LIFE W INTER 2007 / £3.99 www.helicopterlife.com

BELL C OBRA TEST FLIGHT

PARIS TO O SHKOSH 50 YEARS OF AAC IRISH A IR C ORPS W ILD W OMEN FLYING H ELITECH M ATURES HELICOPTER LIFEis theHIGH LIFE

HELICOPTER

WINTER 2007 LIFE COVER STORY Show & Tell Guide 4 Flying the Bell On aviation shows and conferences. Cobra 32 Rainer Herzberg The Editor’s Letter 5 is given an exten - sive briefing and Aerial Forum 6 & 10 then flies the AH-1 For pilots to express their opinions Bell Cobra with anonymously or otherwise test pilot Blacky Schwarz Letters to the Editor 7 & 58 Counter Intuitive Helicopter 40 Flying Crackers 8, 9 Ranier Herzberg talks to test pilot Juri Jurewitsch about flying the R1-60 counter-rotating Heldair Martitiem 12 Arjan Dijksterhuis on the yearly show Bundespolizei Mountain Training 46 Rainer Herxberg, 50 years of flying 16 visits the Alan Norris visits Bundespolizei to Middle Wallop’s hear about and celebrations of 50 experience their years of Army Air mountain flying Corp flying and the methods for this move from report, which first Skeeters to larger came out in more powerful hel - Germany icopters HeliTech Duxford 50 Irish Air Corp 18 Helicopter Life team visits Duxford and Alan Norris sees how HeliTech has become a mature show visits the Irish Air Corp as they PremiAir 56 commemorate the Georgina Hunter- passing of their Jones reports on a sturdy Alouettes growing company and the change of which has seldom helicopter to been out of the AW139 or news since its EC135s acquisition of London Heliport Women fly the World 22 Clare Walker reports on the Women in Aviation Helicopters on the Mountains 59 conference and the visit by Baroness Thatcher Tomy Bowman’s report on Aeromega’s trip Oshkosh or Bust Just Another Saturday Arjan Dijksterhuis 60 Antoine 26 Grondeau and Book Reviews 62 five helicopters fly from France to Accident Reports 64 Oshkosh in the USA via Greenland House & Helicopter 66 and Iceland

HELICOPTER LIFE, Winter 2007 3 SHOW & T ELL G UIDE

24 February - 26 February 2008 14 July - 20 July 2008 HAI HELIEXPO 2008 FARNBOROUGH INTERNATIONAL AIRSHOW Houston, Texas, USA Tel: +44 (0) 1252 532800 Phone: (703) 683-4646 Website: www.farnborough.com Fax: (703) 683-4745 [email protected] 7 October - 9 October 2008 Werbiste: www.heliexpo.com HELITECH 2008 Airpot Cascais, 31 March - 6 April 2008 Estoril, Portugal FIDAE 2008 Tel: Barney Payne: +44 (0) 20 8439 8853 Arturo Merino Benitz International Airport Email: [email protected] Santiago, Website: www.helitecheurope.com Tel: +56 2 8739750 Fax: +56 2 8739780 11 November - 13 November 2008 Website: www.fidae.cl DUBAI HELISHOW 2008 Mediac Communications & Exhibitions LLC 15 May - 17 May 2008 PO Box 5196 Dubai UAE INTERNATIONAL HELICOPTER Tel: +44 (0)1293 823779 Crocus Expo Exhibition Centre Fax:+44 (0)1293 825394 Moscow, Russia Email: [email protected] website: www.helirussia.ru Website: www.dubaihelishow.com

4 HELICOPTER LIFE, Winter 2007 HELICOPTER T HE EDITOR S LETTER

s the weather worsens and we look forward to a few months LIFEA of rainfall and limitations on helicopter flying, it is worth thinking WINTER 2007 of trips to plan and places to go where the the weather is not so unre - HON. EDITORIAL BOARD liable and damp. Captain Eric Brown, CBE, RN I recently did a skills test at a school The Lord Glenarthur, DL in , where they are planning to Jennifer Murray do a partial re-run of the Paris- Michael J. H. Smith Dakkar Air Rally in March next year, Wing Cdr. Ken Wallis, MBE, RAF although they will be going from Jerez (near Seville) to Dakkar, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / PILOT Georgina Hunter-Jones instead of Paris. They plan to fly via [email protected] Morocco, down to Cap Juby, Dakhla CREATIVE DIRECTORS and to Mauritania. GEE & HH Dubourcq [email protected] In Mauritania the aircraft (both heli - copters and planes are catered for on COPY EDITORS Evangeline Hunter-Jones, JP this trip) will land in the desert, in John Wilson outback desert areas, and in , CONTRIBUTING EDITORS landing in national parks. Tony Bowman, Arjan Dijksterhuis, The entire trip is organised by Fly in Dave Gash, Antoine Grondeau, Alan Norris, Rainer Herzberg Spain and anyone interested should look on their website: www.Fly-in- CONTRIBUTED PHOTOGRAPHY Arjan Dijksterhuis, Antoine Spain.com or email: info@fly-in- Grondeau, Rainer Herzberg, John Martin, Alan Norris, PremiAir SPECIAL THANKS TO Dave Smith CPL(H), John Wilson, Malvina Nicca ATPL(A) translator ADVERTISING Telephone: (44) 20-7430-2384 [email protected] SUBSCRIPTIONS Go to our website or turn to page 58 [email protected] WEBSITE www.helicopterlife.com

COVER PHOTOGRAPH Bell Cobra AH-1F by Rainer Herzberg

HELICOPTER LIFE is published quarterly by FlyFizzi Ltd. 59 Great Ormond Street London, WC 1N-3 Hz . Copyright © FlyFizzi Ltd. 2006. ISSN 1743-1042. All rights reserved. Opinions expressed spain.com. For anyone else here are a weather as markets jump nervously. herein are not necessarily those of the pub - couple of pictures to look at while Happy Christmas! lishers, the Editor or any of the editorial staff. watching the rain outside the window. Reproduction in whole or in part, in any form whatever, is strictly prohibited without At the time of writing the helicopter specific written permission of the Editor. market is still booming, but next year’s forecast may well be as unstable as the HELICOPTER LIFE, Winter 2007 5 A ERIAL FORUM LTO 2007-006 MAINTENANCE PROGRAMME APPROVAL

Have you received Letter to Owner/Operator No: 2007-006? -Do you under stand what it means to you personally? David Gash explains: PART M, SUBPART C, M.A.302 it the CAA Website and in the top right Sub-Part G as a matter of course. seems like gobbledygook. hand corner where it says search, Sub-Part F/ Part 145 organisations So let's get this Part M into perspec - type in AD981D. may well have this approval as well. tive and try to explain what it means When the search results come up This Management Organisation will to YOU the owner. select AD981D Issue 3 November control the maintenance and act for Part M is a large legal requirement 2006 and this will take you to the you with your 'Garage' using your brought out by EASA (European Form AD981D. It may be advisable Approved Maintenance Programme Aviation Safety Authority) to impose to print it off as it will probably be as the controlling 'bible' (Manual). It a European standard for mainte - easier to digest. will also carry out the annual nance. It is sub-divided into Sub- Daunting is it not? review and submit the result to a Parts A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I, (for India). Sub-Part D: This is the bit that tells Subpart I signatory for signing. This Are you baffled already? I will try you about the standards that your Subpart G is essential if you and put the requirements into wish to maintain your aircraft in words of one syllable. a 'Controlled environment'. Sub-Part A : This establishes “Are you baffled already? What is a 'Controlled the measure to be taken by you I will try and put the Environment' I will quote Sub- the owner to ensure that airwor - requirements into words of Part I M.A.901. thiness is maintained. one syllable.” "An aircraft in a controlled envi - Sub-Part B : This is where it ronment is an aircraft continu - starts to affect you. M.A.201 (a) ously managed by an M.A. says that YOU are responsible for the Maintenance Provider (Garage) Subpart G approved continuing air - continuing airworthiness of your air - needs to maintain in looking after worthiness management organisa - craft and shall ensure that no flight your aircraft. tion, which has not changed organi - takes place unless: Sub-Part E: Again this is instruc - sations in the previous 12 months and 1. the aircraft is maintained in an air - tions for your Maintenance Provider which is maintained by approved worthy condition. (Garage), Part 145 or Sub Part F maintenance organisations". 2. any operational and emergency when he deals with components that "This includes M.A.803(b) mainte - equipment fitted is correctly installed he may or may not fit to your aircraft. nance carried out and released to and serviceable. Sub-Part F: This is the approval that service according to M.A.801(b)2 or 3. the airworthiness certificate is similar to Part 145 that your M.A.801(b)3." remains valid. 'Garage' must hold before he can This is the maintenance that you as It really does mean that You are work on and certify your aircraft. He the owner can do and tells you how responsible, no one else. can hold one or other Subpart F or to certify that work. Assuming that Sub-Part C : This is the Continuing Part 145. your programme says that you can Airworthiness bit that informs you Sub-Part G: This is the part that lays work on your aircraft and that you how you can achieve it. It includes down the rules for a Continuing have been properly approved by your the Maintenance Programme and Airworthiness Management Organisation 'Garage'. what it should cover including the (CAMO) . It's now that things start Basically this means that you must tasks that you as the owner can per - to get a little complicated! stay with your chosen CAMO but you form and certify. You will have to find an organisation can however change your Subpart To find out exactly what should be in who is approved to this standard. F/Part 145 provider as often as you your Maintenance Programme go to Most AOC Operators, will have a like. continued on page 10

6 HELICOPTER LIFE,Winter 2007 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR More letters on page 58

brand new machine and although some 59 Great Ormond Street, London WC1N-3Hz, England. tracking had been done it was always Telephone: 020-7430-2384, Fax: 020-7430-2384, Email: [email protected] our intention to complete the tracking Please include your name, address, home and daytime phone numbers. after a few hours were flown. This NZ Micro Licenses serve the microlight community. I should have been known to the owner Dear Georgina, have spent more time with e-mails, and test pilot, if vibration problems Retired from business, my wife letters, ‘phone calls and going up had been brought to our notice on the and I have made a lifestyle change BMAA directed blind alleys than day we could have let you fly another in that we spend 6 months in Nz, hours I have actually flown. The Rotorway to see just how smooth they returning for the English summer. upshot is that I sold my C42, given fly. As for the helicopter only being Still with an overwhelming desire up the unequal struggle with a designed for flying around the farm to fly my own aircraft, once estab - huge sigh of relief, albeit tinged you should ask some of our many lished in Nz, I returned to fixed with the sadness of having to part enthusiastic owners who regularly use wing in the form of a 3 axis micro- with a perfectly good a/c through their machines for some serious dis - light - a Tecnam 2000RG - 2 seat overwhelming bureaucracy and tance flying( in helicopter terms) and and baggage - 90 kt economic stupidity, and am now planning to if fitted with the optional Helipac lug - cruise in cabin comfort and all the return to helicopter flying. gage container with its 25 lbs capacity necessary bells and whistles. The A heli would be more suitable for a few soft over night bags can be car - Nz CAA allow an extra 90kgs in us in the UK for several reasons. ried. The Rotorway is at the bottom of the micro category, ie 540kgs My wife agrees that we could the pile when viewed against the many instead of 450kgs in the UK. This stretch our budget to £100,000 for larger, faster and indeed much more makes it ideal for Nz with its a heli of 4 seats to enable the car - expensive alternatives. But at its price mountainous ranges and abundant strips. riage of her mobility scooter (fold- it is a good basic helicopter that gives Being half the cost of the R22, I up) and overnight bags - one that its many owners a lot of fun flying at a convinced myself that I could now does not break the bank when it relatively cheap price. indulge myself in a similar format goes in for its annual service. Only Kind regards micro in this country. I have my being used from May to Oct, I Jonathan Bull.Southern Helicopters Ltd own strip here in Devon, hangar would anticipate 20 to 25 hours per etc so I bought a C42 Ikarus, with year usage. Any thoughts from Split Ownership Sought the same 100hp Rotax as the your readers on this matter would Dear Georgina, Tecnam, but with the very mini - be much appreciated. As a humble student PPL(H) with a mum of instrumentation and every - Kind regards flying logbook still in single figures thing pared down to save weight, MG Wiltshire I?m barely standing near the ladder of but still a good machine and better helicopter knowledge, never mind got suited to my 280m strip with poor Tetleys Tease a foot on the first rung. I have been approaches - marginal at best and Dear Georgina, fascinated by these aircraft since I exciting at times! It was good to see the Rotorway flew in a Gazelle whilst in the CCF at That’s when the trouble started. featured in Helicopter Life but a school and over the years have learned My Nz advanced micro licence few points do need clarification. It at the very least that they are extreme - (the training and test is identical to is true that some panels are ly expensive ?toys? for private owners. the UK) was not accepted and I removed for its pre-flight but as So it is with this in mind that I would had to undergo the same thing all they are held in place by π turn like to ask if any of your readers either over again for a UK NPPL. Dzus buttons it is a relatively easy know of a syndicate (or would like to Neither was my medical acceptable task to remove them and once you start one) to co-own an R44 in the -carried out, ironically, by an know your helicopter and what you Oxfordshire area? I feel that splitting English GP on a 3 year sabbatical are looking for it should not take all the ownership and running costs to Nz, using absolutely identical longer than 15 minutes to pre four (or more) ways would make a lot forms to those of the UK! Things flight. Even checking the engine of sense to any likeminded individuals. got worse from then on. My deal - oil is only a matter of pulling the I could probably afford to own one ings with the BMAA have lapsed seat back off its Velcro to gain outright but, with the best will in the into mediocrity. In all my 36 years access to the engine panel. As far world, would not have the time to of flying, mostly my own a/c and as vibration is concerned the make it a worthwhile proposition. I the consequential dealings with the Rotorway is an extremely smooth can be contacted at CAA, I have never come up aircraft and should be a pleasure to [email protected]. against a more obstructive, disor - fly at its 95 mph cruising speed. G- Regards, ganised rabble that purports to CBWO, your test helicopter was a Mark Livesey HELICOPTER LIFE,Winter 2007 7 FLYING

Bureaucracy Takes the Sent in by Joanna Vertey heat State officials kept twenty-four fire - fighting helicopters on the ground for a full day during the Californian fires, critically hampering firefight - ing efforts in the early stages as the blazes gathered strength. The heli - copters, operated by the military, were grounded because a state regu - lation requires that all firefighting choppers have a ‘fire spotter’ on board and there weren't enough available. By the time the helicop - ters were allowed to take off it was too windy to fly. Now the heat is on state officials to explain the delay.

Helicopter from Street parts Mubarak Muhammad Abdullahi, a 24-year-old physics undergraduate in northern , has built a heli - copter from parts of old cars and motorbikes. The helicopter, which has flown on six occasions, took eight months to build. “To start it, you allow it to run for a helicopter lacks “some basic facili - and is made from scrap aluminium. minute or two and then shift the ties like devices for measuring Abdullahi financed the project from accelerator forward and the propeller atmospheric pressure, altitude, money he makes from computer and on top begins to spin. The further humidity and the like.” mobile phone repairs, and a dona - you shift the accelerator the faster it He has started work on a new machine, tion from his father, who teaches at goes and once you reach 300 rmp which “will be a radical improvement Kano's Bayero university. you press the joystick and it takes on the first one in terms of sophistica - The helicopter is powered by a sec - off,” Abdullahi explained. tion and aesthetics.” ond-hand 133 horsepower Honda He learned the rudiments of flying a Currently a spindly metal frame in Civic car engine and has seats from helicopter from the Internet and first the back yard, the helicopter will be an old Toyota saloon car. Other parts got the idea of building one from the a two-seater and Abdullahi calculates p come from the carcass of a Boeing it will be able to fly at an altitude of h films he watches on television. “I o t o

747 which crashed near Kano 15 feet for three hours at a stretch. It g

watched action movies a lot and I r a

The four seat helicopter is twelve p was fascinated by the way choppers will be powered by a new motor, h C

metres long, seven metres high by Taiwan-manufactured, destined for o

fly. I decided it would be easier to u r t five wide. It has never attained an build one than to build a car.” the Jincheng motorbike so common e s y

altitude of more than seven feet. He hopes that the Nigerian govern - on the streets of Kano, in Nigeria. o f J

The cockpit consists of a push-but - o

ment will turn to him and stop plac - a n

ton ignition, an accelerator lever n ing orders with foreign manufactur - Therell be Greener Skiesa V

between the seats which controls e ers.So far, however, government Above s t vertical thrust, a form of cyclic, response has been quiet. Pressure for general aviation to clean y which provides balance and bearing. Abdullahi does admit that his first up its emissions or face restrictions is 8 HELICOPTER LIFE, Winter 2007 FLYING C RACKERS

Sent in by David A Gardner, Yorkshire Air Ambulance photogrpaher

growing, especially in Europe, and aircraft manufac - comfortable in the cockpit ! turers are responding. On Wednesday, Embraer said it Helicopter Rescues Toddler will create a new division, the Environmental Three-year-old Kate Williams, described by rescuers as Strategies and Technologies Office, with the goal of “an incredibly tough little girl,” was the lone survivor of achieving new levels of sustainable development.” the crash of a Cessna 172 that killed her grandfather and Meanwhile, a company in Reno, Nev., called one of his business associates in the mountains of British GreenFlight International, flew a Czech-built L-39 jet Columbia last month. The girl was found hanging from the on 100 percent biofuel. The group gradually increased child car seat she'd been securely strapped into before the the percentage of biofuel, made from renewable aircraft left Golden, B.C., on a trip to Edmonton, Alta. sources, mixed with diesel. She was released from a Calgary hospital after spending Test pilot Carol Sugars said, “The aircraft continued to five hours in 30-degree weather in the wreckage. “When perform well, giving me the confidence to transition you think of what that poor little girl went through, watch - to 100 percent.” According to the company, flight tests ing the plane tumble through the woods and hanging up to 17,000 feet showed no significant difference in upside down. What an incredibly horrible scene,” said the performance compared to conventional jet fuel. a a e r i h

s Privately owned Harrier flies k r o The first civilian had its first flight y

. r in private hands at St. Mary's County Airport in e n D r Maryland last month. Owner Art Nalls decided not a g to shatter any neighbours' nerves (or windows) and D i V a made his first takeoff and landing in the ex-Royal D y s

e Navy Harrier FA2 short field, rather than vertical. t r u Apparently, the Harrier left the runway at less than o C p the half way point of 2W6. Roughly 2000 feet of o t h runway was used for the takeoff. p a r

g Just what he plans to do with the notoriously loud o t o VTOL aircraft isn't clear but observers noted that h p there's not much doubt the owner seemed extremely

HELICOPTER LIFE, Winter 2007 9 continued from page 6 if you change your CAMO you will You will have noticed that all aircraft You can change your CAMO but there have to spend another 12 months with are different as they have different are penalties which will show up in a new Subpart G before you achieved Avionics or role equipment or model Subpart I, so choose him well as he a controlled environment once more. of Engine, PMA parts, this is where controls everything. Well, that is Part M out of the way, the customising comes in. Sub-Part H: This is a small subpart easy was it not, you are now experts. When you have prepared your pro - that lays down the wording for the So as I said briefly in Subpart C this is gramme you will need to submit a various Certificates of Release to where your maintenance programme copy to the CAA for approval, When Service and will be reproduced in the comes in. it has been approved, you will need a appropriate parts of your Maintenance Turbine helicopter owners are half copy for your CAMO and one for your Programme. way there as they have had to supply maintenance provider. Sub-Part I: This is the new C of A an Approved Maintenance Your programme will have details of: and it is called the Airworthiness Programme to their maintenance Owners name and address, Review Certificate (ARC). It is in two provider, however, these are probably The aircraft and engine will be identified . parts, the first is issued once but it not to Part M standard and will need Contents list and revision details needs the second part to validate it. amending or possibly re-writing. Lists of all the scheduled inspections The second part has to be signed after You Piston engine people have had to Lubrication and cleaning details carrying out an Airworthiness review do no such thing. Your man who does The periods at which overhauls should and then it can be extended two be made more times for a period of one year If you need assis- The periods at which replacements are each time then it repeats as long as it tance or would like made remains in its controlled environ - Mandatory life limitations ment. This can all be done by your to talk to someone All airworthiness directives EASA, CAMO. about these require- FAA, CAA, and Uncle Tom Cobbly This review process would general - and all ly align with your twelve month ments you can of Amendment review process inspection, but it does have flexibil - course talk to your Permitted variations ity built in. Periodic review of the programmes To try and put a value on this CAA surveyor, your contents method the initial ARC is a pile of Subpart G, Subpart F,Any reliability programmes paper 30 cm high with each exten - Additional CAA required items sion only 10 cm high figuratively Part 145 organisa- Details of who may issue a CRS speaking. Unfortunately the CAA tions or me, David Define Base Maintenance may well wish the initial Review of Details of what an Owner can do and Directives, Modification and Repair Gash. certify. status to read from the initial build [email protected] This is what the LTO means, YOU of your aircraft. need to submit (or your agent) a This controlled environment does ('Garage') has had the necessary books Maintenance Programme to the CAA make things a lot easier if you propose and things so that you did not have to for them to approve, so that your air - to move aircraft in and out of other bother yourselves. I am afraid that the craft can be maintained to Part M countries in Europe. easy times are now over. Standard. Your CAMO and mainte - If you do not take advantage of a In the past most 'Garages' have used a nance providers need this information Subpart G organisation you will be combination of LAMS (H) (CAP 412) to perform their part of the operation. outside a controlled environment and and the manufacturer's chapters 4 and 5 You have until 28 September 2008 to you (or your Garage) will have to of the maintenance manual without hav - get it done. Do not leave it to the last apply to the CAA each year for them ing to submit a programme to the CAA moment as a Programme can take to carry out a full Airworthiness but that will have to change over the quite a long time to compile. review and sign the ARC every 12 next 10 months. Even if you stick with If youneed assistance or would like to months. This method will be more the new LAMPH (CAP 767) it will still talke to someone about these require - expensive in general terms as it is the need to incorporate things from the ments you can talk to your CAA sur - full 30 cm each time. maintenance manual, CAP 747, CAP veyor, your subpart G, subpart F 145 It takes 12 months with a CAMO to 476, FAA Bi-weekly listings etc. and be organizations or me, David Gash: gain controlled environment status so customised to your aircraft. [email protected]

10 HELICOPTER LIFE,Winter 2007 u lirussia.r www.he Heldair Maritiem An airshow hosted by Den Helder Airport and Marinevliegkamp De Kooy

BY ARJAN D IJKSTERHUIS

n Saturday, 15th August Marinevliegkamp de Kooy Marinevliegkamp Valkenburg at the 2007, the airport close to Den De Kooy was founded in 1918, and end of 2006, Marinevliegkamp de OHelder was the location for fixed-wing aircraft from the Royal Kooy is now the only Naval Air the aviation event ‘Heldair Show Navy were based there. Station in the Netherlands, and the p

Maritiem’. The airport is normally However, during the Second World home base of the Groep Maritieme h o t o

split into two parts: the civil part, War, the airport fell into German Helikopters (MARHELI), which g r a known as Den Helder Airport, and hands. The allied forces operates SH-14D Lynx helicopters. p a h b

the military part, which is used by the bombed the airport to the extent This location is also near the harbour y a

Royal Netherlands Navy: that it could no longer be used and it where the Royal Netherlands Navy’s r J a n

Marinevliegkamp de Kooy. The was closed, only to reopen a few entire fleet is based. D i J k event was the result of cooperation years later. A reinforced runway was Den Helder Airport s t e r

between Den Helder Airport and built in 1960, and civilian companies The airport is ideally situated for h u i Marinevliegkamp De Kooy, and it have been allowed to fly from de transportation to and from the off - s allowed the public access to both Kooy since the 1980s. shore rigs (both oil- and gas-produc - parts for one day. Since the closure of ing platforms) in the southern and

12 HELICOPTER LIFE, Winter 2007

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central North Sea. Nowadays, companies like Bristow, A pair of Lynx CHC and DanCopter are based at Den Helder Airport, helicopters, and they are all engaged in transporting personnel to and did a display from the rigs and the producing platforms, each of which showing their serves several customers. actions in the In the morning, people had a chance to make their advent of a maiden flight, at only 30 euro for ten minutes. There was terrorist a long queue at the registration desk. A CHC Sikorsky S- attack 61 and an AB139 from CHC provided the flights. A DanCopter EC.155 also made a few flights. The flying display started in the afternoon with a variety of dis - plays, including helicopters, fast jets and even geese. One highlight was the participation of the Breitling Team. Christian Moullec flew a silent demonstration p h

o with his ultralight, in formation with several geese and a t o g pair of cranes. r p a

h After a number of other displays, a pair of Lynx heli - s

C copters took to the sky. A hijacked coach with passen - o u r t gers was parked in front of the crowd, to represent a pos - e s y sible terrorism situation. Dutch special units are trained a r J a to put an end to such situations of extreme violence, and n D

i other life-threatening situations. The pair of Lynx deliv - J k s t ered a team from the Special Intervention Service to the e r h

u scene. (The Special Intervention Service, or Dienst i s Speciale Interventie (DSI), is the new umbrella agency

HELICOPTER LIFE, Winter 2007 13 Westland NFH 90 (Naval Frigate Variant) at the National Police Services Agency, and display, but unfortunately it had been slightly damaged while being it was set up in 2006, as a response to pres - towed out of the hangar earlier that morning. This certainly disappoint - ent-day terrorism.) During a low pass from ed both the visitors and the base personnel, who would have loved to behind, a few explosions (flash bangs) were see their future helicopter flying! Another highlight was a Polish Navy simulated using pyrotechnics, to confuse Kaman SH-2G Super Seasprite. The Polish Navy bought four former the terrorists in this scenario. The helicop - US Navy Super Seasprites in 2002, and it operates them from two ters then made a quick turn and took up Oliver Hazard Perry class frigates that were decommissioned by the their positions, hovering behind and in front US Navy and sold to Poland. The SH-2G Super Seasprite was an inter - of the coach. The special unit quickly left mediate weight helicopter for the US Navy, but it was phased out in 2001. the helicopters using fast ropes. The Lynx In the morning, it became clear that the daily work must go on, even in front of the coach stayed in position with a sniper onboard, while the second Lynx AS532 Cougar moved some distance off. The situation was helicopter quickly brought under control, and the ter - rorists were taken into custody, then loaded into a van that transported them from the scene. Both teams then repositioned for a quick pick-up. The fastropes were again thrown out of the helicopters, and both teams connected themselves to the fas - tropes while the Lynx helicopters hovered above. Each member of the team is required to signal when ready. The helicopters then quickly departed the scene. It had all taken less than sixty seconds. The static display featured several high - lights, one of them a NH90 helicopter. This

helicopter made its first flight in August this p h o year, and is the first of twenty that will t o g r

replace the ageing Lynx fleet. After several a p h delays, delivery of the first NH90 is now s b y scheduled for 2009. The NH90 could be a r J a

seen with two serials: N 088, the serial n D i assigned to this particular example, and a J k s t temporary Italian military test registration. e r h u

It will keep this registration until it is deliv - i s ered. The NH90 was also scheduled to fly a

14 HELICOPTER LIFE, Winter 2007 Christian Moullec who teaches geese and cranes to fly with him and his microlight during the show. About ten o’clock, the Kustwachtcentrum (Netherlands Coastguard Centre) Sikorsky S61in CHC colours called in an SAR alert. A person on board the M.S. Cellus take off for a flight to the rigs required medical attention. A Lynx helicopter was scram - bled to fly to the ship, which was approximately 27 miles west of Den Helder. The patient was stabilized on board the ship, then taken on board the Lynx and flown to de Kooy, where an ambulance was waiting to provide trans - port to the Gemini hospital in Den Helder. Flights to and from the rigs also continued. About 50,000 people visited this free event, which was blessed with splendid weather. That is something that the organisation would like to see repeated in 2009. p h o t o g r a p h s C o u r t e s y o f a r J a n D i J k s t e r h u i s

HELICOPTER LIFE, Winter 2007 15 The British Army Air Corps celebrate fifty years of flying at HQ Middle Wallop

BY A LAN N ORRIS in the 1950s. In 1960, a small num - Sioux and Scout reached the peak ber of French-built Alouette II heli - of their service life in the 1970s and he origins of the AAC can be copters entered service, and became early 1980s. They were replaced by traced back to the Second the first turbine helicopters operated the Gazelle and the Lynx, both of TWorld War, when Winston by the AAC. In 1963, several types which were produced as part of the Churchill recognised the benefits of an of helicopter were evaluated at Anglo-French collaboration Army Air Corp and formed the Glider Middle Wallop, in the search for a between Westland and Aerospatiale. Pilots Regiment. replacement for the Skeeter. The Lynx was armed with Tube The regiment operated large wooden In 1964, the Agusta-Bell 47G Launched Wire guided missiles, and troop and vehicle assault gliders in sev - was chosen, and an initial contract was the main anti-tank helicopter eral campaigns. After the war, the regi - for 200 was placed shortly after - stationed in Germany, as the first ment was reduced to one squadron . It wards. They operated as the Sioux, line of defence against a possible continued to operate alongside the Air and were used mainly for liaison tank attack by the Warsaw Pact Observation Post (AOP) units, which and observation. In 1964, the AAC countries. In recent years, the AAC flew the Auster aircraft for liaison entered a new phase of its history, has used the WAH-64 Longbow and observation. In 1955, the AOP when the British-designed Westland Apache, which was introduced in units evaluated helicopters for the first Scout AH.1 entered service, as a 2001. It is currently the army’s only time, using the Saunders Roe Skeeter. five-seat multi-role aircraft. The attack helicopter. It is designed to These were very successful, and on biggest change the Scout brought to hunt and destroy tanks in all weath - 1st September 1957 the present AAC the AAC was its capability as an ers, day or night, and it can detect, was formed, by absorbing the AOP armed-attack helicopter in the anti- classify and prioritise up to 256 units. Middle Wallop was chosen as tank role. This made the AAC a potential targets in seconds. It can the AAC Centre. The role of the new true fighting unit of the British carry a mix of weapons, including Corps was to carry out many now Army. In the same period, the rockets and Hellfire missiles, and it well-established battlefield tasks, such Canadian built de Havilland Beaver has a 30mm chain gun. The aircraft as artillery fire control, observation, was used in a medium-range com - is equipped with the distinctive reconnaissance, liaison and casualty munication and observation flying Longbow Radar, located above the evacuation. Today these tasks are role, and was deployed in the Far rotor blades, and a Day TV system, taken for granted, but they were new East and Northern Ireland. Both the Thermal Imaging Sight, Direct View

16 HELICOPTER LIFE, Winter 2007 GARMIN GARMIN BENDIX/KING AVMAP

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Optics, and a fully integrated Defensive zoned AAC Guidon, a heraldic banner day saw all past and present helicop - Aid Suite. In 2006, Apaches were deployed carried by cavalry regiments. The ters hovering in front of the crowd to Afghanistan as part of NATO operations. Queen granted the Army Air Corps the line, as a tribute to all the past and Fifty years ago, when the Army Air privilege of a Guidon, which until 150 present servicemen of the Army Air Corps was conceived, it was a small years ago was carried into battle. Corps. The Army Air Corps has organisation flying Sioux and Scouts The and Battle of packed a significant amount into the moving small numbers of soldiers Britain memorial flight provided a 50 years since its formation in 1957. It around the battlefield and conducting tribute by the RAF, followed by the has played a significant part in all major aerial reconnaissance. It has since Army’s helicopter display team, the operations and campaigns, from Malaya in developed into a key component of Blue Eagles, demonstrating the han - the 1950s and Northern Ireland in the any military operation. dling capabilities of the Gazelle and 1960s, through to Afghanistan and Iraq To celebrate the Golden Jubilee, Lynx. Four Apache Longbow heli - today. As Colonel David Turner, Chief of the Army Air Corps held a private copters provided the bangs in a sim - Staff at the Directorate of Army Aviation, event with His Royal Highness, The ulated firepower demonstration. The said, "wherever the Army is, the Army Air Prince of Wales, Colonel-in-Chief of finale to the flying element of the Corps is there in some form." the AAC, as guest of honour. During the celebrations, a rededication serv - ice was held at the AAC memorial wall, a black granite wall built as a backdrop to the existing memorial. On it is inscribed a pictorial history s i

r of the AAC soldiers who have fallen r o

n since the unit was founded in 1957. n a l Around 4500 guests attended the cel - a y b ebrations. Prince Charles met a num - s h p ber of veterans including some origi - a Saunders Roe r g nal Glider Pilot Regiment members, o Skeeter first t o h and then inspected the newly embla - AAC helicopter p HELICOPTER LIFE, Winter 2007 17 Bring on the Empty Horse The are retiring their Alouettes and moving on to the AW139 TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY A LAN N ORRIS AND COURTESY OF THE IRISH A IR C ORPS

t a ceremony on Casement UK mainland based aircraft, which Airfield, Baldonnel, Ireland, were then normally dispatched to Ain September 2007, the Irish Ireland to assist the rescue services Air Corps (IAC) finally decommis - during a national emergency. The sioned from active service the French Irish Government decided, therefore, built SA316B Alouette III helicopter to set up a service fleet, after nearly 44 years of opera - operated by the military. The IAC tional service. The first of a total of provided the flying element and the eight Alouette III helicopters was navy the Rescue coordination centre delivered in 1963, by the then (RCC). It was also decided to pur - Commandant McMahon, who had Irish Air Crops Alouette formation display chase three rescue helicopters. After flown it from the Aerospatiale facto - evaluating several different types, the ry in the South of France. country to a standstill, there was a Aerospatiale SA316B Alouette III After a number of severe winters major public outcry and demands was chosen. Initially three were in the 1950s that had brought the that Ireland should be less reliant on ordered. The first two (195 & 196) 18 HELICOPTER LIFE, Winter 2007 Flight crew enjoying their last flight in the Alouette

arrived in November 1963, and the third (197) in early ations. History repeated itself in 1982, when very heavy 1964. These were the first helicopters to enter Air Corps snow cut off the east of Ireland. In a ten-day operation, 148 service. The type proved so successful that the IAC pur - sorties were flown to drop provisions to residents and live - chased a further five, all of which entered service stock stranded in the mountain regions. between 1972 and 1974. The aircraft were used almost immediately on their arrival in Ireland. They performed their first air ambu - lance operation within three weeks of going operational, when they were called to transfer a car crash patient with spinal injuries to Wexford hospital. During its service, the Alouette III carried out over 1700 rescue missions and saved 542 lives, and 14 members of the Air Corps were decorated for outstanding bravery in the course of some of these rescues. In addition, over 2,882 Air Ambulance missions were flown. The furthest recorded rescue was 75 miles off the Irish coast, and early rescue work across the country required drums of fuel to be placed in strategic locations to extend the range of oper - Irish Air Corps SA316B Alouette 111s in farewell flypast Former aircrew beside the latest helicopter in service with the Irish Air Corps, the AW139

The primary role of the Alouette was carried out on two SA342L crew and engineers to bid farewell, III was always as a VFR day-tasked Gazelles purchased in 1979 but they, and to recount many stories from the SAR aircraft but, as demands for like the Dauphin, were later with - past to the new pilots. A fly-past of night SAR operations off the Irish drawn from service. the last six aircraft culminated in a coast increased, the IAC added the The Alouette III remained opera - synchronised landing in front of No. SA365F Dauphin helicopter to the tional until the last day, having 3 Operational Wing, and was fol - fleet in 1986. Eventually SAR cover - recorded 77000 flying hours without lowed by aircraft 195 passing in front age for Ireland was transferred to a single accident, and having also of the line-up, in a final tribute to the commercial SAR operations, and the seen out two later types of helicopter. helicopters and crews. After it had Air Corps withdrew from all SAR in The stand down day provided an landed, 195 was towed into the 1997. Pilot training in the Air Corps opportunity for over 500 old pilots, hangar for the very last time, and was

The AW139, now in service with the Irish Air Corps

20 HELICOPTER LIFE, Winter 2007 Irish Air Corp Alouette serenaded on its way by the pipes and drums of the Air Corps band, and the applause of the assembled guests. What will happen to the aircraft? 195, the first and last aircraft to fly, will eventually go on display in the Irish National museum in Collins Barracks, Dublin, while 196, the sec - ond airframe delivered, will remain at Baldonnel, in the Irish Air Corps museum. The remaining aircraft will be sold. The Alouette III was originally purchased solely for SAR duties, but it was subsequently used for many tasks and duties over the years: general army support, special operations, utili - ty, liaison, VIP transport and even police work. To replace the Alouette III, two new aircraft types are to enter IAC service: the AgustaWestland AW139 and the Eurocopter EC135, both modern helicopters that offer greater flexibility to a modern army aviation organisation. Captain James Brady, one of the last pilots to fly the Alouette III, sums up the change: “I have been flying the Alouette III for 5 years and went straight on to the AW139; it was sin - gle-engined single crew to a twin-engined multi crew full IFR aircraft. It was like going from a Mini Cooper to a BMW 5 series. It was a real shock but there is an exciting time ahead for army aviation in Ireland.”

HELICOPTER LIFE, Winter 2007 21 Women Fly the World Baroness Thatcher Meets Delegates at the Aviation and Women in Europe Conference

BY C LARE W ALKER

aroness Thatcher was the sur - introduced to as many of those present came from countries as far afield as prise Guest of Honour at the as possible before she had to leave India, America, Canada, Turkey and BOpening Reception at the after another busy day. The reception Saudi Arabia, there wasn’t a person House of Lords for speakers, dele - was sponsored by executive recruit - there who wasn’t thrilled to meet one gates and sponsors of the Aviation and ment company Odgers Ray & of the world’s most renowned and p h

Women in Europe Conference – the Berndston. most successful women.” o t o g

first to be held in the UK. The former Jane Middleton, Chairman of the The conference, which was the r a p

British Prime Minister – one of the Conference Organising Committee, third such event to be organised by the h C o

best known women internationally – said she was delighted to note that, European chapter of Women in u r t achieved the near impossible when despite stories in the media, Lady Aviation International, attracted spon - e s y her entry silenced dozens of women Thatcher was as sharp-witted as ever. sorship from a number of well-known o f C

who were busy talking aviation and “There is no doubt that Lady companies ranging from Boeing, l a r networking. Thatcher’s presence at our reception PriceWaterhouseCoopers, J P Morgan, e W a

Lady Thatcher, whose attendance provided a huge inspiration to our Towers Perrin and Rockwell Collins l k e was kept a closely guarded secret, was conference. Although our delegates to Pooleys Flight Instructor School, r

22 HELICOPTER LIFE, Winter 2007 Delegates at the conference

SEI and Marlborough Aviation Executive Search. was like working in a dominantly male environment. She Their backing enabled the organisers to offer six free soon got used to having broken nails and oil in her hair as places to students who were able to enjoy mixing with well as having “vanity case” written on her tool box. She high achieving women from many different countries. advised delegates never to give up, never to show weakness, The three-day event began with aviation visits to the Air adding that women relied on men to give them their break. Accident Investigation Branch and Flight Safety Bristow Helicopter search and rescue pilot Marjolijn de International, the world’s largest flight simulator company, Greef from Holland told how she herself had to be rescued both based at Farnborough, before a speedy turnaround to from the North Sea, after an hour in the water without a life travel to London for the welcome reception. jacket when the cyclic controls of her Puma helicopter had The following day, keynote speaker Judith Moreton, jammed. Managing Director of Bombardier Skyjet International, Although, as duty captain, she had had to ditch on a cold told delegates she was very excited to be addressing a con - winter’s night with the temperature of the water at 9º, every - ference almost exclusively made up of women – a com - one on board - including the 17 passengers they had airlifted ment echoed by other speakers. off an oil rig during a black-out - were rescued. After she and The theme of her talk was the importance of under - her co-pilot were cleared of any suspicion of reckless flying, standing different cultures to enable aviation companies to she returned to duty with no ill effects from the trauma she win business in an increasingly competitive world. had endured. Gretchen Burrett, the first female Director of Safety at Jo Salter, the first woman to fly a fast jet in the RAF, and National Air Traffic Services, said she had initially want - now a successful motivational speaker and author, amused ed to become an ice skater but her father, fed up with pay - delegates with the story of how she solved the problem of ing the fees, suggested she went to the Air Force Academy, flying for eight hours across the Atlantic in a Tornado with - which was free! out any toilet facilities. The solution was a package of incon - She recalled being left in charge of a Minuteman inter- tinence pads and plastic underpants! continental ballistic missile centre when she was “a baby She advised delegates wanting to succeed in aviation to second lieutenant” with the job of designing the human “practice the law of abundance” by having a “glass half-full” interface. From that point onwards, she became fascinated approach to life, being positive and having fun.

r with the human aspects of aviation. Jenny Payne, Director of Product Marketing and Product e k l

a Squadron Leader Sue Freeman, who is in charge of Analysis at Boeing Commercial Airplanes, explained how W

e ensuring that all RAF F-3 pilots are adhering to the correct Boeing’s new 787 aircraft was more environmentally friend - r a l standards, described how she took part in a “quick reaction ly because of its use of composites which weigh less than C f o alert” at RAF Leuchars when some Russian aircraft aluminium, and result in less fuel burn. Its Rolls-Royce engi - y s e recently appeared on the scene. neers were also more efficient. Boeing had been working t r u

o “The Russians seem dreadfully interested in what we hard to overcome passenger problems such as dry eyes, C s are doing. I looked at them and they looked at me and we headaches, fatigue and nausea, she told the audience. h p a r flew alongside them until they departed,” she said. Commander Trish Beckman, formerly with the US Navy g o t Deanna Amos, an engineer on the Boeing 777 at and now a navigator with Boeing, described her role in the o h p Heathrow, amused the conference by describing what it 777’s round-the-world flight, which took her to dozens of HELICOPTER LIFE, Winter 2007 23 countries, while triple round-the-world pilot Jennifer Murray showed a series of stun - ning slides from her record dual helicopter flight from Pole to Pole. She paid tribute to her co-pilot Colin Bodill, who, despite a broken back and other severe injuries, had saved their lives after they crashed in a whiteout in Antarctica on their first attempt in 2003. “Heroes don’t come bigger than Colin Bodill,” she said. “Practically his first words to me afterwards were `We have to get another helicopter`!” The Conference was closed by Dr Peggy Chabrian, founder and president of Women in Aviation International, which has 14,000 members. The final day of the conference was a visit to the RAFA Shoreham Air Show, where delegates were delighted to see Baroness Thatcher in Carolyn Grace begin the programme with a relaxed mode at the beautiful aerobatic display to music in her House of Lords evening Grace Spitfire. There is only ONE Mason Arms Enthusiasts Leaving The Mason Arms after a very fine lunch (The pilot obviously went to the right school ... a gentle- man always keeps his socks on when performing) 01993 702485 Gerry Stonhills individual Mason Arms at South Leigh, near Witney, Oxfordshire Voted the tackiest pub in Great Britain by Michael Winner Helicopter Landing pad: North 51 46 49 West 001 25 96 Call Brize Norton Tower 119.0 End outer marker runway 26

Oshkosh or Bust

Four intrepid French pilots fly from France to Oshkosk in time for the famous airshow

Text and Photographs by Antoine Grondeau

ne hundred years ago, three Iceland and Greenland, and they had to built), restored by Pascal Petitgenet, Frenchmen lifted off the fly legs of more than 350 nautical who flew it with David Dahdi. Oground in machines they called miles, which was more than the range Robinson R44 OO-HEY, flown by helicopters. of most of the helicopters they planned Belgian team Paul Bossens and Peter A century later, a few pilots had the to use. The total journey was more than Koekelkoren. crazy idea of crossing the Atlantic and 4500 nautical miles, or nearly 50 flight Ecureuil AS350B, flown by Gérard landing in the heart of the biggest avi - hours each way! Five helicopters took David and Michel Fabry ation event in the world: the EAA part in the raid: Ecureuil AS355F2, flown by Bruno Airventure in Oshkosh, USA. An Alouette II from 1956, serial num - Lamos and Marc Mongeau The only possible route transits via ber 1003 (the third serial Alouette ever Agusta A109, flown by François Bedroom city Minard helped by Renaud Lataillade In the early hours of July 14th, the French national day, the helicopters took off from the Paris heliport at Issy les Moulineaux. The first stages were used to break in the use of the additional tanks and the navigational equipment. We tested the maritime and polar survival suits in Scotland, before crossing the first part of the North Atlantic. These airtight suits are supposed to guarantee a few more minutes of life in the event of falling into the freezing oceanic waters. However, we preferred not to have to try them out. During the flight to the Faeroe Islands, a Danish territory between Scotland and Iceland, the generator alarm flashed on Gerard David’s flight deck. Having no source of elec - tricity other than the battery, he switched his instruments off. He managed to fly for two hours by min - Alouette and the Ecureuil took off for cations to the ATC while they flew imizing his electrical consumption, Greenland. below the radio coverage layer. thanks to the handheld back-up GPS Avoiding clouds and foggy areas, The weather in Greenland is unpre - and radio he carried in case of emer - the trip in the Alouette took longer dictable, and on this occasion it turned gency. Gerard and Michel landed than expected. Pascal and David out worse than had been forecast. As exhausted in Vagar. decided to divert to the shore, rather soon as the helicopters took off, low A stopover in Iceland helped the than head directly to Kulusuk. They cloud covered the fjord and shut the pilots to relax one last time before fly - landed safely with their tanks almost airport down for the night. Whatever ing across the polar circle. They land - empty. They called on the radio chan - the heading, the nearest airport was ed at the Blue Lagoon hotel, the home nel, and François took off in the now 350 nautical miles away. After of a natural swimming pool that is Agusta with some extra kerosene, and only an hour, the situation had heated by a geyser. The next day, the joined them on the ice pack. There become very serious. Some of the weather was so bad that, halfway to followed the unusual scene of an off- pilots were flying into severe icing Greenland, three of the five helicop - the-cuff refuelling in the middle of an conditions, while Gerard David’s gen - ters had to turn back to Iceland. Low ice-covered rock, looking out on erator decided to break down for stratus clouds, fog and mist made nav - coastal icebergs. good. He switched off all possible igating hazardous. A Demanding Night instruments to save his battery, and On the east coast of Greenland, the Maximum elevation figures are his handheld GPS was of vital and nearest diversion airfield is 350 nauti - believed not to exceed 13600 feet ». precious help in an area where mag - cal miles from Kulusuk. Flying over This advertisement on the aerial netic declination is more than 34°S. this oceanic and polar desert, you’d charts of Greenland was clear, and set At this point, a small yellow ultra- better be sure of the weather at your the tone. The raid had somehow to light that was following the same destination airfield. During the pre- pass over the icecap even though the route as the raid ran into terrible flight checks prior to their next helicopters could not reach such an weather conditions. The pilot was attempt, Peter and Paul discovered altitude. The crews finally decided to trapped in a severe icing area and that one engine strap on their engine take a frequently used lower route, on attempted to land on the icecap. His was about to break. Given the delays which the mountains reach only 8000 left wing broke in the snow. in having repairs done in that area, for feet. The aircraft following them in Hopefully the crew were rescued them the raid was over. Only the the raid relayed their radio communi - alive and healthy. Alouette II on the Ice Cap The Alouette crew quickly realized that their old machine was too heavily laden with kerosene to climb to 8000 feet. “The weather was clearly getting worse and worse, a real wall was developing in front of us”, as David told us later. “I looked down left and I saw a big hole in the clouds, clearing the way to the sea. We needed only a glance to decide to stop the flight while we could still do so safely.” They took out their survival kits and prepared for a chilly night on the ice of Greenland. “We took turns staying awake, ready to start the engine if a polar bear came by. There was one good thing, however: the sun was shin - ing, even in the middle of the night!” The next morning, a Danish Navy Lynx dropped them food and bever - ages in the course of rescuing the crew of the ultra-light. On the way to Kangerlussuaq the weather was still

29 Alouette and snow plough

bad, and they decided to stay hundreds of miles around. the team landed in Iqaluit, an airport overnight at Angmagssalik, a small A mysterious dome breaks this well known for its role in the certifica - village nearby that had a dropping absolute purity, its architecture remi - tion process of Airbus and Falcon zone and a hotel. niscent of the best James Bond movies. planes. It hosts the tests in freezing Operation RAVBA The US Army had built a network of cold conditions. If the Alouette carried less fuel to tropospheric observatories throughout The raid then moved across Canada enable it to climb higher, then it Greenland and northern Canada to pre - from north to south at a mad rhythm, would not be able to reach the west vent a hypothetical attack via the Pole via Frobisher Bay, Hudson Bay, coast of Greenland in a single leg. A by the Soviet Union. Camp Raven was Québec and Ontario: the Alouette II few pilots who used to fly over the one of these secret bases. It is now disused. crew, hampered by its 85 knots air - icecap sometimes mentioned an The refuelling accomplished, both heli - speed, flew 15 hours in a single day. American camp halfway to the west, copters took off together from this place Oshkosh in sight! at a VFR waypoint called “RAVBA”. where a civilian had probably never landed Oshkosh Airventure plays host to After negotiating authorization to use before. Next heading: Canada! more than 10,000 airplanes and the place with US government repre - A group of Inuit children welcomed 700,000 visitors in a single week. sentatives, the Agusta landed there, us warmly in Nunavut, in the midst of There is a huge air display every after - its rotor came to a rest, and its gears the dust cloud our rotors created on noon. Opening the show, four black buried themselves in forty centime - this small local airfield. After a long spots flew together in the runway axis. tres of powder snow. The sky was a flight along the fjords between stratus The spots changed to rotors and fuse - perfect blue, with snow spreading for and the northern Canadian mountains, lage as the speaker told the public

Oshkosh at last

3300 HELICOPTER LIFE, Winter 2007 about the Atlantic crossing, the heli - copters and the crazy French pilots. The crews did a few formation manoeuvres before landing in front of the public. They then taxied a few more meters, to the place of honour in front of the speakers stand, which the Oshkosh organization had offered the members of the successful raid. In one week, four helicopters had travelled more than 8000 kilometres, half of them over water or ice, and in polar conditions, without a single

serious technical problem. The 51- year-old Alouette led the way in these stressful conditions, and demonstrated the unique capabili - ties and reliability of these wonder - ful machines, which often suffer from ignorance and prejudice on the part of the public. Experiencing Snakebite

32 Winter 2007

RainerHerzberg flies the Bell 209 AH-1F Huey Cobra owned by the Flying Bulls and learns the meaning of jealousy

ED BULL gives you wings! I part of the Red Bull marketing strat - Siggi Angerer, who then owned a know this to be true because I egy, even before the collection of former US marine fighter Vought F4 Rcan speak from experience. rare and unusual planes began to Corsair, and is now the chief pilot of However, in my case, it wasn’t the take shape in Hangar-7 and Hangar-8 the Flying Bulls. Angerer taught famous caffeine-heavy drink that at Salzburg airport. Matteschitz to fly, and then agreed to gave me that uplifting sensation, but The result of this marketing strate - paint the plane blue with a red bull the combat helicopter Bell 209 AH- gy is a now world-famous flight motif, in return for a substantial 1F Huey Cobra of the Flying Bulls, relay, and deservedly so. In the late annual retainer. Since then, Angerer who invited me to take a flight in the 1980s, Dietrich Matteschitz, manu - has been sweeping low over air Cobra. The slogan has always been facturer of the wonder drink, met shows across Europe, and the Pictures courtesy of Rainer Herzberg 33 “Flying Bull” has become a regular elled on the American version. approval from the German authori - guest at aviation events, and a sight This occasion sees the world’s ties for this event will always for sore eyes indeed. best acrobatic pilots fly fast, loud remain a secret. Skilfully targeted The rare and unusual collection and low, right in the middle of the sponsoring, and the clever use of became a great success, and it soon host city. This is an autumn sensa - advertising budgets in the sports included a number of rare aircraft: a tion in Berlin, an incredible magnet world, have now made the energy T-28 Trojan, a Grumman Widgeon, for the public, and unique in drink world-famous. Seasoned a few Piper Cubs, a B-25, a DC-6, Europe. How the boys from pilots have noted the vitalising and even a few Alpha jets from the Salzburg managed to wangle effect of one or two cans, drunk just German Air Force. The first heli - copters were bought to bring some variety, and to make it possible to perform vertical take-offs. All these aircraft were in an incredibly good condition, and many were better than new. They are now housed under two enormous glass domes, and in Hangar 7 flying enthusiasts can have a closer look at these rari - ties whenever they wish. Hangar 8 is for maintenance and is not open to the public. Today, 28 planes and helicopters form the backbone of the collection, which is essential at any European air show, and of the Red Bull air race, which is mod -

34 HELICOPTER LIFE, Winter 2007 before landing, after a long flight. book, and in that time he’s flown buy a helicopter so easily, and how When I meet Siegfried “Blacky” almost everything rotor-powered. many flying hours the dragon Schwarz in Salzburg for a briefing, On a normal day, Joe Public already has under its belt. “A hun - his personal ration is wedged into wouldn’t be allowed anywhere near dred”, says Blacky, with a grin on the Huey Cobra’s panel. Nestling this viperous machine. Stepping his face: “This bird is new”. between the instruments, the two into the cockpit would be reward Naturally, I think it must be ex US- cans of the wonder drink look like enough, but the opportunity to Army, and I take a quick look part of the equipment. Blacky is the churn up the air over the state of around for patched-up bullet holes. head of the helicopter relay, and his Salzburg with the Cobra’s huge This is before I find out that Cobras passion is “planes that can stand rotor blades is a lucky break, even can simply be ordered and pur - still in midair or fly backwards”. He for an old chopper pilot like me. chased from, for example, Chuck has over 8,000 hours in his log - I want to know where you can Aaron in Westlake Village, California. Chuck is a stunt pilot who also builds helicopters for the film industry. In the case of the Huey Cobra, he also builds them from scratch for civil security serv - ices: for example, they accompany convoys in Iraq. Blacky somehow got wind of this opportunity, and he managed to convince Dieter Matteschitz that this was just the stunning piece of advertising that the Salzburg collection was lacking. Anybody who has some idea of

The Cobra was used intensively in the and other conflicts

HELICOPTER LIFE, Winter 2007 35 what helicopters can and can’t do, and has seen Blacky Schwarz tearing up the sky with this machine, will quickly understand why the place goes wild when the Flying Bulls’ Cobra appears at an air show. With a take-off weight of about 3,500kg and power from a Lycoming Turbine T 53-1-703 with 1,800 HP, climb rates of 3,000 ft/min are standard, as are acrobatic manoeuvres that would make even an experienced helicopter pilot break out in a cold sweat. The Bell 209 AH 1 has been manufactured since the early 1960s. From 1967 onwards, it was deployed in large numbers in the Vietnam War. At that time, the AH -56 Cheyenne development proj - ect, the forerunner of the Apache, had just been rejected by the US Senate, and this inevitably helped the Cobra to break through. The Flying Bulls’ Cobra stands between Hangars 7 and 8, looking fearsome in its matt black paint. It is a genuine monster, with a very narrow front view but a long, stretched-out sideline. The red bull on a yellow base is clearly visible on its bow. The cannon under the fuselage is a mock-up, but the stubby wings contain all the fittings necessary to attach bombs or rockets. Needless to say, this Cobra flies completely unarmed! The ammunition shafts have been converted into storage to enable the crew to bring the essentials for overnight stays on cross- country flights. The seats are positioned one in front of the other in the two-man cockpit, with the weapons usually sitting in front. Both seats are equipped with full instrumentation and dual controls so that the Cobra can be steered from both positions, almost without restriction. I step inside. Blacky sits at the back and I take my Top:Bell Cobra engine place at the front. Helmet on, belt on and a good Middle: the cockpit showing look around to see where everything is. There won’t the full panel be any time for such inspections later on, and I don’t Bottom: the sidestick which want to make a fool of myself. Catching my eye in takes the place of the collective my chassis are a side stick to my right of the con - sole, and the pitch to the left—a smooth little stump that reminds me a little of the power lever in a jet. Later, during the flight, I want to reduce power and intuitively pull the pitch backwards. In a jet, this would be fine, but in a helicopter the torque (output) increases much more rapidly. Blacky’s sonorous voice soon appears in my headphones, telling me to “Watch your pitch!” But we haven’t yet finished the pre-flight. The checklist is not much longer than that of a Bell JetRanger, not counting the weapons technology positions. We start from the back cockpit, and after a short scan of the engine equipment we’re ready. Everything is green, and after the run-up check

36 HELICOPTER LIFE, Winter 2007 we’re clear to go. Blacky Schwarz pilot To be on the safe side, I ask Blacky to do the take-off. I have never flown a helicopter with a side stick and I prefer to get a feel for it first. I also have to write a few notes for my report, because I won’t have any chance to do so later. We do a hover check with 55% torque from the main engine and a take-off weight of around 3.5 tons. There are 960 litres of fuel in the tanks, enough for a flight time of 2 hours and 15 min. After we’ve reached the translational lift at 25 knots, Blacky puts me in charge of the control, and says “Do what you like”. There is no question of me turning down this generous propos - al! I get to work, but I don’t feel corrections with your wrist. is required to stabilise back into quite as relaxed as I would like. It’s We're heading for the airfield in climb flight. This is starting to be not every day that you have such a Ried to do a few circuits and some fun, not least because I’ve lost my powerful bird at your fingertips. My approaches to the aerodrome before earlier nerves and I’m slowly get - right arm lies on a soft pad, and the landing. The Cobra remains on the ting used to the Cobra. In no time side stick is wrist-controlled. To be glide path beautifully during the we’re back at 5,000 feet, and now on the safe side, I remain in a approach at 100 knots. We reduce it’s Blacky’s turn: “Let me take steady-state climb flight for the speed to 55 knots and, without over for a second”. time being, and control the heading adding much power to the pitch, it He takes over the steering, and with minimal movements. switches over, almost by itself, into before I know it there’s grazing The variometer shows 2,600 the ground effect and into a hover. land and brown dairy cows in front feet/min at only 65 % torque. What After that, very little torque/output of my cockpit window. a climb rate! We’re at 6,000 feet in no time and it’s time to level out. The variometer The main rotor turns comfortably at indicates a climb of 290 rotations/min, because the rotor 2,600 feet per minute blades have a wing-like character: at only 65% torque over 1 metre wide, and 13.42 meters in diameter. With a , this would be 385 RPM at the same torque. We sweep to the west at 150 knots, and into a training area out - side the Salzburg control zone. I reduce the speed to 120 knots and begin a few manoeuvres: some steep turns, climb flights and dives, and a slow flight up to a hover. The Cobra is incredibly agile when hit - ting corners, provided you get used to handling the side stick, and the helicopter sits extraordinarily steadily in the air, as long as you just leave the controls alone and undertake only simple and sensitive

HELICOPTER LIFE, Winter 2007 37 Maximum take off weight in the Cobra is 9500 lbs or 4,309 kgs

Weapons sensor, the Cobra gearbox Cobra can carry a range of armamenets, see specifications

38 We’re in a vertical nosedive! notes of various pieces of flight A potpourri of Blacky’s Cobra information, I take in the glorious program comes next, a whirl - weather and a flying machine that I wind mid-air merry-go-round. am unlikely to be offered again any It’s incredible what both man time soon. and helicopter are capable of. No Normally I am a stranger to envy, other flying object of this size but I can’t help wishing that I had a can move through the air so sponsor to provide me with the sort stealthily and so aggressively. of aircraft, particularly helicopters, Sitting in the best seat—the front that the lucky Blacky Schwarz has cockpit—leaves my adrenalin at his disposal . reserves low. This Cobra carries no weaponry, and is loaded with only us and the fuel, so it’s hav - ing an easy day. After all, it has 20 HP per kilo, an incredible fig - ure compared to the helicopters I’m used to flying. More recent - ly, the Flying Bulls have also used two Bo-105s with acrobatic flight approval. These are signif - icantly more agile—a result of their hingeless rotors— and they are probably the only helicopters able to perform such acrobatics. But the Bo is significantly lighter, and not really compara - ble to the Cobra. After this trip into the realm The author at the of the senses, I return to my controls technical program. Flying Top right: author straight ahead, making mental being briefed Bell Cobra Specificati

Engine: Overall length: 45 ft 5 ins/ 13.4m, One AVCO Lycoming T53-L-13 turboshaft, Overall height: 13.5 feet/4.1 m 1,100 shp (820 kW) Crew: 2 Blades 2 Empty weight: 6073 lbs (2754kgs) Maximum Armaments: take-off weight: 9500 lbs (4309 kgs) 2 7.62mm multi-barrel Minigun, or 2 40mm Useful load: 2,437 lbs Grenade launchers, or 1 of each, in the M28 Service ceiling 11,400 feet (3,475m) turret 2.75in (70mm) rockets - 7 rockets Cruise speed: 180 knots (340 km/hr) mounted in the M158 launcher or 19 rockets VNE 190 knots (352 km/hr) in the M200 launcher Range 310 nm (574 km) M18 7.62 mm Minigun pod or XM35 arma - Rate of climb: 1620ft/min( 8.2m/sec) ment subsystem with XM195 20mm cannon

Counter-intuitive Helicopter?

Rainer Herzbergl ooks at the new co-axial helicopter, talks to test pilot Juri Jurewitsh and gives his opinion (Translated from the

oaxial rotor systems are using this technology. Even in west - once said, ‘in nature everything that complex and difficult to ern Europe, they are known as reli - flies has two wings. So we build our Cunderstand. Their disadvan - able. These helicopters are not helicopters with two wings (rotors)’. tages include high weight and main - ‘lightweights’, and consequently a The advantages of this are easily tenance costs. Even so, the Russian little additional weight does not explained: in a normal helicopter, Kamov KA 26/226 and KA-32 have affect their performance. the tail rotor alone uses 30% of the become famous and successful As a Russian helicopter designer power. By omitting it, all available power can be used for lift. There are no torque changes when changing power, and hovering is much more stable. The helicopter is also easier to handle than con - ventional models. This technology has not yet been used for very light helicopters, because the manufacturers have found the conventional main/ tail rotor principle sufficient. But in Stendal, on August 25, ROTOR-INTERNATIONAL pre - sented a sensational very light hel - icopter that uses the coaxial sys - tem. The RI-30 ‘Eaglet’ has an unladen weight of 250kg (MTOW have no hinges. design gives good performance: fuel 500kg). The Rotax 912 UHLS The blade angle is set via two short consumption of 12 l/h, cruise speed engine, with 100 PS, was pro - levers that actuate the blades from 140 km/h and a range of 500 kms duced by a Russo-German collab - inside. This is a brilliant and aes - The fuselage consists of an alloy oration. The rotor system was thetically pleasing solution. The frame and fibreglass panels that can developed at OKB in Kumertau, gearbox has three gears. Weight and be mounted quickly and easily. All Russia. friction are thus reduced because parts are pre-manufactured and There are no swash plates or con - there are few rotating parts. require only assembly, which will trol rods. Two counter-rotating Of course there are two seats in the make things interesting for potential rotor shafts ensure complete con - cabin, with the second offset slight - homebuilder, because the RI-30 is trol of the system. The blades are ly backwards. This provides the sold only as a kit. screwed to elastomer cords that pilot with more space to move, and It also has a safety system like that can be tightened against each reduces the cross-sectional area of used in ULs, with a parachute for safe other at the rotor heads, which the cabin. The good aerodynamic landing in an emergency. This type of system has not previously been used Test pilot Juri Jurewitsh in this category. Prices for this spectacular machine range from EUR 60,000 to 100,000. The hourly running cost is approxi - mately EUR 150. Test pilot Jury Jurewitsh is announced, but the guests hardly notice the beginning of the show. We can hear the usual singing of the Rotax 912, but not the typical sound of rotors, as Jury appears from behind a small wood, and demonstrates the RI-30’s agility in front of a hangar on the ex-military Russian airfield. Its performance is amazing, and its climbing power astounding. The spectators are particularly impressed by the low noise level. It is no exaggeration to say that this must be the quietest helicopter ever built. But there is another highlight ahead for the invited guests, who include 42 representatives of the traffic min - by a coaxial-system. istry, the federal office of aviation, Its price has not yet been dis - the Bundestag, the federal state closed, but the hourly rate is parliament and the University of expected to be well below EUR Darmstadt: the unveiling of the 200, which should be interesting elegant mock-up of the RI-600. for its competitors, but will pro - This streamlined two/three seater, vide a pleasant experience for produced by the same German- helicopter enthusiasts for whom Russian collaboration, is expected flying has previously been com - to have its first flight in 2008. pletely unaffordable. Flying helicopters at the price of fixed wing – now there’s some - thing that will certainly have a Initially the series will be driven great future! by a rotax engine, and later by a two-stroke diesel engine (150 PS) with two shafts and free wheeling clutch system. This engine is currently being tested in Ufa, Russia, by its man - ufacturer UNMPO. UMPO is a supplier for Kamov helicopters, and the largest part - ner in Rotor-International. Of course the RI-600 too is driven 44 The Hills are Alive

Rainer Herzbergvisits the Bundespolizei and experiences their mountain training methods (Translated by Malvina Nicca)

n the National Police Force train - respect should join in for a moun - It takes some trust to sit behind ing young pilots are introduced to tain flying course with the National the crew, looking down the abyss Ioperating at the limits of man and police force. To approach the nee - just after landing on this tiny machine in the mountains. dle top of a mountain at 7000 ft plateau. Only after several of these 40 years in a cockpit bring a lot right at the performance limit of an maneuvers I gain confidence and of experience and one does not EC 135 with the intent to land on it start to relax. expect to run into any really scary is an adventure for cold blooded This scenario is part of the 27th situations after all those hours in people. To make it even more inter - mountain flying course for helicop - the air. Who ever would like to esting we went up just after a cold ter pilots and engineers of the have their mind changed in that front with gusts up to 50 knots. national police force. It is late June

45 EC135 on the Gipfel

and 19 young pilots and 5 engineers Module 3: alpine flying up to To join the training with the are training in the alpine region of 5000ft, landings in the alps under national police force students have Wendelstein just after completion of consideration of geography, topogra - to be highly motivated and willing their commercial helicopter licence. phy, aerodynamics, meteorology, to perform, only the best will pass. The challenging program consists of performance and detailed orientation Yet it transpires that the alpine train - 5 modules: Module 4: alpine flying up to ing is not easy even for the very best Module 1: Groundschool, 7000ft, landings with same consid - students. Introduction to Obstacle chart erations as in module 3 On the evening before beginning Module 2: Tactics, formation flying Module 5: alpine flying above of the course five EC135, a super (tactical and close), low flying and 7000ft, landings with same consid - puma and one MD902 land in per - terrain flying erations as in module 3 fect formation at the police barracks

View of the semi- cloud-covered mountains from the cockpit

46 in Rosenheim. Each aircraft is directed by the ground crew and on signal by chief instructor Harald Hartman turbines are turned off simulta - neously - a demonstration of incredible precision and the level of organization of this course. After a thorough briefing and studying of the obstacle chart the formation takes off to Bernau at the edge of the alps of Bayern. From this point onwards individual training begins and the remaining crew members wait on ground until it is their turn. Sitting on the jump seat of the Super Puma reminds me of an airliner: plenty of space and power. Instructor is Harald Hartmann, Head of Training for the Police force flying school with 13’000 hours experience, piloting from the left seat is Lutz Lingenhauber as we start off with a meadow with a slight slope for landing. While this approach and landing are fairly plausible, the next one leading between cliffs into a small stripe of grass raises some questions for the observer. It barely looks big enough for a mountain goat - the Super Puma not being a small helicopter surely it would not fit. On the other hand the instructor knows exactly what he can expect from his students and the pilot seems relaxed. We pass over the field twice to find the safest approach path and as he lowers the pitch we are standing on the ground. What courage they have! For some time we continue in a similar style as there are many landing opportunities in the training area. As the crew performs a low pass over airfield Unterstössen on request of the con - troller I start to relax again. Back to base I am impressed with the per - formance of the Super Puma and wonder how the EC135 will cope with the turbulence, low cloud and showers after this coldfront. Again Harald Hartmann joins as instructor with Andreas Hafenmayer piloting. Visibility is good as we fly to the training area by the Wendelstein with even smaller landing areas and steep cliffs. The instructor repeatedly points out dangers of topography and obstacles. Cables are difficult to see and often there are trees in our flight path – combined with turbulent winds, enough of a challenge! But these two pilots calmly talk about performance calculations while hovering close to the cliff in turbulence! At an altitude of 7’000ft (2’400m) the EC135 is in performance class III, which means a safe landing in case of engine failure is not guaran - Top: Bundespolizei at their landing base in Bernau Below:The Director of Training Id Gartmann, in the Super Puma

48 teed – there is not much margin. In case of missed approach the only way out is a dive down into the val - ley. As landing areas get smaller and altitudes higher every inch counts. On top of which Hartmann adds the occasional engine failure. Approaches are usually at an angle which allows for an emergency route out in case of lack of perform - ance. Rotor rpm and engine parame - ters drop immediately and vibrations occur, which ask for instant reaction from the pilot. The turbine is not actually reduced to idle power but failure is simulated by an electronic system. After one hour training the flight back to base is a pure pleasure. These pilots are trained to an Top: Pilot Andreas Lingenauber incredibly high standard as they Below: Pilot Manuela Uhlig learn to operate the aircraft at its Main picture: Super Puma on the limits. It is a great opportunity for approach to land young pilots with a high level of concentration and passion for flying.

49 50 HeliTech Matures!

Word and photographs by the Helicopter Life team

he good thing about offering engineering as well as fly - the ‘ helicopter future’. HeliTech is that it is now a ing training, and that a coalition What was very noticeable at Tmature show, which has headed by PremiAir will also be HeliTech was the number of found a solid place in the helicopter doing engineering training, were Russians and Eastern Europeans at world; the bad thing is that in the however, very good news. For a the show, either with booths or sim - manner of the mature there was lit - long time now there has been a ply walking the floor. Some like tle new on offer and certainly noth - shortage of engineers and that Mikhail and Yuri Kazachkov were ing to surprise! Patrick Corr and PremiAir boss promoting their helicopter show in What new things there were: that Andrew Davis have the vision to do Russia in May 2008, others like the Bristow Academy will now be something about this augers well for Kamov and Kazan were looking at a

51 52 HELICOPTER LIFE, Winter 2007 Main picture: Sikorsky S- 92 Insets left to right: Met police EC145: R44 breaks away from the parking

HELICOPTER LIFE,Winter 2007 5353 Sikorsky S-92

possible market in Europe for their helicop - ters. Russia, which has half the population of Tony Hancock with his helicopter mover the USA, now has 2000 helicopters, margin - ally more than we have in the UK! Clearly this is a growing, wealthy and tapable mar - ket for many European and American manu - facturers, and considerable interest was shown in both directions. There was also the signing of a contract for another four EC225 helicopters by Era Helicopters LLC, whose President Neil Osborne said: “We thoroughly reviewed the global supply and demand of heavy helicop - ters and the current fleet structure of our competitors. We selected the EC225 as our heavy helicopter of choice due to its superi - or versatility, advanced technology and greater payload/range for the demands of offshore oil exploration and production. The EC225 will play a pivotal role in our growth not only in the Gulf of Mexico but also as we expand into the international market.” Next year, HeliTech will be held at Airport Cascais, Estoril in Portugal from October 7- 9th., proving even the mature do have the

54 HELICOPTER LIFE, Winter 2007 William Morre Air Ambulance (right) and Tom Agusta 109 Hedges from FlyMap

ability to surprise. Both Spain and Portugal have been growing markets for helicopters and there is no large show which serves the area. For this reason Sue Bradshaw and Reed Exhibitions have been looking around for suitable places on the Iberian Peninsula to host a show, and Estorial seemed the very best of a good selection, as, Sue explains; it is only twenty five minutes from Lisborn Airport and has no restrictions on flying displays.

Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance MD902 Explorer

HELICOPTER LIFE, Winter 2007 55 Premium Service by Air PremiAir Helicopters, now part of the Von Essen group, is an European leader

BYGEORGINA H UNTER -JONES remiAir is the largest European provider of heli - craft, have a charter fleet of thirteen aircraft, own nine copter executive services,” says David and manage sixteen: five Sikorksy S76s, one Bell 222 PMcRobert, the Group Managing Director. It is and seven Twin Squirrels. On average, the helicopters currently owned by the Von Essen hotel chain, man - each fly between 300 and 400 hours a year. aged by Andrew Davis, which bought it in March David McRobert points out that “the charter market 2007. The company has reached its current size partly is growing fast, as the business value of helicopters is by purchase and partly by growth. When Von Essen recognised. Moreover,” he adds, “the UK with its poor p bought PremiAir this year, they acquired a company infrastructure and crowded roads is ideally suited to the h o t o originally spawned from McAlpine, in November helicopter market, whereas Europe, with better rail and g r a p

2002, plus Air Hanson engineering, Signature, and road networks, is not such a good market.” h s

Lynton. These combined give them twenty-five years There has been an eight percent annual growth in C o u of experience in the helicopter market, along with the charter market in the last few years, but this has r t e s some additional fixed-wing aircraft with both police disclosed a variety of problems, including the lack of y o f

and wider civilian expertise. Recently, they added the suitable landing areas both around and inside London. p r e

Battersea Heliport to their portfolio, giving them a “A lot of what we are doing,” explains David m i a i turnover of 25 million pounds. McRobert, “is trying to educate the market place.” r a V i PremiAir employs forty-four fleet pilots, including Operations work twenty-four hours, and Battersea a t i o thirty-six police pilots. They maintain thirty-six air - Heliport can be opened if required, but mostly it is n 56 HELICOPTER LIFE, Winter 2007 open only during normal working PremiAir flying past hours. It is also limited by the number Tower Bridge, on the of movements it is allowed to fly, which London HeliRoutes at present is 6,000 landings per annum. In cooperation with Farnborough- based Gama Aviation and TAG Farnborough Airport, PremiAir has started an initative, an ab initio Apprentice Scheme for fifteen engi - neering students, backed by Farnborough College of Technology. As Alison Chambers, of Emerald Media, the PR Group, explains, “the Apprentice Scheme represents a sig - nificant investment by the three com - panies. PremiAir, Gama Aviation and TAG Farnborough Airport all have bases on the Surrey/Hampshire bor - ders, and Farnborough Technical College was delighted to be invited to supply the students.” As Stuart Murray, Head of the the time saving and security successful apprenticeship pro - School of Engineering at Farnborough advantages compared with flying gramme, in which we look forward College, said, “this Apprentice commercially. Unfortunately, how - to providing young men and women Scheme offers the students a great ever, the supply of well-qualified from the local community with opportunity to embark on an engineer - young engineers wishing to make a exciting career opportunities.” ing career. We were totally over-sub - career in this exciting and reward - PremiAir’s aircraft maintenance scribed with applications for these ing industry has failed to keep and engineering business, with its apprenticeships and this four-year pace with business growth. By main base at Blackbushe Airport course will provide the successful stu - teaming with Gama and TAG, we near Camberley, is one of the largest dents with a highly regarded qualifi - have been able to develop a cus - business aviation operations in the cation, and the best possible experi - tomised aircraft engineering course UK. It is globally recognised as a ence in aviation engineering.” in conjunction with Farnborough leade r in the maintenance of executive Barry Stone, PremiAir’s Tech, where students will study twin turbine helicopters, which it com - Engineering Director, said that “busi - fixed and rotary wing aircraft engi - bines with its role as Hawker ness aviation in the UK is growing neering. We anticipate this collabo - Beechcraft’s UK Service Centre for its fast, as people increasingly recognise ration being the start of a long and exciting range of Beechcraft air craft.

G-VONA at Battersea Heliport in London, England LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 59 Great Ormond Street, London WC1N-3Hz, England. Telephone: 020-7430-2384, Fax: 020-7430-2384, Email: edi - [email protected] Please include your name, address, home and phone numbers. Over the Sea Dear Georgina I was quite disappointed to read Mr Speich's reaction to my article about the historic flight across the North Sea, in particula r his comments about the Wallis Trophy, and www.helicopterlife.com the BRA committee's decision in that respect. He points out that I was "flying back to my home airfield in my HELICOPTER own aircraft" and, "that the committee were unaware of the feat until after the award was presented". Without wanting to engage in a dispute about this, I would like to point out the following facts: Contrary to LIFE what Mr Speich suggests I was neither flying back to my home airfield, nor was I flying my own machine. SSAVINGS CC ERTIFICATE The aircraft markings clearly show a Southern Ireland YES P LEASE ! Send me two full years - registration (EI-DJX). An Irish-registered aircraft with a Permit To Fly such as this one can (by law) not have 8 exciting issues - of its homebase in the UK and is only allowed to be in HELICOPTER LIFE British Airspace up to a maximum of 28 days per year. Furthermore, a simple internet search on its registration 2 Years (8 issues) only £22.00 (30% savings) marks would have revealed that the aircraft in question I prefer 1 Year (4 issues) only £14.00 (15% savings) is in fact not registered in my name but to an Irishman; Fergus Kavanagh residing in Blanchardstown, Ireland. Please add £8 for each foreign order and prepay in UK funds. As to "the committee allegedly not being aware of this feat", I have the full text of the laminated poster which was displayed in full view for all to see (including the YOUR NAME: BRA committee members present) on the very gyroplane Name in question when it was not flying during the event. (PLEASE PRINT) Furthermore Mr Speich states: "The Wallis Trophy for Address the longest distance is intended to encourage amateur City Postcode pilots to fly into the show...". As it was, the award went to a crew consisting of a Flight Instructor (amateur GIFT FOR: pilot ?) and his student on a training flight. My brother Name was part of my crew and as such was very similarly a (PLEASE PRINT) student on a training navigation flight. Address Whatever the true reasons might have been for this City Postcode decision by the BRA committee remains perhaps best uncovered, I feel. One can speculate all one wants. The SEND ALSO TO: real facts above speak for themselves clearly enough. Name The flight was intended as a tribute to Mr John Potter, (PLEASE PRINT) one of the bigger names in the world of gyroplanes, as Address an inspiring example for others to follow, just as Mr City Postcode Speich points out the Wallis Trophy was intended to be. It showed the other "amateurs" what can be achieved with a well-designed gyroplane when one puts only a Payment enclosed (Make cheques out to Helicopter Life ) small effort into it. Send form and cheque to: HELICOPTER LIFE Magazine As an interesting aside; Wing commander Wallis (the 59 Great Ormond Street, London WC 1N 3Hz , England patron of the BRA) did not understand the BRA Committee's decision either. We both have to learn a lot Savings are off the £3.99 per issue price. Please allow 6-8 weeks to receive your first issue. about politics, perhaps. I hope this will help to weed out the confusion created. Most sincerely, HELICOPTER LIFEis theHIGH LIFE Woody DE SAAR

58 HELICOPTER LIFE,Winter 2007 Aeromega Mountain Flying

BY TONY BOWMAN

ate September is usually nique is very accurate and can be the valley walls as possible. Massive windy in Snowdonia, and it used in other situations. granite cliffs suddenly appear even Lprovides perfect conditions for Valley, spur and ridge landings were harder and more menacing when you helicopter mountain-flying training. followed by tuition on safe transition are flying at 65 knots and your main Cambridge-based Aeromega through narrow passes. The emphasis rotor is ten feet away from them. Helicopters took full advantage of was on safety in hostile conditions, The effect of updraft on the wind - the opportunity. and on how to constantly maintain an ward side of a ridge can be very sig - The weekend course was well escape route if the weather deteriorates. nificant. During the weekend a com - attended. It used Robinson R44s with Some of the weekend’s activities petition was held to see which pilot instruction by CFI Duncan Bickley were recorded, by superimposing a could hold a steady hover over a and Sqdn. Ldr. Mike Buckland, who GPS tracker trace over photographs ridge with the lowest amount of is one of the world’s leading flying of the terrain that had been taken manifold pressure. The winner, instructors in this specialist field. from the helicopters. These show how (nameless) managed 11inches, which The group stayed at the excellent the exercises were repeatedly flown is actually less than a R44 Raven 11 T’yn Rhos country house hotel, when practising the techniques. uses when it is on the ground! And which conveniently has its own heli- The most exciting part of the course this was with half tanks and three pad. Refuelling was close by at was instruction on approaches and adults on board. So the updraft over Caernarfon Airport. landings in a bowl valley. Snowdonia the ridge was providing sufficient lift Day one involved ground school has some spectacular ones, and in to support the entire weight of the heli - instruction in various techniques. places they look as if a gigantic ice copter and passengers. Some updraft! Wind and terrain were obviously cream scoop had gouged out the For most of the weekend, the cloud- high on the agenda, with emphasis sides of the mountains. A precaution - base prevented flights along the full on density altitude and performance, ary approach is initially flown into length of the Llanberis pass, which turbulence, updrafts, wind gradient, and around the bowl, to establish links Caernarfon with the east side of and the ways in which these affect how much wind and turbulence are Snowdonia. But by the final session safe handling. present. Anyone who has experi - on Saturday conditions had improved Pilots were shown wind-finding enced a fairground “wall of death” sufficiently to allow this. And it was techniques, in which precautionary will have a fair idea of how this spectacular! The massive turbulence approaches are flown in a cloverleaf feels. A bowl landing has to be flown far exceeded what most pilots would pattern, prior to making the final very accurately because of the con - regard as safe conditions, but Mike approach into wind. On a mountain fined area, and the need to maintain Buckland is not just an experienced pinnacle there is usually no wind - airspeed and translational lift, which pilot. His calm instructing from the sock or nearby bonfire, and without is obviously vital. Therefore to take left hand seat was inspiring, and it visual reference an accurate landing advantage of all the available space brought home what a wonderful air - becomes more difficult. This tech - the circuit has to be flown as close to craft is the Robinson Raven 11. HELICOPTER LIFE,Winter 2007 59 Just Another Saturday

A day in the life of a public minded pilot

Words and photographs by Arjan Dijksterhuis

ne Friday afternoon, Gerben flight. After a few local flights, the about the Chinook and some other van Beek, called to ask me if journey continued at about one thou - helicopters made his maiden flight. A OI had plans for the Saturday. sand feet, at a speed of 110 knots, as grandfather enjoyed his first helicop - Gerben works for Heliflights on a far as Moergestel. We landed on a ter flight on his 80th birthday, and a part-time basis, and he invited me to local soccer field, after about twenty grandma of 93 made a thirty-minute join them on some sightseeing flights minutes flying. This site too was flight. The old lady told us that, ever over the South of the Netherlands. close to a restaurant, where we all since she had been a little girl, it had Several sightseeing flights were had a light meal. The weather was been her wish to fly in a helicopter. scheduled at Rhenen, and at good, with only a few clouds. All returned with broad smiles on Moergestel, a small village just Both young and old took advantage their facesAround five o’clock, the beneath ‘sHertogenbosch Heliflights of the opportunity to fly in a helicop - Colibri returned to Moergestel for the is based at Ede, and operates an ter, and one small kid who knew all last time that day. After the last group EC.120B Colibri, regis - tered as PH-KGJ in the Dutch civil aircraft reg - A ninety-three year ister. This Eurocopter old grandmother EC.120B was built in making her first 2001, and carries up to flight in the EC120 five persons, including the pilot. Sightseeing flights are flown from (temporary) helispots situated near, e.g., a restaurant. After a twelve-minute flight, we arrived at Rhenen, where we land - ed in a field close to a restaurant just outside the city. Our landing was watched by a few tigers and a giraffe from a circus that happened to be camped next to our landing spot. Several flights were scheduled. People can book their flights online, and choose a 15- minute or a 30-minute 60 HELICOPTER LIFE, Winter 2007 to arrive had been helped out of the helicopter, we quickly got on board for our last flight of the day, heading towards our final destination: home base. We arrived within a half an hour, and Alfred Huitema landed us on a mobile helipad. Gerben and Harry soon parked the EC.120 inside the hangar. A few minutes later the lights went dark, the door was closed and we left, leaving the pilot behind to do his paperwork, the end of just another Saturday. Well, for them. When flying low level in The author thanks Heliflights, Gerben van Beek, Harry new places it is important van Voorthuizen, Alfred Huitema and Jelle Smouter for to watch for wires making this experience possible.

Main picture: EC120B passing a local church tower Inset: EC120B taking off from Rhenen in the Netherlands p h o t o g r a p h s b y a r J a n D i J k s t e r h u i s HELICOPTER LIFE,Winter 2007 61 BOOK R EVIEW Helidrome by Alex de Voogt 010 Publishers, Rotterdam £21.50 elidrome, the book, is the rooftop airport.” He an exploration of heli - then continues with a trip Hpads from a philosphi - through the strengths and cal viewpoint, as well as an difficulties of city heliports artistic and architecutral one. and rooftop flying. From the first paragraph, He also examines the six tellingly called ‘Raising degrees of separation of Questions,’ you realise this is heliports, remote landing not simply a look at the why sites, which includes and where of landing sites, mountain rescue and land - but much more a ‘whyfore’ ing sites on boats and light - and ‘wherenow’. houses. The book starts: “The Alex de Voogt is himself helidrome is a cleared space, a helicopter pilot and hav - an absence of obstacles or ing got a CPL in 2004, structures that could hinder now works as an aviation the aircraft. It is designed so psychologist at Maastricht the helicopter is free to fly University in the safely. It ranges from a green Netherlands. He originally pasture to a flat roof, and it trained as a linguist and did seems to be characterised by a PHd in cognitive psy - the absence of architecture chology, which is very rather than its presence.” And apparent in the way he attempts to get ‘underneath’ looks at the Helidrome, the working of the helipad, and in the unusual outlook looking not only at bulding of his writing. materials, structure, and types The book is illustrated of helipad on both land and with wonderful black and sea, but at the bureaurcracy white prints of heliports, and paperwork behind the uchar, which translates as upright flying. (Thank many from Sao Paulo in helipads: what Alex de Voogt Heavens!) , which has around calls the “The paper helipad.” Artists, such as Panamarenko who built helicop - 100 heliports in the city, Chapter Two, Helicopters - ters and other (non-flying) flying machines are and includes a fitness cen - a Forgotten Art, talks about discussed, as is the use of helicopters in films, tre with its own heliport! the etymology and literary use through the history of film making, from the early I thought it was an of the helicopter, with some stunt films to James Bond and beyond. excellent book and the per - very amusing discovering Alluding to Van de Ven’s: “Of course architec - fect Christmas present for including: the sound of heli - ture is the art of creating real space, whereas film anyone who loves art and copters in Naro, a Khosian is forced to work with illusions.” De Voogt says: architecture, philosophy language, which is ‘zihi zihi’ “Although a leap from helicopters in film and art and helicopters. Probably and the name in Chinese zhi to helidrome architecture is not just a matter of the average Helicopter Life shen ji, ‘vertical ascend shedding illusions, the built architecture of the reader, if there is such a machine’ or in Uighur, tik helidrome was preceeded by the unbuilt fantasy of thing! 6262 HELICOPTER LIFE, Winter 2007 BOOK R EVIEW

Low Level Hell by Hugh L Mills Jr Presidio US$19.00

retty much every pilot “Vietnam was the environment has read Chickenhawk by in which the doctrine for the PRobert Mason about his employment of the helicopter time flying in Vietnam, but this, in airmobile and air cavalry if possible, is an even more operations was written. This exciting book. doctrine was written not by the Low Level Hell is about major commanders in the Hugh Mills’ first tour of duty in Pentagon, but by the young Vietnam as a Loach pilot in officers and enlisted men in 1969, and it follows him and their daily struggle to complete the his colleagues through their mission of combat.” adventures. Skillfully worked, At the end of the book Mills you are at first drawn in to is involved in a fight with a thinking this is just an innocent very gutsy single enemy fighter babe flying without a glance at who will not be put down the bigger picture of the war. inspite of the very superior But Mills is in fact deeper than fire-power against him. Finally, that; a thinker, an initiator and Mills has the enemy standing someone who changed the way unarmed and defenceless in his scouts did their job: he was the sight, but he does not shoot first to suggest that scout pilots (reminding one poignantly of should be armed, since they the pilots in the First World were in the ‘hot seat’ and usual - War who really admired the avi - ly the first to be shot at: thus ation skills of their enemies) . giving away the enemies posi - Mills, recalling that a few tion. He initiated the use of the weeks before he was in a simi - mini-gun on the side of the lar situation and an armed Viet Loach, so the pilot could aid his Cong fighter did not shoot him crew chief in the back. joy, he follws the ‘dink’ across the paddy and when he had Mills vulnerable, It is a truly absorbing book through the rice and finally pins down the in his sites and at his mercy, and some of the flying scenes enemy in the mud using one of the skids of says: almost have you cheering, there the ‘Loach’! “I did not shoot.. I hovered in is one story when a new pilot As the war progressed Mills started to have again and looked him in the Bob Calloway is flying with serious doubts about the efficacy of a fight face. There was no expression. Mills and they spot an enemy where killing led to nothing further than more We were eyeball to eyeball for (turns out to be a taxman) hid - killing, but he did not allow this to affect his one last moment. Then I nod - ing amongst a group of inno - work, and he remained in the service and was ded my head at him in a salute cent rice planters. Mills is out one of the most decorated pilots in Vietnam, of respect, dumped the nose of the machine when Calloway where he flew over 2,000 combat hours. and pulled away. We would gives chase, in a scene that However, he soon realised that the method both go home that day. It was would have Hollywood direc - and shape of war was changing and he wrote, my last mission of my first tour tors jumping in the seats with shortly after his first tour in Vietnam: in Vietnam.” HELICOPTER LIFE, Winter 2007 63 A CCIDENT R EPORTS

AS355F2, Twin Squirrel, G-CAMB Moreover the fault could not be reproduced when the The student was in the final stages of a type conversion. engine and major components were extensively tested A departure, with a simulated engine failure, was carried using ground rigs. The helicopter had no recent fault his - out with the intention of landing straight ahead. After tory and no recent maintenance problem simulating the engine failure, the helicopter was approx - The AAIB comments: Whilst the pilot reported that the imately eight feet above ground level, when it lost for - “engine power reduced to nothing” the damaged to the ward speed and developed an increased rate of descent. main rotor head indicated that the rotor was still turning The simulated failed engine was immediately restored by under power when the aircraft rolled on to its side. This the instructor. A slight yaw developed, and the helicopter shows that while the power might have fluctuated in landed on the right skid before bouncing from right to left flight, the engine did not stop. The pilot stated that, dur - and then settling onto both skids. The commander con - ing the incident, he concentrated on controlling the heli - sidered the landing to not have been unduly hard and the copter in order to land in a confined site surrounded by exercise was continued; a subsequent rejected take off trees and did not have the time to select the start pump being accomplished before the helicopter returned to its to ON. Although the Flight Manual states that this is an dispersal. The damage was discovered during the post- appropriate action in cases of power loss or fluctuation, flight inspection. The instructor suffered a minor injury with no evidence as to the cause of the reported power from delayed whiplash. The commander was 59 years, fluctuations, it is not known if this would have had any with 4,372 hours, of which 1,190 were on type. effect on the engine performance. The pilot was 47 years old and had 118 hours, of which 18 were on type. Enstrom 480B, N480KP N480KP was being used for a sales demonstration Robinson R44 Raven, G-EKKO flight. The final part of the demonstration was a simu - During a landing manoeuvre, the helicopter suddenly lated engine off landing on the grass helicopter training began to vibrate and turn of its own accord. The pilot area. At 300 feet agl the pilot, with the engine already at reacted quickly by landing immediately. The damage was idle, increased the speed to 60 knots. During the last 100 consisted with the tail-rotor having been struck. feet, the rate of descent increased and the pilot attempt - The Hollis Farm landing site is a confined farmyard with ed to reduce this by carrying out a gentle flare. This had a small hangar to the north, one single storey house to the no effect so he increased collective pitch, but the high east and the main farmhouse to the south. The approach rate of descent continued. The low rpm horn sounded is dependent on wind direction. On this occasion, the pilot just before N480kp touched down on its left skid in a approached from the east into a large sloping field to the nose-low attitude at approximately 30 knots. N480KP south of the farmhouse. His plan was to transition into the ran along the ground on the left skid for approximately hover, turn back towards the east and hover-taxi to the 10 feet, before turning gently onto the right skid. There east above the field and over the farm buildings to land in was creasing to the tail boom, trail rotor drive and con - the yard. The field is level at its western edge and slopes trol runs were damaged. The skid assembly was also down towards the east. It was following the 180˚ turn at damaged. The commander was 50 years old and had the top of the field, while hovering down the slope, that 16,275 hours, 317 on type. The pilot considered that the the pilot reported that the vibration had occurred. The heavy landing was probably caused by windshear. AAIB concluded that the damage resulted from the tail rotor blades being struck. They commented that “during Hughes 369HS, G-ORRR sloping ground operations, the tail rotor is potentially vul - The pilot reported that as he reduced speed to approach nerable as it is some distance behind the pilot. The pilot the airfield he experienced erratic power fluctuations. was 46 years old, had 2,722 hours 300 were on type. He, therefore, entered autorotation and attempted to clear some trees on the approach to his chosen landing Robinson R44 Raven 11, G-CEFR site. At about 40-50 feet the helicopter descended rapid - The pilot had completed a 15 minute flight with three ly, landed heavily and rolled onto its side. The helicop - children, and now took three adults on board to ferry ter was destroyed, the pilot uninjured and investigation them to the local rugby club, 20 miles away. On arrival could not identify the cause of the reported power fluc - at the site the pilot positioned for a right hand circuit tuations. Despite an extensive investigation by the and into wind approach. While on the downwind leg, in AAIB and Rolls Royce, no fault could be found that a shallow descent at a height of around 700 feet and a would have caused the symptoms described by the pilot. speed of 75-80 knots, the aircraft suddenly started to

64 HELICOPTER LIFE,Winter 2007 A CCIDENT R EPORTS

oscillate in pitch and the pilot felt high vibrating con - The commander was 42 years old, had 6,500 hours, trol forces through the cyclic control. The pilot was 309 of these were on type. unable to arrest the oscillation or vibration using nor - mal control inputs. As the pilot was concerned about RAF 2000 GTX-SE, G-REBA (Gyrocopter) the helicopters structural integrity he opted to land The gyrocopter was being flown to Bodmin Airfield immediately and employed a run-on procedure. The in Cornwall by the pilot, who was also the owner and aircraft came to rest without any apparent damage to builder. Approximately 2.8 nm north-east of Bodmin the aircraft or injury to the people. During the engine Airfield, at a height of about 450 feet agl, the main shut-down the vibration was still present, although rotor blades stopped. The gyroplane fell to the engine temperatures and pressures were in the normal ground, fatally injuring the pilot. The main rotor range. The aircraft had a total of 18 hours since new. blades had contacted the vertical stabiliser, propeller The vibration was discovered to be the result of new, and rudder. softer main rotor gearbox mounts, allowing excessive Although the AAIB were unable to determine the fore and aft rocking of the gearbox. The manufactur - exact cause of the accident they set out three possible er has replaced these mounts with stiffer types on new causes, noting that “the vulnerability of the gyroplane aircraft, these were retro-fitted to G-CEFR. to ‘power pushover’ during nose-down pitching manoeuvres was considered a factor. RotorWay Executive 90, G-BUJZ 1. The pilot suffered either a total or partial incapaci - During recovery from a practice autorotation the rotor tation which may have rendered him unable to control rpm drooped. The instructor took control and attempt - the gyroplane. It pitched rapidly nose-down and the ed to land in a field with standing crop. Shortly after rotor thrust reduced precipitating a ‘power pushover’. landing, the helicopter pitched forward and rolled. The rotor blades struck the tail surface and stopped. The aircraft came to rest on its starboard side and was 2. The pilot had attempted to slow or climb the gyro - extensively damaged. plane for some reason, moving the cyclic aft of the The instructor flew out of Street Farm, Takeley in trimmed, cruise position. The cyclic control was then order to renew the type rating for a pilot whose cur - released and the gyroplane pitched forward, resulting rency had elapsed. The aircraft was at its maximum in a ‘power pushover’. In attempting to connect the weight and the instructor and pilot flew a variety of nose-down pitch, a positive aft movement of the general manoeuvres, including an autorotation to a cyclic was made which caused the rotor blades to go-around, uneventfully. About 20 minutes into the strike the tail and stop. sortie the instructor briefed the student on an autoro - 3. A technical failure of the gyroplane structure or tation to a hover recovery. During the recovery, at flight control system occurred. approximately 15 feet agl, the student raised the col - The AAIB pointed out that the tendency for the gyro - lective and simultaneously opened the throttle. Whilst plane to be unstable in pitch at speeds above 65 mph the engine responded, it did not appear to be produc - was probably a contributory factor. ing full power and the rotor rpm drooped. The instructor took control and, having checked that Robinson R22 Beta, G-ODJB the throttle was fully open, attempted to over-shoot. On approach to land with the aircraft just below max - The instructor realised that the rpm was still decaying imum all-up weight, the pilot was unable to arrest the and so decided to land in the standing crop. The rate of descent and the aircraft landed heavily. instructor was able to reduce the forward speed but However, the pilot did not notice any damage and shortly after landing the helicopter pitched forward continued the flight, only after returning to base was and rolled. It came to rest on its starboard side and the helicopter found to have sustained damage to the was extensively damaged. skid cross tubes and tail cone. The pilot The instructor stated that he had previous experienced reported the aircraft behaved normally throughout the low rotor rpm situations in this type of helicopter and flight, and the damage was slight. had recovered successfully. He believed that the At the time of the occurrence the helicopter was close engine may not have been producing full power at the to all up weight, the temperature was 20˚c and the time of the accident. An inspection by the mainte - wind calm. The pilot was 36 years old and had 1,440 nance organisation responsible for the helicopter was hours, of which 1,200 were on type. unable to identify a cause for any loss of power.

HELICOPTER LIFE, Winter 2007 65 H OUSE & H ELICOPTER

Agusta 109 Power F-GYBA in front of DYE-2 former secret radar station, Raven Camp, Greenland by Antoine Grondeau

uring the early years of the , the US gov - owned by the US government and used for experimental ernment was very concerned about a possible air purposes only, as the wind tops 100mph and the temper - Dattack from the Soviet Union via northern ature is -40°C. A couple of scientists lives in a camp just Canada. The US Air Force conceived three defence lines, a few yards from DYE-2, and maintain its skyway to land one of them being a continuous radar fence stretching supply LC-130 Hercules. from western Alaska, across the top of North America, to When the Heliventure flight of five helicopters from Paris the east coast of Greenland. They called it the DEW to Oshkosh decided to cross Greenland, the Alouette II (Distant Early Warning) Line. 31 remote radar stations needed a refuelling place between Kulusuk (east coast) were built on a 3600-mile distance. Operated twenty four and Kangerlussuaq (west coast) due to the small range hours a day, seven days a week, they permitted by the weight needed to allow a reported to the North American Air climb to the 8000ft altitude. The authoriza - Defence Center any incoming air - tion to use Raven Camp as a drop zone was craft or missile. granted by the American representative in The four stations in Greenland were Greenland in exchange of the transport of built in 1959 – two of them erected victuals to the scientists. on top of the Ice Cap. They were, by Navigation was easy as the black radome of far, the most impressive and complex DYE-2 was clearly visible from tens of miles A109 on its way to Oshkosh away. We landed at Raven Camp in the stations of the whole network: 180 p h

Agusta 109 filled with additional fuel. The o feet high, 5 million pounds built on t o g a mass of snow and ice nearly 10000 feet thick. Prior to powder snow was a foot high and walking was almost r a p impossible. We had to move the jerry-cans with a snow- h this, nobody had ever built a permanent structure on the s b bike to the Alouette. y

ice sheet. a n t

The snow and ice rose around these stations, code-named We felt as though we were in a James Bond movie. The o i n giant black observatory in a snow desert, the couple of e

DYE-2 and DYE-3, at a rate of 5 feet a year., so too pre - g r

scientists and two helicopters in the middle of nowhere – o

vent that problem, they were built on huge steel columns n D e which are not visible anymore. we were just missing a few soviet troops for a remake of a u DYE-2 radar site was closed in 1988. The place is still Goldeneye! 66 HELICOPTER LIFE, Winter 2007