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7RƄQGRXWPRUHYLVLW www.utcaerospacesystems.com or email [email protected] EDITORIAL Andrew Parker Editor-in-Chief, [email protected] Andrew Drwiega International Bureau Chief/Consultant, [email protected] Ernie Stephens Editor-at-Large, [email protected] Claudio Agostini Latin America Bureau Chief

Contributing Writers: Rick Adams; Chris Baur; Lee Benson; Igor Bozinovski; Keith Brown; Keith Cianfrani; Steve Colby; Dan Deutermann; Peter Donaldson; Ian Frain; Pat Gray; Emma Kelly; Meet Frank Lombardi; Elena Malova; Vicki McConnell; Robert Moor- man; Douglas Nelms; Mark Robins; Dale Smith; Terry Terrell; Richard Whittle.

ADVERTISING/BUSINESS Jennifer Schwartz Senior Vice President and Group Publisher, [email protected] Randy Jones Publisher, 1-972-713-9612, [email protected]

Eastern United States & Canada Carol Mata, 1-512-607-6361, [email protected]

International Sales, Europe/Pac Rim/Asia James McAuley +34 952 118 018, [email protected]

DESIGN/PRODUCTION Gretchen Saval Graphic Designer Tony Campana Production Manager, 1-301-354-1689 [email protected] David Hurwitz Web/E-letter Production Associate, 1-301-354-1459 [email protected] PUJOH[[P[\KLHS[P[\KLHPYZWLLKHUKZSPW

AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT ® George Severine Fulfillment Manager, [email protected] SAM, the MD302 Standby Attitude SELECTABLE Jonathan Russo Marketing Manager, [email protected] 4VK\SLPZ[OLÄYZ[KPNP[HSZ[HUKI` Customer Service/Back Issues 1-847-559-7314 [email protected] ORIENTATION [VWYV]PKLH[[P[\KLHS[P[\KLHPYZWLLK HUKZSPWPUMVYTH[PVUPUHUHK]HUJLK LIST SALES PUJOMVYTH[ Statlistics Jen Felling ,1-203-778-8700, [email protected] FIELD :(4KLSP]LYZHULHZ`[VÄ[JVTWHJ[ UPGRADEABLE KLZPNU^P[OZLSLJ[HISLVYPLU[H[PVU REPRINTS SOFTWARE Wright’s Media, 1-877-652-5295 OVYPaVU[HSHUK]LY[PJHSSPRLUVV[OLY [email protected] LUZ\YPUNHWLYMLJ[Ä[^P[OPUHU`WHULS :(4»Z\UPX\L[^VZJYLLUKPZWSH` ACCESS INTELLIGENCE, LLC MLH[\YLZOPNOKLÄUP[PVUNYHWOPJZHUK LITHIUM-ION Donald A. Pazour Chief Executive Officer L_[YH^PKL]PL^PUNHUNSLZ(UKH[ Ed Pinedo Executive Vice President/Chief Financial Officer EMERGENCY SIZ:(4^LPNOZSLZZ[OHU[OL Macy L. Fecto Executive Vice President, Human Resources & Administration BATTERY [OYLLPUZ[Y\TLU[ZP[»ZKLZPNULK[V Heather Farley Divisional President, Business Information Group YLWSHJL.L[[VRUV^:(4[VKH` Sylvia Sierra Senior Vice President of Corporate Audience Development Robert Paciorek Senior Vice President/Chief Information Officer Michael Kraus VP, Production, Digital Media & Design Steve Barber Vice President, Financial Planning and Internal Audit Á\VDPFRP Gerald Stasko Vice President/Corporate Controller Alison Johns Vice President, E-Media, Business Information Group

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NOVEMBER 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 3 Editor’s Notebook Join the Conversation:

10,000 and Counting [email protected] By Andrew Parker he Rotor & Wing Facebook Josh Michael: Getting up at 3:00 am on bear up close, set the hook. Actually I page (www.facebook.com/ Saturday mornings for “Fed-Ex” patrol was hooked from the first hover. I’ve Trotorandwing) recently with my dad. He operated Sterling always thought I’d meet up with that topped 10,000 fans. As a sign Helicopter in Philadelphia, and we’d unknown pilot somewhere. of appreciation to those who have take the LongRanger, fly to the airport, made this milestone possible, I’d like land next to the FedEx Boeing 747 and Question 2: How and why did you to dedicate this column to sharing load priority packages into the 206-L. fall in love with helicopters? some of my favorite comments to Then land at hotel heliports around John Lovell: Because they are the two recent questions that garnered a N.J. and Philly to meet FedEx trucks. proverbial magic carpet. high number of responses. Feel free to join us as well on Twitter (twitter. Aaron Osgood: Riding in a Bell 47 Philippe Boulay: I was eight, and saw com/rotorandwing) and LinkedIn, being used for aerial pesticide and a H-21 of French ALAT landing in the with more than 2,300 group mem- herbicide application on the family pasture owned by my father behind bers: www.linkedin.com/groups/ potato farm in northern Maine (late our house, in a village in the center Rotor-Wing-3788071 70’s, early 80’s). of France. It was an extraordinary experience: the wind, the noise. An Question 1: What is your favorite Rorique A Vernon II: As a military engine problem had occurred and the childhood memory involving a brat, I remember my parent’s medical crew had to phone to their base. They helicopter? squadron picnic in Germany. We had phoned at our home and after they Lindy DeMunbrun: Flying below to clear the helipad for a UH-60 to drop showed the machine to us. Fabulous the rim at Grand Canyon delivering off a patient part of the way through. From that moment, I was an addict! medical supplies, mail and groceries then picking up the other kids for Mike Nolan: My father worked for Juan Gutierrez: Always wanted to fly, school. And the early Flight for Life the post office in the 50’s. One of his helicopters are more interesting and program out of Vegas always came out duties was to meet an LA Airways S-55 challenging than fixed-wing aircraft, and gave the park service kids rides when it landed at the Victory-Vanowen and the things that I have done in a and fly-outs for birthdays. Park heliport in north Hollywood. He helicopter you can never do in a plane. would take the mail they brought from That is why I love them! Sirajuddin Kamaruddin: S-61 landed Terminal Annex. I loved going with in front of my balcony when I was just him to watch them land. That spot is Troy Peterson: Not sure – only that five years old. What an experience! now the 170 Hollywood Freeway. my parents told me that even when I was toddler I was fascinated with Arthur C. Fisher: I recall watching Mohd Arief: My dad is a helicopter them. I am 50 this month and even the TV flutter roll in during the pilot and I liked to follow him for a though I can pretty much name evening as the signal of our antenna maintenance ground run for an S-61N the model by only sound, I still run being disturbed by Sikorsky aircraft during the night time. That’s a sweet outside to look in the sky at them as returning from their Stratford home memory for me until today. they fly by anywhere I may be. I am a base. No cable back then. maintainer and not a pilot. Still have a Thomas Varg: I was 12. A police lifelong dream of flying them though, Cathie Opland: Reading about the helicopter landed in the area that I just never the means to do so! history of helicopters at the library and lived in when I was young. I went crazy thinking how incredible the idea was. for helicopters after that. Bruce Couillard: I fell in love with the Best invention EVER! I’ve had dreams collective. of flying ever since I can remember. Ryan Potter: My first ride in an MD530! What’s your favorite childhood James McCaffrey: When you work memory involving a helicopter? with helicopters, you never need Mark Sales: A number of flights to/from How did you get involved with the to grow up, so all memories are Kuparuk Oil Camp and Pingok Island, rotorcraft industry? Send responses childhood memories. Alaska in 1985, to include a Grizzly to: [email protected]

4 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM Garmin HTAWS: For an extra margin of safety between you and terra firma.

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Personal|Corporate Commercial Military Public Service DEPARTMENTS 12 12 Rotorcraft Report 20 People 21 Coming Events 27 Hot Products 45 Classified Ads 47 Ad Index

(Above) EC725 during a test of a Brazilian-made countermeasures system, by Anthony Pecchi. (Bottom) MQ-8C ground tests, courtesy of Northrop Grumman. (Right) AVX JMR design, courtesy AVX. COLUMNS FEATURES 4 Editor’s Notebook

8 Feedback 28 ■ Heli-Union Training Builds on New Tech First-hand look at Heli-Union Training Center’s operations in 10 Meet the Contributors Angouleme, France. By Thierry Dubois 46 Public Service 34 ■ Software Meeting New Technology Needs 48 Law Enforcement As next generation software becomes ever more sophisticated, the software industry is rising to meet the maintenance challenge. By 50 Military Insider Douglas Nelms

COVER STORY 38 ■ ADAC Brings Together HEMS Operators ADAC HEMS Academy hosted an EC145/145T2 networking event in Germany. By Andrew Drwiega, International Bureau Chief 40 ■ JMR: Proceed with Caution The U.S. Army’s selection of two coaxial and two tiltrotor competitors 25 for the JMR TD Phase 1 could be a shrewd move toward the eventual development of Future Vertical Lift. By Andrew Drwiega

On the Print Edition Cover: Inside one of the ADAC HEMS Academy full flight simulators showing crew visual HEMS. Photo courtesy of ADAC

Digital Edition Cover: Heli-Union Training Center full flight simulator. Photo courtesy of Heli-Union

6 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM Vol. 47 | No. 11 November 2013

Public Service Training Products Services ONLINE 40 www.rotorandwing.com POST YOUR HELICOPTER PHOTOS • Have any breathtaking helicopter photos that can hhangang with the best of them? Share themthem on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/rotorandwing SIGN UP FOR THE ROTOR & WING COLLECTIVE • Subscribe today for our free weekly e-letter for hhelicopterelicopter news—The Rotor & Wing Collective, which features an in-depth Story of the Week, Top News Picks, Helicopter Jobs and links to Rotor & Wing’s Facebook and Twitter pages. Sign up now by visiting: www.aviationtoday.com/rw/collective_form.html STORIES & PHOTOS ON THE WEB • Go to rotorandwing.com to see more photos and read some of the stories that didn’t make it into this month’s print edition, for example: • Turbomeca to Repair Makila Engines for Netherlands Air Force • Lynx Vital to Counter Drug Trafficking Operations in the Caribbean • Elbit Helmet Mounted Display Confirmed for South Korea’s Surion • Eurocopter Foundation and NGO Support Storm Victims in Mexico • Russian Helicopters Delivers Mi-171E to Kazakstan Ministry • Initial Production AgustaWestland AW189 Completes Maiden Flight • Erickson Inks $60 Million Deal to Support Australia’s NAFC

DIRECT TO YOUR DESKTOP: CHECK YOUR E MAIL WEEK OF NOVEMBER 1: • Digital edition of Rotor & Wing November 2013. Electronic version with enhanced web links makes navigating through the pages of Rotor & Wing easier than ever. WEEK OF NOVEMBER 11: • HOT PRODUCTS for Helicopter Operators—Latest in equipment upgrades, performance modifications, training devices and other tools for the rotorcraft industry. Get connected: WEEK OF NOVEMBER 25: Become a fan of Rotor & Wing on • Rotor & Wing’s Helicopter Safety & Training e-letter. Get the latest updates from Follow us on @rotorandwing helicopter training organizations around the world. TO SUBSCRIBE TO ANY OF OUR EXCLUSIVE EMAIL PRODUCTS, GO TO: WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM

The editors welcome new product information and other industry news. All editorial inquiries should be directed to Rotor & Wing magazine, 4 Choke Cherry Rd., 2nd Floor, Rockville, Md. 20850, USA; 1-301-354-1839; fax 1-301-762-8965. E-mail: rotorandwing@ accessintel.com. Rotor & Wing (ISSN-1066-8098) is published monthly by Access Intelligence, 4 Choke Cherry Rd., 2nd Floor, Rockville, Md. 20850, USA. Periodical postage paid at Rockville, Md. and additional mailing offices. Subscriptions: Free to qualified individuals directly involved in the helicopter industry. All other subscriptions, U.S.: one year $89; two years $178. Canada: one year $99; two years $198; Foreign: one year $129; two years $258. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Rotor & Wing, P.O. Box 3089, Northbrook, Ill. 60065-3089, USA. Change of address two to eight weeks notice requested. Send both new and old address, including mailing label to Attn: Rotor & Wing magazine, Customer Services, P.O. Box 3089, Northbrook, Ill. 60065-3089, USA or call 1-847-559-7314. E-mail: [email protected]. Canada Post 40612608. Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: IMEX Global Solutions, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2. ©2013 by Access Intelligence, LLC. Contents may not be reproduced in any form without written permission. Publication Mail Sales Agreement No. 40558009

WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM NOVEMBER 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 7 Feedback Personal|Corporate Commercial Military Public Service Training Products Services

EC135 model. ▶ R&W’s Question of the Month What is your favorite child- David Lyons EC135 LIFESTAR Model hood memory involving a heli- I was very excited to see the Univer- copter? Why and how did you sity of Tennessee Medical Center LIFESTAR Eurocopter EC135 on the fall in love with helicopters? front cover of the October issue. As this helicopter is only 40 minutes from Let us know, and look for responses in a future issue. my home, I’m pleased to see the UT You’ll find contact information below. medical system chosen as your feature article. What is more exciting is that the helicopter is shown prominently on the decision really means. The climate for we fly in a machine that can essentially front cover. safety needs to be such that there is land anywhere, yet instead of simply I’m currently building a 1/6 flying no question about what the right deci- landing in a field somewhere we choose replica of the UT LIFESTAR EC135. sion should be, and no pressure to fly. to continue in deteriorating conditions. This is an electrically powered (12S, I believe we have enough rules on the Why is that? Is it a company or cus- 44V 5000mAh powered setup) heli- books to keep us safe, what we need is tomer induced climate that does not copter weighing in at 26 lbs. I’ve put pilots that execute the rules in a man- support pilots ending flights? Or is it a some photos on the web to update ner that results in almost zero accidents self-induced climate brought on by the the progress. (recognizing that absolutely zero acci- crew themselves? In either case, the David Lyons dents is an unachievable goal). The FAA climate must support the most conser- and other organizations have given vative response to safe flight operations. Poor Decision-Making pilots all the tools we need. Goggles, ter- To me, its really just that simple. The question in the October 2013 issue rain avoidance, traffic avoidance, weath- Mike Ojeda was: What more needs to be done to er, synthetic vision, autopilot (in some improve the safety record of HEMS oper- aircraft), ASAP and the list goes on. All Correction ations? these tools will not save another aircraft The captions were incorrectly labeled I’m an EMS pilot for a major carrier and crew if the pilots flying continue to for two photos on page 32 of the Sep- and have been for the previous seven push the limits and ignore obvious cues tember 2013 issue as part of “Not Just years, I live in northeastern Kentucky for mission abort. Those cues might Folding Wings and Tails,” a story about and hold a commercial pilot license. I include, fuel less than required to com- marinized helicopters. The images have about 3,000 total hours, 2,000 in plete the leg, approaching the low-fuel show a Kaman Seasprite photographed the U.S. Army, and another 1,000 flying light quantity, weather within one mile after decades sitting in a boneyard, and EMS. I have a bachelor’s degree in gen- or 100 feet of established minimums, to not after exposure to a realistic mari- eral aviation topics and am about two just name a few. HEMS operations are a time environment. classes shy of completing my master’s dynamic environment and it takes pilots The SH-2G Super Seasprite fleet has degree in aviation safety. and medical crew that are not willing to accumulated more than 1 million mari- In my opinion, almost every single accept pushing minimums to get the time flight hours, and has been proven accident has been due to poor pilot job done. If it appears that conditions in the field by operators worldwide. It is decision-making. Be it running out of are approaching the limit that no longer the only helicopter designed from incep- fuel or taking off or continuing in poor supports safe flight, then we simply end tion specifically to operate in a marine weather conditions. So if we know what the flight, even if that means landing in environment, according to Kaman. the problem is, what can we do to fix it some field with no access to civilization. Any implication that Seasprites and reduce the mishaps? Medical crewmembers need to know experience corrosion or damage in a Well first and foremost we need to what these minimums are and have a maritime environment was inaccurate develop a training program that teaches voice in the go/no go decision-making. and unintentional. We sincerely regret pilots from an early stage what a good It is ironic that as helicopter pilots the error.

Do you have comments on the rotorcraft industry or recent articles and viewpoints we’ve published? Send them to Editor, Rotor & Wing, 4 Choke Cherry Road, Second Floor, Rockville, Md. 20850, USA, fax us at 1-301-354-1809 or e-mail us at rotorandwing@ accessintel.com. Please include a city and state or province with your name and ratings. We reserve the right to edit all submitted material.

8 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM Innovation. Reliability. Performance.

The Aeronautical Accessories brand offers an innovative suite of products enabling superior performance and safety. For example, our Bell Helicopter Vibration Monitoring (BHVM) system gathers data during flight, storing and processing the information at a ground-based station and web server. The data is accessible at the click of a button, making it easier to troubleshoot vibration-related maintenance issues. The result is improved uptime, lower operating costs, greater safety and reliability. Contact us today to learn how we can help improve your rotorcraft’s dependability and improve your bottom line.

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©2013 Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. All rights reserved. Meet the Contributors

LEE BENSON is a retired senior pilot for FRANK LOMBARDI, an ATP with both the Los Angeles County Fire Department. fixed-wing and rotary-wing ratings, Before he was named senior pilot, Lee ran began his flying career in 1991 after the aviation section’s safety and training graduating with a bachelor’s of science programs, including organizing the sec- in aerospace engineering, working on tion’s yearly safety meeting with other public agencies and various airplane and helicopter programs as a flight test the press. engineer for Grumman Aerospace Corp. Frank became a police officer for a major East Coast police department in PETER DONALDSON has more than 25 1995, and has been flying helicopters in the department’s years of experience as a journalist and writer aviation section since 2000. He remains active in test covering aerospace and defence technology and evaluation, and holds a master’s degree in aviation and operations. Subjects he has written about systems-flight testing from the University of Tennessee include: engines and power transmission Space Institute. systems for helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, unmanned vehicles of all kinds, ships, submarines and ground vehicles. He has also DOUGLAS NELMS has more than 30 years covered electronics and mission management systems for these of experience as an aviation journalist and vehicles, military command, control, communications, intel- currently works as a freelance writer. He ligence, surveillance, targeting and reconnaissance systems in has served as managing editor of Rotor & addition to guided weapons, guns and ammunition. Peter has Wing. A former U.S. Army helicopter pilot, also been involved in shaping conferences covering such top- Nelms specializes in writing about helicopters. ics as civil and military helicopters, electronic warfare systems, night vision systems, search and rescue. DALE SMITH has been an aviation jour- nalist for 24 years specializing in business ANDREW DRWIEGA, International Bureau aviation. He is currently a contributing Chief, is a senior defense/aviation journal- writer for Rotor & Wing and other leading ist with a specialization in international aviation magazines. He has been a licensed military rotorcraft. Based in London, he pilot since 1974 and has flown 35 different types of general has reported from Iraq and Afghanistan aviation, business and WWII vintage aircraft. on numerous occasions on attachment with American and British helicopter forces. Andrew is a member of the Army ERNIE STEPHENS, Editor-at-Large, spent Aviation Association of America, the Royal United Ser- 27 years with a major county police vices Institute, the Air Power Association and is an associate department, retiring as a decorated ser- member of the Royal Aeronautical Society. He has a BA geant and chief pilot of its aviation sec- (Hons) degree in War Studies. Andrew covers defense and tion in 2006. He began his flying career in global rotorcraft markets. the late 1980s when he earned his rotorcraft license and incorporated a small aviation company as a sideline to PAT GRAY is our “Offshore Notebook” his law enforcement career. Ernie holds a B.S. in Manage- contributor, having flown in Gulf of Mexi- ment of Technical Operations and an M.S. in Aeronauti- co helicopter operations for 20-plus years. cal Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Univer- Prior to that, he was in Vietnam in 1958 as sity, where he is also a professor and former director of a young paratrooper. He retired from the academics for one of the school’s satellite campuses. He Army Reserve as a chief warrant officer 4, with more than has been writing features and columns for Rotor & Wing 30 years active and reserve service. Gray’s civil helicopter since 2003, and has performed evaluation flights in some experience covers crop dusting and Alaska bush, corporate, of the latest, most technologically advanced rotorcraft in pipeline and offshore flying. the world.

10 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM SETTING THE STANDARD OF CUSTOMER SERVICE

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■ PRODUCTS | AVIONICS ■ TRAINING | SAFETY Bell’s Short Light CAA and EASA Start Offshore Single to Feature Review as Avincis, Bristow Garmin G1000H and CHC Team on Safety The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has announced that it will review North Sea helicopter operations together with the Norwegian CAA and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). According to the CAA statement, the review “will study current operations, previous incidents and accidents and offshore helicopter flying in other countries to make recommendations aimed at improving the safety of offshore flying.” CAA’s head of flight operations, Capt. Bob Jones, will lead the review, work- ing closely with Geir Hamre, head of helicopter safety for the Norwegian CAA and will be supported by industry experts and independents. The review will

focus on operator decision-making and internal management; the protection of Bell Helicopter passengers and crew; pilot training and performance; and helicopter airworthi- Example of the Garmin G1000H panel for ness. The review will be published in early 2014. the Bell short light single (SLS). The CAA announcement came a day before Avincis Group, Bristow Group and CHC unveiled plans to work together to review procedures, share best prac- During Helitech International 2013 in tices and improve safety. The joint review will examine processes, safety, training London, Bell Helicopter formalized a and flight operations, focusing first on Europe. Other areas will include automa- contract with Garmin International tion, emergency equipment and response, human factors, manufacturing, safety to supply its G1000H integrated communication and training. avionics suite for the as-of-now-named Short Light Single (SLS). The move ■ COMMERCIAL | TECHNOLOGY furthers the relationship between the helicopter OEM and the Olathe, Kan.- Helicopter OEMs to Assist with NASA based avionics specialist, as Garmin Advanced Composites Research introduced the G1000H on the 407GX and is providing the G5000H for Experts from NASA, FAA and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory have chosen six Bell’s 525 Relentless on the larger end companies to participate in the Advanced Composites Project from a list of 20 proposals. of the spectrum (the 525 is intended The project falls under the Integrated Systems Research Program at NASA’s Aeronautics primarily for the offshore market). Research Mission Directorate. Turbomeca’s Arrius 2R will power The companies are Bell Helicopter/Textron; Boeing Research & Technology in St. the SLS, which seeks to compete with Louis; Cincinnati-based GE Aviation, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics of Palmdale, Calif.; the Robinson R66 and Eurocopter Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems in Redondo Beach, Calif.; and United Tech- EC120. The G1000H supplies flight nologies Corp. (UTC), as well as its Pratt & Whitney subsidiary in Hartford, Conn. instrumentation, communication, nav- The panel chose the half-dozen companies for the government/industry project due igation, diagnostics, terrain, conflicting to their “technical expertise, willingness and ability to share in costs, certification experi- traffic, maintenance and weather data ence with government agencies, focused technology areas and partnership histories,” on high-resolution LCD screens. Bell’s according to NASA. SLS performance targets are a speed Developing “articles of collaboration” and figuring out how the partnership will work is the of 125 knots with a range of 360 to 420 first assignment. NASA hasn’t ruled out adding more companies into the partnership. nm and a useful load of 1,500 lbs.

12 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM Rotorcraft Report

■ COMMERCIAL | AIRFRAMES Analyst: New Entrants Could Capture Market Share

According to Dr. Andrew Black, International 2013 conference attend- shore, would drive the market for more director and head of analysis at Hawk ees that the light civil aircraft sector has capable aircraft. Intelligence Source Management, the brightest prospects over the 10-year Bell’s director of marketing and sales Russian manufacturers will produce forecast period, followed by the mili- support, Chuck Evans, argued that the the largest number of heavy helicopters tary medium/heavy sector, although need to replace 10,000 to 12,000 first between 2013 and 2022, followed by even this will be weaker as the wars in generation five-seat turbine helicopters Sikorsky, Boeing and NH Industries. south west Asia wind down. Demand is a big opportunity for its new Short Black also warned that established for medium/heavy aircraft in the civil Light Single (SLS). western companies’ market share sector will continue to be affected by Eurocopter UK’s managing director, could also come under threat from new the recession, he said. Markus Steinke, said that the helicopter entrants to the world market, including However, the industry panel took market today is where the fixed-wing India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. issue with some of these generaliza- market was 50 years ago, focused on (HAL) and China’s AVIC, with the light tions. Roberto Garavaglia, AgustaWest- special missions and the rich. military sector providing them with land’s senior vice president for strategy Alluding to the development of early opportunities. and business development, argued that hybrids, he said that helicopters of the In a mildly pessimistic presenta- the company’s more detailed model future will be fundamentally different tion on the outlook for the rotorcraft showed that the rapid change in the oil mass market aircraft. “Beyond that sector – upcoming opportunities and and gas support business, for example, 10-year outlook, you will all be sur- challenges – Black also told Helitech with rigs moving up to 300 nm off- prised.” —By Peter Donaldson

■ PRODUCTS | AIRFRAMES Aurora-Built S-97 Fuselage Arrives at Sikorsky Flight Center

Sikorsky has started final assembly on the S-97 Raider prototype after receiving the fuselage structure from Aurora Flight Services on September 20. The composite fuselage structure – which includes a cockpit, cabin and tail cone – is undergoing completions at Sikorsky’s Development Sikorsky Flight Center in West Palm Beach, Fla. Sikorsky plans to convert the fuselage, which is 36 feet long and weighs 11,000 lbs, into the S-97 Raider proto- type. Demonstration flights are targeted in 2015 for U.S. S-97 fuselage arrived at Sikorsky on September 20. military and other potential buyers. strator, choosing 36 industry partners U.S. Army’s Joint Multi-Role (JMR) Sikorsky launched the S-97 Raider in 2011. Sikorsky and Boeing are technology demonstrator, which leads program in late 2010 as the first off- submitting a version of the X2/S- into the Future Vertical Lift program shoot of its X2 Technology demon- 97 as one of the competitors in the (medium variant).

WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM NOVEMBER 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 13 Rotorcraft Report

■ MILITARY | MISSION EQUIPMENT Industry to Assist with UK Hostile Fire Systems Development

The UK’s Defence Science and From the threat operator’s perspec- Cockpit flight simulator. Technology Laboratory (dstl) is tive, the system needs to simulate weap- requesting industry assistance as it on characteristics including a rapid rate searches to develop systems to help keep of fire and effects such muzzle flash, helicopter crews from being hit by man- vibration, smoke and tracer. operated hostile ground fire. Representing the aircrew’s perspec- Locating and avoiding ground fire tive, Royal Air Force Squadron Leader

is one of the biggest challenges any heli- James Birtwistle explained that the dstl copter crew can face when flying above importance of simulation is that it is an operational environment. Training cheap, easy to repeat and you have full tions in simulation, coupled with Defen- synthetically, either in a laboratory or control. But he did not ignore the very sive Aid Suite (DAS), in order to develop in the air with simulated live fire, must necessary need to conduct live flying countermeasures.” reflect the qualities of real engagements. training as well. Dstl’s hostile fire research is con- “We are looking for a two-stage The main requirement is to repro- ducted at Porton Down in southern approach: a simulated approach in a duce the human performance reactions England, one of three sites where dstl is laboratory environment and then a live of flightcrew as well as that of the threat located. The organization provides sci- flight environment using a simulated operator. What dstl needs is a way of ence and technology (S&T) research for weapons system,” states dstl’s Ian Poth- simulating the weapon effect and fus- the UK Ministry of Defence and is run ecary, a member of the Countermeasure ing that data with that of the aircraft. In along commercial lines. —By Andrew Concepts team. other words, “replicating these interac- Drwiega, International Bureau Chief

■ COMMERCIAL | TECHNOLOGY Different Strokes at High Speed: Tiltrotor, X2 and X3 With three manufacturers who are developing high-speed climates, where we see the military operating. We are going rotorcraft represented on the panel, the Helitech International to let the military side develop the technology and then see 2013 Conference provided an opportunity to gauge the where the application is on the civil side.” differences in emphasis between the AgustaWestland In contrast, Eurocopter UK CEO Markus Steinke said AW609, Sikorsky’s X2 and Eurocopter’s X3 and their likely that the X3 compound helicopter concept demonstrator was effects on the civil market. aimed directly at the civil market. “It is about productivity; Roberto Garavaglia, AgustaWestland’s senior vice presi- we deliver more output in a given time for a given amount dent for strategy and business development, pointed to the of money,” he said. “And I think what you have in front of you AW609’s combination of 270-knot speed, 700 nm range and is various ways into the future – proof that the future will pressurized cabin that allows it to fly above the weather at change.” —By Peter Donaldson 25,000 feet, calling it “a phenomenal way of developing the ■ MILITARY | AIRFRAMES civil market into areas where today there is no possibility to operate.” Hinting at future Arctic operations, he talked of operating to rigs “which are further away and maybe even in MD Sells Dozen MD530Fs, the north of the planet.” MD902 Pair to Kurdistan Significantly, Sikorsky’s sales director for Europe, Alex The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has placed Sharp, did not conjure visions of X2 Technology compound orders for a total of 14 new helicopters from MD as the coaxial helicopters serving distant rigs. “We see at least the Middle Eastern nation looks to add to its VIP transport and initial market being almost totally military,” he said. “What we law enforcement fleet of helicopters. The order includes are really seeing driving the offshore market,” he continued, 12 new MD530Fs and a pair of MD902 Explorers. KRG “is a focus on range as opposed to speed… So we tend to focus plans to use the 530F fleet for airborne law enforcement on that area and not so much on what X2 gives us, which is and firefighting operations, and the 902 Explorer fleet for a lot of speed and performance at altitude and in really hot transporting senior government officials.

14 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM WE PROVIDE HELICOPTER OPERATORS WITH MORE THAN JUST A LEASE™

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■ PRODUCTS | AIRFRAMES Eurocopter Demos T2 Variant EC130, EC145 at Helitech

Eurocopter invited Rotor & Wing to him pushing over at the top of the climb participate in the demonstrations to into a stable hover. From there the only customers of its EC130 T2 and EC145 way was down – which is exactly what T2 helicopters just prior to the Helitech we did, as Gensse pushed the nose exhibition in late September at ExCel in forward into a vertical descent with a London’s docklands. 180-degree turn on the way down and The first helicopter was the EC130 a recovery back to level flight. With T2, flown by experimental test pilot five onboard, including the valuable Olivier Gensse. He has flown every cargo of MD Steinke, the power point Eurocopter variant in the company was proven without doubt. Needless inventory with the exception of the to say, with such a large amount of glass Tiger attack helicopter. With wiring surrounding both pilot and passengers, still evident on this pre-certification visibility is excellent. handling capability of the four-axis aircraft, he nevertheless took four pas- Flying in the twin engine EC145 autopilot and dual-channel FADEC. sengers into the surprisingly spacious T2 with test pilot Diethelm Berndt The one-engine operative demon- cockpit with two seats to spare (three was a more orderly affair with him stration was carried out virtually front and four back). demonstrating over 30 minutes the seamlessly from the passenger point of view. Internally the six passenger seats installed for the demonstration (Below) EC145T2. (Below right) A pair of Squirrels – AS350 taking off with AS355 in the background. (Above left) Experimental test pilot Olivier Gensse at the controls of the EC130 were easily located in the cabin, and T2 above the Oxfordshire countryside, before exhibiting the engine ‘grunt’ through a brief the rear clamshell door design gives but impressive aerobatic demonstration. (Above right) EC145 T2 glass cockpit. visibility out of the rear of the aircraft for aircrew. The flights were scheduled from Eurocopter UK’s home base at Oxford airport and at Denham aero- drome, a small airfield to the west of London but within the M25. There were up to 100 invites sourced from utility operators, police air support representatives and those directly Photos by Andrew Drwiega Photos by Andrew

Following takeoff, we conducted a few maneuvers within the airport perimeter in ground effect, including an effortless glide sideways at 40 knots. Gensse said the climb rate was around 2,500 feet per minute. After further demonstrations, we learned the full understanding of the power delivered by the Turbomeca Arriel 2D engine as Gensse first climbed the helicopter vertically then did a stall turn. This was followed by another vertical climb with

16 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM Rotorcraft Report

including performance-based services, consulting solutions through its Dublin- based subsidiary, demonstrations of its online information services such as e-Tech publications and other aspects of support. “Our main goal is first and foremost keeping customer satisfaction at the heart of Eurocopter’s strategy,” explained Guillaume Faury, Eurocopter president and CEO. “This means offering not only the best products and evolutions but also efficient and modern service solutions, tailored to the diverse needs of operators.” —By Andrew Drwiega, International Bureau Chief

involved in providing helicopter emergency medical services. Said Markus Steinke, managing director of Eurocopter UK: “Bringing these rotorcraft to the UK enables a broad section of the user commu- nity to fully appreciate their latest technology for enhanced mission capability and flexibility.” Eurocopter’s EC130 T2 is the latest version of the lightweight single-engine Ecureuil product line. According to the company, around 70 percent of the EC130 T2’s air- frame structure has been modified, including the incorporation of a more powerful Turbomeca Arriel 2D turboshaft engine and upgraded main gearbox. The twin-engine EC145 T2 also incorporates new Arriel 2E engines as well as a Fenestron shrouded tail rotor; upgraded main and tail rotor gearboxes; and new digital avionics suite with four-axis autopilot. Once the Helitech opens on Tuesday, Eurocopter will exhibit a full-scale mock-up of its EC175 in corporate configuration along with two model other variants: the EC130 T2 Stylence and the EC145 T2, both shown as passenger carrying aircraft. In addition, an EC120 together with an EC145 in firefighting version will be displayed on the outdoor helipad, exhibiting their mission versatility. The company’s range of services initiatives will also be highlighted

WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM NOVEMBER 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 17 Rotorcraft Report

■ MILITARY | OPERATORS ■ SERVICES | MAINTENANCE Lynx Departure Guimbal Details Maintenance Numbers Signals End of for the Costs to Operate Cabri G2 British Military Flying in French manufacturer Helicopteres Cabri G2 in flight. Germany Guimbal has unveiled numbers on the cost of a Cabri G2 overhaul. British military flying in Germany The first examples of the two-seater came to a close October 4 with were overhauled last summer at the the departure of the last Westland Guimbal factory in Aix-en-Provence, Lynx Mk9A of 1 Regiment Army after 2,200 flight hours. Air Corps (1AAC) from Gütersloh For each of the two 2010 Cabris airfield in northern Germany. operated by Jonkoping, Sweden- The AAC departure marks the based flying school Northern Heli- end of British military flying in copters, the downtime was six weeks, Germany since the end of World Helicopteres Guimbal Helicopteres according to the airframer. “In 2,200 War II, as well as bringing to a flight hours, each of these Cabris generated revenues in the amount of about close 1AAC’s residency in Güter- three times its selling price,” founder and CEO Bruno Guimbal said. Then, the sloh that began in 1993. Initially overhaul cost 25 percent of this price, he went on. both Lynx and Gazelle helicop- A Cabri G2, in its baseline version, today sells for €293,000 (around $395,000). ters were operated from the base By contrast, a Robinson R22 sells for $276,000. But an R22 overhaul costs twice but the Gazelles left for good on that of a Cabri, according to Guimbal. March 31, 2000. In 2002, the Lynx “Thanks to its reduced maintenance needs, infinite fatigue life for all com- Mk7 lost its tube-launched TOW ponents (including the main rotor and the composite airframe) and absence missiles but was replaced by the of hard-time limits, the Cabri G2 is proving it is the most cost-efficient training Lynx Mk9 in 2005, then the Lynx helicopter on the market,” Guimbal asserted. Mk9A by the end of 2011. The EASA recently granted the company a Part 145 approval for maintenance Once back in the UK, 1 Regi- and overhaul of the helicopter and its systems. Over 50 Cabri G2s are flying in ment AAC will begin to merge Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Helicopteres Guimbal now has 36 employ- with 9 Regiment AAC as a result ees. —By Theirry Dubois of the Ministry of Defense’s Army 2020 plan. This should be com- ■ TRAINING | AIRFRAMES pleted by 2015 with the new unit shedding its Lynx Mk9As for the Aviamarket Flies R66 Around the Globe new AgustaWestland Wildcat A pair of Robinson R66 turbine helicopters completed a six-week around-the-world helicopters, all under a single flight on Sept. 15, an expedition organized by Moscow-based Robinson dealer headquarters located at Yeovilton, Aviamarket. Somerset. They will become part The company organized the flight in an effort to test the newly Russian type certi- of the newly formed Aviation fied R66. The flight took the helicopters from Russia and across Europe before cross- Reconnaissance Force. ing the North Atlantic Ocean heading west over Canada, with a passage through The Regiment has deployed Alaska and finally crossing the North Pacific Ocean to Siberia and back to Moscow. helicopters 17 times on opera- Crossing the Atlantic presented the biggest challenge of the trip, as it featured the tions away from its home base, longest stretches over including Operation Protego water, the longest (London Olympic Games) and being 490 miles. Operation Herrick (Afghanistan). A team of four During its last deployment to pilots flew about 620 Afghanistan, 661 Squadron flew miles per day in the Part of the around- more than 1,000 hours and in

R66s which were out- the-world flight of Robinson Helicopter 40 deliberate missions in sup- fitted with auxiliary the Robinson R66. port of International Security fuel tanks to extend Assistance Force (ISAF) troops. their range. —By Andrew Drwiega

18 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM Aerospace Content Marketing Powered by Decision Briefs

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22814 Rotorcraft Report

PEOPLE

Th e b o a rd o f Bristow Group has appointed Steve Immisch, who will be the division’s directors of Russian Predmore as vice president and chief executive vice president for HR. H e l i c o p t e r s safety officer for the company’s global Aubrey Point has replaced Peter has promoted operations regarding safety, safety Dahm as vice president helicopters A l e x a n d e r auditing, health and environmental at Avinco. Point has been with the Mikheev to CEO. issues. Predmore has 11 years of avia- company since 2006, before which he He replaces Dmitry Petrov, who will tion industry experience with JetBlue gained management experience in take a role within Rostec State Corp. Airways as vice president and chief sales and support with Eurocopter in Russian Helicopters is a subsidiary of safety officer, and a further six as direc- Thailand, Hong Kong and China. Oboronprom, which is part of Rostec. tor safety performance and quality Lease Corpora- Mikheev is the former deputy CEO with Delta Air Lines. His last position tion International of Rosoboronexport, a division of was senior vice president of safety (LCI) is looking to conglomerate Russian Helicopters. for MV Transportation. He has also newly appointed Rostec CEO Sergey Chemezov served with the National Transporta- Mark Kelly to lead noted in a statement that the strat- tion Safety Board (NTSB) and the its marketing across egy for Russian Helicopters “targets an Management Advisory Committee to the EMEA. Kelly’s increase in global market share to 18-20 the FAA administrator. title is vice president of marketing and percent from the current 14 percent Waypoint Leasing (Ireland) has he will be based in Dublin, Ireland. An by 2020, including by expanding its appointed six people to its manage- experienced helicopter pilot, Kelly will presence in the CIS, China, India, the ment team: Robert Van de Vuurst, address both marketing and business Middle East, Africa and Latin Ameri- general counsel; Peter Dahm, strate- development issues. His previous posi- ca.” That includes a goal of producing gic accounts executive; Dave Gorsky, tion was managing director of CHC, 470 helicopters annually by 2020, with vice president of operations and tech- Ireland, where his main responsibil- revenue projected at around 240 billion nical; Ken Dowling, vice president ity was the safe, efficient and compli- rubles. of financial reporting and business ant operation of the search & rescue Mike Atwood planning; Marc Schechter, vice presi- service for the Irish Coast Guard. As a r e c e i v e d t h e dent of risk and analytics; and Todd SAR commander, Kelly flew over 250 NIGHTCON Life- Wolynski, vice president of legal and missions including receiving an award time Achievement associate general counsel. for his part in one rescue mission. Award at this year’s Peter Bull has joined the advisory Circor Aerospace Products has convention in Dal- board of helicopter leasing organiza- promoted Daniel Godin to vice presi- las, Texas. Atwood, who is CEO of tion Milestone Aviation Group. Bull dent of operations for North Ameri- Aviation Specialties Unlimited (ASU), has more than 30 years of experience ca. Godin has been general manager was nominated for his work in helping in a variety of posts covering aircraft for the New York and Ohio facilities to develop and advance the use of civil maintenance, leasing, asset manage- since 2008, where he was responsible night vision goggles in civil aviation. ment, risk consulting and continuing for business and financial profitabil- “Mike truly has pioneered the use of airworthiness. He arrives from Air- ity, operations, supply chain and team NVGs in the civilian world not only in claims, where he was executive director management, as well as driving strate- North America, but also throughout responsible for worldwide aviation risk gic growth initiatives. the world,” said ASU President Jim and asset management. He is a Fellow Rockwell Collins president Kelly Winkel. of the Royal Aeronautical Society, the Ortberg has been given the addi- Rebte ch ha s Institute of Directors and the Char- tional role of CEO by the organization’s hired Curtis Ar- tered Management Institute. board of directors. He has also been nold as comple- EADS has made three further senior appointed to the board and to the tions manager based nominations for its future Defense & board’s Executive Committee. Ortberg in Bedford, Texas. Space division. They are: Pilar Albiac- succeeds Clay Jones, 64, who retired Arnold has more Murillo, who becomes executive vice as CEO after nearly 34 years with the than 21 years of aviation experience, president operations and will lead the company. Jones will continue as non- holding an A&P maintenance certificate transformation of Airbus Defense executive chairman. Ortberg joined with IA authorization and a commercial & Space; Christian Scherer who Rockwell Collins in 1987 and became pilot certificate with single and multi- takes the post of executive vice presi- president in September 2012. engine instrument airplane ratings. dent sales and marketing; and Lars Bell Helicopter has made additions

20 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM Rotorcraft Report

to its executive leadership team. Gun- The Alliance for Aviation Across EagleMed has named Chuck nar Kleveland becomes senior vice America has appointed Mark Baker Welch as national director of new president of integrated operations; Dr. as the new president of the Aircraft business development. He reports Cathy Ferrie will serve as senior vice Operators and Pilots Association to EagleMed president Larry Bugg. president of engineering; and Matt (AOPA). Baker replaces Craig Fuller, Welch will be responsible for manag- Hasik is senior vice president for com- outgoing president of AOPA, who has ing the company’s fixed-wing and mercial programs. Kleveland, Ferrie led the organization for the last five rotor wing business development and Hasik will succeed Pete Riley and years. Baker is a pilot and has been activities throughout the United Jeff Lowinger. president of several companies. States.

Dec. 2–5: Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference (I/ITSEC), Orlando, Fla. Contact I/ May 4–6: Quad-A Annual Convention, Gaylord Opryland ITSEC, phone 1-703-247-2569 and 1-703-247-9840 or visit www. Hotel, Nashville, Tenn. Contact HAI, phone 1-203-268-2450 or iitsec.org visit www.quad-a.org 2014: Feb. 24–27, 2014: Helicopter Association International (HAI) July 19–20: Farnborough International Airshow, Farnborough, Heli-Expo 2014, Anaheim, Calif. Contact HAI, phone 1-703- UK. Visit www.farnborough.com 683-4646 or visit www.rotor.org

Sept. 17–19: ATC Global, Beijing, China. Contact ATC Global, March 12-15: HAircraft Electronics Association (AEA) phone +44 (0) 207 921 8149 or visit www.atcglobalhub.com International Convention and Trade Show, Nashville, Tenn. coming events Contact AEA, phone 1-816-347-8400 or visit www.aea.net

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WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM NOVEMBER 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 21 Rotorcraft Report

■ COMMERCIAL | EVENT COVERAGE Helitech’s Move to London Results in Attendance Boost According to Reed Exhibitions, for the first time at the UK-based show). OEM partners included AgustaWest- organizers of Helitech International According to estimates, the event was land, Bell Helicopter, Eurocopter, Rus- 2013, the move from rural Duxford around 30 percent larger than Helitech sian Helicopters and Sikorsky. airfield to ExCel in London resulted in a 2011, with the proportion of interna- Read more about Helitech Inter- 12 percent increase in attendance. tional attendees rising 20 percent. Reed national in Rotor & Wing’s Post-Show hosted Helitech 2013 in col- Wrap: http://accessintelligence. laboration with the European imirus.com/Mpowered/book/ Helicopter Association, and vheli13/i2/p1 Reed Exhibitions

Interior view on the show floor of Helitech International 2013 at ExCel.

More than 5,600 people came to the AgustaWetland displayed a number of

three-day event in late September, with helicopters during Helitech. AgustaWestland more than 220 exhibitors (70 of which

■ SERVICES | OFFSHORE Avincis Reaches Agreements with AgustaWestland, Bell, Eurocopter and Turbomeca During Helitech London-based Avincis Group made a splash during Helitech ous roles, including offshore, EMS, utility and SAR, mainly in International 2013 in late September. In addition to teaming the UK and Italy. with Bristow Group and CHC to examine safety practices Eurocopter purchased three EC225s for Avincis subsidiary following a CAA review into North Sea offshore operations, Bond Helicopters Australia. Bond will use the aircraft to sup- the company has reached agreements with helicopter makers port PTTEP Australasia’s activities in the Timor Sea (PTTEP AgustaWestland, Bell Helicopter and Eurocopter, as well as Australasia is part of Thailand’s national petroleum exploration engine manufacturer Turbomeca. and production company). Avincis has placed an order for up to 20 helicopters from According to Eurocopter executive vice president of global Bell, consisting of the 429, 412 and 412EPI. The company plans business and services, Dominique Maudet “over 75 percent to use the Bell variants in air medical/life and rescue operations. of the EC225s worldwide are now back in service.” Further The operator has also purchased five helicopters from emphasizing Eurocopter’s pushback on the recent incidents, AgustaWestland. The order includes two AW189s intended for he added that “the EC225 will be a benchmark in oil and gas offshore missions in the UK’s North Sea with Avincis subsidiary operations for years to come.” Avincis Group director of fleet Bond Aviation. The other three helicopters – one AW139 and a and engineering Martin Whittaker said that his company was pair of AW169s – will support EMS operations in Italy. looking forward to deploying the aircraft and adding them to According to the com- their existing Eurocopter fleet of around 170 helicopters (out of panies, the preliminary a global fleet of 350 helicopters). agreements” for the five Safran Group subsidiary Turbomeca has inked a global helicopters are part of a support contract with Avincis, covering engines in operation wider arrangement for with Australian Helicopters, Bond Air Services, Bond Offshore up to 16 helicopters from Helicopters and Inaer. The contract, which totals around 180

the AW139, AW169 and AgustaWestland engines on 14 different helicopter types, includes Turbomeca’s AW189 family. The heli- Support by the Hour (SBH) program for the Bond and Inaer Avincis CEO James Drummond and copters will serve in vari- AgustaWestland CEO Daniele Romiti. fleets.

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19878 Rotorcraft Report

■ TRAINING | MAINTENANCE ■ MILITARY | MISSION EQUIPMENT Sikorsky Picks Kratos for CH-53K Elbit Obtains HMD Maintenance Training Contract for South Sikorsky Aircraft has Korea Surions granted an $8.5-million contract to Kratos Defense Elbit Systems has received a follow- & Security Solutions on contract to supply its Helmet related to maintenance Mounted Display (HMD) systems training systems for the for the Republic of Korea Army’s CH-53K. The agreement CH-53K graphic. Surion helicopter. The Korean Utility involves a Maintenance Helicopter (KUH), otherwise known Training Device Suite as the Surion, is a joint venture between (MTDS) and a Helicopter Images courtesy Kratos Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Emulation Maintenance Eurocopter along a 51/49 percent split, Trainer (HEMT) that will respectively. The Korean Army has be based at the U.S. Marine ordered around 200 Surions to replace Corps Air Station in New its aged fleet of MD500 and UH-1H River, N.C. The CH-53K Kratos HEMT. helicopters, while 40 additional KUHs is USMC’s heavy lift will go to the Korean Marine Corps helicopter program that is scheduled to enter service in 2019. for amphibious duties. Deliveries have The MTDS will supply a “true-to-life environment” for evaluating multiple already begun and should be completed subsystems on the CH-53K, supporting by 2022, with Marine deliveries taking a maintenance training and remove-and- year longer to complete. replace training for avionics, electrical Yoram Shmuely, general manager of and hydraulic systems, according to Elbit Systems’ Aerospace Division, said Kratos. HEMT will use a 3D virtual that his organization was considering platform to train aircrew and mainte- involving the recently formed local nance personnel on topics such as fault company, Sharp Elbit Systems Aero- isolation, troubleshooting, functional space, in the project. The HMD system Kratos MTDS. tests and removal/installation of 27 was chosen by KAI in 2009 as part of subsystems. the initial Korean Helicopter Program (KHP).

■ COMMERCIAL | FORECASTING Teal Group 10-Year Outlook Puts ■ SERVICES | REPAIRS Helicopter Market at $193 Billion Vertical Aviation Civil and military rotorcraft operators will require 16,126 new helicopters worth Approved for $193.1 billion over the next decade, according to the Teal Group’s annual world Robinson R66 rotorcraft review released September 24 at the Helitech International 2013 conference in London. Services The 10-year forecast projects civil users will require 10,308 rotorcraft worth Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Vertical $60.3 billion and the military will require 5,818 new helicopters worth $132.8 Aviation has received approval from billion through 2022. AgustaWestland, Bell, Boeing, Eurocopter and Sikorsky are Robinson Helicopter to serve as an expected to account for 96 percent of sales of new rotorcraft over the next decade, R66 service center. The location is according to the Teal Group. Richard Aboulafia, vice president of the Teal Group, also a service center for the Rolls- said his company’s forecast does not account for “heavy upgrade activity” that will Royce RR300, which powers the R66. be required to maintain aging fleets. Vertical Aviation is a sales and service Boeing and Sikorsky will continue to dominate the military market, while center for Eurocopter, Turbomeca, Eurocopter and AgustaWestland will battle to dominate the civil market, the Teal Rolls-Royce and a dealer for Guardian Group said in its forecast. Besides the five major rotorcraft airframe manufactur- automated flight following (AFF) ers mentioned in their report, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) is expected to be and flight data monitoring (FDM) the only company to establish new market presence. systems.

24 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM Rotorcraft Report

PRODUCTS | AIRFRAMES ■ MILITARY | UNMANNED Bell Launches Navy Wraps Up MQ-8C Ground Testing Upgrade on 412EPI The U.S. Navy’s first MQ-8C Fire Scout Bell Helicopter has initiated an unmanned helicopter has completed MQ-8C ground tests. upgrade program for the 412EPI, ground testing and engine runs during its with a focus on improving the initial testing at Naval Base Ventura Country helicopter’s Category A certification Point Mugu, Calif. and increased operational flexibility Northrop Grumman engineers pow- for Category A Part B procedures. ered up the aircraft’s rotor blades for the Danny Maldonado, executive vice first time Friday, as the company looked to president for sales and marketing at collect enough data to ensure the Scout’s Bell, calls the 412EPI that “backbone systems are functioning properly ahead of its

of mission-critical helicopter upcoming first flight. Grumman Northrop operations,” and says the upgrades “Completion of these tests signifies our will increase operational flexibility steady progress toward the first flight of the MQ-8C Fire Scout,” said George Vard- for operators. The upgrade program oulakis, vice president of medium range tactical systems at Northrop Grumman. will begin in November, with the first The Navy currently has the company under contract to produce an MQ-8C for completion scheduled for the first deployment beginning next year. According to a spokesperson for Northrop Grum- quarter of 2014. man, the first flight of the MQ-8C is scheduled for October.

■ SERVICES | CERTIFICATION Operators: Speed Up NVG Certification Process

A range of international operators at Helitech agreed helicopter can be up to seven hours by car. that the certification process stipulated by authorities to In terms of crew resource management (CRM), Nor- allow helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) mann said that both the pilot and HEMS crewmember operators to use night vision goggles (NVGs) in Europe in the cockpit had NVGs and that even the doctor in the needs to be quicker and more streamlined. back was given a hand-held device: “During a landing – While all confirmed that safety had to be the main all eyes count,” he said. consideration whether operators were conducting day While the Norwegians have been operating with or night missions, it was unanimously agreed night NVGs since 2002, the East Anglian Air Ambulance operations using NVGs were always safer than not became the first UK HEMS operator to certified to use using them. NVGs earlier this year. Bond Air Services director of During the conference those speaking included rep- flight operations Capt. Pete Cummings said: “East Anglia resentatives from the East Anglian Air Ambulance (with have been the first to really push for night HEMS. The support provider Bond Air Services), Spanish operator CAA were supportive within their regulatory frame- Inaer, DRF Luftrettung from Germany and the Norwe- work – and always erring on the side of caution.” With gian Air Ambulance. the application process beginning in November 2011, “Flying with NVGs is much better than flying with- a list of considerations to gain approval was received out,” said Erik Normann, manager of flight operations from the CAA a month later. The CAA eventually pub- for Norwegian Air Ambulance. In 2012, Normann lished its safety directive in July 2012 – which included said that his organization had flown 7,757 flight hours, the requirement to illuminate the final approach area or which 1,716 were at night (22 percent) and 1,158 with white light from a height of 500 feet. This required (15 percent) on NVGs. In Norway, particularly taking the fitting of a Trakka 800 light onto the front left into account is position in the Northern Hemisphere, hand skid. Eventually, all points were satisfied and the darkness is always a factor in providing a service to the first night HEMS flight took place on May 13, 2013. population. Because of the rugged geography in some —By Andrew Drwiega parts of the country, what is only a 15-minute flight be Read the Full Story at www.rotorandwing.com

WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM NOVEMBER 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 25 Rotorcraft Report

■ COMMERCIAL | AIRFRAMES First Bell 429 Operational in UK, 407GX in Switzerland

Adding to a quarters in Spain added EASA-certified 407GX to utility missions in Switzer- string of recent equipment to the helicopter, including land. Sascha Kempf, Alpinlift manag- regional firsts, an operator workstation with SkyQuest ing director, noted the safety features the Bell 407GX 20-inch display, L-3 Wescam MX-10 of the 407GX, including the Garmin has entered control unit and Nano Flash recorder. G1000H avionics and synthetic vision, service with its Bell gave the VIP 429 keys to TJ Mor- as part of the reason for purchasing first operator ris during a September 21 ceremony the Bell variant. National Grid Bell 429. b a s e d i n that marked the opening of a new com-

Bell Helicopter Switzerland. plex for Heli-Charter, the manufac- National Grid Bell 429. The handover turer’s Independent Representative and comes shortly after the first Bell 429 took Customer Service Facility in the UK. flight as part of a UK-based fleet with Next on the docket is a 429 delivery to National Grid, as well as the first 429 in Starspeed, a helicopter management VIP configuration with TJ Morris Ltd. company that will use the VIP aircraft Inspection and maintenance of for a private operator, as well as corpo- power lines is the primary role of the rate charter flights. National Grid 429. Bell’s European head- Alpinlift Helikopter will deploy the

■ PRODUCTS | MISSION EQUIPMENT ■ SERVICES | REPAIRS Thommen, Trakka in the Spotlight Gulf Helicopters New competitors have recently enlivened a market dominated by Boeing’s and QAI Team Spectrolab, and Helitech 2013 provided Rotor & Wing with an opportunity to on Component examine Thommen’s HSL-1600 and Trakka Corp.’s Trakkabeam A800 – two very different solutions to the same set of problems. Repairs The HSL-1600 looks the more conventional of the two with its large diam- Quality Aviation Instruments (QAI) eter parabolic reflector that forms the output of the 1,600-watt short arc xenon and Gulf Helicopters have agreed to bulb into a beam. A self-contained unit, it has no separate components except establish a component repair facility the hand control unit and associated cabling. Stepper motors move it in eleva- in Doha, Qatar. The joint venture will tion and azimuth and digital control enables faster movement in all directions, cover component repairs for helicopter “keep out” zones to protect heat-sensitive aircraft equipment such as antennas accessories, avionics and instruments. and precise coordination with camera pods. It can also be removed and rein- The companies intend to open in the stalled without realignment, says the company. repair center in late 2013 or early 2014 Its other party trick is an integral IR filter that slides around the bulb hous- following a certification process with ing on command, the whole mechanism remaining inside the searchlight FAA and EASA. The site will provide housing. repairs for the AgustaWestland AW139, The Trakkabeam A800 is slimmer in profile, a clue to a different operating other AgustaWestland types and principle. Instead of a large diameter reflector, it shines the short arc xenon various Bell Helicopter and Eurocopter bulb’s light through a system of lenses. This, says European sales manager platforms. Christian Steward, provides a much more uniform distribution of light within the beam, eliminating the dark spot at the center and the peripheral fade asso- ciated with reflector searchlights. Another unique feature of the A800 is its small diameter filter wheel that contains, in addition to an IR filter, an amber filter to improve penetration of fog and a visible red filter. The latter eliminates the vertigo sensation that look- Gulf Helicopters ing up at white light can induce in people working underneath the helicopter AW139. and having to look up at it, according to Mick Rennie, key account and service support manager for Europe. —By Peter Donaldson

Read the Full Story at www.rotorandwing.com AgustaWestland

26 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM for Helicopter Operators

Max-Viz EVS System from Astronics An Astronics Max-Viz EVS system can increase safety and mission success in both rotary and fixed-wing EMS fleets for approximately half the cost of night vision goggles (NVGs) with no need for costly flight deck lighting modifications and hours of expensive initial and recurrent flight crew training and currency. Max-Viz EVS can give your pilots and aircraft capability no night vision goggles can. Unlike NVGs, Max-Viz allows your flight crew to see through smoke, haze and light fog. Day or Night. They can accurately see terrain, tree lines, landmarks, landing zones and obstructions. Situational aware- ness and spatial orientation are improved dramatically. Stress and fatigue are reduced. And the ability to more effectively discriminate between MVFR and IFR conditions can minimize or even elimi- nate the chances of IIMC. Max-Viz is certified on 16 different helicopters and over 200 fixed-wing aircraft. Let us show you how we can help with col- laborative STC development and special needs for aircraft installations not currently available. Interested in preserving your assets? See Max-Viz in action. For more information, visit www.max-viz.com/solutions/ems

GDC64 Tablet Aircraft Interface Unit Available from DAC International Many developers are writing apps that can use aircraft position, weather info, and/or discretes from the aircraft. Applications for weight and balance information, OOOI reports, data recording and reporting, and many other apps that can be developed and tailored for the user. DAC International’s GDC64 Tablet Aircraft Interface Unit (TAIU) GDC64 is specifically designed as an aircraft interface device to feed aircraft data to an iPad® without additional costly Wi-Fi devices. This unique interface product routes data from aircraft sensors and systems to the iPad enabling a wide range of incremental functionality for the flight crew. You simply plug your iPad into connector conveniently located in the cockpit to get data and power to keep the iPad fully charged during flight. With this product in the cockpit, operators will be able to fully leverage the benefits of using today’s apps as well as future ones being developed to reduce cockpit workload and increase crew information and situational awareness. To find out more call DAC International at 1-512-331-5323 or visit www.dacint.com

True Blue Power Releases Lithium-Ion Batteries for Business and GA Use Mid-Continent Instrument subsidiary True Blue Power has introduced two advanced lithium-ion batteries for business and general aviation applications. The TB17 and TB44 feature A123 Systems’ Nanophosphate lithium-ion chemistry. The TB17 weighs 16 pounds, offering a 45 percent weight savings compared to older, lead-acid and nickel-cadmium alternatives, according to True Blue. The larger TB44 weighs 53 pounds, offering a 40 percent weight savings. It is designed for the turbine market, including fixed-wing and rotorcraft applications. These next-generation battery systems are engineered to provide an overall lower cost of ownership with 50 to 75 percent less scheduled maintenance cost. Find out more at www.truebluepowerusa.com

WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM NOVEMBER 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 27 TRAINING | SIMULATORS

Heli-Union’s Traini Builds on New Tech

Rotor & Wing was invited to get a first-hand look at the operator’s training center in Angouleme, France. By Thierry Dubois Photo courtesy of Heli-Union

28 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM Heli-Union Training

eli-Union is growing uti- lization of its Angouleme, HFrance-based pilot training center thanks to the adoption of the latest tools available – a Thales/ Eurocopter Dauphin full flight simulator (FFS) and Guimbal Cabri G2 light piston singles. In addition to answering Heli- ing Center Union’s in-house needs, the Heli-Union Training Center (HUTC) is increasingly looking for third-party customers for both its ab-initio and recurrent training programs. During a visit to HUTC in October, Rotor & Wing could see first- hand team efforts to reach and maintain chnologies student pilot proficiency, especially in offshore oil-and-gas operations. With its offshore experience, Heli- Union a few years ago identified a niche in Eurocopter AS365 N3/N3+ Dauphin pilot training. “The authorities were increasingly demanding in recurrent training and we wanted to offer our customers a consis- tent, high-level standard in oil-and-gas training,” Jean-Baptiste Olry, head of HUTC’s business development, told Rotor & Wing. In 2009, HUTC ordered the first FFS for the type and inaugurated it in 2012. Rotor & Wing understands there are only two in service around the world, the other one is based in Singa- pore. HUTC’s FFS Level B/flight training device Level 3, under European regula- tions, also meets the FAA Part 60 Level 6 standard. “An FFS Level D is much more expensive but is only slightly more real- Full-flight simulator at Heli- istic and brings little more possibilities,” Union’s Training Center. Olry said. The same recurrent training can be performed on an FFS Level B, he summarized. The only difference is for type rating, as the student will have to be trained an extra two hours on the real aircraft. Inside the simulator, a few differences appear – some flight instru- ments are not physically the same as those of the real aircraft, while buffeting vibration cannot be felt.

WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM NOVEMBER 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 29 TRAINING | SIMULATORS

Guimbal Cabri in the Heli-Union training fleet. Photo by Thierry Dubois

HUTC’s FFS offers a 210 x 70-de- layout or more modern electronic tion. It allows simulating the off- gree field of view. It has six degrees displays; and one of two autopi- shore environment with oil rigs and of motion freedom. Actuators are lots – three-axis or four-axis. On vessels in day or night conditions. electric with pneumatic assistance. top of the baseline configuration, Particular attention was given to This makes maintenance much easi- equipment has been added as part helideck realism, in line with CAP er, compared to previous-generation of the offshore standard – TCAS, 437 rules, Olry said. hydraulic technology. The simula- EGPWS, AVAD (automatic voice Simulated navigation aids are tion data package – algorithms that alert device) and ADELT (automati- updated regularly to be consistent link pilot inputs to aircraft outputs cally deployable emergency locator with the real world. Atmospheric – is Eurocopter’s original. The reac- transmitter), Olry explained. conditions can be recreated, such tion time of HUTC’s FFS is 60 mil- The instructor can choose from as pressure, temperature, humidity liseconds, which is equivalent to a two geographic databases. One, and wind. Lighting conditions can Level D. with a resolution in the order of a be recreated, too – sun and moon, Three cockpit configurations few feet, represents the southeast dusk and dawn, clouds etc. are available. They use either a con- quarter of France. Then, the world- While the benefits of simula- ventional “steam gauge” instrument wide database has a 50-foot resolu- tors are well known to the airline

30 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM 1 in 14 Americans will be diagnosed with lung cancer— 60% will be never or former smokers.

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www.LUNGevity.org TRAINING | SIMULATORS

industry, they are still relatively new When simulating a ditching, Vermeersch is a highly experi- for civil helicopter pilots, instruc- the student will actually pull all the enced offshore pilot who regularly tors and operating companies. First, handles that release the liferafts, goes back in the field during the to train for offshore landings, the chief instructor Thierry Vermeersch year. This is the key of Heli-Union’s student and his instructor do not added. The risk of accident or inci- approach to training – being as close have to spend time flying to the dent is nil. In addition, the simula- as possible to real-life conditions. platform. In one click of a mouse at tor suppresses external constraints “Our flight documents are used in the instructor observation station, such as air traffic control, weather, operation,” Olry emphasized. He the helicopter and the crew find pilot duty time etc. Moreover, a added Heli-Union has reworked the themselves in approach. representative of an oil company platforms available in Thales’ soft- Some failures are never trained can attend a simulator session to see ware, for better realism and compli- in flight, like an engine shutdown how pilots of his transport service ance to lighting standards. on a platform. In a simulator, such provider behave. Finally, one “flight” HUTC instructors are consis- a failure can be introduced for the hour on a simulator is roughly 50 tently endeavoring to improve their student to deal with it from A to Z, percent cheaper than one real flight training methods. Accident and Olry said. hour on the same type. incident reports inspire training

Flight navigation procedure trainer (FNPT) at the Heli-Union Training Center in France. Photo courtesy of Heli-Union

32 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM Heli-Union Training

Angouleme Cognac airport. Another one is an AS365N Dauphin, now undergoing a cockpit upgrade. In light singles, a Schweizer 300 is still flying but will soon be phased out. Two Cabri G2s are replacing it. The first one was delivered in February and the second one in September. They are mainly used for ab-initio training. Olry explained that the type was chosen against the ubiquitous Robin- son R22/R44 for its easier autorota- tion procedure, crashworthiness and design philosophy. With its shrouded tailrotor and modern cockpit, it is closer to the helicopter types the students will fly eventually, he said. According to Guimbal’s numbers, the higher acquisition cost will be recouped in a few years, thanks to much cheaper maintenance. Last, but not least, is the flight navigation procedure trainer (FNPT

Photo by Thierry Dubois II). Although not a moving device, it is valuable for basic helicopter handling and navigation (including Jean-Baptiste Olry, head of HUTC’s business development, with a Cabri. IFR) learning. Based on a Eurocop- ter AS355 N Ecureuil light twin, scenarios, Vermeersch said. The Air 1,700 hours this year, which trans- HUTC’s FNPT II offers a 180° x 45° France 447 crash in 2009 prompted lates into 250 student pilots. Olry is field of view. him to have his students train- aiming for 2,000 hours in 2014. Of In 2012, HUTC trained 392 stu- ing for pitot airspeed probe icing. these, Heli-Union’s in-house needs dent pilots, for a combined 2,879 Sharing experience is valued – a account for a constant 1,000 hours. hours . student pilot in recurrent training FFS customers, mainly from can describe a particular manner to overseas, include oil-and-gas, emer- apply a procedure at his company. gency medical service and corporate Heli-Union Key Facts This can lead the chief instructor to operators. Several foreign air forces The Heli-Union Training Center, reconsider his own habits. have chosen HUTC for its ab-initio founded in 2002, is a subsidiary When Rotor & Wing visited program, which brings students of Heli-Union. The parent com- HUTC, a debate was going on about with zero flight time experience to pany is an offshore oil-and-gas filming student pilots with a small fully qualified IFR pilots, Olry said transport specialist with opera- camera installed inside the simula- What about the bottom line tions in Africa, Asia-Pacific and tor. The hoped-for teaching benefit of using a simulator, versus real South America. The fleet is made was when a student pilot challenges aircraft, for recurrent training? As of 35 helicopters – Eurocopter the instructor. Watching the video an operator, Heli-Union is already AS365N/N3 Dauphins, AS332 L1 enables the instructor to clearly seeing a difference. The chief pilot and EC225 Super Pumas, EC145s, show why he deemed the perfor- has noticed his Dauphin crews have and Sikorsky S-76C++s. It will be mance substandard. A difficulty improved their piloting skills since one of the first operators of the was seen, however, in the time to be they have begun using the simulator, soon-to-be-certified Eurocopter spent finding the relevant segments according to Olry. EC175, with an order for four. in a long video. The FFS is HUTC’s flagship but Héli-Union flies about 17,000 The FFS will operate for some is not the company’s only tool at hours per year.

WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM NOVEMBER 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 33 SERVICES | MAINTENANCE Photos courtesy of Eurocopter NENNEWEWW SOSOFTOFFTWTWWAWARARAAREREE MEMMEEEEEETETIETTINTIINGINNGG NEW TECHNOLOGY NEEDS As next generation rotorcraft become ever more sophisticated, the software industry is rising to meet the maintenance challenge. By Douglas Nelms t still takes a good mechanic with to make aviation maintenance more “Standardization of information – in for- the right set of tools on the main- efficient, cost effective and error free… mat, as well as content – will have critical Itenance floor to get a helicopter while meeting the challenge of advanc- impact on efficiency, safety, cost of own- out of the hangar and back in the ing technology. Key to that development ership and aircraft uptime.” air, regardless of how sophisticated the is a rapidly improving seamless aircraft The need to incorporate mainte- aircraft’s technology is. However, the operations and maintenance process. nance operations into the virtual single way he or she approaches the repair is “In the future, aviation maintenance system is what is now driving software being dramatically changed by the intro- software should promote seamless, companies to develop programs that duction of increasingly sophisticated integrated flow of information among provide seamless maintenance opera- information technology – or commonly OEMs, regulatory agencies, operators tions—from routine maintenance and known as IT. and maintenance provides, a virtual squawk reporting to return to service Specifically, it is the growing impor- single system,” said Jack Demeis, presi- and final invoicing, he said. tance of IT software being designed dent of Continuum Applied Technology. “The problem today is that there are

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disparate, duplicate sources of data and regulatory approvals. “While all this disconnected systems. This produces is going on, the entire process is being inefficiency, errors and expense.” communicated to the appropriate Through its program called COR- technicians responsible for making the RIDOR, Continuum Applied Technol- repair on the helicopter so they don’t ogy is taking those packages of data, have to be constantly checking to see using 25 modules broken up by tradi- what the status of the parts is.” tional responsibilities within the sup- The company is releasing Version port organization, then taking a holistic 11 of CORRIDOR, which includes approach to develop a fully integrated additional modules such as planning real time system linking everything and scheduling, tool crib and calibra- together, he said. “The unique thing is tion management that ensures the how information flows between these right tools are available and accurately informational areas within the mainte- calibrated for the job. It also includes nance organization and to other third- personnel training management to American Eurocopter’s distribution party systems.” ensure that the mechanics doing the center at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport (DFW). For instance, a part requisition gets repairs have both the qualifications and Operators are able to order parts online routed to the appropriate person in certifications to do the repairs. through the Keycopter system and the procurement, while simultaneously CORRIDOR tracks the job through parts are packaged and ready for shipping in less than four hours. and automatically being routed to the to the very end, Demeis added. “Once appropriate folks for technical and/or the job is done, a single button push

WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM NOVEMBER 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 35 SERVICES | MAINTENANCE

creates an invoice for the customer. Ramco CEO Virender Aggarwal said than having to be connected to a local Everything involving the job – account- that maintenance providers “want to server. They simply lease the service ing, invoicing and regulatory – is done offer one-stop shopping to their custom- from third-party providers, which gives automatically. It’s a seamless operation.” ers. They are looking for software which them not only access to the data they The OEMs have already started can address much more to the fleet… to need for repairs or upgrades, but also working toward making seamless main- meet the needs of operators of small and provides a fixed cost that can be pro- tenance support a part of their customer medium helicopter clients.” grammed into the overall cost of their support programs. Last December, maintenance program. Eurocopter added an eTech capability to Obviously, Eurocopter is not the its Keycopter support program, allowing only OEM offering improved software operators to simply download main- packages for maintenance support of tenance publications onto an iPad or its family of helicopters. Sikorsky uses jump drive, according to Ericka Wright, the HELOTRAC 2X software system, American Eurocopter’s e-Commerce “a web-based program that records, business manager. manages and reports essential informa-

“Previously we just had the IPC (inter- Ramco Aviation tion for enhanced fleet management process communication—the method of Ramco CEO Virender Aggarwal. operations,” said Lawrence Varholak, exchanging data among shared memo- chief engineer and director of analytics, ry) available (on Keycopter). The eTech He noted that software must be technology and engineering for Sikorsky system is web-based, so the customer developed to “deal squarely with con- Aerospace Services (SAS), the sup- just logs into the URL, then logs into stant changes in configuration, differing port arm for Sikorsky Aircraft. This is a Keycopter where all of their publications maintenance philosophies and increased “sophisticated, yet low cost maintenance are stored on the server. They can access maintenance activities to adapt to the tool” that eliminates the need for down- it from anywhere in the world that has differing mission types.” It also needs to loads or software installations, providing Internet access.” be able to control the key aspects of the “easily and quickly access (to customers’) Eurocopter started with one model maintenance business, to include the fleet information anytime, anywhere,” in December, but has now added all of its supply chain, technical documents, costs he added. models to the eTech capability. and licenses – all in a single system. It offers instant links to Sikorsky Keycopter is American Eurocopter’s The Ramco system is cloud-based, service bulletins and FAA airworthiness E-Commerce customer service portal. “which makes it user friendly for small directives, as well providing scheduled Along with allowing a customer to man- and large operators,” said P.R. Vende- and unscheduled maintenance tracking. age his account activities with Eurocop- trama Raja, RAMCO’s vice chairman “It also monitors and reports Mainte- ter, it allows the ability to order parts and and managing director. nance Due Projections, History Log and spares, find alternate part information, With tens of thousands of parts Archival system (while) offering direct check technical publications and carry in an aircraft, tracking and manag- interface to interactive Electronic Tech- out repair and overhaul tracking. ing each stage of maintenance work nical Manuals,” he noted. Eurocopter has also signed an agree- would become unmanageable without HELOTRAC 2X can be integrated ment with Ramco Aviation to serve as a user friendly and comprehensive directly into those Sikorsky helicopters the maintenance tracking tool, Wright M&E/MRO solution, he said. “The equipped with health and usage moni- said. With the Ramco system, every Ramco-Eurocopter cloud-based MRO toring systems (HUMS) “providing real- helicopter in the fleet will have its data software addresses the unique needs of time aircraft status,” Varholak said. captured and stored in a data base, smaller operators, MROs and CAMOs, He noted that a “new and improved allowing operators to track trends and which until now had to either run on Oracle software platform” is being devel- problems in the aircraft, “which will be a disparate point solutions or operate oped for the S-76D “that will further huge safety benefit,” she said. manually using paper/excel to track enhance its capabilities.” The Keycopter program is also used maintenance and manage safety and New software is also being devel- for spares management, with over 80 regulatory compliance.” oped for program-specific maintenance. percent of spares now ordered through As more operators buy into a cloud- StandardAero recently released its Pow- that system…up from only 30 percent based environment, cloud is rapidly erCheck 4.9 engine monitoring package three years ago, she said. “When a part becoming a method of choice for fun- that computerizes engine power checks is ordered from the spares warehouse neling information from data centers to for all airframes using the Rolls-Royce at DFW, it can be taken down, given an the user. It is a method in which users M250 turbine engine. air waybill number and out the door in can access the data they need from Previously, maintenance engineers four hours.” remote servers via the Internet rather would take engine readings such as N1,

36 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM Maintenance Software

N2, and torque based on an aircraft flown at specific parameters such as outside air temperature, pressure altitude, density altitude, barometric pressure, etc., and line the figures up in the aircraft manual charts using pen and ruler to compute power efficiency of the engine. With PowerCheck 4.9, the figures are simply put into the computer program to generate the power margins remaining Continuum Applied Technology within the engine. “This makes it easier for the opera- Graphic showing how various elements interact using Corridor. tors, who now don’t have to work with the charts,” said Shannon Barylink, Stan- an oil rig as much as 200 miles offshore, Although ARINC 661 has been dardAero performance engineer. “It also the aircraft’s HUMS will transmit the around for about a decade, the intro- cuts down on possible errors, and allows problem back to the maintenance facil- duction of the avionics standard “is the operator to save the data and look at ity, allowing the maintenance people to starting to pick up quite quickly in the trends over time. This allows him to see figure out what the problem is before the rotary wing industry because it gives when he starts having degradation so pilot even calls them. They can then have airframe manufacturers the ability to he can work out a schedule for further a maintenance helicopter en route to the make customizations to their custom- maintenance. It also allows a power rig to fix the problem even before the ers very, very quickly without too much check after the maintenance is done so initial helicopter lands, he said. “Today, overhead for certification,” he said. he can see the ‘before and after’ readings. HUMS is already being transmitted over “They can deliver a customized heli- It gives the operator a good overview the Iridium network, but it transmits at copter to the customer with minimized and allows him to watch trends over his 2.4 kbps. So they have to break it up into certification cost.” entire fleet.” data packages and send out a package ARINC 661 “defines how boxes talk A new piece of hardware that is help- ever so often. What you can do with the to the rest of the avionics,” Jackson said. ing helicopter fleet maintenance is the 134 kbps, since you can actually com- “So our tools allow [the user] to generate LiveAero transmitter/receiver. OpenPort press it, is send a whole packet of data that software load to be compliant to Aero was designed by Iridium Commu- every so many seconds. You can send a ARINC 661, which then allows the com- nications and built by and rebranded as megabyte in less than 60 seconds, so you panies to build these generic boxes.” LiveAero by LiveTV, a major provider of can send all of the HUMS data at one Since ARINC 661 provides for com- in-flight entertainment. It is distributed time if needed.” mon boxes throughout the cockpit, it by Greenwich AeroGroup. Along with being the worldwide allows ground maintenance crews to This provides a broadband wi-fi distributor, Greenwich does all the switch out a box that has failed. In flight, bi-directional signal to and from the heli- testing, integration and STC certifica- a second box can take over because it copter with a guaranteed 134 kilobytes tion requirements for the system. It is has the same capacity, he said. per second, with speeds up to 300 kbps currently working on an STC for the “With ARINC 661, people can have with network optimization. More spe- AW139, “and looking at the Eurocopter common units and share them. There cifically, it can transmit under the rotors Super Puma, and Sikorsky S76 and S92,” are aircraft around now that have the rather than through them, “so there is Fisher said. “We’re also looking at other same box in the rear of the cabin as in the no loss going through the rotor,” said (helicopters) that are on our roadmap, as front of the cabin. The ground crew can Mark Fisher, Greenwich director, MRO well as working with multiple helicopter just switch them around if one fails.” aviation programs. The system sends OEMs to provide LiveAero for future Presagis is now building the soft- and receives from 66 satellites “that are production deliveries.” ware tool “to allow our customers to constantly moving, so you are picking up A major item currently impacting prototype, build and deploy the actual the signal on the horizon to allow it to go on helicopter avionics maintenance glass cockpit. We generate the software under the rotors.” is ARINC 661. This is the standard by that fits inside those boxes.” Value of the new system is that it which avionics “black boxes” are basically Presagis also ensures that the code allows direct, real time aircraft HUMS made generic to allow LIUs (LAN inter- used to develop the software is correct information to be transmitted in-flight face units) between multiple systems, to DO-178B standards, which provides back to the operator’s maintenance according to Matt Jackson, product the guidelines for developing aviation facility. This means that if a helicopter manager for Presagis, a provider of com- software that complies with accepted is having any kind of trouble en route to mercial off-the-shelf software programs. airworthiness requirements.

WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM NOVEMBER 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 37 PUBLIC SERVICE | TRAINING ADAC Academy Networks EC145 HEMS Operators

Reviewing the recently held EC145/EC145T2 networking event staged by ADAC HEMS Academy in Germany. By Andrew Drwiega, International Bureau Chief

he 2nd annual ADAC HEMS medical simulator and trauma room (NVG/NVIS) European status update (Helicopter Emergency Medi- training facility. with individual presentations from five Tcal Service) Academy network- Talking about the reasons behind operators: ADAC-Germany, HDM- ing event for EC145 and EC145 the establishment of the event, Thomas Germany, Rega-Switzerland, INAER- T2 operators took place September 5-6 Gassmann, the academy’s director of Spain and the U.S. Army Falcon Team at the Bonn-Hangelar airfield near the business development and sales, stated – JMRC from Hohenfels/Germany. city of Bonn in northern Germany. that “in the rapidly evolving role for small Largely operators discussed their dif- The ADAC HEMS Academy, helicopters in HEMS, law enforcement, ferent approaches to NVG use in terms established in July 2009, was formed offshore energy and VIP transportation, of crew composition, training, and to help integrate the training of air- the clustering of knowledge becomes infrastructure limitations or enhance- crew and medical specialists who fly paramount in order to ensure the best ments. Said Gassmann: “The variety together on HEMS missions. The training for pilots and crews.” of different angles being employed to training center comprises a simula- The networking event this year reach the same goal was astonishing, tor hall and media equipped training brought together flight operations man- even impressing the most experienced rooms for individual, computer-based agers and heads of training from EC145 of operators present.” and group sessions for pilots, doc- operators spread over 15 countries, DRF Luftrettung is a large rotorcraft tors and paramedics. The simulator mostly from Europe but also from places operator with an extensive fleet of rotary hall has EC135 and EC145 full flight like Australia, Japan and Brazil. and fixed-wing aircraft: 16 EC135s; simulators (FFS Level A to JAR-FSTD The first day began with a night vision seven EC145s; 25 BK117s; four Bell H). There is also a Christopher Sim goggle/night vision imaging system 412s; and three Bombardier Learjet 35.

38 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM ADAC HEMS

Those aircraft operate from 28 bases in would be around 225 identifiable and He raised the issues of false horizons dur- Germany and two in Austria. In total usable night helipads by the end of 2013. ing the hover, the experience of reduced the personnel comprise: 180 pilots; 300 Swiss operator Rega has been flying contrast when landing into (runway) HEMS crewmen; 500 emergency doc- NVIS operations since 1988. Flying 1,250 lights, and the danger of speed/height tors and 70 technicians. sorties per year, Lukas Kistler stated that perceptions in low-level flight. HDM Luftrettung is a subsidiary the reason for NVG use was to “enhance Toward the end of the day, CueSim’s of DRF founded in 1972, and currently safety, rather than the mission envelope.” Andy Rowe demonstrated several new operates NVIS services from three of He added that Rega’s “rule of thumb” visual features for the latest flight simula- its five HEMS bases at Munich (2009), for NVG operation was to use them tors including “improved volumetric Regensburg (2010) and Berlin (2011). It when they would prove better than the clouds, SpeedTrees, automatic runways has five EC145s (which are NVIS certi- eye in movements such as climbing, and high-density traffic.” Finally, the fun fied by EASA) as well as four Bell 412 cruising, landing site reconnaissance element to the event saw all participants HP/EPs (which have no NVIS certifica- and approach-to-landing. He concurred trying their skills on a Segway parkour to tion) with NVIS equipment. The NVGs with other speakers that hover, take- test their balance and handling skills. being used are ITT 4949s and Nogalight off, landing and maneuvering close to The second day was focused on NL 93s (with the XR5 tube). obstacles were usually better performed customer experience and began with According to HDM’s Volker off NVGs. reports from two pilots, Masahiro Naka- Schreiber, all helicopters and pilots are Quoting U.S. Army statistics, he said mura from Aero Asahi, Japan, and Peter IFR certified with dual-pilot missions that 95 percent of all incidents happen Howe who flies with CHC-Australia. conducted for night and IFR missions. on NVG when the helicopter is being Aero Asahi had experience no HEMS Both pilots use helmet-mounted NVGs hovered close to the ground. accidents since 2001 said Nakamura, and they are used for takeoff, during Rega’s crew concept was to have a despite a national average of around 350 flight and landing (as required). How- single pilot with NVG training using hel- HEMS mission per base. Aircraft used ever, rescue forces on the ground must met-mounted NVGs. The HEMS crew- by the organization include the EC135, prepare remote sites, including lighting member would also be NVG trained, BK117C2 (EC145), MD900, Bell 429 and the landing area and illuminating imme- but would use a hand-held NVG device. AgustaWestland AW109. Japan’s HEMS diate hazards. The medical doctor onboard would experience has included providing ser- U.S. Army Capt. Nathan Stewart not be NVG trained or equipped. He vices post earthquake and tsunami. made the point that NVG operators added that communication was very Nakamura added that the medical staff’s need to understand how their equip- important, even just to say “on goggles” favorite aircraft remained the BK117 ment’s performance characteristics or “naked eye” or “below goggles.” due to its internal space and the added were affected by the environment in Later in the day, Gassmann said that bonus that over 100 kg of medical equip- which a mission was being flown, such Mark Wentink, chief technology officer ment was regularly carried. However, he as the level of illumination, the terrain, of Desdemona, Netherlands, gave a said that the performance of the EC145 different seasons, the moon light/angle report on disorientation training in the was making a significant difference among others: “Remember, perfor- impressive Desdemona device from when it came to improving vertical mance specifications and capabilities Austrian company AMST (discussed takeoff limits. change. Accurate today, may not be online in March 2011 and Decem- Finally, ADAC Luftrettung’s deci- accurate tomorrow!” ber 2012 of www.aviationtoday.com). sion to go forward with the purchase of Carlos de la Cruz Caravaca, a base Wentink highlighted the brownout 14 EC145T2 was explained by Thomas manager with Spanish HEMS opera- training in Afghanistan, as well as invert- Hutsch of ADAC Luftfahrttechnik and tor INAER, said that the nightly flights ed deep-stall training for F-16 pilots and Stefan Brade from ADAC Luftrettung. recording by his crews hit an average of stall recovery for airline pilots. From the simulation perspective, the 1.539 flight hours per night during July Wentink said it was important for process and timeline needed to make 2013. He told delegates that 25 percent Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) changes in the simulator composition of his organization’s flights took place at pilots to understand and be aware of the toward the development of an additional night (170 from 660 hours per helicop- dangers of “seat-of-your-pants” flying. EC145T2 simulator at the academy ter.) He is based in the Castilla la Mancha Part of the advanced training that they were explained, and an offer made to all with four Eurocopter aircraft (two each received revolved around real-life, stress- EC145T2 clients to become involved in of EC135 and EC145) virtually covering ful scenarios involved looking at drift and this new development. the area of operations during the night wind effects, particularly over un-even Thomas Gassmann concluded by with a 30-minute response time. Night terrain. On NVGs, pilots had to be mind- revealing that the networking event operations began in 2006 and through a ful of the effect that a smaller field-of- would be run again next year from Sept. process of infrastructure build up there view would have over visual references. 4-5, 2014.

WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM NOVEMBER 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 39 MILITARY | TECHNOLOGY Images courtesy of Karem Aircraft Images courtesy of Karem PROCEEDCAUTION WITH The U.S. Army’sArmy’s selection of two coaxial and two tilttiltrotorrotor competitors for the JMR TD Phase 1 – two Davids and two Goliaths – could be a shrewd move toward the eventual development of Future Vertical Lift. By Andrew Drwiega, International Bureau Chief

40 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM JMR Tech Demo

Karem Aircraft is designing its TR36 technology demonstrator for the U.S. Army’s Joint Multi-Role competition.

s soon as the U.S. Army’s have been a reasonable to assume that nies who may not have the industrial AviationAviation and Missile perhaps the Piasecki Aircraft would muscle of Bell, Boeing and Sikorsky, but AResearch, Development have been invited to the party with its could well offer the kind of unfettered, and Engineering Center compound vectored-thrust ducted non-corporate way of thinking that (AMRDEC) awarded four Tech- propeller (VTDP). But Karem Aircraft the big boys sometimes find hard to nology Investment agreements in came out “straight out of left field” for deliver – at least deliver quickly. And it respect of the Joint Multi-Role (JMR) many observers. is not beyond the wit of man to see that technology demonstrator (TD) Phase It is worth remembering that, in both of these fresh approach choices 1, the main question on industry the eyes of the Department of Defense, will provide alternatives and angles observer’s lips was: Where the heck “Future Vertical Lift (FVL) is an initia- on coaxial and tiltrotor development. did Karem Aircraft come from? tive; not yet a solution.” It is borne out DoD is virtually, unofficially teaming That the Sikorsky/Boeing joint of the determination to develop a sci- two Davids with two Goliaths. venture/teaming/buddyship (they ence and technology (S&T) plan based had not the official name at time of on capability assessment. DoD issued writing) received an agreement was “The Future Vertical Lift Initiative: A Looking for a as certain as that granted to Bell Heli- Strategic Plan for United States Depart- Roadmap copter. AVX Aircraft has been making ment of Defense Vertical Lift Aircraft” What the DoD is looking for is a much itself known on the periphery for a in October 2011. more focused roadmap for rotorcraft while now, but with the absence of the Herein lies the reason for the inclu- capability development than it has had. big European players of AgustaWest- sion of AVX Aircraft and Karem Air- The initiative defines vertical lift as land and EADS (Eurocopter), it might craft, two “blue sky” research compa- “controlled vertical takeoff and vertical

WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM NOVEMBER 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 41 MILITARY | TECHNOLOGY Image courtesy AVX Aircraft Image courtesy AVX

AVX Aircraft’s JMR design concept.

landing with a mission payload.’” off-the-shelf (COTS) aircraft. This pro- Boeing is set to try again. How much The inclusion of AVX and Karem vided industry with some confusion, as of the legacy breakthroughs from the are deliberate attempts by the DoD, the the message from Program Executive stealthy RAH-66 have made their way author believes, to introduce an ele- Office chief Maj. Gen. William (Tim) into Sikorsky’s X2 development is not ment of friction and competition into Crosby in 2011 had been to find out if a precisely known, but its decision to this S&T process. The need to develop COTS solution could get close to what forge ahead and onward toward the an S&T plan that moves a good dis- the Army needed. S-97 Raider. tance away from what has been stan- In fact the original Request for But AMRDEC has apparently intro- dard policy in the past. Information (RfI) published on April duced the “honest brokers” of AVX and In a way, this has been reflected in 25, 2012 from the Armed Scout Heli- Karem to keep the big corporate OEMs the process to identify a successor to copter Program Management Office focused. Interestingly AVX’s Com- the U.S. Army’s existing reconnaissance specifically sought information on pound Coaxial Helicopter (CCH) has platform, the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior. “commercial, commercial-modified, been under design since 2009 through After the failures of the Boeing/Sikor- military and conceptual air vehicle the JMR Configuration Trades and sky RAH-66 Comanche (maiden flight technologies” and asked industry for Analysis (CTA) program. According 1996) and the Bell ARH-70 Arapaho “voluntary flight demonstrations of to the company, results achieved by (maiden flight 2006), the new Armed their existing air vehicles to display the the end of the JMR TD Phase 1 “will be Aerial Scout (AAS) competition called state of the art in regard to helicopter used to inform the Future Vertical Lift for all interested companies to take part systems and subsystem(s) technolo- effort regarding promising vehicle con- last summer in a technology demon- gies.” The government estimate of the figurations, the maturity of enabling stration event where they brought what unit cost was $12-15 million. This must technologies, obtainable performance they had to the table. This included be viewed remembering that talk at capabilities, and will highlight the Bell’s OH-58D Block 2, the MD540F, the time was of cutting back and doing affordable technical solutions required Boeing’s AH-6, EADS North America’s more with less. to achieve those capabilities while AAS-72X and the AW139 (flying to But if the AAS is not to be a COTS reducing program risk.” represent the AW169). Sikorsky did not solution without further improvement, According to the company, the participate as it was in the early stages as Gen. Phillips stated, then the devel- AVX CCH TD will be a three-quarter of developing its S-97 Raider. But when opment of the FVL seemingly needs scale version of the JMR objective air- Lt. Gen. William Phillips stated that to break out of the “one OEM; one craft. But does it really have a chance none of the aircraft displayed could solution” mold of previous acquisitions. of progressing to the down-select stage meet the Army’s requirements, he was However, having been there once with where AMRDEC is to nominate a max- in fact sealing the fate of a commercial- Comanche, the “old firm” of Sikorsky/ imum of two TDs to progress to actual

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build and flight testing, which has been scheduled to take place between from 2017 through 2019? Likewise Karem Aircraft leans on its founder, Abraham Karem, for much of its reputation. He founded the firm to examine advanced tiltrotor aircraft but by circumstance has a past that is inter- twined with Boeing. Karem’s compa- nies were behind the development the GNAT 750 (a forerunner of the UAS MQ-1 Predator) and another UAS, the A180 Hummingbird Optimum Speed Rotor from Frontier Aircraft (now owned by Boeing). In fact Frontier Air- craft was then absorbed into Boeing’s own prototyping and secretive devel- V-280 mock-up. opment center, Phantom Works. So now Karem Aircraft is taking tiltrotor technology (remember the announced that its JMR offer would be Wing asked how the U.S. Army had Bell-Boeing partnership over the V-22 a TR36TD design featuring OSTR and been persuaded that a company with Osprey) and pitching it against Bell would provide a “leap ahead” in terms only a small number of employees had Helicopter. It’s a curious world isn’t it? of vertical lift. It would be powered come to be one of the four chosen for Karem’s website focuses on Joint with twin 36-foot-diameter variable- the JMR TD award. His answer was to Heavy Lift and Joint Future Theater Lift speed rotors and existing turboshaft point to the work already done by the (JFTL) aircraft, together with a civil ver- engines. The speed would be around company over the FHL. He also said sion powered by an Optimum Speed 360 knots (414 mph) – fast compared that the company’s “extensive portfolio Tilt Rotor (OSTR). A statement from to the 280 kts predicted by Bell for its of patents and patents pending” indi- Karem revealed nine years of private V-280 and a leap ahead of the 230 kts cates its understanding of the tiltrotor investment in OSTR civil transports, predicted by AVX and Sikorsky/Boe- concept and how it was being devel- although the backers were not identi- ing for their coaxial. oped. The company has 30 patents fied. In a release after the AMRDEC Speaking to the director of Inte- or patents pending include: tilt actua- award (but not on the website), Karem grated Systems, Ben Tigner, Rotor & tion for a rotorcraft (2009); rotorcraft

Mock-up of the Bell V-280 Valor tiltrotor from the side (above) and front. Two Photos courtesy of Bell Helicopter Two

WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM NOVEMBER 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 43 MILITARY | TECHNOLOGY

engine and rotor speed synchroniza- pany was “willing to support all OEMs of vertical lift aircraft for the next 25 to tion (2010); and anhedral tip blades for as they create their air vehicles for the 40 years.” With the rotorcraft industry tiltrotor aircraft (2011). JMR phase.” straining to get its teeth into the cor- Of Abe Karem, Tigner said: “Abe On October 16, GE Aviation was porate financial security that a winning is our company founder and provides announced as the engine supplier. design would bring, AMRDEC’s timely the guiding vision behind much of Talking of the tie-up, Jean Lydon-Rod- reminder that “80 percent of decision our technology.” But outside that he gers, vice president and general man- points for the DoD vertical lift fleet to had little to add to statements already ager, GE Aviation Military Systems either extend the life, retire, or replace publically made about the company, Operation said: “GE is proud to team with a new solution occur in the next and nothing regarding where or how with Bell on the V-280 Valor with a 8-10 years” will focus minds even the technology demonstrator would proven propulsion system to support more. be made, or which companies Karem this technology demonstration. GE The next nine months will pass by would partner with. Lockheed Martin continues to invest in next generation quickly for the four chosen organiza- has been a partner already. When propulsion technology through the tions now pouring their knowledge Karem designed its TR75 as a Joint Future Affordable Turbine Engine into their individual JMR TD projects. Heavy Lift (JHL), Lockheed added the (FATE) program.” The V-280’s V-tail Only two will then be selected to prog- capabilities offered by its OSTR during and ‘ruddervators’ will be designed ress, but will the remaining two then be the 2007-2010 Concept Design and and manufactured by GKN Aero- in a position to sub-contract or even Analysis program extension. space. Kevin Cummings, CEO, GKN team with the winners? Aerospace North America said that his Dr. William Lewis, director of the company’s “expertise across metal and AMRDEC’s Aviation Development Bell Announces Team composite design and manufacture” Directorate, retains the strategic per- Valor Partners was what Bell wanted for the aircraft. spective of the challenge in hand: “We In the run-up to AUSA Bell Helicopter In mid-October Moog was added must continue to push implementa- began revealing a string of industry to Team Valor. Moog will design, tion of the FVL Strategic Plan which partnerships on the V-280, the biggest manufacture and qualify the V-280’s will positively impact Vertical Lift Avi- of which was with Lockheed Martin integrated flight control system. In ation operations for the next 50-plus announced on September 9. Lockheed addition, AGC Composites has agreed years. Absolutely, that is what JMR is all has already offered to provide a mission to provide the over wing fairing for the about.” He talks about mitigating risk equipment package to all contenders, V-280. and the results of JMR TD Phase 1 as a although Bell was the first to accept. starting point for the future. When asked if this debarred it from Eyes on the Horizon There seems to be a determina- working with the other teams, Lock- The DoD’s strategic plan is to provide tion by AMRDEC not to rush into heed Martin spokesperson Keith Little a foundation for future rotorcraft prototyping too early. There is a warn- would only comment that the com- design “by shaping the development ing that “the JMR TD program is not building prototypes of the FVL Graphic showing the rear ramp of the AVX Aircraft Joint Multi-Role design. solution nor a pre-selection program for FVL.” The discoveries made and results that emerge are covered by words of restraint for industry: “prom- ising vehicle configurations, the matu- rity of enabling technologies, attain- able performance and capabilities, and highlight the affordable technical solutions required to achieve those capabilities.” While industry will want to get to the job of what it does best – build- ing airframes – sequestration is still driving the mindset of those looking for this future rotorcraft program. A leap into the future may be the aim,

Image courtesy AVX but these first “new born” steps are still swaddled in caution.

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# TRAINING | REGULATIONS Public Service

By Lee Benson Unelected Bureaucrats Writing the Rules

his is being written during know the answer. When a person all levels realize that this vacuum will the fifth day of the U.S. Fed- decides that helicopters will be their let them get away with whatever their Teral government shutdown life’s work, whether as an engineer, agenda is, and off they go. and our politicians are at 110 technician or pilot, they understand Some examples: a good friend of percent of N1 political spin mode. My that people’s lives – including their mine owns a company that provides personal politics are somewhat to the own – will be affected by their com- heavy equipment to coal mining oper- right of Attila the Hun, but I hope that petency. So we share a culture of like- ations, bulldozers and earthmovers, my prejudice does not seep into this minded people who believe in them- etc. An EPA inspector found a can of message. A political pundit stated the selves and accept the responsibility of WD40 where the markings on the can other day that “I do not understand our work product being safe, not only wore off from rolling around in a tool- the political right’s (conservative) for ourselves but others as well. box in the service unit for the heavy complaint that the U.S. government So if my fellow travelers in the heli- equipment. He closed the mine down. is too big, after all the number of U.S. copter world live in a fairly competent Another friend is an FAA Designat- federal workers has dropped over the world, what is it that is causing the ed Engineering Representative (DER). last few years.” consternation among us? Number one, He recently submitted a proposed When I first heard that, my inher- we are not being governed well at all. I modification to his local FAA Aircraft ent prejudice about the size and scope think the clearest example of this is the Certification Office (ACO) to include of government caused me to say No abrogation of the U.S. Congress in its a currently produced Mil-Spec wiring Way. Upon looking at the stats avail- responsibility to pass laws that are well harness for the purposes of the modi- able on some government and other written and do what they are intended fication. He was ordered to conduct a websites, a reasonable person would to do. What I see is that Congress is burn test on a harness. I repeat, this is not argue the point. Then I looked shirking the hard work of understand- a harness with a Mil-Spec cert that is at the number of regulations written ing the issues and instead they are used for another similar application in that will have an economic impact passing a framework or general notion production aircraft. worth more than $100 million. Sure of what the law should be. Then with The list goes on, there are many enough, that figure has been on the Congressional blessings, the federal better examples of plain stupidity rise over the last five years. But, is bureaucrats are actually writing the within the federal and state bureau- that really causing the feeling in the detail of the law and we all know the cracy. The purpose of this column country that the federal government devil is in the details. At some level, rely- is to encourage all of us not to get is too big, or is it something else? So ing on subject manner experts within mad at the regulator. Next time you I thought about the helicopter com- the federal bureaucracy to have input see this kind of stupidity, write your munity. Most of us would assume on rules and regulations is an appropri- legislator at the appropriate level and that the helicopter community is ate solution. We passed appropriate tell him or her that this is a symptom more conservative than the general a long time ago. The legislators from of their work product and that you population. Certainly there is a liberal both sides have neglected their respon- will be supporting candidates that element, but that viewpoint is not sibilities and the regulators are working understand the need to stop the slide widely expressed. So what would in a vacuum. Unfortunately, it appears toward being ruled by unelected cause this culture to adopt a more to me that in this vacuum, the worst bureaucrats rather than our elected conservative viewpoint? I think I kind of power-hungry bureaucrats at representatives.

46 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM International Marketplace

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Statement of Ownership, Management, and Circulation (Requester Publications Only) 1. Publication Title: Rotor&Wing 2. Publication Number: 1066-8098 3. Filing Date: 10/8/13 4. Issue Frequency: Monthly 5. Number of Issues Published Annually: 12 6. Annual Sub- advertiser index scription Price 89. Complete Mailing Address of Known Ofce of Publication: Access In- telligence, 4 Choke Cherry Road, 2nd Floor, Rockville, MD 20850-4024 Contact: George Severine Telephone: 301-354-1706 8. Complete Mailing Address of Headquarters or General Page# .....Advertiser ...... Website Business Ofce Publisher: Access Intelligence, C, 4 Choke Cherry Road, 2nd Floor, Rock- ville, MD 20850-4024 9. Full Names and Complete Mailing Addresses of Publisher, Editor, and Maging Editor: Publisher: Randy Jones, 4 Choke Cherry Road, 2nd Floor, Rockville, MD 17 ...... Aero Dynamix...... www.aerodynamix.com 20850-4024 Editor: Andrew Parker, 4 Choke Cherry Road, 2nd Floor, Rockville, MD 20850- 4024 10. Owner if the publication is owned by a corporation, give the name and address of 9...... Aeronautical Accessories ...... www.aero-access.com the corporation immediately followed by the names and addresses of all stockholders owning or holding 1 percent or more of the total amount of stock: Veronis Suhler Stevenson, 55 East 45 ...... Alpine Air Support...... www.alpine.aero 52nd Street, 33rd Floor, New York, NY 10055 11. Known Bondholders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, 52 ...... American Eurocopter ...... www.eurocopterusa.com Mortgages, or other Securities: None 12. Non-prot organiation: not applicable. 13. Publica- tion: Rotor&Wing 14. Issue Date for Circulation Data: September 2013. Average No. of No. Copies of 2...... Bell Customer Service ...... www.bellhelicopter.com 15. Extent and Nature of Circulation: Copies Each Issue Single issue During Preceding Nearest to 45 ...... Chopper Spotter ...... www.chopperspotter.com 12 Months Filing Date a. Total Number of Copies (Net press run) 20,516 21,396 47 ...... Component Control ...... www.componentcontrol.com b. egitimate Paid and/or Requested Distribution (1) Outside County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions 18,217 17,992 5...... Garmin International ...... www.garmin.com (2) Inside County Paid/Requested Mail Subscriptions 0 0 (3) Sales Through Dealers and Carriers, Street Vendors Counter Sales and Other Distribution Outside USPS 448 576 45 ...... HR Smith ...... www.hr-smith.com (4) Requested Copies Distributed by Other Mail Classes 27 27 c. Total Paid and/or Requested Circulation 18,692 18,595 45 ...... Machida Inc...... www.machidascope.com d. Nonrequested Distribution (By Mail and Outside the Mail) (1) Outside County Nonrequested Copies 354 361 3...... Mid-Continent Instruments & Avionics ...... www.mcico.com (2) Inside-County Nonrequested Copies 0 0 (3) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Through the USPS 15 ...... Milestone Aviation ...... www.milestoneaviation.com by Other Classes of Mail 0 0 (4) Nonrequested Copies Distributed Outside the Mail 51 ...... Reed Exhibitions/HeliTech ...... www.reedexpo.com (Include Pickup Stands, Trade Shows, Showrooms, and Other Sources) 910 1,945 e. Total Norequested Distribution 1,264 2,306 45 ...... Survival Products ...... www.survivalproductsinc.com f. Total Distribution (Sum of 15c and 15e) 19,956 20,901 g. Copies not Distributed (Ofce, Returns, Spoilage, Unused) 560 495 57 ...... Tanis Aircraft...... www.tanispreheat.com h. Total (Sum of 15f and g) 20,516 21,396 i. Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation 93.67% 88.97% D1 ...... Trakka Corp...... www.trakkacorp.com 16. Publication of Statement of Ownership for a Requester Publication is required and will be printed in the November 2013 issue of this publication D2 ...... UTC Aerospace Systems ...... www.utcaerospacesystems.com 17. Signature of Fulllment Manager: George Severine Date: 10/7/13 PS Form 3526-R, August 2012 11 ...... Vector Aerospace ...... www.vectoraerospace.com

WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM NOVEMBER 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 47 PUBLIC SERVICE | POLICE Law Enforcement

By Ernie Stephens Out with the Bad... Finally pon my arrival at the Air- minimum, because that requires writ- had the bad guy been about the busi- borne Law Enforcement ing justifications; and rejecting all invi- ness of running the place properly, or UAssociation (ALEA) exhi- tations to display their aircraft at ALEA, at least willing to delegate tasks to any bition hall in Orlando a because it draws outside attention. one of the fine, capable people he had couple months ago, I got a big surprise. Most air unit bosses are excellent. under him. It was the appearance of a helicopter They’re motivated to learn, and want Things are great at the unit, now. from an agency I know. to see the operation run properly. But The atmosphere improved overnight. It was move-in day, which is when there are a few leaders want to keep a The helicopters received badly needed the exhibitors set up their booths, and low profile for no other reason than upgrades, the crews got some things the various helicopters that will be on they’re ashamed of how little knowl- they needed, and they’re in the air display are wheeled inside. I was there edge they have. They’ve discovered catching bad guys and finding lost chil- to get the Rotor & Wing booth ready that the way they used to run other dren the way they’ve been wanting to when I saw a helicopter belonging to a units just doesn’t work when it comes for the past decade. And yes, they were department I’m familiar with. I won’t to a section as specialized as aviation. in attendance at ALEA, along with identify the specific agency, or the So, they slouch down in the back of several high-ranking members of their particular villain in this story, but there the classroom, and pray that nobody department who had come to show isn’t a law enforcement aviator on this calls on them to say or do something. their full support. planet who hasn’t seen the same thing The guy who was hamstringing the What saddens and angers me is that at least once. agency I’m focusing on today may the agency I’m referring to is not the The reason the presence of this have had some of that in him. But from only one that has been on such a ride. particular aircraft and crew surprised the conversations I’ve had with him As I talk to my law enforcement avia- me was because for nearly 10 years the that were borderline confessions of tion buddies across the country, they commander of that unit had kept the embezzlement, he was just trying to say they have been through the same operation bound, gagged, and kept in do as little as possible without being ups and downs, or at least know some what amounted to a state of exile. You caught by his bosses. folks who have. It’s hard to see an oth- see, for him, the standard operating The good news is that an incoming erwise effective unit trying to do their procedure could be summed up by a chain of command realized that he was jobs with a concrete-block-of-a-leader little statue of the “See-No-Evil, Hear- dead weight, and drop-kicked him to a chained around their necks. And we all No-Evil, Speak-No-Evil” monkeys he more conspicuous assignment where know that bucking the chain of com- kept on his desk. He felt that the best he couldn’t be dead weight anymore. mand to get help can be the third rail of way to keep his job from being compli- He tendered his resignation papers a a paramilitary organization, right? cated was to see nothing, listen to noth- few months after that, but not soon Perhaps the lesson to be learned ing, and say nothing – and to make sure enough for me to win the bet I had from these cases is that the winds of nobody under him did. “Look,” he once that said he’d be gone within two pay change can blow in both directions, told me. “The less people there are and periods. and often come between the lines of a the less flying they do, the less chances Back at the hangar, a new com- transfer list – or maybe even general there are of something happening.” mander had come in, and discovered election results, depending upon the So, for far more years than it should an aviation unit that had not progressed level of the problem child. So, I suppose have been, this individual kept the avia- one step in years. The equipment was it’s all about riding out the hard times, tion unit off the radar, which included outdated, the staff had been woefully and hoping the good times will return trashing letters of commendation, neglected, and – worst of all – there before the only attractive solutions left because those had to be forwarded was plenty of money on the books that are those that can lead to a stretch in the up the chain; keeping requisitions to a could have fixed all of that years ago, state penitentiary.

48 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM December 2013:

Operator Profiles: Special Double Fea- approach is set to help offshore operators perform ture—We sent Editor-at-Large Ernie Stephens to fly autonomous landings to rigs and platforms. with a handful of operators and compile an Opera- tor’s Report from various segments of the industry. Year in Review—We’ll examine the biggest sto- Among them is Canada’s Cougar Helicopters in St. ries in the helicopter industry from 2013, with an eye John’s, Newfoundland. The section will also include highlights of what operators tell us are the most vital on the potential impact on 2014 and beyond. What’s pieces of equipment and services that support their your favorite helicopter story from 2013 and why? flight operations. Send your feedback to [email protected]

Sikorsky S-92 Rig Approach—Pat Gray, our Columns—Leading Edge by Frank Lombardi; Offshore Notebook columnist, witnesses the first Safety Watch by Terry Terrell; Training News; and Mili- run of Sikorsky’s new IFR rig approach for the S-92 tary Insider by Andrew Drwiega along with offshore operator PHI. The FAA-approved

Bonus Distribution: December 3-5, Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Confer- ence (I/ITSEC) in Orlando, Fla.

January 2014:

Annual Reports—As we approach the start of 2014 Rotorcraft Outlook Panel—We take a each new year, Rotor & Wing surveys its advertisers, different approach this year by having our contribut- key vendors and suppliers in the helicopter mar- ing writers interview each one of the executives that ketplace, and we ask them to provide our readers take part in the Annual Reports profiles and compile with an updated profile of their company and oper- a story about what CEOs and other company leaders ations. We ask them to tell us how they are doing, see in the crystal ball. The feature story will lead off a what important changes they’ve made in the past section that includes answers from executives about year, and to provide an update on what new prod- industry trends and what to expect in the future. ucts, initiatives or innovations we might expect to see from them in the coming months. After all, in Columns—Public Service by Lee Benson; Law the turbulent marketplace and world economy we Enforcement Notebook by Ernie Stephens; and Mili- live in today, the one true constant is change! tary Insider by Andrew Drwiega

WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM NOVEMBER 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 49 MILITARY | PROCUREMENT Military Insider By Andrew Drwiega Canadian Conundrum Searches for Contingency he long-running and painful (to lic Works had made the procurement going strong. Chinook crews flying one both sides) Canadian Maritime more complicated than it might have particular aircraft – Bravo November TReplacement Program may been. But Sikorsky has until now been ZA718B – have won four Distinguished be heading toward a solution insistent that it can deliver the remaining Flying Cross (DFC) medals, Pitchforth after the Canadian government took 24 CH-148s (four are already with Cana- noted. The last recipient was Flight Lt. the drastic step of bringing to a meeting dian Forces for evaluation). Ian Fortune in 2010 but the list goes those involved – and rivals – to try and Political delay and mission creep back to Flight Lt. Craig Wilson in June force an answer. According to The Cana- blight many defense procurement pro- 2006 (both of these DFCs were won in dian Press, a meeting was staged at the grams, but the whole campaign has Afghanistan), Squadron Leader Steve beginning of October between Cana- been generally agreed as a nightmare by Carr in Iraq in 2003, to the first winner dian Defense and Public Works offi- all sides. The contract for 28 CH-148s Squadron Leader Dick Langworthy dur- cials and representatives from CH-148 (Canada’s military version of the MH-92) ing the Falklands War in 1982. Accord- Cyclone manufacturer Sikorsky – as well was signed in November 2004 with the ing to the Royal Air Force, “over the last as industry rival OEMs AgustaWest- aircraft intended to replace the existing 10 years the Chinook force has received land and NH Industries. The meeting, Sea King. Canadian crews have being in 17 DFCs and five Air Force Crosses.” which has been reported widely in the trained for the aircraft and Sikorsky has Currently there is an ongoing push Canadian media, was allegedly staged tried the tactic of asking the Canadian’s to modify British Chinooks to Mk4 to find a workable alternative (a Plan to accept an interim aircraft solution on and Mk5 configurations. Project Julius B) to the Cyclone helicopter should a rolling acceptance basis. However, in involves Thales as the main subcon- the government wish to change course June this year the Canadian government tractor for the mission display system and abandon its procurement. Options stated that it would not accept “non- upgrade, which will include four MFDs. reportedly under examination include compliant” aircraft. “Project Julius will touch every wire NH Industries’ NH-90, Sikorsky’s own in the cockpit,” Pitchforth explained. MH-60 Sea Hawk, as well as the AW159 Bravo Bears into Battle Sixteen of the aircraft had already been and AW101 from AgustaWestland. The “The Chinook pedals in the cockpit of modified, he continued, with all modifi- AW101 was the original aircraft selected any CH-47 still say Vertol,” explained cations on the RAF’s Chinook fleet due to replace the Sea Kings in the 1990s David Pitchforth, managing director of for completion by the end of 2016. The but the decision was overturned after a Boeing Defence UK, during his presenta- first Chinook Mk4 aircraft was delivered Liberal government was elected in 1993. tion to members and guests at the Royal to 7 Squadron, RAF in February 2013. Coincidentally, the AW101 been in ser- Aeronautical Society’s Cierva Lecture on Switching to the Apache aircraft, vice with the Canadian Air Force for 11 October 1. The Cierva lecture, so named Pitchforth stated that it takes only five years as the CH-149 Cormorant. Its first to remember Juan de la Cierva’s autogyro minutes to “pulse” the AH-64 produc- operational flight took place in July 2002. of 1923, is an annual event staged by the tion line at Mesa, Ariz., meaning to move Of course should the government Society’s rotorcraft group. A senior figure all the production aircraft to the next take the step of bringing to an end the connected to the rotorcraft industry is usu- bay. He added that the total wiring now Cyclone procurement, then long-run- ally invited to give a lecture with Pitchforth incorporated into each Apache Guardian ning legal battles are sure to ensue, unless this year addressing “Boeing Rotorcraft: (AH-64E) helicopter had been reduced the alternative identified ended up being History and Continuous Innovation.” from 11 miles down to nine. He could the MH-60 Sea Hawk. This history snippet harks back to not give any indication on the path that Sikorsky President Mick Maurer said 1960 when Boeing bought Vertol Air- the Army Air Corps was likely to take as earlier this summer at the Paris Air Show craft Corp. The venerable ‘Dakota’ of they ponder how to take forward their that dealing with two Canadian govern- the helicopter world has clocked-up five own Westland (now AgustaWestland)- ment departments of Defense and Pub- million flight hours to date and is still built Apache fleet.

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