DAY 3 January 30, 2020 HAI PUBLICATIONS Convention News « The crowds at Heli-Expo 2020 made a beeline for the exhibit hall where visitors could spend the day learning about the latest technology in the fascinating helicopter industry. This Sikosrky Firehawk and its crew were center stage for aficianados of seriously functional heavy-metal machinery. MARIANO ROSALES Firefighting Step-by-step to urban air mobility Erickson adopting Matrix tech › page 2 by Nicolas Zart People The Urban Air Mobility (UAM) concept Aircraft Systems Integration Office. Speak- ecosystem for the new aircraft to operate in needs to reach beyond the goal of serving ing at Helicopter Association Internation- and to win public acceptance for UAM. Meet MD’s maverick urban areas, with new electric vertical take- al’s (HAI) UAM Forum in Anaheim, Merkle Accordingly, the FAA official told forum leader › page 4 off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft—whether said the development of regulation and attendees that eVTOL operations will manned or unmanned—ready to serve wher- unmanned traffic management (UTM) will likely start with smaller aircraft flying short ever they are needed, according to Jay Merkle, have to happen through incremental steps hops before more complex operations with Helicopters executive director of FAA’s Unmanned as part of a wider effort to build a complete larger aircraft are possible. On December Guimbal’s G2 gets new 31, Merkle’s team issued a notice of pro - posed rulemaking for new requirements for avionics › page 6 remote identification of unmanned aircraft. This is widely viewed as an important step Tiltrotors Noise a critical issue for in establishing a regulatory framework that could support autonomous eVTOL opera- What is it like to fly the tions and the industry has until March 2 AW609 sim? › page 20 public acceptance of eVTOLs to respond. The UAM Forum was moderated by HAI’s by Mark Huber new president and CEO Jim Viola, signaling Leasing the group’s intention to play a leading role Industry experts agree that electric drive Transportation System, said it is important in this fast-emerging sector of vertical flight. LCI is betting on a motors and slower propeller tip speeds will for eVTOL manufacturers to avail them- Nikhil Goel, Uber’s head of aviation prod- bright future › page 17 enable eVTOL aircraft to have a significantly selves to the variety of integrated, simulated, uct, said that the rideshare giant will soon lower external noise signature compared to and dual-use aircraft noise models that have announce the final two manufacturing part- helicopters, but that does not necessarily been developed over the years by the FAA, ners for its planned Uber Air taxi network. It is OEMs translate into instant public acceptance. NASA, and the U.S. Department of Defense, already partnered with the following prospec- Juliet Page, a scientist with the U.S. Depart- as well as the latest advanced acoustics tive eVTOL aircraft makers: Boeing (through Bell logs more helo ment of Transportation’s Volpe National continues on page 22 continues on page 22 orders › page 12 Pg-1-22_d3_v4.indd 2 1/29/20 7:00 PM was a Sikorsky type certificate at one point in time. We have a shared DNA, and Airbus expands Sikorsky’s number-one value is safety.” Sharing the podium with Olson in what data sharing was billed as a “fireside chat” to announce the agreement, Sikorsky Innovations v-p Over the past year, Airbus Helicop- Chris Van Buiten said, “We’ve been devel- ters has almost doubled the number oping autonomy technology for 10 years, of rotorcraft now sharing flight and and not for small drones, but for big air- maintenance data with the OEM. Cur- planes and helicopters: 12,000 pounds rently, it has nearly 1,000 helicopters and up.” He noted Sikorsky is now flying representing more than 165 operators an optionally-piloted UH-60 Blackhawk worldwide in the program. outfitted with a similar system at its West Among them is Hungarian Air MARIANO ROSALES Palm Beach, Florida facility. Ambulance, which announced a three– (Left) Chris Van Buiten, Sikorsky Innovations v-p engineering and technology, and Hayden A demo flight of a Matrix-equipped S64 year contract this week at Heli-Expo Olson, v-p and GM of Erickson Aerosystems signed an agreement for Sikorsky Matrix tech. is expected sometime next year, the com- 2020 to deploy the manufacturer’s panies said. Matrix also captures a vast connected services for its new fleet amount of data, and Erickson believes of nine preowned H135s, thereby dig- that can provide keys for optimizing fire- itizing its entire chain of maintenance Erickson adding Matrix fighting operations in the future. and flight operations. The EMS opera- Though initially intended to aug - tor also became the first customer for ment the aircraft’s standard two-pilot Flight Analyser analytics, which sup- tech to Air Crane fleet crew, when the system is fully matured, ports operational safety by analyzing Sikorsky plans for Matrix-equipped air- aircraft and flight data post-flight to by James Wynbrandt craft to be operated either by two pilots, identify risks before they lead to inci- one pilot, or autonomously, simply by tog- dents or accidents. Erickson (Booth 7545) and Sikorsky hemisphere fire seasons are starting to gling a switch between the three options. The airframer also noted it added 250 Aerospace (Booth 7532) signed a devel- merge, and we’re also seeing the fires That selection would be based on the task helicopters to HCare Smart and Infinite opment agreement to incorporate the intensifying,” said Hayden Olson, v-p and and the danger involved. contracts last year, increasing its rolls to latter’s Matrix Technology into Erick- general manager of Erickson Aerosystems. “If the horrible day ever happens and 2,250 aircraft, or 19 percent of its world- son’s fleet of S64 Air Cranes, providing “We need to be able to fight fires at night we’re tasked to drop concrete on the wide fleet, now covered by the HCare supplemental autonomous flight capa- and in reduced visibility conditions. This Fukushima nuclear reactor,” Van Buiten material management program. Newly bilities to enhance pilot’s firefighting technology is going to give our pilots that said, by way of example, “we’d be delighted added are Papillon’s 21 H130s and Heli- capabilities, the companies announced ability, so they can focus on the mission.” to flip the switch on ‘zero’ [crewmembers] Portugal’s nine H125’s. C.E. yesterday at Heli-Expo. As for choosing Sikorsky to help craft and have this big heavy-lift machine oper- “The Northern and Southern a solution, Olson said, “The Air Crane ate unmanned to save the day.” n INDEX Aviation Search Group ........................................10 AGS ......................................................................18 Airbus Helicopters ...........................................2, 19 Axnes .................................................................... 4 Bell ................................................................ 12, 16 Brunner Elektronik .............................................. 17 Cobham ................................................................ 3 Collins Aerospace................................................19 Donaldson ............................................................ 6 Efficient Management of EMS .............................10 Enstrom Helicopter .............................................19 Erickson ................................................................ 2 Flightdocs ........................................................... 22 FlightSafety International .................................... 17 GE Aviation ..........................................................12 Guimbal ................................................................ 6 Heli-One ..............................................................18 Horizon International Flight Academy.................16 Kopter ..................................................................21 LCI........................................................................ 17 Leonardo ............................................................20 Mars Helicopter .................................................... 3 MD Helicopters ..................................................... 4 NTSB ....................................................................14 PS Engineering ....................................................21 Robinson Helicopter ............................................15 Rotortrade ...........................................................18 S.A.F.E. Structure Designs ...................................13 Safran ................................................................... 6 SEI Industries .......................................................13 Sierra Nevada Corp. ............................................21 Sikorsky ................................................................ 2 MARIANO ROSALES StandardAero ......................................................15 UAVOS .................................................................15 Universal Avionics ................................................11 Metro Makes It a Dozen Urban Mobility .......................................................1 Celebrating Metro Aviation’s order for 12 new EC145e helicopters at Heli-Expo 2020 yesterday are, (left to right) Metro Aviation managing Vertical Flight Society ........................................... 8 director Milton Geltz; Metro Aviation president and CEO Mike Stanburry; Airbus Helicopters CEO Bruno