grip to control the turbine, and the e r h engine control lever hangs from the overhead panel. e r z

b This is normal on twin-engined helicopters but a e r g novelty on single-engined ones. PZL justifies this unusual configuration by noting that it facilitates a student’s later conversion to the Sokol. But here, too,

helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 13 The unit possesses twenty-one SW-4s in four squadrons and they have flown 4,500 accident free hours since 2006 there are plans to meet the Bundeswehr’s requirements. nav/com is of Polish origin. Following the principle of hands-on-throttle-and-stick, the We start the engine. This consists of the usual pro - collective lever should have a twist grip because, in the event cedure with the Rolls-Royce 250 turbine. When all of an engine failure and possible turbine re-start, a maximum temperatures and pressures are in the green, Darius of only twenty seconds is available from the minimum height gently lifts the collective and we are hovering. With for this manoeuvre (750 feet) and, to succeed, the pilot has to the outside air temperature at +6 degrees, fuel con - grasp the engine control lever in the roof. This is not a prob - sumption is 118 litres per hour, exhaust gas tempera - lem in the training environment as the instructor can inter - ture 718 degrees Celsius and torque 40%. Our take- vene as necessary, but with a single pilot operations time is off weight with half-full tanks is about 1,400 kg (the lost, and handling alone requires a lot of concentration. maximum is 1,800 kg). As is normal on such tests, at Below the critical height this is not an issue, as the only first I just watch the flying and note data. We hover option is a steep autorotation to the ground. The nav/com along the taxiway to the runway, always directly over panel between the seats is clear and functional. The avionics the yellow line. The tower gives permission for take- come from Honeywell, Garmin and ACK, and the tactical off and up we go. And we really do go up! With 80% torque and impressive acceleration the Captain Between the sweeps across the runway, lifts the machine and in no seats time we are at the circuit height of 2,500 feet. A rac - ing start with a high fun factor! Now we run through the full list of emergencies, at such a pace that I can barely keep up with my note-taking. After a steep autorotation on to the grass strip I take the SW-4’s

controls and immediately have a problem. I find it P h o t

hard to keep her steady in the hover, so I land and try o g r

again. Good heavens, this bird is twitchy! My Latin a P h master always used to say that to master a subject one s r a i has to practice. He was right, for practice really is n e r

required to get the hang of this. To the question how h e r

novices cope with these sensitive flight characteris - z b e r

tics, Darius replies dryly, “if the lads and lasses can g 14 helicopter LIFE Winter 2010 Rolls-Royce 250 have made my flare too high. Then we practice it! OK, the turbine engine same scenario once again, and the second attempt is clear - ly better. The concluding hover-autorotation was problem- free. Darius brings the engine control lever fully back and with 103% rotor RPM and a slight yaw the SW-4 allows herself to lift off gently. There is still a simulated tail rotor failure to come: into a normal circuit and feet off the ped - als downwind, and then with a gentle left turn around the vertical axis we head for the crosswind leg and then on to finals. With power reduction the SW-4 turns further left, as is normal, into a controlled sideslip, but the approach path is maintainable. Shortly before touchdown I have insufficient power and the helicopter swings further left. A pull on the collective, a small correction with the cyclic and the correct direction is restored. The landing was faultless. With that our test flight is over and we hover back to the apron, once more down the yellow line. hack this, they can fly any helicopter”. It is a fine philos - In summary: although I was at first not quite comfort - ophy, and it may even be right. The next take-off is prob - able with this helicopter, that was the fault of the pilot lem free, and in the circuit the SW-4 feels highly agile but rather than the machine. A few hours training and it is completely stable. It is a bit like driving a Formula 1 car. soon mastered. The PZL SW-4 is a robust, very well fin - A small movement of the stick and the machine rapidly ished all-purpose helicopter with outstanding flight char - changes its attitude. So rapidly in fact that she put me in acteristics. It is particularly suited to training, since the a left turn whilst I was not paying attention and then into trainee is required to concentrate hard right from the start, a climb. I am certainly no beginner, but I have never flown such a sporting machine in this category. However, after a few climbing and descending turns I grasped the knack of it. Still, it takes a lot of concentration to gain a feel for it, but after that the SW-4 becomes a lot of fun. Racking round turns is huge fun, and the torque is still only at 40%! A hover out of ground effect at 2,500 feet: nose into wind, stick back, reduce forward speed whilst easing the collective up until the SW-4 stands still: 75% torque, exhaust gas temperature 692 degrees. A straight - forward manoeuvre with the machine holding position peacefully. Resume forward speed and turn on to finals. We want an autorotation. The Captain reduces the tur - bine’s power to idle and at 1,000 feet over the threshold we commence a descent at 70 knots. The SW-4 is stable and wonderfully controllable. Reduce speed to 40 knots, start the flare, over-rotate, with a safe reserve RPM of 110%, and with a gentle forward speed we touch down softly. There we are, home and dry. That went beautiful - ly, without a hitch. We again apply full power for a max - imum performance climb to circuit height. Next on the

P list is a hydraulic failure. To initiate this the instructor h o t simply moves a red switch on the collective and the hard o g r

a work begins. To control the helicopter requires a lot of P h s strength on the cyclic and collective. In fairness, it should r a be said that it is not any easier on a Bell Jet Ranger. After i n e r some strenuous gymnastics we are stabilized on a glide h e r approach to the grass strip. It goes very well up to a point, z b e r but low over the ground Darius has to take control as I g

helicopter LIFE Winter 2010 so that the joy of its sporting flying qualities is not acquired too easily. Of particular interest is the SW-4’s price: about 800,000 Euro for the civil version and about 1,400,000 Euro for the military version. One would have to call that good value compared to other helicopters in this class. PZL-Swidnik SA in Lublin is one of the oldest and most experienced helicopter manufacturers in the world. The military version of the PZL SW-4 is particularly interesting as a basic trainer, because it is well thought through and of robust construction. The engine control Swietnie is great in Polish! lever is in the roof

SW-4 Specifications (Standard) Auxiliary tank 39.9 usg 148 ltrs One pilot, four passengers Depending on usage and weight - Medavac 1 stretcher, I paramedic Endurance 5 hours Development began 1985, first flight October 1996 Fuel use 500 lbs per hour Range 324 nm 600km Empty weight (standard) 1874 lbs 850kg

Service ceiling 16,405 ft 5,000m g r e

Max Take off weight 3968 lbs 1800kg b Hover ceiling IGE 11,483 ft 3500 m z r Loaded weight 3500 lbs 1600kg e Hover ceiling OGE 11,280 ft 3,438m h r e

Height 10 feet 3.05 m n i a

Disc area 684 feet 64 m r h

Engine P a

Rate of Climb 2027 fpm 618m/s r g

1 Allison/Rolls Royce 250-C20 R/2SP turboshaft o t

Fuel capacity 110 impg 500 ltrs o engine 451 shp (336 kw) h P 16 helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 Sikorsky X-2 update

ikorsky Aircraft will design, build and fly two For the armed reconnaissance mission, the X2 Raider prototype light tactical helicopters as the follow- helicopter will have space aft of the two-pilot cockpit Son advancement to the X2 TechnologyTM for armament and auxiliary fuel. In an assault configu - demonstrator aircraft that unofficially shattered the ration, the cabin affords space to accommodate up to helicopter world speed record in September with a six troops. flight speed of 250 knots (287 mph). The decision to In addition to flying at nearly twice the speed of a continue development of the next-generation rotary conventional helicopter, the X2 Raider prototype air - wing technology will enable Sikorsky and select sup - craft will incorporate other key performance parameters pliers to offer the high speed X2 prototype vehicles critical to combat operations — increased manoeuvra - for flight test and evaluation by U.S. armed forces. bility, greater endurance, and the ability to operate at “Having proved the X2 Technology design to our - high altitudes. selves, we have full confidence we can now mature Compared to other light military helicopters, the X2 the technology for the U.S. Army’s light armed recon - Raider prototypes are expected to significantly reduce naissance helicopter size,” said Sikorsky President turning radius and acoustic noise signature, while sig - Jeffrey Pino. “Self funding the design of a brand new nificantly increasing the aircraft’s payload, flight light tactical helicopter – the Sikorsky S-97 – and endurance and hot and high hover capability. manufacturing two prototypes we have designated as “These attributes will enable the X2 Raider aircraft the Raider™ X2 helicopter will help military aviation to meet or exceed the potential U.S. Army requirements evaluate the viability of fast and manoeuvrable next for its next armed reconnaissance helicopter,” said generation rotorcraft in a variety of combat missions.” Doug Shidler, Sikorsky’s Light Tactical Helicopter In March 2010, Sikorsky submitted an X2 aircraft director. “If selected by the Army, the X2 Raider air - design to the Army’s Armed Aerial Scout (AAS) pro - craft design will enable high performance flight opera - s n gram in response to a request for information. The o tions in high altitude regions that currently pose chal - i t a v AAS program is currently conducting an analysis of lenges to today’s light military helicopters.” o n n i alternatives for the Army’s next armed reconnaissance Sikorsky will conduct its X2 Raider aircraft develop - y k s helicopter. Like the X2 Technology demonstrator that ment program utilizing military standards. The compa - r o k i broke the helicopter speed record, the X2 Raider pro - ny expects to conduct its first major program milestone s h

P totypes will feature twin coaxial counter-rotating main — a preliminary design review — in 2011. First flight, a r g rotors (in place of one main rotor and a tail rotor) and projected in four years, could depend in part on the o t o h a pusher propeller. pace of development and customer need. P helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 17 n ew

T eChnoloGy

EUROCOPTER X3 by alan norris

n 27th September 2010, and after months of specu - tical take-off and landing capabilities with fast cruise lation, the aviation media were finally given the speeds that are expected to be in excess of 220 knots. Oopportunity to see close up the Eurocopter heli - Eurocopter project engineers are keen to emphasis that copter concept demonstrator. the goal is not to break speed records, but to create an The X3 (the X cubed), which stands for high-speed, advanced transportation system that offers the speed of long-range Hybrid Helicopter, has been funded entirely out a turboprop-powered aircraft with the full hover capabil - of the company’s research budget and has been under ity of a helicopter. development for the last two and a half years. Eurocopter Technically, the X3 is neither a helicopter nor a com - began test flights of the X3 for the first time on 6th pound helicopter, but a hybrid of the two. The definition of September 2010, from the French military flight test centre a compound helicopter is an aircraft with a main rotor sys - at Istres in the South of tem that is driven by its France. engine for takeoff, hovering “Innovation is at the and landing, but has an addi - core of Eurocopter’s tional propulsion system that

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P 18 photographs courtesy of Alan Norris and Eurocopter helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 E U R O C b y

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e T e c . d h t R e s a , e e d u s h n - r l - . e h t f t y - ) - - e , i , e t HeliTech Portugal by georgina Hunter-Jones

eliTech Portugal 2010 was a much smaller suitable for this small composite helicopter, and they are and quieter affair this year. However, the looking at the possibility of obtaining a solar power Horganizers remained upbeat and, although source. They have decided to create a kit for many rea - they referred to the market as ‘challenging,’ they man - sons, including keeping the cost down. aged to attract 134 companies to exhibit at the show, The designer of the helicopter, Christophe Introini, who and 1,274 visitors. There was also a popular confer - worked on Thierry Andre’s concept, is a Puma helicopter engi - ence that included alternative fuels, training, safety neer who has also worked on the Gambal concept helicopter. and fire-fighting. Then, at the end of the first two The area of France where the helicopter was designed, afternoons, there was a stimulating fire-fighting dis - Lorraine, has historically moved back and forth between play by two Squirrels owned by Heli-Bravo. There German and French control. As a result of this, say the were also occasional indications that the downturn in designers, the people of the area have the benefits of both the market had led to some innovative ideas. systems: they are efficient like the Germans and flamboy - ant designers like the French. The region moreover has its t -

HAD1-T own aero-space-cluster. This is the result of many small 1 D a

One of these ideas was a new concept helicopter businesses getting together when the mining businesses in h D n from the design studios of Serolor. The HAD1- T the area collapsed, and local people needed employment. a s e

(Heli Air Design plus turbine) concept was created by Ground runs are projected for the end of December or n o J -

Serolor manager Thierry Andre, who has been work - January. Serolor is also hoping to find a partner to go in r e t n

ing with and supporting helicopters for the last fifteen with them in the production of their little helicopter in the u h

future. a

years. n i g The HAD1-T will be a two-place helicopter with r o e three main rotor blades and a small turbine engine, United Helicopter Services g s h P

and there will be a tail rotor rather than a fenestron. United Helicopter Services used HeliTech to announce a r g

As with the Rotorway turbine, they have chosen to their new alliance. UHS consist of HeliPortugal, SAF (a o t o convert an APU (auxiliary power unit) into an engine French company), Santay Air (a Turkish company), h P 20 helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 AS350s assisting Bombeiros Cascais

HeliBarra from Brazil and HeliCappo. Although these companies have been merged for several years, this is the first time they have given themselves a single uni - fying name. HeliPortugal was originally started in 1982 by a pilot as an off-shore company. The venture was financed by Steven Bond. Fifteen years ago it was bought by Pedro Silvera. As the off-shore market grew more competitive Heli Portugal looked for other outlets and began doing fire- fighting, then also charter and corporate flying. When HeliPortugal joined up with SAF three years ago, they were able to include EMS, VIP and televi - sion and utility work, as well as mountain rescue and SAR in France. In Portugal SAR work may only be done by the Air Force. As each one of the other com - panies joined HeliPortugal they all brought their own unique types of flying. Joining these five companies together, Pedro Silvera explains, allows them to use their strengths in a more effective way. UHS is now international, and it covers Europe, South America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, and it offers the full range of helicopter options from Heli Skiing and mountain rescue to SAR, fire HAD 1-T concept fighting, off-shore and EMS work. This, Silvera says, helicopter from gives both the company and the pilots a much wider Alsace-Lorraine range of options. helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 21 The apron outside the main Cascias terminal

UHS now has fifty-nine helicopters and four aero - planes. It employs 300 people.

Nordian AS Launched at HeliTec was Nordian AS’s new heli - copter training material. In a collaborative effort involving aviation experts from Norway, Spain, Italy and England, a complete set of material for training helicopter pilots is under development with support from the EU’s Leonardo da Vinci programme. The project will be completed by February 2011. The project, undertaken by Nordian and partners, will deliver material specially crafted for ATPL (IR), ATPL and CPL Helicopter students. Merlin EH101 Nordian has a long history in aviation. Beginning as an FTO established by the Norwegian Ministry of Defence, it is now a private business specializing in Kamov Ka- creating training material for fixed-wing flight train - 32A11BC

ing organizations. These training materials are in use P h o by FTOs throughout Europe. t o g r

“This is our foray into the Rotary segment,” said a P h

Mr. Tor Nordvik, CEO of Nordian AS. “We are c o u bringing all the experience that we have gained over r t e s the last several years to benefit the FTOs that train y o helicopter pilots.” f g e o

Cascais is a very beautiful area and an interesting r g i n

location to be in, and the show was a good start to a h u

what will, hopefully, turn out to be a much fuller and n t e more substantial show in future years. r - J o n e s

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continued from page 11 Wessex, where I needed all my rock-climbing skills to Hong Kong Wessex climb up the belly of the S-58 as it got into a pendulous Dear Georgina, swing. With GFS we were shown air/sea rescue tactics, I read the little article on Wessii in Hong Kong with and also chased smugglers stealing high value cars in great interest, too. (Wessii is the plural of Wessex, isn't dipans and racing to the Chinese mainland with them. it?) Rob Hewson and I flew with the RAF up in Sek Between the King Air on high with his radar, and our - Kong in 1997, just before the handover, when we also selves at low level with infra red, GFS could catch flew in the Blackhawks and the S.70's of Government them. Terrific Stuff. Flying Services. I did a drop on to a Royal Navy frigate Best wishes, in the South China Sea and a winch back up into a Austin (Aussie) Brown from Spain helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 23 Al Wasl 2010 A Short Flight over Dubai pictures by Georgina Hunter-Jones

lying over Dubai it is possible to see all the which had all been involved in the 19th century truce changes that have happened since the small set - with Great Britain. Ftlement was created in 1799. UAE has a Federal Presidential government system and Known as Al Wasl by British Historians in the 1820s, a constitutional monarchy. The President is Khalifa bin Dubai was an important trading port. In 1966, oil was Zayed al Nahyan, and the Prime Minister is discovered in the region which led to an influx of for - Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, who is also eign workers and the population grew by 300%. In Absolute Monarch of Dubai. 1971, the modern Emirate of Dubai was formed, and The current population is just under 5 million and they Dubai and Abu Dhabi and four other Emirates formed used the Dirham as currency. Main languages spoken the United Arab Emirates, replacing the Trucial States, are Arabic and English.

Above: City overview showing Burj Khalifa Burj a Arab . the world’s largest The Palm Jumeriah tower at 828 metres.

The Palm Jumeriah with Atlantis at the head and Burj a Arab at the tail. Atlantis was opened in September 2008. It has 1539 rooms and two monorail stations linking it with the Palm Jumeriah islands. Dubai Racecourse. Skeikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is an internationally successful racehorse owner. Inset: the new metro is par - tially built and one line is fully functioning s e n o J - r e t n u h a n i g r o e g s h P a r g o t o h P

helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 25 as the 007 aston Martin and goldfinger’s Hiller go under the hammer Rob Hields flies to London and finds VIPs Galore f you have never ventured into the heart of London at the last 11 years, the time had come to say goodbye! Not the controls of your own helicopter, I believe you are because the enjoyment of wrestling with a 50-year old, Imissing out on one of the essential elements in your poorly correlated piston engine had lost its attraction, or flying lifetime! With careful preparation, and good pre- indeed using the state of the art compass, whilst holding planning, it can be an extremely exciting and rewarding the map with my teeth at one point. Yes teeth, you cannot experience, one that it is indeed a pleasure to share with take your left hand off the lever of a Hiller without either family or friends alike. The weather on the day of my applying full friction or wedging it firmly with your left arrival was as good as it gets for VFR flying, and it made leg to ensure that your passenger, and overnight bag the whole trip one that I will remember for a long time, (separate items), remain firmly in positive G, in the spa - for many reasons! cious but slightly draughty cabin section of the aircraft! However, the purpose of my journey on that Monday (Write for details.) No, alas, just another victim of the morning in late October, certainly wasn’t for pleasure, recession, she had to go! Given that the Aston Martin even though I knew that I was about to be received with that James Bond famously reeked havoc with in the

, s great enthusiasm at the London Heliport, by not only the blockbuster film Goldfinger, was up for auction on the e n o J most professional staff one could imagine, but also by 27th October (my 56th birthday), it seemed a good idea - r e t celebrities, journalists, enthusiasts, and even the owner of at the time to offer as a nice accompaniment my Hiller, n u h

the prestige new hotel Verta: Mr Andrew Davis, the as it was indeed G ASAZ, which Pussy Galore flew in to a n i g

founder and Managing Director of the prestige Von Fort Knox with an atomic device strapped to the right r o e

Essen hotel group himself! In fact, given all this atten - hand skid and cross tubes! Indeed with Pussy at the con - g s h tion, it was indeed a distraction from the real reason I trols, and Auric Goldfinger in the left hand seat, Odd Job P a r was there. Sadly, after co-ordinating and paying for the in the middle, I reckon that the atomic device probably g o t o re-birth of my Hiller UH12E4 helicopter, G ASAZ, for needed as much as a dozen or so rods of Plutonium to h P 26 helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 Donald Standen creative director of Action Hero Events does his Sean Connery routine on the http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HftP9zJvIpE Battersea Helipad

Is this Pussy Galore flying in? Honor Blackman at the controls?

Bond awaits beauty?

, s e n o J - r e t n u h a n i g r o e g s h P a r g o t Well...almost o h P helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 27 maintain lateral C of G! Yes Pussy was a great pilot, Hotel Verta from but she just couldn’t add! And, with hindsight, she the Helipad should have been prosecuted by the CAA, for making such a hash of the weight and balance. The Hiller is obviously a big lifter, as I am pretty sure from my school days that Plutonium is certainly not light, nor is it as readily available as the Ammonium Nitrate weed killer we had to make do with to blow up the school tuck shop and adjoining bike sheds. (Who said chemistry and physics were boring!). So after take-off and departure from Sherburn in Elmet, and the farewell low-level flypast to the gath - ered crowd (Steve Jackson), I Settled in for the first leg of the mission and, passing Gamston at 1000 ft, I tightened up both the throttle and collective friction and set power at 20 inches manifold pressure. This enabled me to cruise at around 65 mph, and allowed me to relax and take breakfast before it went cold! Not having cooking facilities on board for long haul flights, I had prepared earlier, in my ex-London Fire Brigade control vehicle, a cooked breakfast of home made sausages (Starkey’s of Sherburn), dry cured back bacon, scrambled egg and tomato, with just one piece of fried bread! Mmmm, a lovely smell in the cockpit as I peeled back the Aluminium foil to reveal my handy-work. For those who don’t know me, I am a hobby chef, and an amateur food critic, and break - ing, we could clearly see Canary Wharf on our right. It was fast was accompanied by a hot flask of Assam tea. fantastic, and we arrived at the top of the Lee valley in per - Well, what mission? I was not only on route to the fect time to enjoy the sights of London. After being held for London Verta Hotel, but I also had to pick up James a few circuits of the new Olympic village, we were given the Bond at Elstree aerodrome first! Yes, Bond, James go ahead to route H4 via the Isle of Dogs. One thousand feet Bond. Alias Donald Standen. and 50 mph down the Thames, in a 50-year-old helicopter, After shutting down the 540 engine, and waiting with James Bond in the back. Need I say more? Flying over patiently for the rotor blades to stop, I staggered out HMS Belfast, Tower Bridge, passing such other famous land - of the cockpit, removed my earplugs, and looked marks as Westminster Palace, MI6, the London Eye, and the around the airfield. It was my first call in at Elstree, faces on the Japanese tourists in the top car were inspiring. so I didn’t just presume that the first handsome 6 foot Some chose to cover their eyes, others merely waved their 5 inch male in a dinner suit, with a slight bulge clear - arms in appreciation of what they were seeing! The flash of ly visible under his left armpit was my man, why their cameras made sure that the moment was indeed cap - should I? So a strolled up with humility and caution tured forever! Even Toby Ward and the staff of Hayward and said, “Standen, Donald Standen.” Aviation saw us fly past, and the fact that I owed them a few “Yes,” he replied, and held out a firm but sweaty quid, and had managed to lose my no-claims bonus thanks to right hand. Phew, what luck! I couldn’t believe how a couple of unfortunate prangs this season, were surely for - well things were going. Apart from spilling a mug of

gotten for at least a moment in the splendour of the afternoon , s

Assam down my recently washed flight overalls, run - e

sunshine! Well, all good things come to an end, and we were n o J

ning out of fuel, diverting to Panshangar, (closed on -

given clearance for a direct approach in to the heliport, and r e Mondays and every other day for helicopters), so far t n

were then marshalled to our selected parking area under the u so good! Could this mission be accomplished on time, h view of the staff and guests of the new and very imposing a n i and without incident? g Hotel Verta. Memories are indeed made of this! r o So after a good safety brief on how to jettison the e It’s worthy of mention that the staff and crew of the g s doors whilst ditching, and which cord to pull to inflate h P

London Heliport are without doubt professional and ultimate - a r

your life jacket, we set off for the City. Climbing to g

ly enthusiastic about their role. I was treated impeccably at o t

1000 feet in beautiful conditions on an easterly head - o all times, but do not forget that if you decide to call in at the h P 28 helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 Helipad from Hotel Verta

hilst the majority of the media coverage on Verta using the heliport, it is mandatory to receive a full RM Auction's Automobiles event in October briefing from the manager, Simon Hutchins, or one of his Wwas focused on the iconic 1964 Aston staff, before permission is granted to use this facility. I Martin DB5 driven by Sean Connery as James Bond in believe it is also now mandatory to have someone with Goldfinger, there was another film icon for sale: the you on your first visit who is familiar with the routine. I 1960 Hiller UH -12 E4 helicopter which was piloted had done the trip previously, some 18 years ago, but I felt by Honor Blackman as Bond girl Pussy Galore. more comfortable after chatting to Simon for 20 minutes RM Auctions estimated the Hiller at between or so and being brought up to speed on all the changes. £200,000 and £400,000, pointing out that the historic After the photo session, I was escorted through the hel - aircraft had been completely restored to the highest iport lounge directly into the hotel foyer for check-in. standards and was in full flying condition. In the event, Very Bond like! I was processed by a smartly uniformed, however, it failed to reach its reserve and was with - attractive receptionist, who managed to understand my drawn at £160,000. It is still for sale. Yorkshire accent without the aid of an interpreter The Hiller was built in California in 1960 by the (Yorkshire interpreters are a rare commodity in London). Hiller Aircraft Company, as G-ASAZ. In 1963 it fea - Indeed, this was made easier by my production of a Gold tured in its first screen role; a film called The VIPs, credit card. So I had arrived. Looking around one couldn't with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. In 1964 it help noticing how splendid and modern the foyer was as was flown in Goldfinger. s e it opened up into the restaurant area, with an enticing n The original Hiller type UH-12 was first flown in o J

- stairway leading to a bar and lounge area where the

r 1948 by the US Army. In 1949 the UH-12 was the first e t n reception had started in earnest. As thirsty as I was, how - helicopter to make the transcontinental flight from u h ever, I needed a shower and change for the occasion. I a California to New York. It went on to be used as the n i g was escorted to my room on the second floor by a friend - r work-horse for various militaries, for crop spraying o e ly porter, who never stopped smiling. He smiled even g and heavy lifting jobs and also for film work. s h

P more as I fumbled around in my overalls and pulled out a As well as VIPs and Goldfinger, the Hiller had a a r g crisp new fiver.

o starring role in the television film Heartbeat. Rob t o h continued on page 46 Hields intends to continue the Hiller’s film work. P helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 29 Mr Brown goes up to Torrance Sean Brown from HeliAir flies the R66 with Doug Tompkins, Chief Test Pilot, Robinson Training Centre: this is his story

o the casual observer the new turbine Robinson R66 pedals and lift of smoothly, we lifted gracefully airborne just looks like the R44 and I have been known to and I felt totally in control. Tdescribe the R66 as an R44 on steroids; I was wrong. In hover taxi I noticed immediately how responsive the Pre-flight inspection. lever and turbine were and how little power we were Two things struck me as we walked around and inspected the pulling (70% torque with two up and full fuel). One of the various components: drawbacks of a turbine is often the turbine lag which means 1) How big the helicopter is. you tend to hold the position with the cyclic, trying to pre- 2) How easy it was to inspect all the components of the heli - empt the power requirements of the helicopter. The lever copter. and turbine sensitivity on the R66 is so precise and smooth My first thought as I settled in to the well-padded large seat this has to be the easiest helicopter I have ever flown was the amount of room in the cockpit. No more polite body So it’s time to lift. I pull in 100% power whilst feeding shuffles as I allow my passenger to fit his seat harness first; in forward cyclic and off we climb like a home sick angel, there is plenty of room. 2000 feet per minute! Start-up: Out into the harbour area we are cruising at 70% torque Now the scary bit, the turbine start! at 117 kts and amazingly no massive pedal movements. Well, not so on the R66, it is simple: double check the throttle Turns at 30 degrees of bank, climbs and descents are a is fully closed and the fuel control is pulled out, then press the breeze. Settling with power (vortex ring) was easy to cor - starter button once, wait for 15% N1 push the fuel control in rect, she is hard to get into that state and gives you plenty fully and watch the turbine smoothly light up. You only have of warning (she is so smooth that the early judders show to react if the measured gas temperature goes above 810˚ for very quickly) and little height loss.

More upper air work before Doug decided it was time to n

10 seconds or the engine doesn’t light up in 3 seconds. w o head back to the airfield for the dreaded auto rotations. r

On my start the light up was barely out of the green before b n

Dreaded because I have always hated doing them. a

it peaked and settled to a comfortable ground idle at 64 % N1. e s

Oil pressure in the green, generator on and wait 1 minute for No mercy from Doug though! On the way back a f o y warm up. To be honest my checks took all of 3 minutes! And hydraulics failure drill and wow the controls are heavy! s e t

We flew a circuit ending in a long final for an autorota - r winding up the throttle I was not even close to the 50% torque u o limit. tion to a power recovery. Doug came on the controls and c s h P

Flight: showed me that it was necessary to close the throttle before a r g

Ready for flight I did what I was taught on the R44, bring in lowering the lever to contain the N2. Down we glided o t o the power until she is light on the skids readjust cyclic and almost in slow motion, and the real scary bit of opening the h P 30 helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 H e l i A ir RRobinsono b i n s o n DistributorD i s t r i b u t o r

HeliHeli Air is pleased ttoo announce the imminent ararrivalrival ooff the ffirstirirst R66 being prproducedoducedoduced ffororor the UK markmarket.et.

Hatches open to form three The turbine KeyKey steps to the engine, with large FeaturesFeatureatures viewing panel rotorhead of the The firstfirst EuropeanEuropean pilot ttoo be certifiedcertified on the R66, R66 SeanSean Brown,Brown,wn, Managing DirDirectorector of Heli Air,Air, states:states: “ I wwantedanted ttoo fflyly the R66 frfromom a cuscustomer’stoomer’smer’s perperspective.spective. throttle and rejoining the needles was a breeze, in the flare! ThisThis helicopthelicopterer has eeverythingveerrything an oownerwner wwouldooulduld wish fforor Comfortable in a helicopthelicopter.erer.. Yes that’s right the Roll Royce RR300 engine is so 120kt cruise speed FForor tthehe privateprivate owner;owwner;ner; thethe perperformanceformmanceance and comfcomfortort of tthishis smooth you don’t need to worry about joining the needles at Very low noise and hhelicopterhelicoptelicopteerr puts it in a league of its ownown vibration in the cabin 100 feet and screwing up your flare height due to the dis - FForor tthehe flyingflying school;school; thethehe safetysafety marginsmargins and engine Large luggage storage mmonitoringmonitonitoring sysystemsteemm makmakee it a delight forfor instructorsinstructuctors and traction of joining the needles. Just start a gentle increasing sstudentstudents alikalikee Engine Monitoring Unit flare at 40 feet and before you lower the nose, join the nee - for peace of mind for FForor tthehe air chartercharter operoperator;ator; at last a helicopterhelicopteerr withwith knownknown operators ooperatingoperperating costs whichwhich can actuallyactually taketake 5 people and theirtheir bbaggagebaggaggage forfor 3 hours overover 300 miles on one fuel tank dles, lower the nose and raise the collective. Sets new standards in safety terms of FForor tthehehe commerical operator;operator; a truetrue cost efeffectivefeectivctive workhorseworkhorse Wow, I was impressed, my first auto and it was dead on, power margins and wwhichwhichich has full multi rolerole capability certification standards that’s how superb the R66 is to handle. I havehave ooverver 115,0005,000 hourshours and 32 types on mmyy commercommercialcial Ease of operation llicenceicence and this is the besbestt helicopthelicopterer I hahaveve eeverver fflown.”lown.” Up we go again and buzzing with excitement we do a 180 and maintenance PPleaselease contact our dedicatdedicatededed markmarketingeting teamteam fforor details of hohoww wwee can arrangearrange Low capital yyourour perpersonalsonal R66 experience atr our 5 convconvenientenient bases in the UK and Ireland.Ireland. engine off landing onto the tarmac runway. I say we, howev - and operating costs er Doug has such confidence in the R66 he sat there and let 0178901789789 470474704766 HeliAir.comHeliAir.com R66@[email protected] me get on with it, no hands all over the controls. I couldn’t believe this helicopter in auto rotation, the rate of descent who wrecked your engine are a thing of the past, check the was so gentle and coupled with the high inertia in the blades EMU on power on and the evidence is there for all to see. every engine-off landing was a real pleasure and the grin on That being said the useful payload is so good rarely will a my face kept getting bigger. student ever get near any limiting factors. Eventually Doug decided it was time for engine failure in For the commercial operator you have a helicopter that the hover manoeuvres and let me set up the first one. So makes economical sense. Operationally, this is a comfort - like all good cheats I hovered at about the height I would able five seat helicopter with plenty of baggage room and a perform this in an R22. Rolling off the throttle we just sank sensible cruise speed. Additionally with fixed costs and the gently to the ground and landed normally with a slight raise fact it will do the 2000 hours to overhaul you can actually of the collective and no massive left swing, a total non feel confident when quoting for work as you have a good event. The next engine off in the hover was started at the idea of your actual costs. Gone are the days of working out highest I would have been comfortable doing on in an R44. costs based on component times to half life inspections Again still a non event so we went higher, way above the then having a shock that the component is scrap at half life! height I would do one in an R44 or a JetRanger. This time a I have to take my hat off to Frank and his team at slight lowering of the collective initially, then raising the Robinson with the R66. As a lead distributor of Robinson lever to cushion the landing still with lever to spare. products, Heli Air will be proud to sell and support this fan - Finally the worst part of the whole flight, I had to taxi tastic helicopter. My team are excitedly looking forward to back to parking and shut down! receiving the first R66 produced for the UK ship no 16. In conclusion Wow! What a machine, I have over 15,000 hours flying R66 has different coloured gearbox oil n everything from an R22 to a 747 and this beats them all! w

o from the R44 r For the private owner you will never have had such huge b n

a safety margins in power, ease of operation, speed and pas - e s

f senger comfort in a helicopter before. o

y For the flying school operator you have all you could s e t

r have dreamed for in a training and self fly hire helicopter. u o

c The margins are so large in terms of handling and inertia s h

P that I can see all instructors feeling happy to let the students a r

g actually flare and land in an engine off. o t o

h With the Engine Monitoring unit the days of guessing P helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 31 32 Winter 2010

aerogulf Helicopter services over dubai

by Georgina Hunter-Jones

Pictures by Georgina Hunter-Jones and courtesy of Aerogulf Helicopter Services 33 Bell approaching the Khalifa tower

erogulf Helicopter Services, Chief Pilot David Butler thanks to the shallow nature of the coastal plateau, explained, has not been hit as hard by the recession as are some distance out from the coast. On the rigs Asome of the other operators in the area, owing to its they are completely self-sufficient, with both fuel wide variety of work. The operators most affected by the and accommodation available. downturn in the Middle East were those who relied entirely The construction industry was booming in the on tourism and VIP flights. Here, the recession has actually early part of this century and Aerogulf were been of benefit to Aerogulf, by forcing its competitors out of extremely busy, both in the city and in other parts of the tourist market, leaving a void that Aerogulf has been the Emirates. However, with the world’s downturn, happy to fill. The majority of Aerogulf’s helicopter work, Dubai’s construction industry slowed enormously however, is in the oil and gas industry, and in construction, and there was a period of reconsolidation. This was both in Dubai itself and elsewhere. the infamous time when the world’s press was full Aerogulf started in 1976 with fixed wing aircraft, and later of stories about abandoned Mercedes at Dubai provided support to the oil and gas industry using one Bell Airport. 206, a single engine helicopter that today would not be able to Gradually construction has returned to the city, obtain certification to fly out to the oil rigs: all helicopters and with it the use of helicopters for lifting towers and other jobs. However, as one ‘old Dubai hand’ doing over-water work must now be twin engine aircraft. f L u

Since 1984 they have been contracted by Dubai Petroleum, remarked, “those boom times will never completely g o r and have also worked with the well-named company DuGas, return. We are all too aware of the bust times.” e a f which has now merged with Dubai Petroleum. They have also Outside Dubai city, Aerogulf does lifting and o y s e undertaken work in the region for about 40 companies, includ - construction work in the Northern Emirates and in t r u ing Shell, Chevron, Conoco Phillips and other major compa - surrounding countries. One of these is Oman, where o c s nies. They subsequently moved on to the Bell 212 and were they work in the Musandam Peninsula, located in h P a r

soon using them for construction work as well as oil and gas. the northern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, and also g o t

They keep one Bell 212 constantly out on the oil rigs, which, provide support to Petroleum Development Oman o h P 34 helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 Heavy lift in the middle of the city

(PDO) in central Oman. Oman is a large country but is cur - rently without its own civil helicopter company; the only heli - copters in the country are used by the military and the royal flight. In most Gulf countries the military do the work that would be done by civilian operators in Europe and America. This is because in many countries civil companies simply do not exist. Aerogulf is owned by a consortium of local businessmen. As the tourist market in Dubai grew, leading to the construc - tion of huge hotels like Atlantis, so the consortium realised the value of helicopters to the tourist market. Tourist flights have been conducted since 1990 and are now being re-empha - sised at Aerogulf, which also undertakes filming, aerial pho - tography and general charter work. Making films is a big market in this area: Mission Impossible Four is currently being filmed in Dubai, along with many advertisements and short commercials. Dubai is also popular with filmmakers f L u g from SE Asia, including Bollywood and Lollywood (the film o r e industry in Pakistan). a f o Aerogulf is now moving its offshore work to the AW139, y s e

t and has been restructuring its management and engineering to r u o accommodate this change of machine. However, although c s h they will be bringing in experienced pilots to fly the AW139 P a r

g and to train their staff, they will not be losing any of their cur - o t o rent pilots, who will either be used on the Bell 212s, or be h P helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 All three pictures Oman is currently show the Bell 212 without its own civil doing construction helicopter company work in Oman

trained to fly the new machines. would be impossible for her to work in the Emirates, but Robert Denehy, Manager of Aerogulf, says they may she quickly discovered she was wrong, and became a sell one of the Bell 212s, and lease out the rest, either ground instructor at Horizon. However, she really wanted with or without pilots. He stressed that, although the to fly and, after talking to a fellow New Zealander, dis - restructuring had been a time of upheaval and change, it covered that there was nothing in the GCAA (General had been very good for the company, by allowing free Civil Aviation Authority formerly called the DCGA – discussion and many notable improvements. Dubai Civil Aviation Authority) to prevent her working. Aerogulf affiliate companies were one of the early pur - After further research she discovered that the Chief Pilot chasers of options for the 609 Tiltrotor. However, the day of Aerogulf, David Butler, was looking for another pilot on which Bell and Agusta release these on to the market and he asked her to come for interview. seems to be growing further and further away. It is now She has been flying at Aerogulf for four years now, set at 2014. Robert Denehy is also Chairman of the and is rated on the Bell 206 and the Bell 212. She has BA609 Industry Steering Committee, and he is keen that had no problems at all flying locals, either on tourism they should be able to use the 609, as it seems suitable flights or out to the oilrigs. In fact, the only sexist remark for a number of unique roles that no other aircraft in she ever heard came from a British oil worker. Funny existence can undertake successfully. how people travel miles, but keep their own cultural atti - Aerogulf employs fifteen pilots and eighty personnel tudes! overall. The pilots tend to be ex-pats, because they have Aerogulf also have a fully developed maintenance arm the right qualifications and type ratings. Pilots come from in their organisation, and they can even do their own a mixture of civilian and military backgrounds. Aerogulf machine work and major overhauls. They are sometimes s is the only company to have married arrangements in the contracted to do work for local airlines, and are looking e n o J region for all its employees. This means that they encour - to obtain EASA and FAR certification, to enable them to - r e t age workers to bring their families to Dubai, and to make work for foreign companies based nearby: in n u h their home here, rather than employing people on a rota - Afghanistan, for example, where companies operate a a n i g tional basis, so that they return to their own countries in large number of Huey IIs and other aircraft, and the r o e their time off. Dubai is fortunate, in that it has good NGOs use many helicopters to get around the country. g D n schools based on the British system, so there is no diffi - They also undertake co-operative ventures with multina - a f L u culty in resettling families in the region. tional companies. g o r

Aerogulf is also one of the few helicopter operators to Robert Denehy says that the maintenance side is e a f employ women pilots. They currently employ two female already fully functional for AW139 support, and that o y s e pilots: one is Sarah Currie, a former Squadron Leader in more than half the pilots were type-rated before the air - t r u the New Zealand Air Force. Currie originally came to the craft arrived. Aerogulf has also found a new Head of o c s

Emirates when her husband was employed by Horizon Training with AW139 ratings, who is a check airman and e r u t

International Flight Academy. She initially thought it c

highly experienced on the aircraft. i P 36 helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 Aerogulf do a lot of con - tract work in Oman and the Northern Emirates

Sarah Currie Aerogulf pilot and Chief Pilot David Butler

Throughout the years Aerogulf has experienced steady growth. From 1995 until 2005, there was a particularly active period of change, followed by a slight plateau period. However, it is now back on track, and with its new machines it will be servicing the tourism market as it once again grows over the coming years. To service the tourism market more appropriately, Aerogulf now has an operating location outside the airport, which will not need such strict security measures as the air - port requires. The new location is at the Golf and Yacht Club alongside Dubai Creek, a place they have used for flights in the past. It has proved to be an excellent venue, both for the company and for passengers, and it enables them to do flights seven days a week. Samson at the Aerogulf office Dubai Airport

Robert Denehy Manager Aerogulf

Aerogulf fuelling before the flight over Dubai 37 helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 bengaluru Fills the skies Looking at the coming Aero India Show by Georgina Hunter-Jones, pictures courtesy of Guneet Kaur, plus Pawan Hans, Deccan and Eurocopter

Aero India takes place at Yelahanka near machine call sign VT-GPL was assembled in Delhi on Bangalore from 9 to 13 February 2011. 29th September 2010 by Bayard Dupont, Dir Product This is always a good show and a good indicator of Support, Enstrom and is awaiting ferry to Bhubaneshwar. the market in India, so Helicopter Life asked manu - We are hoping to finalise deals for two more Enstrom facturers and operators what we could hope to see on 480B's and one 280FX before the end of the year.” display at the show and how the general helicopter Anthony Moreland, Executive for Sikorsky India market in India was faring in these recessive times. explained Sikorsky’s position in the Indian helicopter market: “At present we are seeing increased activity in roup Captain Labru from Monarch International, both the military and commercial segments. We are very r

Enstrom dealers in India, said: “We have not as near a decision point with the Maharashtra State govern - e t P o

of now decided whether or not to put up a stall in ment for a single S-76 where we have been short-listed. c o

G r Bengaluru Air Show. We did participate in 2008 show, Additionally, we are working with several commercial u e f though we had no machine on display that time.” customers to finalize their requirements. o y s

On the current market in India he says: “We have not With respect to the defence sector, we have been e t r u

done much of a chartering this year due a silent slump in down-selected on the Indian Navy Multi-Role program o c h

the aviation business in India. However, we sold one where we submitted our S-70B Anti Shipping and Anti P a r

Enstrom 480B machine to Orissa Stevedores Limited in Submarine aircraft. With this decision, we move onto the g o t o

Bhubaneshwar (Orissa) under Private category. The flight trial stage of the evaluation. Additionally, we are h P

38 helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony India 2010

working several requirements for the Indian Coast Guard to increase our support structure there. Most recently, On the commercial side, we currently have a supply we announced the selection of Air Deccan as our serv - chain agreement with Tata Advanced Systems Limited ice facility for the S-76 class aircraft.” (TASL) to source our S-92 cabin for worldwide distribu - Summing up Sikorsky’s position in India, he said: tion. Recently, we hosted a ceremony to celebrate the “Our products serve both military and commercial unveiling of the first cabin produced in India. applications throughout the world and in a variety of In addition to the work above, we also have signed an climates and altitudes. We are very proud that foreign agreement with Tata to source the actual parts required to militaries and international customers select our aircraft make the cabin and are awaiting an industrial licence.” based on proven performance and reliability. However, I asked about the civilian side of the Indian market, he we never stop making improvements to our products replied: “The civilian side of the Indian market, although and are considering enhancements that would increase small, is very important to Sikorsky. We have delivered the capability of our products for the unique Indian five S-76 class aircraft into this segment over the last 18 environment.” months and continue to make investments and agreements Moreland said, “Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation is r u a k t e e n u g f o y s e t r u o c Lama in the s h

P The civilan mar - Garwal Hills at a r g ket though small o an ITBP forward t o h is important helipad 1996-7 P 39 helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 Guneet Kaur pilot of the Dauphin AS365N3. Insert left: Course 3SSC(W)PC was the first to allow women pilots to fly in the IAF. They passed out in 1995 and went into civilan aviation. Two (Sumita Vijayan far right and Guneet Kaur) are still flying commercially, some others are returning to flying after a period of motherhood. Insert right: Guneet at the con - trols of Pawan Hans AS365N3 very proud to return to the Aero India show. We will have There are twenty three civil and government customers a booth as well as at least one aircraft on static display. In currently operating Eurocopter’s helicopter products in addition to an aircraft we will have numerous senior staff India, performing duties that range from the support of members from the corporation in attendance. offshore oil and gas drilling to VIP, corporate and passen - In sum, we are pleased with our results so far and look ger transportation. forward to the future as we announce several exciting In addition to reinforcing these current markets, developments.” Eurocopter also is working with Indian institutions, com - In October, Eurocopter inaugurated its new Indian sub - panies and associations to develop new markets such as sidiary. Eurocopter India has been given the goal of law enforcement, helicopter emergency medical services expanding the manufacturer’s commercial presence, rein - (HEMS), disaster management and utility. forcing its support and services network throughout the Verve said: “Eurocopter’s AS365 Dauphin is India’s country, and developing the company’s four-decade rela - preferred helicopter for off-shore, para-public and govern - tionship with Indian industry. ment transport; while the EC135, EC145 and AS350 Eurocopter India will have its headquarters in New Squirrel/Astar family are perfectly tailored to India’s Delhi. There is already a facility in Bangalore for the emergency medical services and law enforcement duties. management of industrial activity, and an engineering The AS350 and EC130 meet Indian operational needs in centre will be created there next year, along with the passenger transport, VIP service and tourism. opening of a new commercial office in Mumbai. They Eurocopter’s EC225 Super Puma responds to India’s currently employ thirty people but this is expected to deepwater offshore mission requirements and for search grow significantly during the coming years as the compa - & rescue operations, which will be reinforced with the ny evolves its commercial, industrial and services/support company’s new EC175 – which has the range and pay - presence in the country. load capabilities required in India’s west and east coast

, r

Eurocopter India CEO Marie-Agnès Veve said: “The basins.” u a k

Indian helicopter industry has great potential for expan - Joseph Saporito, Eurocopter’s Executive VP t e e n sion, given the country’s growing economy, its size and Commercial Helicopters added. “The Indian helicopter u g the challenging terrain, as well as the industrial potential.” sector has been growing at an annual rate of 20 percent, h P a r

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i h s n l i s - t t n a e l l n i r e - h - h - t r - e e Lord of the Mountain

rom the airport of Ljubljana-Brnik, Slovenia, a has been held since it came into existence in 2002, oddly bilateral exercise involving Hungary and Slovenia as a Hungarian afterthought. Ftook place in the beautiful scenery of the Slovenian This year’s edition saw the participation of a Alps. Every year aircrews from the Hungarian and Slovenian AS.532AL Cougar (H3-71 or H3-72), a Slovenian Air Forces come together for the exercise Hungarian Mil Mi-24 (716) and a Mil Mi-17 (707), both know as: ‘Lord Mountain’. from MH.86 HE, based at Szolnok, Hungary. This year, the exercise took place from the 6 to 17th The Hungarians flew a specially painted Mi-24 September, and was hosted by the 15 Brigada Helicopter (Csorike II) to Ljubljana-Brnik airport. They originally Battalion, stationed at Ljubljana-Brnik airport. wanted to bring a standard painted Mi-24, but some tech - This was the ninth time the Lord Mountain exercise nical problems rendered it unable to depart from where it

42 helicopter LIFE ,Winter 2010 words and pictures by Cristian Schrik and Elmar Keetman helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 43 Specially painted Mi-24 (Csorike 11) flown by the Hungarians

is based in Szolnok. altitude increases, which changes the flying characteris - The purpose of the exercise is to train Hungarian air - tics of the helicopter. crews in mountain flying, in which they have little expe - “Not only engines, but also main and tail rotors are rience, and, moveover to give them experience at various much less effective in high altitude (and also high tem - altitudes. At the same time, the Slovenians are training perature) environment than they are close to sea level”, their new aircrew to become familiar with the Alps. The explains Capt. Ogrinc. Slovenian aircrews exchange their knowledge of moun - Emergency procedures, such as mountain autorota - tain flying with the Hungarian aircrew, who are engaged tions, are also part of the exercise. in preparing for an upcoming deployment to Afghanistan, The helicopter pilots’ mountain training begins in the where mountain flying is much more common. low plain. Although initially they select the large and “Although the highest mountain in Slovenia would be clean HLS, they try to limit their use as the training pro - the lowest in Afghanistan, the training is very effective,” gresses. explained exercise director Captain Ales Ogrinc. The same thing occurs in the mountains. First they “If this kind of deployment goes ahead,they should be select low, large and clean HLS, then on the next level able to work with various other helicopters.” Capt. the spots are smaller, and so they continue, step by step, Ogrinc added, explaining that the pilots must be ISAF and higher and higher. qualified. The exercise starts at an altitude of 1500 meters and The ISAF qualification includes such items as sea and increases up to the highest HLS in use, at an altitude of land survival, desert training and mountain flying. 2558 meters on Grintavec mountain. Fifteen different helicopter landing sites (HLS) are During the exercise, both aircrews are constantly in available in the Kamniško-Savinjske, Karavanke and radio contact with each other, talking through the various Julian Alps, and they all have their own level of difficul - procedures and flight directions and helping to establish ty depending on the obstacles around the landing zone, the best possible way to land at an HLS. For example, mountain walls, houses, antennae, wind The Slovenian aircrew will monitor the Hungarians and various different kinds of soil. from their Cougar and give their advice if it is needed. In addition, helicopter performance is part of the exer - Exchanges between the aircrews also take place during cise, because air pressure and oxygen decrease as the the exercise, when the passengers board each other’s hel -

helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 44 The purpose of the exercise is to train Hungarian air - crews in mountain flying icopters. During the exercise, the aircrew will fly ten to are allowed to use the ranges in Hungary, with their twelve flight hours a week, as they work towards a satis - Pilatus PC-9 aircraft and Bell 412 and EC 725 Cougar factory outcome. helicopters. The Lord Mountain exercises are part of a Slovenian- This year the Lord Mountain pilots flew 23 hours Hungarian defence exchange. In return for providing week for two weeks, which made a total of 45 flying training in mountain flying, the Slovenian Armed Forces hours overall.

The Cougar crew monitor the training

The exercise starts at an altitude of 1500 metres and increases to 2558 metres on Grintavec mountain helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 45 how fantastic our 007 double looked! “Does that make one 00 007, or 007007?” I can remember asking Donald after my 7th Peroni in the hour on an empty stomach! It was certainly a hoot tasting the fabulous canapés in such distinguished company and such a fabulous venue, and after reassuring the waiter that my comment about his overcooked steak tar - tar was merely a joke, he accepted a friendly slap on the back, as I took a handful of other delights from his tray. Oh, the culture was evident every - where. Although I tried hard to be snapped by the photographer from Hello magazine, I was only caught out by some slippery Paparazzi just as I was putting the world to right with three Robert Noshmore-Hields gorgeous local business-women! Some people putting the world to rights have all the luck! Next issue Rob Hields will continue his story with a review of the Hotel Verta continued from page 29 As I closed the door behind me, I was drawn to the window Honore Blackman, having saved by the arrival of an S76. Nothing unusual about that you may the world in Hiller G-ASAZ think, but no, there was something that kept my attention as it taxied in and shut down near my gleaming UH12. Could it be that with over 20 years experience in the business, 6000 odd hours P1 and a dozen types, I was an anorak as well? No, what held my attention was the noise, or should I say, lack of it! On further inspection I could make out that the hotel win - dow as large as it was, with such a panoramic view, was indeed triple glazed, and quiet. I love a quiet hotel room. In hindsight, a full brief about the high-tech switches would not have gone amiss for such a techno-phobe as me, but the bathroom, where I was heading, sported friendly triple chrome plated knobs and taps reassuringly simple to use, and I enjoyed a good 15 minute deluge in the luxurious glass show - er, under a rose the size of a dessert plate. I actually contem - plated taking a bath, merely to use the sunken flat screen TV in the wall opposite, but I was keen to make the bar in good time for the on-going reception. The rooms are beautifully decorated, modern, and luxurious, the beds are huge and very comfortable. I can only comment on the drawers being a little small, and the high tech switches challenged me on my retire - ment from memory, as I resorted to pulling out the pass-key

from the wall mount, to switch off all the lights, crawling s e n o

back to bed for a good nights sleep! J - r e

After my shower I selected suitable attire from my t n u

wardrobe, and was duly transformed from the pilot in the tea- h a n stained overalls, to the slightly eccentric Yorkshire gentleman i g r o and food critic, Robert Noshmore-Hields. e g y

On arrival in the bar I was met by Georgina Hunter-Jones, b s h

who had kindly stopped back for a drink (or six), to catch up P a r with such topics as the state of the industry, and of course the g o t o

whole country, the Hotel Verta itself, London Heliport and h P 46 helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010

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o call: 07973 985186 t o h P helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 47 The Right stuff How the role of women in helicopters has developed by Georgina Hunter-Jones

enny Body, Head of Business Development at Airbus duty in Iraq, one as a combat-ready-captain, and she is UK, started her talk at the Women in Aviation and now ready for deployment in Afghanistan. JAerospace Conference by saying how wonderful it Watkinson started her talk by saying that “there is no was that a conference, which would once have focused differentiation made between male and female pilots, we on women being in aviation at all, now focused on avia - all train the same and do the same job.” tion subjects with merely an aside to the effect that all This is in stark contrast to her grandmother, who was the speakers were women. This was very much the in the army and had to give up her commission when she theme of the conference, and it was emphasised and married, and in whose days women were frequently reemphasised by the speakers: that in aviation, and espe - “promoted faster than the men so that the young lieu - cially military aviation, men and women do the same tenants could open the door for the female captains with - jobs, for the same pay and with the same reliability. This out feeling embarrassed!” is how aviation currently stands, and although there are Having got a first in Astrophysics at Durham fewer women in aviation, and they do have their own University, Watkinson did initial officer training (her issues, such as maternity care and work breaks, the Northumbrian UAS flying training was on the Bulldog majority of women in aviation feel equal to men in terms and Tutor), and was then deployed to Qatar in support of of treatment and pay. Operation TELIC, with a Tornado GR4 squadron. She There were two helicopter-based speakers at the con - then began helicopter-flying training at the Defence f ference: Flt Lt Joanna Watkinson, an RAF pilot flying Helicopter Flying School at RAF Shawbury, on the a r f the Merlin, and Lt Hazel Davis, 1710 Naval Air AS350 Squirrel and the twin engine Griffin HT1. She o y s e

Squadron, Royal Navy. The audience, although mainly was awarded the RAF flying brevet in October 2006, and t r u made up of those in fixed wing aviation, also contained a was posted to 28 (Army Cooperation) Squadron to fly o c s few in the helicopter industry, including a Rolls Royce the Merlin EH101. h P a r

Aeronautical Engineer, Shamina Walters. Watkinson says that, just as the RAF had originally g o t

Flt Lt Joanna Watkinson has completed two tours of clicked for her, so did the Merlin. What she liked was the o h P 48 helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 Bell Huey in the Vietnam conflict doing medivac, pilots landed where they could. Photograph courtesy of the US Army

“50 foot option” flying with a machine so large, and full surrounded by concrete blocks to keep the sleeper safe. of people at 50 foot across the ground was something so She says that in Basra it was not uncommon to have 30 special that she simply wasn’t interested in going into mortar rounds a day. fast jets, or transferring to the army to fly Apaches. Balanced against this, is the fact that Watkinson loves The rigorous selection process for the Merlin included her job, and sees it making a difference. She said, “Basra anthropometric tests. “Your arms and legs,” she explains, has been transformed from a place where all the aircraft “had to be the right size. They were not going to rebuild came back with holes, to somewhere where the children the helicopter simply so shorter armed women could fly now play rather than throw stones.” them!” When flying the Merlin out to Iraq they also noticed When she was ‘lent’ to a US squadron she discovered some differences in the local cultures. When talking to that she was the first woman in three years to meet the the ATC in Saudi the crew thought the radio must be size requirements. faulty, as whenever Jo made a call there was no reply. Watkinson says that “the mental and physical demands However, when her co-pilot (male) made the call instead of war are often cited as the reasons for not having it appeared that the radio was now working! women in the war zone – however, these zones are hard She also found that in the ladies lavatories in Saudi on both sexes, and we are trained to do our job, and not there was a suitable level of dress. There were five entry to get distracted.” doors, presumably to keep women very safe, and on each The physical requirements, she explains, include 16- door it indicated what level of dress was appropriate, hour days, without much sleep in the two-month deploy - from full-face cover on the first door, to ‘mufi’ on the ments. The crews use NVGs and these can be heavy final one! (with the helmet and counterweight they weigh 3.5 kg), She ended her talk with a video of her time in Basra, y m r and tiring on the eyes. Temperatures outside are 54 and by saying that “Men and women are different, but a s degrees centigrade in the summer, which inside the cock - these strengths and weaknesses should be balanced. We u f o pit means around 60 degrees, which is physically and all do exactly the same job in a front-line helicopter y s e

t mentally exhausting. Crews must also carry all the kit squadron.” r u o they need. If they are on call they have 30 minutes to be Lt Hazel Davis joined the Royal Navy in 2004 as a c s h up and ready: her record is 15 minutes from fast asleep Direct Graduate Entrant (Air Engineer). She did a degree P a r

g to on duty! in Aeromechanical Systems Engineering at the Royal o t o Watkinson showed pictures of the ‘coffin beds’ – beds Military College of Science at Cranfield University, but h P helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 49 Flt Lt Joanna Watkinson RAF Merlin EH101 pilot Lt Hazel Davis RN was then not sure which way to go. She decided that the engine, mostly because the engineer who had become the RAF did not appeal, and she worked for a short time in focal point for all the Gnome engine expertise was leav - a lawyer’s office before applying to the Navy. She had ing, and he passed much of his experience and knowledge two years training at Dartmouth, including a placement on to her. “He was,” she says, “very generous with his on an aircraft carrier, and was then appointed to the knowledge.” However, she points out that he was the focal Commando Helicopter Force based at RNAS Yeovilton. point of the knowledge while he was there, but when he Three weeks later she was in Iraq, based in Basra, and left and she took over his position it became much more the Senior Engineer in charge of 60 people. team focused, which is illustrative of the way both female She says, “Iraq was a good experience and the ideal and younger workers interact. place to learn about the job as helicopters return from She also said that Rolls Royce is an equal opportunities the front in all types of conditions.” employer, and very good at allowing career breaks. As she She was working with C17s and Sea Kings. She says pointed out, “the flexible working arrangements at Rolls she prefers working with helicopter squadrons as they Royce mean that women returning from maternity leave have a larger fleet, and the engineering is more varied. are able to return to pure engineering or business roles Davis is currently based at the Royal Naval Air part-time.” Engineering and Survival Equipment School at HMS One thing I found interesting watching the conference Sultan in Gosport in Hampshire. As her husband is also speakers was their certainty that, even allowing for the odd an Air Engineering Officer they have to learn to balance problem, equality was a given. In our culture you can their life and work together, but at the moment they are expect equality and if you don’t get it you can fight for it: s e posted close to each other. other cultures are not so lucky. It is there that the fight for n o J -

Davis says, “the services are well adapted for women equality really needs to be looked at, but that challenge is r e t n in all sectors.” a lot harder to resolve. u h

Shamina Walters did a degree in Aeronautical a n i g

Engineering at Bristol University, followed by an eight - r o e een-month graduate training scheme at Rolls Royce. g D n a “This,” she says, “was the traditional route for gradu - f a

ates 14 years ago.” r f She started in combustion engineering before moving o y s e to the business side of Rolls Royce. She then worked in t r u o

performance engineering, mostly on helicopters, and c s h

she said that she “learnt a lot from more experienced, P a r longer serving engineers.” g o t

Ft Lt Jo Watkinson and colleagues o

Walters also became an ‘expert’ on the Gnome h P LIFE 50 helicopter , Winter 2010 securing britain in an age of Uncertainty

How the Defence Spending Review will affect the helicopter fleets

n the Autumn, the British government announced that, Wildcats bought by the Navy is secure, the report does over the next five years, it was going to reduce the say the numbers of maritime helicopters should be Imanpower of its Armed Forces. This is in order to tack - “aligned to the overall size of the future maritime force le a £38 billion ($60.50 billion) inherited deficit, a deficit structure”. This is worth watching since the number of that is actually more than the annual military budget of surface warfare ships is being cut from 23 to 19, and £33 billion ($52.54 billion) this may also be reflected in the number of naval heli - Britain will cut manpower among all service members copters. and civilians in the defence sector, and is aiming to reduce No mention is made in the report of the upcoming defence spending by 8% over the next four years. The retirement of the Sea King, and it has been suggested divisions are as follows: that there could be another military review in 2015. The Royal Navy will be reduced by 5,000 personnel, the The decision to modify the second Queen Elizabeth Army by 7,000, the Royal Air Force by 5,000, and the Class aircraft carrier to use a catapult launch in order to Ministry of Defence by 25,000 civilian staff. enable its use by US or French forces, and to order the The Ark Royal and the Harriers will be stood down. The conventional carrier-version of the Joint Strike Fighter, previous government committed the MOD to building two the F-35C, means that there is still a requirement for an new and much larger Queen Elizabeth II-class carriers at a airborne early warning aircraft to replace the Sea King cost of 5.2 billion pounds. Both will be built, but the first, ASaC7 and to operate from the ships. which will be devoted exclusively to helicopters, will be In addition RAF Benson is secure and will remain mothballed after 18 months service. the home of 28 Merlins and 34 Pumas until 2022. The HM Government paper, ‘Securing Britain in an The cancellation of the Nimrod MRA4 is likely to Age of Uncertainty’ leave a significant dent in the UK's search and rescue (www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg.../dg_1916 capabilities, and to put increased pressure on the Royal 34.pdf) Navy's Merlin fleet, as the UK's only remaining dedi - examines the position of helicopters, and insists that bat - cated airborne anti-submarine platform. tlefield helicopters are vital for the range of missions set In November, the government finally confirmed that out in the National Security Strategy. For this reason, the the CHC/Soteria/RBS group has retained the SAR-H government intends to buy twelve additional heavy-lift contract in the UK. This conglomerate uses Sikorsky S- Chinook helicopters. They will also extend the life of the 92s as their rescue platform. Puma helicopter for “our forces in Afghanistan,” and It is worth noting, however, there has been some for - upgrade the Merlin force to enhance its ability to support mal opposition to the government decrees, including a amphibious operations. strongly worded letter to The Times from a formation The Wildcat helicopter (which had its first flight in of Admirals who called for the reversal of the decision November 2010) will be used for reconnaissance and com - to scrap Ark Royal and its fleet of Harriers which, they mand and control purposes. This means that this pro - claimed, would leave the Falklands vulnerable to gramme will deliver “a properly scaled and balanced heli - attack. They also concluded that the Prime Minster had copter force to support our troops into the future.” been poorly advised. Although it is now clear that the future of the 62 The government has repudiated this claim. LIFE helicopter , Winter 2010 51 dubai Helishow and the gulf operators

How Dubai and the manufacturers fight back against the recession by Georgina Hunter-Jones

ubai Heli Show was very quiet, which was not of 60 Utility Black Hawks as part of a deal which, with unexpected during a recession period that has hit 20 other Black Hawks (UH-60L,) will be worth around DDubai particularly hard. However, the relative $300 million. lack of visitors to the show had an unexpected bonus: It He also said that “The new 40 UH-60M aircraft will gave manufacturers and operators plenty of free time to be released in February 2011 with deliveries running talk to journalists, which the press used to good effect. through 2013. We have already sold into Saudi Arabia, There are five major operators in this area: Aero Gulf the UAE, Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain, and we will be look - Helicopters, based in Dubai, Heli Dubai, part of the ing at Kuwait and Qatar as well in the future.” Dubai Air Wing, and Abu Dhabi Aviation and Falcon Gigantelli said, “I would like to suggest that the Black Aviation, both based in Abu Dhabi, and Gulf Hawk is the military aircraft of choice in the region.” Helicopters, based in Doha in the State of Qatar. All the On the commercial side, Sikorsky thinks that the main manufacturers are represented in the area, includ - S76D has a good future in the region. Falcon Aviation, ing Sikorsky, Eurocopter, Bell, and Agusta Westland. based in Abu Dhabi, will be the launch customer for the Russian helicopter manufacturers are also showing a Sikorsky S76D in late October 2011. growing interest. There are also many opportunities in this region for

On the military side, Sikorsky is one of the biggest the Sikorsky S92, which has been allowed to develop s e n o

players in the region, primarily with the Black Hawk. As based specifically on comments and criticisms made by J - r e

Joseph Gigantelli, VP in Europe, Middle East, Turkey its operators. Stephen Suttles, the Director of UAE t n u

and Africa, said, “Iraq and Afghanistan have been a Business Development, said that “The GE engine has h a n i

great testing ground for the Black Hawks, showing us worked very well in the S92.” g r o

how robust they are. The Black Hawks have flown 7 Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Prime e g h

million hours but there is a constant technical infusion. Minister and Vice President of the UAE, and the P a r

We keep upgrading them when we see what is needed.” absolute monarch of Dubai, has a Sikorsky S92 in his g o t o

Gigantelli said that the UAE will soon take delivery fleet. h P 52 helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 Tony Hancock demonstrating his helimover to the Dubai crowd

About the US Presidential Helicopter, Sikorsky said for SAR (which is used by the military in the region,) that “single companies in the industry do not have the tracking and over-water surveillance, as it combines the funding for this on their own. They have to join with speed and manoeuvrability required for these operations. partners to service the huge investment necessary.” The This is particularly true for those countries in the Middle current choice of Presidential helicopter is a Sikorsky East that are protecting their water territories, such as Lockheed Martin collaboration. the UAE and Saudi Arabia. On the question of whether the X-2 would ever have On the civil side of the helicopter market a place in the Gulf region, the team were optimistic, and Eurocopter’s tailored products, such as the EC135 said that Sikorsky, “has that pioneer spirit where we ‘Hermès helicopter,’ created a lot of interest. The invest in our own product and our people, providing Hermès first customer was Falcon Aviation Services flight solutions, not just helicopter manufacturing.” from Abu Dhabi, who are also looking at the EC145 Which implies that it rather depends on the needs at the ‘Mercedes-Benz Style,’ designed in cooperation with the time, and on how the machine develops. Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design Studio in Como, Italy. Eurocopter also have a significant military presence (The Mercedes-Benz EC145 was shown at EBACE and in the region with Cougars AS532, Panthers AS565 and covered in the Summer 2010 issue of Helicopter Life). the NH90 in Oman. They also support the military in Lambert pointed out that the new EC175 was created Saudi Arabia. to meet the oil and gas industry’s demanding require - At the show Eurocopter were also exhibiting a scale ments. This is particularly true in the Middle East and mock-up of the EC635 (military version of the EC145), Arabian Gulf, where some of the platforms are a long with the SAWS (Stand Alone Weapon System) mission way from the shore owing to the shallow nature of the equipment, which was developed by a combination of ocean shelf. Eurocopter also hope to have a good VIP Eurocopter and ATE. and VVIP market for the helicopter.

c Oliver Lambert, the Senior VP Sales and Customer Civil emergency medical services are now an emerg - a i D e Relations, said, “the EC645 is well tailored for the ing market for all the helicopter companies in the m h

P region’s security and defence needs, providing excellent Middle East and Arabian Gulf. Such operations are a r g performance, a spacious cabin and proven reliability.” undertaken by private operators, using helicopters outfit - o t o

h Lambert said that the larger AS565 Panther is perfect ted to airlift injured patients. Here Eurocopter are com - P helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 53 part of the region. Mashhour said that the oil and gas market is very busy, and it is hard to keep up with all the work in the region. Abu Dhabi Aviation is also a growing player in the lease market in other parts of the world. Mashhour says they are leasing AW139s to Brazil for offshore work, and to Saudi for EMS, along with Bell 212s to Spain for fire- fighting work. Saudi Arabia’s EMS, which is operated by the Red Crescent, started in July this year with six machines, a combination of Bell 412s and AW139s. At the moment they are leasing from Abu Dhabi Aviation, but they are looking to purchase their own machines when the time Built in the Ukraine and the machine are right. but moving to On the ‘tail boom issue’, an incident in which the tail Florida, the AK1-3 boom of the AW139 fell off while the machine was taxi - ing out for take-off, Mashhour says, “we now have a tail peting with the AW139, the Bell 412, and the Sikorsky boom jig in the maintenance base for tail boom changes, S76D, but they reckon their proven track record in this and all the aircraft are individually scrutinized on a regu - field will mean that they become the preferred operator. lar basis. Agusta were very helpful, but it was a very As the film market develops in Dubai and around the worrying issue.” region, Eurocopter are looking at the single and twin Falcon Air Services (FAS) is the most recent player in Squirrels, or the EC130. They are currently a significant the area. AJ Baker, the VP Business Development and player in the area, and they feel that they will continue Strategy of FAS, came to the UAE to run a SAR program to grow in all the various sectors of the market. for the military. In 2006 he remained in the region to Bell has historically been a big player in the Gulf develop the corporate and commercial side of the busi - area, and Bells from the B206 JetRanger to the 412s are ness, and he now has 26 helicopters and 5 jets running in full use. However, recently they have found them - under FAS. They have 245 staff members, who include selves with more rivals in the area than before, and they 27 different nationalities. The company is owned by the have lost market share. With this in mind Bell have President of the United Arab Emirates, His Highness undertaken a major marketing campaign for the Bell Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan. Foreigners are not

eligible to own local commercial businesses, and only in P 429, which they consider very suitable for the region in h o

certain areas can they buy the freehold of land. t o

both VIP and EMS capacity. g r

As Baker said, “Abu Dhabi is a frontier town. It is just a The really big question here is whether the Bell P h

developing and has very forward-looking thinking, so we s Agusta BA609 will finally arrive on the market, and if it g e

can start new things and do new projects. You see it all o does will it live up to all the expectations of its success r g i developing in front of you.” n in the region. a h

FAS started with corporate helicopters, then moved on u

Agusta has recently had great success with the n t to SAR, and finally started to develop its tourist side. e r

AW139. Abu Dhabi Aviation, which is the biggest oper - - J

They were working out of Festival City in Dubai and o n

ator in the area with 59 helicopters, has bought 8 e running tours over the city. However, there were certain s a

AW139s and has a further 13 on order. As Khaled n logistical problems, mainly because of the long distance D c

Mashhour, Abu Dhabi Aviation Projects and Marketing o u

from their base in Abu Dhabi. Then the recession hit and r Manager, explained, “last year we had just bought the t e s

both the timing and the local politics no longer suited y

AW139s for VIP flying when the recession struck, and o their remaining in Dubai. f they were sitting on the ramp eating money and we had a g

As Baker said, “the sudden drop off in the tourist trade u s

no work for them. There was still oil and gas work but t a

was dramatic. At the end of 2007 and beginning of 2008 w

the rigs on the Abu Dhabi coast are fairly far out owing e s

we were flying 120 hours a month, then suddenly we t L

to the shallow nature of the coastal shelf.” a n

were down to 10 to 20 hours a month instead.” D

However, this problem has now been alleviated a n slightly as Aerogulf are going to lease the AW139s for However, FAS is still expanding. As well as the D e

Hermes and Mercedes Benz Eurocopters, and the u offshore work from Dubai. The oil rigs off the Dubai r o

Sikorsky S76D, they are buying 10 Bell 412s. In January c o

coast are not as far out as those off the Abu Dhabi coast, P t

they will receive the first one with the fast-fin strakes. e hence the AW139 is a more suitable helicopter for that r 54 helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 Eurocopter EC635 in Libyan AgustaWestland the Arabian Gulf AW139. Inset: AW139 tails courtesy of Eurocopter

These helicopters do a lot of lifting in the hot summer one suitable for use in the rapidly changing aviation temperatures, and so the strakes are an extremely impor - world, which they then sell to schools and training tant addition to the machine. The best flying months, establishments. Baker points out, are between September and March, Bill Comee, a Senior Consultant and former pilot, when the temperature is cooler. took me through the interactive learning process of pre- FAS are currently involved in a project to build a flight checking and starting up the Bell 412 (they have a helipad at Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi, which will be variety of different machines). opening in September 2011. They have also had some This is a very helpful system as the student has to be input into the helipad built in Dubai by HeliDubai, part proactively involved for the machine to ‘start,’ and he is of the Dubai Air Wing, a government company. able to make mistakes, rectify them and learn from his One problem that all the operators highlighted was mistakes without damaging the machine (as you would the lack of fully serviced helipads outside the main air - in a real situation.) fields. This clearly limits the number of places to which They also have Emergency Response plans, safety they can fly, as some places are simply out of range. management systems and automatic updating of training Interest in these new pads has therefore been high, and records that can be used to see not only the student’s it will probably lead to much more construction. progress but also the overall learning patterns, and thus As the Gulf is a growing helicopter region there is a develop the system to suit the needs of the student. significant amount of training, and there are various New inventions at the Dubai Heli Show included the schools including Horizon International Flight Academy Ukrainian AK1-3 small helicopter originally built by and Dubai Aerospace Enterprise Flight Academy. The DB Aerocopter Ltd, which in 2009 was taken over by teaching company Neptune Aviation Consulting, based Perla Aviation, part of the Dubai-based Perla Group in Abu Dhabi, spotted a gap in the market for really International Ltd. The company is looking to relocate to good interactive training systems, and decided to create Fort Lauderdale in Florida. The AK1-3 is a 2-seat helicopter and weighs 390 kgs Sheikh Mansour Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum when empty. This enables it to be transported on a trail - the son of the Absolute ruler of Dubai opened the show er behind a car. It has three composite blades, which can be folded for transportation, and it uses a liquid- cooled EJ-25 Subaru car engine, which can run on MoGas. The dealer says that the helicopter will be on show at HeliExpo in Orlando. Overall, the show provided good examples of many aspects of the Dubai Helicopter Market, and it was just a shame that more people were not there to enjoy it.

helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 swiss Retirees words and pictures by Carlo Kuit and Paul Kievit

fter forty-six years of service, the Era of By 1st June 2010, the Alouette III had flown the Alouette III in the Swiss Air Force 316,000 hours in Swiss Air Force service. Afinally comes to an end in December Captain Frank Pfister of the Lufttransport Staffel 2010. As of Mid September, only ten Alouette 1 (Transport Squadron) piloted Alouette III (V- IIIs were still operated by the Swiss Air Force. 240) on that flight. The number 316,000 hours The helicopters are not stationed at a specific was chosen because it is connected to the manu - Airbase, but Alpnach is the main operating base facturer designation Sud Aviation SE-3160, for the helicopter fleet and the Training School. which is the official name of the helicopter type. The other Swiss Air Force helicopter bases are Alpnach, located just south of Luzern and Payerne, Dübendorf and Bern-Belp, which hous - near the mountain of Pilatus, is the Swiss Air es the two new EC635 VIP helicopters. As heli - Force’s primary helicopter base. It is the head - copters are flexible they can also operate out of quarters of Lufttransportgeschwader 2 (Air the various Jet bases: Sion, Emmen, Meiringen Transport Wing 2), which consists of and Locarno. By end 2010 some Alouette IIIs Lufttransportstaffeln 6 and 8 (LT St 6 and 8) will find a new future in Pakistan, supporting (Transport Squadron 6 and 8), and also houses an Search and Rescue units. RUAG facility for overhauls. Alouette III helicopters were first stationed in Alpnach in the contract for the LTSH programme was signed in April 1964. Since then jet aircraft, such as the Hawker Hunter and 2006. It provided for the delivery of a total of eighteen EC635 Northrop F-5, have operated from here, although fixed wing helicopters, plus two EC635 of the VIP type for the Federal Air operations ceased in 1994. Flugplatzkommando 2 (2nd Airbase) Transport Service/ FATS (Lufttransportdienstes des Bundes Alpnach currently consists of the 6th and 8th Air Transport /LTDB), to be based at Bern-Belp airport. These VIP helicop - Squadrons, both equipped with the Alouette III (SE-3160), ters bear the registrations T-351 and T-352, and are equivalent Super Puma (AS332 M-1), TH-89 ‘Cougar’ (AS 532UL) and to the civilian version EC-135 supplied by Eurocopter. the brand-new EC635. “As we are just a small Air Force, all our Equipped with leather seats, an insulated cabin and air condi - helicopter pilots are proficient on several types”, explains tioning, these EC635 VIP models will be used by the Swiss Air Captain Sebastian Hanimann. “One reason we have chosen the Force to airlift federal councillors. The Dauphin that was used EC635 as successor to the Alouette III is it has the same cockpit for this purpose until 2009 was subsequently sold on the civil - philosophy and lay-out as our Cougar helicopters, i.e., glass ian market. The two EC635 VIP helicopters differ only slightly cockpits. This makes the transition easy for our pilots.” The from the standard version, and are always operated by two Captain adds, “we have about 30 pilots based here at Alpnach; pilots instead of the normal single pilot operating Alouette III this seems a lot, but they are all trained to fly several types of or EC635.

30 pilots are based To find a replacement at Alpnach for the Alouette 111, armasuisse started the LTSH programme

helicopter”. The Puma fleet too will be upgraded to Cougar More than fifteen RUAG employees attended both classroom standard, beginning in 2011. and on-the-job training in Donauwörth (Germany) at the The Swiss Air Force is currently in the process of finalising Eurocopter factory. They were trained in building, testing, trou - the modernising of its utility helicopter fleet, and by the end of bleshooting, operating and maintaining avionics and mechanics. 2010 the Aerospatiale Alouette III will be completely replaced The mechanical and avionic specialists underwent between by the Eurocopter EC635. The Alouette III has been the back - eleven and nineteen weeks of training on all the different work - bone of the Swiss light helicopter fleet for many years. Nine stations of the EC135 assembly line. SE-3160s were purchased in 1964, and the other seventy-five In December 2007, the first kit was delivered on time and pro - helicopters were delivered between 1966 and 1974. By early duction began in Switzerland. At the beginning of 2008 the LBA 2010, only twenty-five Alouette IIIs remained in service, and (German Aviation Authority) gave RUAG Aviation the green these were reduced to ten in September 2010. They are used light to start its helicopter completion in Alpnach. “The assem - for training, light transport and fire fighting. bling of the EC635 has given us the ability to understand the In September, the Swiss Federal Council decided to transfer building and maintenance of the EC635”, explained Willy the last ten Swiss Air Force Alouette III helicopters to Pakistan Theiler, the Program Manager of the EC635 Completion Line at free of charge. These helicopters, which were due to be RUAG. decommissioned in December 2010, will instead be used for The first EC635 destined for the Swiss Air Force flew its Search and Rescue (SAR) operations with the Pakistan Air maiden flight at Donauwörth in May 2007. In March 2008, arma - Force. The first Alouette III was transported to Pakistan by C- suisse approved the helicopter, and the first EC635 was handed 130 from Emmen Air Base in September 2010. over by the manufacturer in Donauwörth, according to schedule. To find a replacement for the Alouette III, armasuisse (the Another EC635 helicopter was delivered by the end of March federal competence centre for the procurement of technologi - 2008. For the initial training of the pilots and ground personnel, cally complex systems and equipment) started the LTSH pro - both EC635s remained stationed in Donauwörth until the summer gramme (Swiss light transport and training helicopter) for the of 2008. Of the total of twenty EC-635s, only the first four air - Swiss Air Force. After a testing and evaluation phase in 2005, craft were manufactured at the Eurocopter factory. The comple - LIFE 58 helicopter ,Winter 2010 Alouette 111 helicopters were first stationed at Alpanach in 1964

tion of the remaining sixteen EC635s was undertaken by the-Trainer’ concept, in which the four pilots trained the other RUAG Aviation in Alpnach, Switzerland. Swiss Air Force pilots in operating the EC-635. Another six The final delivery took place on 17 December 2009, also were trained at the Eurocopter facilities in Donauwörth.” at the Alpnach facility of RUAG Aviation, where the Starting with the first transition course in September 2008, Eurocopter-licensed final assembly line for the Swiss EC635s 82% of the 76 pilots have already made their transition, and of is based. The Swiss Light Transport and Training Helicopter the 14 pilots remaining, 7 will convert by the end of 2010. The (LTSH) programme was completed on time, budget and quality. remaining seven Swiss Air Force helicopter pilots will follow On 28 May 2010, together with the manufacturer and during 2011, or will not make the transition at all. Captain armasuisse, the Swiss Air Force celebrated the completion of Hanimann explains that “we will have one transition course in the introductory phase of the new helicopter at the Alpnach autumn 2010 to train seven pilots. Some will make the transition airbase. On 1 July 2010, the EC635 became fully operational to the Puma instead of the EC635. The transition course is 30 with the Swiss Air Force. By mid-September 2010 over flying hours, and includes training in cargo transport, and winch, 7,200 flying hours had been logged on this new type. “For night and mountain operations”. our mechanics the transition to the EC635 was quite a big As the majority of pilots undertook the transition to the thing”, explained Captain Hanimann of 6th Transport EC635 during 2010, the first Pilot School was started for five Squadron. “The EC635 requires specialised knowledge and student pilots who had just joined the Swiss Air Force. They will there is no longer any need for grease to maintain the EC635, become full operational pilots after 250 flying hours over a peri - as is necessary with the Alouette III, and this will keep the od of two years, i.e., by the end of 2011. workspace cleaner than ever.” “In the old days new students started to train on the PC-7 RUAG Aviation will be co-responsible for maintenance before the transition to helicopters was made. Nowadays, we levels I and D, and will support the Swiss Air Force’s fleet of have twelve selection flights from which future pilots will be EC635s throughout their entire life cycle. The Captain also selected. This selection procedure is followed by three years of noted that, “next to the normal single pilot configuration with Academic Study. After graduation the student will transition to the introduction of the EC635, we started with MCC (Multi the Pilot School at Alpnach. The students there had already Crew Concept), especially for night and VIP flights. The undergone 12 flights before being selected by the Air Force. EC635 allows us great range in executing our tasks”. “Based on the needs of the Swiss Air Force, it will be decided “Operations with the EC-635s are similar to those with the whether future pilots will be trained on jets or on helicopters. Alouette III”, explains Captain Hanimann. “The main mis - Then the two year training on the E635 will follow for those sions are still passenger transport, external/internal loads, fire who are selected to become helicopter pilots.” The basic training fighting and surveillance and support flights on behalf of includes landing in fields and mountains, loading transport, tac - civilian authorities, the police, and even Special Forces. What tical flight procedures, multi crew, IFR flight and night flight. is new for us is the ability to execute SAR missions, IFR fly - Until now over 7,200 hours have been logged operating the ing and night flying; we are currently training our pilots.” EC635. “The major advantage of the EC635 is its easy servic - “In total about 90% (80 pilots) of our group of pilots have ing, along with its speed and endurance.” Captain Hanimann made the transition to the EC-635 (EC635), and the rest will also points out that “the performance of the EC635 is far better follow when the Alouette III ceases operations end 2010.” than even we expected. The new equipment, such as the auto- “The first four pilots were trained by the German Army pilot and the stabilising system, help us a lot in executing our Heeresfliegerwaffenschule (German Army Pilot Training tasks. Thanks to the IFR and Direction Findings systems, we School) based at Bückeburg. The idea was to have a ‘Train- are able to take on new tasks, such as SAR”. helicopter LIFE ,Winter 2010 59 Christmas at Fly Fizzi Books

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helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 61 B ook r eview

Winged Victory A day to day account of the Battle of Britain by Tony Rudd published by Arima in paperback Available from on-line bookshops £12.95 plus postage

hose of you who Commonwealth, together read and enjoyed with pilots from several T‘A Boys War’, Tony European countries which Rudd’s book about his own had been overrun in the experience in the Second opening phases of the World War, will be delight - Second World War. All of ed to see he has again ven - whom were none the less tured into print. determined to join what was This book was original - in effect a fight for freedom. ly published as an internet Most importantly of all, it blog. It was so successful, was a battle which was with over 100,000 readers fought out in the skies over hitting the website and Britain which meant that the more than 1,000 a day, that British public were witness Tony and his team won - to the whole hugely dramat - dered if it would work in ic event. book form. Then they One thing I particularly realised the imminent 70th liked about the book was anniversary of the Battle of the way it made you think Britain was approaching of a pilot’s pre-flight brief - and it seemed as though ing. For example: the former pilots them - “Day 40 - August 18 selves were asking to be 1940 The Hardest Day remembered. Weather: fine to begin with So, here it is: the story but cloudy later. Fighter of the three and a half command serviceable air - month struggle of the craft as at 09:00 hours. Battle of Britain in a com - Blenheim 50 pletely new form: the daily Spitfire 228 events between July 10 Hurricane 396 and October 31 1940 in pilots, aircraft, airfields, commanders and support crews. Defiant 27 short diary format, plus a Presented in this way the battle tells its own story, Gladiator 5 selection of the interesting capturing the drama and courage of all those involved in Total 706. and informative comments this important and remarkable event in Britain's history. Early that afternoon saw made by readers of the Winged Victory now provides a historic record of what a return to heavier attacks. blog. happened in a manner which captures the immediacy of These were aimed at the air - Day by day the story the blog. fields south of London: unfolds with details of the The Battle of Britain marked a turning point in the Biggin Hill, Kenley...” day's fighting along with nation's history. It offered an outstanding example of When I read it, I thought information about the personal bravery and it brought together members of the I was there. 62 helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 B ook r eview

Helicopter Aerodynamics Made Simple Well ... relatively simple! by Geoff Day published by Geoff Day in paperback Available from Geoff Day or on-line bookshops £20 plus postage

we use this knowledge to elicopter get the machine to do what Aerodynamics made we want it to. He works Hsimple. An impossi - through the elements of ble oxymoron or simply a flight, seeing how the aero - matter of teaching it right? dynamic principles affect Geoff Day should know. the hover, transitioning, Not only has he trained over quickstops, autorotations two hundred commercial and vortex ring, before pilots, he has been teaching moving on to the especially for longer than most people confusing bits. have been flying. He has The book has a chapter 21,000 hours of flying and ‘Awkward Bits’ which an incredible 14,000 instruc - looks at a number of tional hours. That is more aspects of helicopter aero - than two years of non-stop dynamics which, he flying and more than a year explains: “do not fit neatly and a half of non-stop into the chapters before.” instruction. Here he spends time on the In his book Geoff has problems of: Flapping to attempted to make aerody - Equality; Phase Lag; namics clear and simple for Advance Angle; (LTE) Loss ab-initio helicopter students, of Tail Rotor Effectiveness; the majority of whom do and Dynamic Rollover - all indeed find the how and why of which have had many a of helicopter flying very pilot perplexed in the past. confusing. At the end of the book The book starts by going there is an appendix which back to basics and looking at looks at those things we Bernoulli’s law. Then, with know but sometimes forget: the help of diagrams, he puts axes of rotation. stability this law into practice on a and tail and main rotor helicopter. Slowly he builds heads. up the picture of flow into In some ways you might the blades, lift and drag and call this a ‘graphic aerody - washout, before then moving namics book’ as the inten - onto the effects of controls. tion is clearly to demon - Here he shows how all the strate the movement with factors looked at in the pre - pictures and then explain vious chapter affect the fly - them in the text and this ing of the machine and how works very well. helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 63 A CCidenT r eporTS

Enstrom 280C Shark, G-COLL the helicopter landed heavily. The pilot applied collective The helicopter had been parked overnight at a private pitch to lift into a hover, but the helicopter rolled onto its site near Douglas on the Isle of Man. The weather condi - right side (it is possible that one skid had dug into the tions were fine and the pilot was on a two-day tour of ground during the landing) and sustained substantial the Isle of Man. damage. The occupants vacated without injury and there After a pre-flight and checks the pilot lifted the Enstrom was no fire. The pilot reported that he had not visited the into a hover. He made a blind transmission radio call to site before and felt somewhat unprepared as he made his the ATC to advise he was departing and then set the approach. He added that he gripped the throttle too tight - transponder ON. The take-off was normal but at approxi - ly prior to touchdown and had probably overridden the mately 200 feet agl the pilot noticed it “all went quiet”. engine governor, causing a reduction in rotor rpm. He Later, he recalled that the helicopter had yawed left as stated that he intended to undertake further dual training well. He rapidly lowered the collective and opened the with his instructor before flying solo again. throttle. The helicopter entered autorotation and the pilot aimed for a field ahead and to the left. He saw the far Robinson R44 Raven, G-LWAY end of the field approaching and flared to slow speed, The pilot was flying to a private site adjacent to a sea The helicopter levelled off and then dropped an estimat - loch. During the approach at a height of about 50 feet, ed 10 - 12 feet to the ground. It dropped nearly vertical - he focused his attention on an object in the water. This ly, bounced forward a metre and stopped upright, but distracted him and the helicopter struck the surface of then rolled to the left when the left skid collapsed. the water at an airspeed of about 60kts, approximately The helicopter had substantial damage but the pilot was 100 metres from the shore. The helicopter tumbled unhurt. When he ran the engine the next day it started forward and came to rest inverted with the cockpit without problem and ran smoothly. He has no idea why submerged and sinking. Although the accident hap - it lost power in the climb. The pilot was 68 years old and pened in daylight the pilot was unable to see underwa - had 120 hours, 114 on type. ter due to the combination of salt water and fuel. He was disorientated and had difficulty locating the Robinson R22 Beta, G-OTOY release on his three-point harness. The student pilot had completed an instructional sortie The pilot was unsure how long he was in the helicop - during which the instructor had highlighted the extra ter and believed he may have exited through the left power needed for taxing and transitioning downwind. door, on the opposite side from his seat. When he The instructor subsequently briefed the student for solo reached the surface the last part of the aircraft was just circuits and hovering practice before getting out of the disappearing. He was uninjured and able to swim to helicopter. Once solo the student lifted into the hover shore. The pilot commented that he had had to con - and began taxiing at slow speed towards the helicopter centrate hard during his 25 minute flight and that he training area. The instructor watched as the helicopter relaxed once his destination was in sight. He believed crossed runway 230 and then turn downwind and that this made him more susceptible to distraction. descend. It bounced twice on the grass before touching The pilot was 46 years old and had 634 hours of down for a third time. As it did so the helicopter’s skids which 250 were on type. dug in causing the helicopter to tip over and the rotors to impact the ground. The student vacated the helicopter AgustaWestland AW139, G-CHCV with a small cut to his head. The student was 53 and had Whilst on a flight from North Denes Heliport to a 41 hours of which 14 were on type. North Sea drilling platform, the aircraft’s crew alerting system displayed a VNE MISCOMPARE message. Robinson R44 Astro, G-PIDG This was followed by a loss of No 2 engine indica - The helicopter followed an associate in another helicop - tions and other aircraft system parameters. No 1 ter to a private landing site with two helipads. The engine parameters indicated normal operation and the weather was fine with light winds. The other helicopter crew elected to return to North Denes Heliport. Whilst landed on the larger pad but the pilot of G-PIDG felt in cloud the crew received indications that there was a uneasy about members of the public nearby and posi - fire in the baggage compartment at the rear of the heli - tioned to land in an adjacent field. As he approached his copter. The commander then lost all altitude, airspeed aiming point, the low rotor rpm warning activated and and vertical speed indications from his Primary Flight

64 helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 A CCidenT r eporTS

Display. Once below cloud, another company helicop - & r eSCueS ter flew alongside G-CHCV and confirmed there was A Princely Rescue no evidence of fire. A safe landing was then made. Prince William and three other crew flew a challenging The spurious warnings and the loss of indications search and rescue mission on Mount Snowdon, the high - were found to be due to corrosion in an avionic mod - est mountain in Wales. A hiker suffered a heart attack ule. The corrosion had occurred due to the module and William and his crew scrambled in poor weather and cabinet being cooled by unfiltered, non-conditioned flew over rough terrain to reach him and get him back to air drawn from intakes on the fuselage underside. The situation was exacerbated by the helicopter being operated in a maritime environment.

Aerospatiale SA365N Dauphin, G-HEMS After delivering a patient to hospital in Middlesbrough, the pilot saw the doctor return to the helicopter and close the right rear cabin quarter-door, secure the upper and lower locks and close the pas - senger door. The pilot then made a visual inspection of the aircraft and pulled on each of the right door handles to confirm that they were closed and locked. During the Pre-Take Off checks the three crew mem - bers responded “all secure” to a challenge from the the helicopter. The hiker, Greg Watkins, was hoisted pilot. No captions were displayed on the central warn - from the mountain in a sling while the prince hovered ing panel to indicated that a door might be unlocked. above in appalling weather. “How he managed to get the Approximately three minutes after take0ff at 700 feet helicopter so close defies belief,” Watkins said from his amsl, while en route to the helicopter’s base at hospital bed as he recovered from heart surgery. “The Durham Tees Valley Airport, a loud bang was heard fog was so thick at times, you couldn't see your hand in and the paramedic seated in the rear of the aircraft front of your face. The rain was lashing down and it was remarked that the right rear cabin quarter-door had howling a gale.” opened. A number of objects were seen to fall from the aircraft but the door, thought fully open remained Sleep Induced Accident attached. The pilot reduced speed to 70 knots and The cockpit voice recorder of an Air India Express 737- advised ATC of the situation. The flight continued the 800 which ran off the runway at Mangalore Airport in short distance to its destination without further inci - May, killing 158 of 164 aboard, showed that the captain dent. Later it was reported that a plastic A-4 stationery was asleep, according to a Court of Inquiry probe. The folder had fallen from the helicopter and hit a person captain reportedly slept for much of the roughly three on the ground knocking him unconscious. He was hour flight out of Dubai. He reportedly awoke shortly assisted by paramedics. before attempting to land in heavy rain. Investigators The operator’s engineer inspected the door and its found the captain was probably disoriented due to ‘sleep locking mechanism and found some deformation of inertia’ and flew the approach right through warnings the dorr and other minor damage consistent with it from his copilot to abort and go around. The aircraft having opened in flight. The locks, however, were touched down roughly 1,500 meters down the 2,400- serviceable. The engineers commented that as the meter table-top runway at Mangalore as the co-pilot said P h pilot had checked the dorr was shut by pulling on it, it o "we don't have runway left." t o g was likely that the bolts were at least partially Investigators believe that had emergency braking been r a P

h engaged. They added that the quarter-door pins could applied, the crew could have stopped the aircraft on the s b

y not be seen from outside the helicopter and were diffi - wet runway before sliding off the steep terrain at the run - a r cult to see from inside the cabin when a stretcher was J way's end, but concluded the crew attempted to return to a n

D installed, as on this flight. As a result of the incident the air. The aircraft slid down a steep embankment and i J k s the operator issued a Safety Bulletin to highlight exploded in the jungle below. The captain had 10,400 t e r

h ways of avoiding a recurrence of the problem. hours and the co-pilot 3,600 hours. u i s

helicopter LIFE , Winter 2010 65 h o u S e & h eliCopTer

Monaco-nice Helicopter Line by J érôme Humbert

he helicopter-line between the Monaco-heliport and helicopters and shares one EC-155B1 with Héli Air Monaco. Nice airport transports more passengers than any West of Monaco Heliport’s eight helipads is the Aeroclub Tother helicopter company in the world. Héli Air of Monaco. It started in 1954 with an Auster AUS-5, and it Monaco transported 105,086 passengers in 2007, experi - now has one Bell 206 III, one R-44, one Hughes 300 and one enced a slight decrease in 2008, but had only 64,177 pas - Colibri EC-120b. sengers in 2009, due to the crisis. The first regular helicopter-line started with the Belgian Héli Air Monaco has operated from the Monaco-heli - company Sabena in March 1957, using a Sikorsky S-58 that port since 1976, starting with a two-seat Enstrom F-28. linked Paris (Issy-Les-Moulineaux) to Brussels twice a day. Having transported 727 passengers in its first year, two Then, in 1958, Les Courriers Normands and Hélicop-Air years later the company bought a Bell 206 JetRanger, and began an experimental line from Caen to Le-Havre using a in 1980 it transported 15,000 passengers. Today, this com - Vertol 44. Later, between 1965 and 1968, the idea of helicop - pany uses seven AS-350BA/B2s, two AS-355Ns, two EC- ter airlines appeared in the South of France with the compa - 130B4s, and three Dauphins 2s: an SA-365C3, an SA- ny Héli-Union, which flew from Nice to Saint-Tropez using 365N2, and an EC-155B1, all exclusively for V.I.P. flights. an Alouette III. Héli Air Monaco has transported more than 2.4 million The high coastal relief of the principality of Monaco (0 to passengers in 34 years, and it has accumulated 140,000 538 feet in only 2 Km2 ** [0.78 square mile]), its population flight hours. It employs twenty pilots, and one hundred density (15,000 people/Km2 [39,000/square mile]) and its people in reception, transport, and shuttles. Seven days a charm, make the helicopter an indispensable element in week, from 8:30 am till 8:00 pm, the company flies to transporting various customers quickly, and also make the Nice, which has the largest number of civil helicopter pads heliport, by its very location, exceptional and remarkable. in Europe. The company also flies to Cannes, Saint-Tropez, as Photographs by well as to Italy and the French ski resorts. It does sling P Jérôme Humbert h o t

work and cinema film, and supports such events as road o g r rallies. Three other French companies, “Héli-Sécurité”, a P h

“Nice-hélicoptères”, and “Azur-Hélicoptère,” also work J e r out of the airport, and transport about 50,000 passengers a o m e

year to various destinations. h u m

Monacair is also on Monaco’s rock. It started in 1988, b e r closed in 2006, and was reborn in 2008. It operates seven t 66