May 2013 Serving the Worldwide Industry rotorandwing.com

NextGen Offshore Helos CEOs Assess Industry Army Sequesters Quad-A

Bell Tilts Vision to Army’s JMR KvÔu"cdqwv"{qwt"dwukpguu

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Tqvqt"("Ykpi"CY38;"XKR"""3 24126135"""38<35 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: Chris Baur; Lee Benson; Shannon Bower; Igor Bozinovski; Keith Brown; Tony Capozzi; Keith Cianfrani; Steve Colby; Frank Colucci; Dan Deutermann; Ian Frain; Pat Gray; Emma Kelly; Frank Lombardi; Elena Malova; Vicki McConnell; Robert Moorman; Douglas Nelms; Mark Robins; Dale Smith; Terry Terrell; Richard Whittle. Meet

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

Eastern & 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]

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ACCESS INTELLIGENCE, LLC t ithin any panel. SAMs uniue, to-screen display features Donald A. Pazour Chief Executive Officer high-denition graphics and extra-ide vieing angles. And at Ed Pinedo Executive Vice President/Chief Financial Officer Macy L. Fecto Executive Vice President, Human Resources & . lbs., SAM eighs less than the three instruments its designed Administration to replace. et to kno SAM, today. Heather Farley Divisional President, Business Information Group Sylvia Sierra Senior Vice President of Corporate Audience Development Robert Paciorek Senior Vice President/Chief Information Officer Michael Kraus Vice President of Production & Manufacturing Steve Barber Vice President, Financial Planning and Internal Audit à{uco0eqo KvÔu"cdqwv"{qwt"dwukpguu Gerald Stasko Vice President/Corporate Controller Alison Johns Vice President, E-Media, Business Information Group

Ejcnngpikpi"vkogu"tgswktg"uwrgtkqt"cpuygtu0 For photocopy or reuse requests: CiwuvcYguvncpf"tqvqtetchv"tgfgÞpg"oqdknkv{"d{"ugvvkpi"pgy"ngxgnu"kp" 1-800-772-3350 or [email protected] For over ten years, Aviation Today has been your Internet-hub for nwzwt{."eqohqtv."rgthqtocpeg"cpf"uchgv{0"Oczkokug"{qwt"vkog"cpf"dg" market intelligence and business resources, offering up-to-the-minute yjgtg"kv"eqwpvu0 news and expert analysis in all aspects of the world of aviation. NGCFKPI"VJG"HWVWTG Access Intelligence, LLC 4 Choke Cherry Rd., 2nd Floor Rockville, Md. 20850 - USA ciwuvcyguvncpf0eqo Phone: 1-301-354-2000, Fax: 1-301-354-1809 E-mail: [email protected]

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MAY 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 3

Tqvqt"("Ykpi"CY38;"XKR"""3 24126135"""38<35 Editor’s Notebook Dangers of Multitasking;

Focus on the Task at Hand [email protected] By Andrew Parker

TSB’s investigation into an Living in the Washington, D.C. area, International Presence August 2011 helicopter EMS I was not surprised to learn that my fel- It gives me great pleasure to welcome Ncrash in Missouri (see story, low drivers recently topped Los Ange- Andrew Drwiega into an expanded page 16) made national head- les for the worst traffic in the United consulting role with Rotor & Wing lines in early April after the safety board States, according to a February 2013 under the new title of International named text messaging and multitasking report from the Texas A&M Transpor- Bureau Chief. Formerly Military Edi- as one of the key factors that contributed tation Institute. This is on top of an All- tor, Andrew has been writing for to the Eurocopter AS350 B2 accident. state Insurance report during 2012 that a number of years for aviation and Four people, including the pilot, died studied the auto insurance claims of defense publications, including serv- as a result of the incident, which has the America’s 200 largest cities and found ing as Editor-in-Chief of Defence Heli- distinction of being the first commercial that residents of the nation’s capital get copter in the UK for seven years. He’s aircraft crash where investigators cited into collisions on average once every also reported from Afghanistan and texting as part of the probable cause. 4.7 years. This means they’re a whop- Iraq—something that takes a com- NTSB also noted pilot fatigue, a miscal- ping 112.1 percent more likely to be mitment to journalism far beyond culation of remaining fuel and improper involved in an accident than the typical the basics of the profession. On top of training leading to the pilot failing to driver in the U.S., who wrecks his or continuing to write about his special- initiate an emergency autorotation pro- her car once every 10 years. D.C. ranks ization in military rotorcraft, Andrew cedure as a four-pronged chain of poor first, Baltimore second at 87.9 percent, will increase his coverage of civil mar- decisions that led to the crash. and other areas surrounding Washing- kets and across the spectrum of the According to the report, investiga- ton to include Alexandria (62.6 percent roles that play. tors reviewed cell phone records that more likely) and Arlington (53 percent) Rotor & Wing has always been an indicated “the pilot sent and received in Virginia placed in the top 25, at 7th international magazine since its first multiple personal text messages and 12th, respectively. issue went to press in 1966. In addi- throughout the day, including during Most people in the general popula- tion to our existing global coverage, time periods when the helicopter was tion are attentive and avoid distractions with Andrew’s increased role will in flight and while it was on the ground” when behind the wheel of a car, but it come more in-depth stories from at one of the hospital stops. The pilot’s seems not as likely among those drivers locations around the world, including personal texting, which took place around the nation’s capital. Of course, Asia, South America, the Middle East while flying, during pre-flight checks ground-based travel is an apples-to- and other emerging helicopter mar- and while making a crucial decision oranges comparison to aviation, as the kets. Just in 2013 alone, Andrew has about whether to continue the mission percentage of attentive pilots is a lot already travelled to , India, “was a self-induced distraction that higher among aircraft operators due to around Europe, and most recently to took his attention away from his pri- much better training and the potential Quad-A in the U.S. Other planned mary responsibility to ensure safe flight of more serious consequences from trips later this year include to Indone- operations.” In addition, “although higher speeds and the law of gravity. sia, Dubai and France for the Paris Air there is no evidence that the pilot was But for those of us who are prone to Show, along with a couple spots near texting at the time of the engine failure, the occasional bout of human nature his home base outside London. his texting while airborne violated the and short spells of distracting behavior To all the students out there still company’s cell phone use policy,” the when operating a vehicle, despite the deciding on a career path: If circum- board’s report states. building evidence that this is a danger- navigating the planet seems like an ideal NTSB Chairman Deborah Hers- ous—and sometimes deadly—practice: job to you, then I’d caution that you go man’s point about multitasking becom- This accident investigation (and the to work, not to sightsee. And you only ing a larger problem across all sectors rise in car crashes related to texting) get to do it by reporting original, timely of transportation is worth repeating. has caused me to re-examine my “focus news and features that cannot be found She noted that whether you’re driv- on the task at hand” when operating with a quick scan of the web. But if this ing your personal car, flying an EMS a vehicle. I’m shutting down the cell still sounds like fun, then join our ranks helicopter or operating another type of phone and eliminating any potential and become a journalist. The world vehicle, “the focus must be on the task at distractions before turning the key to could use (a whole lot) more good ones hand: safe transportation.” start the car. What will you do? like Andrew Drwiega.

4 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | MAY 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM Optimized for the rotorized: New Garmin GTN™ for helicopters.

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Personal|Corporate Commercial Military Public Service DEPARTMENTS 28 12 Rotorcraft Report 22 Program Insider Boeing Apache E 24 People 24 Coming Events 46 Technology News 49 Classified Ads 51 Ad Index (Above) Cutaway view of AVX Aircraft’s FVL concept. (Bottom) Bell 429 cockpit at Heli-Expo. Photo by Frank Lombardi. (Right) Eurocopter EC175 tail rotor during world tour. Photo by Pat Gray. COLUMNS

4 Editor’s Notebook FEATURES 8 Feedback

COVER STORY 10 Meet the Contributors 28 ■ JMR/Future Vertical Lift 48 Public Service Contenders take shape for the U.S. Army’s Joint Multi-Role effort, which will lead into FVL. By Andrew Drwiega, International Bureau Chief 50 Offshore Notebook 34 ■ NextGen Offshore Helicopters 52 Law Enforcement Snapshots of the AgustaWestland AW189, Bell 525, Eurocopter EC175, Kamov Ka-62 and Sikorsky S-92. By Pat Gray 54 Military Insider 38 ■ Quad-A Sequestration Blues Military personnel were hard to find at this year’s Quad-A due to concerns about sequestration. By Andrew Drwiega 42 ■ CEOs Take Stock of Industry Interviews with Sikorsky head Mick Maurer, Avincis Group CEO James 25 Drummond and Brad Pedersen with Breeze-Eastern. By Andrew Parker, Editor-in-Chief, and Andrew Drwiega

On the Cover: Bell Helicopter unleashed its V-280 Valor during Quad-A in April. The third-generation is Bell’s submission for the U.S. Army’s Joint Multi-Role competition, the precursor to Future Vertical Lift. Graphic courtesy of Bell Helicopter, cover design by Gretchen Saval

6 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | MAY 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM Vol. 47 | No. 5 May 2013

Public Service Training Products Services 34 ONLINE www.rotorandwing.com

POST YOUR HELICOPTER PHOTOS • Have any breathtaking helicopter photos that can hang with the best of them? Submit them on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/rotorandwing

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WHAT DO THE EXPERTS THINK? • Ask questions to three experts on the topics of helicopter aerodynamics, AS9100 quality management systems audits and night vision goggle (NVG) certification at rotorandwing.com. Che Masters, certification engineer for NSF-ISR, discusses aerospace quality registration. Frank Lombardi, test and evaluation pilot, provides insights about the science behind helicopter flight. NVG certification expert Jessie Kearby fields questions about NVGs for both military and commercial uses.

DIRECT TO YOUR DESKTOP: CHECK YOUR EMAIL WEEK OF MAY 1: • Digital edition of Rotor & Wing May 2013. Electronic version with enhanced web links makes navigating through the pages of Rotor & Wing easier than ever. WEEK OF MAY 21: • Rotor & Wing’s Military Insider e-letter. Get the latest updates from helicopter defense companies around the world, from Andrew Drwiega. WEEK OF MAY 28: Get connected: • HOT PRODUCTS for Helicopter Operators—Latest in equipment upgrades, performance Become a fan of Rotor & Wing on modifications, training devices and other tools for the rotorcraft industry. Follow us on @rotorandwing 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 PM40063731. Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: Station A, PO Box 54, Windsor, ON N9A 6J5. ©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 MAY 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 7 Feedback Personal|Corporate Commercial Military Public Service Training Products Services

Getting it Right I very much enjoyed Dale Smith’s R&W’s Question of the Month insightful interview with Bristow’s Mark Duncan (see March 2013, page What will the future helicop- 44). Back in the day when some of us were struggling to forecast the size and ter look like and how will it fit of the helicopter market in the off- shore service industry we, too, focused function? Who do you think on a mix of seats, miles, and dollars. But we ultimately learned to fixate less will win the Joint Multi-Role/ on the offshore operators and more on the oil companies themselves, who Future Vertical Lift contract? alone knew what was going to hap- Let us know, and look for your and others’ responses in a future pen and where. The forecasters are issue. You’ll find contact information below. still forecasting, but too few perceive the basic parameters. Dale Smith and Mark Duncan get it right. the further the observer is from the Backed by Evidence Dave Lawrence source. Look up NOHD calculations Thank you for your feedback, Pat. It (nominal ocular hazard distance) as is always welcome! As the researcher Fairfield, Conn. a start. About the only way that the and writer of the laser piece you are laser pointer in question could have talking about, I would like to provide Sensationalism? damaged the white of the eye is if that a response. I own the largest laser show company person had been held down by force, What I reported about the laser in my region, we do professional shows and then used the Wicked Lasers to injury was based on three sources. The of all sizes, from arenas and stadiums slowly burn the eye at extremely close first was a face-to-face interview with to school classrooms. I would consid- range, on the order of inches. There is all of the officers, including the officer er myself to be extremely well-versed even more difficulty with the idea that in the photograph, which included his in laser safety, and I have issues with the laser directly injured the white of assertion that a licensed physician spe- your articles about the dangers of laser the eye was injured because the color cializing in ophthalmology attributed pointers and aircraft (see March 2013, white naturally reflects light much the injury to the laser device seized pages 18 and 64). more than it absorbs it. This means by ground officers. The second was a First let me say that I certainly feel that white-colored objects (including copy of the official charging document that lasers should NEVER be pointed the white of an eye) are the least sus- that was sworn to by the detective in at aircraft. There is a very real danger ceptible to damage from high-intensi- front of a court magistrate. My third of flash-blindness, and anything that ty visible light. source was the official injury report interferes with vision is a hazard to a Now, retinal damage is a whole dif- filed by the officer with the police pilot. Period. That is why the laws gov- ferent ballgame. There is certainly dan- department. And while the March erning such things exist. ger of retinal damage from any suffi- 2013 issue went to press too soon to But is that not enough of a reason ciently high-intensity visible (and often include the outcome of the trial, the for concern without resorting to sen- invisible) light sources. But I get that it’s suspect—through his legal representa- sationalism? Your insinuation that the a lot less sensational looking trying to tion—pled guilty to the charges as filed pilot pictured on page 18 received the show a picture of some guy’s face and on March 1, 2013. injury to the white of his eye from a expecting people to see the alleged reti- So, while the assertion that a hand- ground-based laser beam directly is nal damage. A huge red swollen spot on held laser device could have caused unlikely to the point of ridiculousness. the eye would obviously present much such damage is beyond everything I You should do some research to verify more of a “fear factor,” which is what had seen or heard of before, I’m confi- the information given before you pub- you are obviously striving for. dent that I reported the facts as stated lish junk science like this. Laser beams In conclusion, lasers are danger- by the witnesses and court documents are dangerous to flesh (especially the ous… but junk science and fear mon- accurately. retina) if sufficiently powerful, but gering are even more so. Ernie Stephens that danger diminishes fairly rapidly Pat G., Laserist Editor-at-Large

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 | MAY 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM Richard Fine Quality Inspector

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

LEE BENSON is a retired senior pilot for the ing, working on various airplane and helicopter programs Los Angeles County Fire Department. Before as a flight test engineer for Grumman Aerospace Corp. he was named senior pilot, Lee ran the avia- Frank became a police officer for a major East Coast police tion section’s safety and training programs, department in 1995, and has been flying helicopters in the including organizing the section’s yearly department’s aviation section since 2000. He remains active safety meeting with other public agencies and the press. in test and evaluation, and holds a master’s degree in avia- tion systems-flight testing from the University of Tennessee Space Institute. ANDREW DRWIEGA, International Bureau Chief, is a senior defense/aviation journalist with a specialization in international military DOUGLAS NELMS has more than 30 years rotorcraft. Based in London, he has reported of experience as an aviation journalist and from Iraq and Afghanistan on numerous occa- currently works as a freelance writer. He has sions on attachment with American and British helicopter served as managing editor of Rotor & Wing. forces. Andrew is a member of the Army Aviation Association A former U.S. Army helicopter pilot, Nelms of America, the Royal United Services Institute, the Air Power specializes in writing about helicopters. Association and is an associate member of the Royal Aero- nautical Society. He has a BA (Hons) degree in War Studies. Andrew covers defense and global rotorcraft markets. DALE SMITH has been an aviation journal- ist for 24 years specializing in business avia- tion. He is currently a contributing writer THIERRY DUBOIS is a long-time contrib- for Rotor & Wing and other leading aviation utor to Access Intelligence publications. magazines. He has been a licensed pilot He has been an aerospace journalist for since 1974 and has flown 35 different types of general avia- 12 years, specializing in helicopters since tion, business and WWII vintage aircraft. 2006. He writes on technical subjects, both for professional media and a popular science maga- zine in France. Follow him on Twitter: @aerodub ERNIE STEPHENS, Editor-at-Large, spent 27 years with a major county police department, retiring as a decorated ser- PAT GRAY is our “Offshore Notebook” geant and chief pilot of its aviation sec- contributor, having flown in Gulf of Mexico tion in 2006. He began his flying career helicopter operations for 20-plus years. Prior in the late 1980s when he earned his rotorcraft license to that, he was in Vietnam in 1958 as a young and incorporated a small aviation company as a side- paratrooper. He retired from the Army line to his law enforcement career. Ernie holds a B.S. in Reserve as a chief warrant officer 4, with more than 30 years Management of Technical Operations and an M.S. in active and reserve service. Gray’s civil helicopter experience Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronauti- covers crop dusting and Alaska bush, corporate, pipeline cal University, where he is also a professor and former and offshore flying. director of academics for one of the school’s satellite campuses. He has been writing features and columns for Rotor & Wing since 2003, and has performed evalu- FRANK LOMBARDI, an ATP with both ation flights in some of the latest, most technologically fixed-wing and rotary-wing ratings, began his advanced rotorcraft in the world. In 2008 and 2009, flying career in 1991 after graduating with a Ernie was nominated for the Aerospace Journalist of the bachelor’s of science in aerospace engineer- Year Award

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■ PUBLIC SERVICE | SAR UK Government Finally Cuts Military from

Helicopter SAR Role with Bristow Selection The saga of the British government’s of military involvement in providing the 28, 2011 as was stated. The date in 2006 drive to replace the 70-year tradition majority of the UK’s marked the first joint announcement (SAR) helicopters by the Department for Transport (DfT) with a privatized ‘for and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) that profit’ organization began the quest for the “harmoniza- in order to divest tion of UK SAR.” This in fact marked the service off the the beginning of the end of military military balance sheet SAR helicopters in the UK as the team is now at an end. quickly demonstrated a lack of com- The announce- mitment to investigate too closely the

Bristow Group ment by Patrick option of retaining the military part of McLoughlin, the the structure. This had been preceded UK Secretary of by an increasing lack of investment by State at the Depart- the MoD in the SAR force and its equip-  ment as those serving in the force at the Graphical rendering of an AW189 in Bristow colors. ment for Transport (DfT), regarding the time attest. selection of Bristow Standing the military down from Helicopters as the the civil SAR role does not mean that future provider of the requirement does not exist within the SAR helicopter the armed forces. They still retain a service in the UK responsibility for delivering personnel was disingenuous recovery, a milder approach to rescuing at best, and at worst isolated personnel, although full combat the affirmation that search and rescue operations are beyond long-term policies the UK military and they do not train for regarding SAR have that level of expertise and joint coordina- been led by accoun- tion. The RAF has not participated with tants rather than aircraft and air/ground crews in any of strategists. the European Defence Agency or Euro- The very first pean Air Group exercises over the last part of the state- few years (although one or two observ- ment disguises the ers/coordinators were sent at best). It fact that the drive to is also still unclear about who would civilianize the SAR respond to a military aircraft crash at service has been sea, particularly if the aircraft is armed. running since May There is a danger now that SAR exper- 9, 2006, not the Nov. tise will be sidelined in terms of training

Sikorsky S-92 spec sheet for UK search and rescue. Bristow Group

12 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | MAY 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM 

Rotorcraft Report Bristow/Sikorsky

Coastguard S-92 already in service.

and equipment within UK forces, which tary decision that the skills required for One agitator in the whole process has will impact the front line capability. personnel recovery on the battlefield been the Maritime Coastguard Agency From 2006, the way in which the and in the maritime environment can (MCA), which has harbored a desire to SAR-H program was conducted was be sustained without the need for mili- ease the military out of helicopter SAR secretive with very little public discus- tary personnel being engaged in UK activities for well over a decade and now sion up to the declaration of the Soteria search and rescue.” In fact, in the past has its wish. Its 30 years of experience in consortium (Royal Bank of Scotland, SAR crewmen who were experienced SAR does not match the 70 years (ironi- Sikorsky, Thales, CHC Helicopter) as paramedics were taken from their cally celebrated this year) by the RAF. preferred bidder at the end of 2010. roles in civilian SAR to supplement the Many will point to the growth of civil However, RBS pulled out of the con- crews operating in Afghanistan. This SAR providers, however many of these sortium and details emerged that rep- statement also fails to acknowledge have small operational areas of responsi- resentatives of CHC had received com- that senior pilots operating in Iraq and bility with the exception of . Most mercially sensitive information and on Afghanistan over the years actually of the major SAR operators including Feb. 8, 2011, DfT made the decision not had SAR experience prior to joining Canada, France, Germany, , the to sign the contract. This meant that the support helicopters. SAR operational , Portugal and of course the bidding process was effectively restarted deployments were also seen within U.S. continue to operate military SAR. which has now led to the appointment the military as an excellent posting for Key considerations when providing of Bristow. CHC did bid again but was “decompressing” from Afghanistan for a helicopter SAR include the following. asked to stand down before the final those who had seen tough tours there. First, rescue missions during the night decision between Bond and Bristow was made. There was little, if any, discussion about continuing the SAR role within the military. At one point the SAR-H program did require a percentage of crewmen to be from the military, but this brought into question civilian man- agers having authority over military personnel, which was unworkable for numerous reasons. When McLoughlin stated that the contract “represents a major investment by the government in providing a search and rescue helicopter service,” it should remembered that it is saving from the defense budget by standing down the

military SAR force and the base facilities Royal Air Force that were being used. He continued: “Experience of front- UK Royal Air Force Sikorsky S-61 Sea King. line operations has informed the mili-

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

using night vision goggles (NVGs). The also means a decreased range of oper- sibility of industrial action by commer- military uses NVGs as a matter of course ating options. Where before Royal cially employed individuals as an ulti- and have a huge amount of experience, Navy helicopters could land to refuel, if mate option to resolving contractual training and confidence in operating required onboard naval vessels, this will disputes—something that the military with them on. In the United States, the not be an option for civilian-registered could never do. While this is unlikely, it U.S. Army’s special aviation unit, the helicopters, as crew will not have the is possible. 160th, are known as “the Nightstalkers” relevant training and experience. The declared ambition of the for precisely that reason. The military McLoughlin also makes no mention quest for a civilian SAR operator was views night operations as the safest of the fact that the number of bases will for an organization that could “match time to fly, thus training hard for it. A decrease from the current 12 locations or exceed” the version it was replac- civilian organization will not be able to to 10. All of the military bases currently ing, which does not impart a feeling of replicate the level of competency that used are now excluded from operations, vibrant expectation. this background instills, nor is it likely to regardless of whether the site was suit- The DfT contract award will provide spend as much time training, either real able and the effect that this will have on with £1.6 billion or synthetic. local communities. While he is also keen ($2.4 billion) over the lifetime of the Secondly, the military training ethos to emphasize the creation of new civil service provision which starts in 2015, is is built around calculated risk taking, jobs, he makes no mention at the mili- planned to be fully operational by 2017 vital when making go/no go decisions. tary jobs that will disappear as the result and should then run for up to 10 years. The breadth of training and techniques of this decision. Some personnel may During the SAR-H days, the contract required by all military pilots, from snow leave the armed forces and be recruited was to have been 25 years but the gen- to desert, hot and high to nap-of-the- by Bristow Helicopters, but the overall eral opinion at the time was that this did earth, are all qualities that a civilian pilot effect is likely to be a decrease in the not allow the civilian operator to make does not need to train for, but will not number of helicopter specialists within a profit. therefore have to face the continuous the armed forces. While there is no question about the challenges that this training demands of While the professionalism of civil- sincerity and ability of Bristow Helicop- career military personnel. ian SAR crewmen and operators is ters to manage a SAR service, something Losing the military element to SAR beyond question, there is now the pos- it already has a depth of experience in doing (according to the company it has Spec sheet of the UK AgustaWestland AW189. operated over 15,000 missions during which more than 7,000 people have been rescued), the task now being asked of it as the UK’s sole provider and operator of SAR helicopters is much bigger than anything before. The question remains: If the cus- tomer (UK government) wants to keep the cost at a minimum and not pay as much as it would have if it retained "~ｴWゲW";ｷヴIヴ;ｦが"┘ｴｷIｴ"┗;ヴ┞"aヴﾗﾏ"デｴW"ﾉｷｪｴデどデ┘ｷﾐ"#‡ヱヰΓ" SAR within the military, what incentive デﾗ"デｴW"ｴW;┗┞どデ┘ｷﾐ";1ヲヲヵが";ヴW"ゲWヴ┗ｷﾐｪ"ﾏｷゲゲｷﾗﾐどIヴｷピI;ﾉ"Iﾗﾐデヴ;Iデゲ"ｷﾐ" is there for the civilian SAR operator to keep its helicopters, equipment, ‡W";ヴW"W┝IｷデWS"デﾗ"Iﾗﾐピﾐ┌W"デﾗ"ゲ┌ヮヮﾗヴデ"ﾗ┌ヴ"I┌ゲデﾗﾏWヴゲげ"ｪヴﾗ┘デｴ";ﾐS"ﾉﾗﾗﾆ"aﾗヴ┘;ヴS"デﾗ"ヮヴﾗ┗ｷSｷﾐｪ" crewmen and ground staff at the peak デｴWﾏ"┘ｷデｴ";SSｷピﾗﾐ;ﾉ"ﾉｷケ┌ｷSｷデ┞"ｷﾐ"ヲヰヱンく" of capability and performance and not siphon money off to ensure profit margins are kept up? Maybe that’s what ‡W";ヴW";Iピ┗Wﾉ┞"ﾉﾗﾗﾆｷﾐｪ"デﾗ"ｷﾐIヴW;ゲW"ﾗ┌ヴ"ヮ;ヴデﾐWヴゲｴｷヮゲ"┘ｷデｴ "ｷﾐ"jわFが"}#yが" is really meant by at least “matching” K;c}が"ヮ;ヴ;どヮ┌HﾉｷIが"ﾏｷﾐｷﾐｪ";ﾐS"ﾗデｴWヴ"┌ピﾉｷデ┞"ﾏｷゲゲｷﾗﾐゲく"Na"┞ﾗ┌"┘ｷゲｴ"デﾗ"W┝ヮﾉﾗヴW"┘ｴWデｴWヴ"┞ﾗ┌ヴ"Iﾗﾏヮ;ﾐ┞ what went before? Many industry watchers believe Bristow Helicopters I;ﾐ"HWﾐWgデ"aヴﾗﾏ"デｴW"ヱヰヰХ"ﾗヮWヴ;ピﾐｪ"ﾉW;ゲW"gﾐ;ﾐIｷﾐｪ デｴ;デ"cｷﾉWゲデﾗﾐW"ヮヴﾗ┗ｷSWゲ"ヮﾉW;ゲW"Iﾗﾐデ;Iデ"┌ゲく will face a tough challenge to maintain expectations while making a profit over the 10-year period without fur- ther investment by the government. —Commentary by Andrew Drwiega,

Bristow Group International Bureau Chief ;ﾏ;ｷﾉぎ"ｷﾐaﾗをﾏｷﾉWゲデﾗﾐW;┗ｷ;ピﾗﾐくIﾗﾏ ‡WHぎ"┘┘┘くﾏｷﾉWゲデﾗﾐW;┗ｷ;ピﾗﾐくIﾗﾏ

14 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | MAY 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM THANK YOU FOR MAKING MILESTONE AVIATION GROUP THE LARGEST HELICOPTER LESSOR IN THE WORLD.

Thanks to our more than 20 world-class operating partners, Milestone has leased over 85 helicopters valued at over US$ 1.3 billion."~ｴWゲW";ｷヴIヴ;ｦが"┘ｴｷIｴ"┗;ヴ┞"aヴﾗﾏ"デｴW"ﾉｷｪｴデどデ┘ｷﾐ"#‡ヱヰΓ" デﾗ"デｴW"ｴW;┗┞どデ┘ｷﾐ";1ヲヲヵが";ヴW"ゲWヴ┗ｷﾐｪ"ﾏｷゲゲｷﾗﾐどIヴｷピI;ﾉ"Iﾗﾐデヴ;Iデゲ"ｷﾐ"20 countries around the world. ‡W";ヴW"W┝IｷデWS"デﾗ"Iﾗﾐピﾐ┌W"デﾗ"ゲ┌ヮヮﾗヴデ"ﾗ┌ヴ"I┌ゲデﾗﾏWヴゲげ"ｪヴﾗ┘デｴ";ﾐS"ﾉﾗﾗﾆ"aﾗヴ┘;ヴS"デﾗ"ヮヴﾗ┗ｷSｷﾐｪ" デｴWﾏ"┘ｷデｴ";SSｷピﾗﾐ;ﾉ"ﾉｷケ┌ｷSｷデ┞"ｷﾐ"ヲヰヱンく"

‡W";ヴW";Iピ┗Wﾉ┞"ﾉﾗﾗﾆｷﾐｪ"デﾗ"ｷﾐIヴW;ゲW"ﾗ┌ヴ"ヮ;ヴデﾐWヴゲｴｷヮゲ"┘ｷデｴ high-quality operators"ｷﾐ"jわFが"}#yが" K;c}が"ヮ;ヴ;どヮ┌HﾉｷIが"ﾏｷﾐｷﾐｪ";ﾐS"ﾗデｴWヴ"┌ピﾉｷデ┞"ﾏｷゲゲｷﾗﾐゲく"Na"┞ﾗ┌"┘ｷゲｴ"デﾗ"W┝ヮﾉﾗヴW"┘ｴWデｴWヴ"┞ﾗ┌ヴ"Iﾗﾏヮ;ﾐ┞ I;ﾐ"HWﾐWgデ"aヴﾗﾏ"デｴW"ヱヰヰХ"ﾗヮWヴ;ピﾐｪ"ﾉW;ゲW"gﾐ;ﾐIｷﾐｪ デｴ;デ"cｷﾉWゲデﾗﾐW"ヮヴﾗ┗ｷSWゲ"ヮﾉW;ゲW"Iﾗﾐデ;Iデ"┌ゲく

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■ TRAINING | ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION ■ COMMERCIAL | HEAVYLIFT Safety Board: Texting, Erickson to Expand Fleet, Distracted Multitasking Services with Purchase of Factors in 2011 EMS Crash Evergreen Helicopters The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has determined that a private text conversation was one of the factors that contributed to a series of poor decisions resulting in the August 2011 crash of an Air Methods Eurocopter AS350 B2 in Mosby, Mo. Four people died as a result of the accident, including the pilot, James Freudenberg. According to NTSB,

in addition to being distracted from texting, three other factors Photo by Ernie Stephens contributed to the crash—fatigue, training, and taking off with less fuel than needed resulting in the pilot failing to “make the flight control inputs necessary to enter an autorotation,” an emergency maneuver required within about two seconds after the loss of engine power in order to land safely. The agency released a report regarding the LifeNet-operat- ed AS350 that reveals the pilot engaged in a text conversation while conducting mandatory pre-flight checks, prior to accept- ing a mission to transport a patient from a hospital in Bethany to a Liberty, Mo. hospital about 62 miles away. After departing the Air Methods base, the pilot reported hav- ing two hours’ worth of fuel, but then reported having only about 30 minutes of fuel remaining once he reached the first hospital, according to the safety board. An examination of the pilot’s cell phone records caused NTSB to cite distraction from texting as a contributing factor, as Freudenberg made several calls and text Front portion of the Erickson Air-Crane S-64 “Sun Bird” at Heli-Expo. messages during the helicopter’s pre-flight inspection, as well as in flight to the first hospital and while he was making “mission-critical Portland, Ore.-based Erickson Air-Crane has reached a decisions” about delaying the operation due to the fuel situation. stock purchase agreement to acquire Evergreen Helicopters, After arriving at the first hospital, the pilot was scheduled an operator of 64 aircraft—including helicopters and to fly the AS350 to a nearby airport for refueling. The helicop- fixed-wing—with headquarters in McMinnville, Ore. The ter ran out of fuel and the engine lost power within sight of the acquisition is set to almost double the size of Erickson as airport, and Freudenberg did not respond with the necessary a company. Erickson owns and operates a fleet of 18 S-64 flight inputs for autorotation. Investigators found that because heavy-lift Aircranes. of a lack of specific guidance in FAA training materials, the Established in 1960 by Delford Smith, Evergreen Heli- pilot may not have been aware of specific control inputs copters offers a number of cargo and personnel transport needed to enter an autorotation at cruise speed. services for commercial operators and government agen- The agency is recommending FAA suspend the use of non- cies, as well as the U.S. military. Operations span North flight-related portable electronic devices (PEDs) during flight America, Africa, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. Erickson and safety-critical inspections, along with eight other safety rec- President & CEO Udo Rieder noted that the company is ommendations resulting from the crash investigation related “on the cusp of transforming our business.” The agreement to updating flight manuals, informing other pilots about the is worth $250 million, comprised of $185 million in cash, circumstances of this accident, and installing crash-resistant $17.5 million in promissory notes and four million preferred flight recorder systems on all turbine-powered aircraft. shares of Erickson valued at $47.5 million (at a cost of $11.85 The findings highlight “what is a growing concern across per share). Erickson anticipates the transaction to close in transportation distraction and the myth of multi-tasking,” second quarter 2013 following regulatory approvals. Along NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman noted in a statement. with an acquisition of Air Amazonia, Erickson will operate a “When operating heavy machinery, whether it’s a personal fleet of 100 aircraft following the Evergreen purchase. vehicle or an emergency medical services helicopter, the focus Rieder said that Erickson is at the start of “a new chap- must be on the task at hand: safe transportation.” —By Woodrow ter. Never has our vision been broader, our opportunities Bellamy III and Editor-in-Chief Andrew Parker greater, or our missions more important.”

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■ MILITARY | PROCUREMENT Osprey Takes on Greyhound in Fight Over U.S. Navy’s COD

The U.S. Navy’s future Carrier Onboard Delivery (COD) Anti-sub- requirement looks like it’s breaking down into a straight marine war- fight between a modernized version of the current aircraft, fare (ASW) is Northrop Grumman’s C-2A Greyhound, and the new another poten- contender in the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey. At the Navy tial mission League’s Sea-Air-Space Exposition at National Harbor, Md. that could be (from April 8-10), both of the contenders were highlighting offered to the Drwiega Photo by Andrew why their platform was the most suitable and affordable. Navy, pushing Northrop Grumman’s director of the C-2 Greyhound out the acous- program Steve Squires said that the Navy would be buy- tic search for ing into continuity if it selected to modernize its existing 35 submarines Greyhounds. The Northrop Grumman offer is to leverage beyond the the Navy’s investment in upgrading its E-2D Hawkeye, with a current range Bell-Boeing’s V-22 Osprey display at the Sea-Air- focus on a new center wing section and new engines together of the fleet’s Space exhibition in National Harbor, Md. with an upgraded C-2A cabin. This would bring commonality dedicated Sea Hawks. “The aircraft could certainly drop sonar of platform between the two aircraft closer together with a sav- buoys,” said Linhard, although he added that there is no current ing in logistics, not to mention crew training and operation. solution on offer. Squires said that two aircraft currently operating a six- The Navy does have one problem that neither aircraft month detachment will haul one million pounds of cargo, can currently meet—the delivery of a Joint Strike Fighter transport 5,000 passengers and log around 1,000 flight hours. engine from shore to ship over distance. Neither aircraft can Regarding future operations in the Pacific Ocean, he pointed carry the engine internally in one piece, due to the way it is to studies that showed a requirement for a 1,300-nm reach car- packaged. The V-22 could take it as an underslung load but it rying 10,000 lbs/26 passengers—or a combination of both. would be impractical to do so over any meaningful distance. However, he added that regular operations usually meant “We are working with the program people on a number of typical loads of between 5,000-6,000 lbs. He said new Rolls ideas,” stated Linhart. Royce T56-427A engines (5,100 shp) on the E-2D Hawkeye The U.S. Navy could issue a draft Request for Proposals would result in a 13-15 percent fuel savings. (RFP) as early as next year with a potential decision in 2015. The existing C2 Greyhounds will be close to their out-of- Actual funding may then be expected around 2017 (given the service deadline between 2020-2025. usual provisions associated with the Department of Defense’s In contrast, the Bell-Boeing partnership believes that budgeting issues). —By Andrew Drwiega, International the Osprey, while suitable for the COD mission, can also Bureau Chief add value by potentially increasing its utility in ship-to-ship resupply and load transfer. The landing on the carrier may ■ COMMERCIAL | AIRFRAMES be the last in a series of landings when delivering to a car- rier battle group, suggested Richard Linhart, vice president of Honeywell Outlook: Demand military business development at Bell Helicopter, speaking to for Helicopters Remains Rotor & Wing at the Sea-Air-Space convention. With the U.S. Marine Corps heading toward being the big- Strong Through 2015 gest user of the MV-22B Osprey at 360 aircraft, a requirement Phoenix-based Honeywell’s 15th Turbine-Powered Civil has already been identified by the U.S. Navy for 48 V-22s to fulfill Helicopter Purchase Outlook, released in March, forecasts multi-mission roles, meaning a leap to another 35 or so Ospreys a market for 4,900-5,600 new civil helicopters from 2013 to would just add numbers to a new type coming into service. 2017. The report identifies “very strong” demand over the Linhart also said that testing was underway for the Osprey next three years from all regions of the world, with delivery to act as an aerial refueling platform, potentially for F-18 fight- rates expected to reach 1,000 units per year. For 2016 ers. “The Osprey flying at 250 knots [not its maximum speed] and 2017, similar delivery rates are possible “if economic could do the job effectively,” he said. Wind tunnel tests have recovery trends continue,” the outlook notes. been conducted over the last year on how the drogue basket Purchase plans for the North America region are up for would be deployed from the V-22. USMC and the U.S. Air the first time in five years, rising 35 percent for the initial Force currently carry out refueling the Osprey to extend its three-year period vs. Honeywell’s 2012 Outlook. Brian Sill, range, but the V-22 acting as a tanker would be a new mission.

18 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | MAY 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM Rotorcraft Report

Courtesy of Honeywell

vice president of aftermarket helicopter sales, noted that rotorcraft usage is up in the offshore oil & gas, util- ity, training and corporate sectors. The United States and Canada represent 27 per- cent of the total worldwide demand over the next five years, with the Western Hemisphere accounting for 47 percent of the total. Europe comes in at around 28 percent, with Asia/Oceania at 19 percent and Africa/ Middle East at 6 percent of the total global demand. Honeywell asked survey respondents to indicate their current level of satisfaction with the models they operate, asking the question, “How likely is it that you would recommend this model to a friend or colleague?” While the engine maker noted that “there were many other make/models currently in produc- tion that also received excellent scores,” the top six vari- ants receiving 25 responses or more were (in alphabeti- Key elements of Honeywell’s 15th Turbine-Powered Civilian cal order): the AgustaWestland AW139, series, 407 Helicopter Purchase Outlook, covering 2013 to 2017. and 412, Eurocopter EC130/AS350 and Sikorsky S-76. Those six types accounted for more than 50 percent of the customer es. In Europe, the numbers are 16 percent increases/7 percent satisfaction responses. decreases, with Latin America 27 percent increase/5 percent Operators are also indicating an increase in fleet utiliza- decrease; Middle East and Africa 33 percent increase/15 per- tion, with 10 percent in North America planning increases cent decrease; and Asia at 35 percent higher/6 percent lower. over the next 12 months and only 3 percent planning decreas- —By Andrew Parker, Editor-in-Chief

WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM MAY 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 19 Rotorcraft Report

■ SERVICES | CERTIFICATION ■ MILITARY | IN MEMORIAM Russian Aviation Authority Grants Margaret Thatcher’s Certification to Robinson R66 Falklands Defense Robinson Helicopters announced Required Extensive that the Russian Interstate Helicopter Aviation Committee Aviation Operations on Land Register (IACAR) issued a type certificate for the R66 turbine on and at Sea March 15, 2013, the culmination of Former British Prime Minister a process that began in November Margaret Thatcher, who died on

2010. The welcome news will now Photo by Barry Schwartz April 8 at age 87, may be remembered allow Robinson to export 22 R66 Rolls-Royce RR300 at Heli-Expo 2013. militarily for leading the United helicopters to Russia. A further 18 Kingdom in the campaign to retake are in production and will now be delivered to Russian later in the year. the Falkland Islands in 1982, which had According to Robinson, the FAA’s approval in early March of the ELOS (Equiva- been invaded by Argentina’s forces in a lent Level of Safety) for the R66 hydraulic control system removed an exemption in surprise attack. the R66’s original type certificate. The exemption had been granted over a regulation She served three terms in office and requiring an alternate for the hydraulic control system. her defining moment could be said to Robinson This is no longer required due to the fact that the single have been during the Falklands War. valve used in both the R44 and R66 has flown millions of Her close relationship with then U.S. hours without a failure. President Ronald Reagan ensured, after A demonstration to the FAA in February 2013 the failed shuttle diplomacy by Secre- proved that a pilot could overcome a hydraulic control tary of State Alexander Haig, that the jam while retaining control of the aircraft. Once the United States provided the UK with ELOS was granted, IACAR representatives certified the latest AIM 9-L Sidewinder missiles the R66. for British Harrier aircraft (a crucial Seven R66 demonstrators were delivered to Rus- contribution) as well as logistical sup- R66 lineup at Robinson’s sia prior to certification. In January 2002, Robinson’s port and the use of Ascension Island plant in Torrance, Calif. R44 was the first U.S. manufactured helicopter to be (from which the longest bombing raid approved by Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). —By in history was made—the attack of Port Andrew Drwiega, International Bureau Chief Stanley airfield by a Vulcan bomber over 8,000 miles). ■ COMMERCIAL | FORECASTING The role of helicopters during the conflict was also essential. Ship-to-ship Consultants: China Civil Market to Hit and ship-to-shore operations while 2,200-Plus Helicopters by 2022 the British counter invasion fleet were reorganizing at Ascension Island, half Shanghai-based Avia-Tek aviation consultancy has forecast the delivery of 65 civil way to the Falklands, and then again helicopters into the Chinese rotorcraft market during 2013, bringing the total when the British landed at San Carlos number of airframes in China to 435. Bay. Avia-Tek publishes an annual report that in 2011 predicted that the Chinese There was also the attack and sub- civil market would have 357 helicopters by the end of 2012. The exact number was sequent beaching of the Argentinian actually 370, according to the company’s findings. submarine Santa Fe by two Westland Avia-Tek’s 2012-2022 forecast sees civil helicopter numbers increasing to 1,564 Wasps and ultimately a Westland by 2020 and 2,209 by the end of 2022, representing a CAGR of 19.6 percent during Wessex (Sikorsky S-58). Westland the period. Sea Kings (Sikorsky S-61) and Lynx “We expect that the single- and twin-turbine segments will experience faster helicopters also played a role in anti- growth only after the more urgent need for intermediate, twin-turbine, and heavy lift submarine warfare by using their dip- helicopters is filled,” says Matthieu Devoisselle, one of Avia-Tek’s founding partners. ping sonar to protect the fleet. The report points to key growth in the search & rescue (SAR) and oil & gas sectors. Westland Scouts also played a role Partner and co-founder Todd Siena said that while European OEMs were cur- in battlefield casualty evacuation as rently the leading turbine suppliers in terms of value and units, the piston market was well as conduction missile attacks on the domain of Robinson and Sikorsky. land targets.

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

Perhaps the most famous aircraft ■ TRAINING | SIMULATORS from the war was a Boeing Chinook (CH-47), Bravo November, that was Rotorsim AW139 Full Flight Simulator airborne when an Argentine Exocet Obtains Italian Level D Approval missile fired by a Super Etendard hit ENAC, the Italian Civil Aviation Authority, has issued Level D certification its mother ship, the Atlantic Convey- for Rotorsim’s CAE 3000 Series AW139 full-flight simulator (FFS). Rotorsim, or. One of four Chinooks on the ship, a joint venture between CAE and AgustaWestland, currently has the new it was the only helicopter remaining AW139 FFS located at the AgustaWestland Training Academy in Sesto in the Falklands task force that could Calende, Italy. The FFS is the third simulator for the company, and features conduct heavy lift tasks—one of the added upgrades allowing for new mission training to include search and reasons why the British infantry had rescue (SAR) roles. The simulator enables pilots to train for confined area to ‘yomp,’ not fly in bounds in their operations, autorotation and landing on platforms at sea, among other campaign to retake Port Stanley. challenging procedures. The aircraft is still flying today and has been continuously active ■ PRODUCTS | AIRFRAMES during the Afghanistan campaign. —By Andrew Drwiega, Interna- Africair Orders Two Scott’s Bell 47GT-6s tional Bureau Chief Africair, independent representative of Bell for Africa, has signed a purchase agreement with Scott’s–Bell 47 (SB47) for two 47GT-6 helicopters. The Miami, ■ COMMERCIAL | CHARTER Fla.-based operator said it would re-sell the pair of helicopters into Africa. SB47 unveiled the new Bell 47GT-6 earlier this month at Heli-Expo. The helicopter is SKOL Receives based on the 47-3B-2A. It will receive power from the Rolls-Royce RR300 and Mi-171 Pair feature an upgraded instrument panel. The 47-GT-6 is scheduled to enter service in 2016. has delivered two Mi-171 transport helicopters with type certification to Russian charter carrier SKOL Airlines. SKOL’s new Mi-171s are equipped with special lifting and transport equipment, including an external hoist with a 4,400-pound-capacity and an on-board boom able to lift loads of up to 330 pounds. The new helicopters are expected to help SKOL improve its position in the international air- freight market, where the capabilities of the Mi-171 are highly valued, according to Russian Helicopters. SKOL is currently in talks with the company for new supply contracts to add more Mi-171s to its fleet.

SKOL Airlines Mi-171.

Russian Helicopters

WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM MAY 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 21 >>

New Engines, Upgraded Systems Power Boeing AH-64 Echo

Boeing has now delivered 40 newly Jesse Pauls- Boeing AH-64E Apaches taking off. developed AH-64E Apaches under the b o e , PA O initial low rate initial production (LRIP) for the 16th program—31 going to the U.S. Army Combat Avia- and nine to foreign military sales (FMS) tion Brigade. customers. The 31 aircraft are the first of While the 51 being produced for the Army under Army has LRIP. Those 51 do not include those been hit with going to FMS customers, according to a nine per- Col. Jeffrey E. Hager, project manager for cent budget Boeing Apache. cut under the Total order for the Echo model still sequestra- stands at 690 aircraft, to be delivered tion, “where at an estimated rate of four per month, the impact really hits home is the work The new 2,000 SHP General Electric Hager said. Another 79 aircraft are cur- force with two days [off] per pay period,” T-700-GE-701D engines will raise the rently projected for international opera- rather than in a reduction of the AH-64E performance level of the aircraft above tors under FMS, although “others are order, Hager said. “But the message is that that of the original Alpha models, he standing behind those,” with letters of we still have a mission [to introduce the said. The added weight put on the Delta request signed. Echo into the Army], and that we need to model by adding capabilities had actu- There have been reports that the do the mission effectively, even with the ally reduced the performance of the Army has deferred the purchase of less hours that we have.” aircraft. The Echo model restores the lost new-build AH-64Es for five years under Deliveries of the AH-64E will run performance while adding modernized the Army’s Equipment Modernization through FY27 to reach the total of 690 capabilities. plan. However, these are “misleading aircraft. These will be a combination of The new engines will also include an or incomplete,” according to an Army remanufactured, reusing exiting parts, enhanced digital electronic control unit spokesperson. The new builds were and new-build aircraft. The first 43 (EDECU) for full digital control for better actually shifted outside the Program produced under LRIP will be remanu- fuel performance and power, similar to Objective Memorandum (POM) prior factured AH-64 airframes with existing FADEC. The aircraft will also have new to the full rate production decision. At fuselages. The majority of the remaining avionics architecture versus the Delta the same time, the remaining line was 647 aircraft will be remanufactured using model, allowing more “plug and play” increased to maintain 48 aircraft per zero-time fuselages, he said. “This strat- capability for future hardware and soft- year and maintain the minimum EOQ egy extends the aircraft useful life while ware improvements. (Economic Order Quantity), she noted. significantly reducing the production Three major improvements for the There is still a requirement for 56 new cost.” Only 56 of the total 690 will be truly pilots include Link 16 interoperability, a builds for a total of 690 aircraft. “new build” aircraft requiring all new cognitive decision aiding system (CDAS) First deliveries of the aircraft to the parts and components. and Level 4 tactical common data link Army began in October 2011. The initial While the Echo will have numerous (TCDL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operational unit to be fully equipped with improvements over the Delta, the major control. the Echo model is the 1-229th Attack change will be in terms of performance, Col. Hager explained that the AH-64E Helicopter Battalion (Tiger Sharks) of Hager noted. will be the first Army rotary wing system the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade at Upgrades include the more powerful capable of communicating on the Link Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. The transmission and engines, along with 16 network. This capability will signifi- 1-229th received its first AH-64E in Janu- composite main rotor blades. The trans- cantly expand Apache’s interoperability ary, with a full complement of 24 aircraft mission is the first new transmission in footprint to include additional Air Force delivered by the end of April. the almost 30-year history of the Apache, and Navy platforms already commu- These will replace 24 AH-64D mod- and the first time in the history of the nicating over Link 16. As an example, els already attached to the unit. The AH-64 that the aircraft will be engine Apaches perform missions at relatively unit is currently scheduled to deploy to limited rather than transmission limited, low altitude in more reconnaissance Afghanistan next year, according to CPT Hager said. and attack situations, he said. Air Force

22 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | MAY 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM aircraft typically fly higher and faster. An vers the aircraft to safety, then updates its While it is too early to start looking at Air Force aircraft may detect slow-moving position to take it back to the original mis- the “AH-64 Block IV,” a Modernization targets on the ground and pass the location sion flight plan once the threat is resolved. Integration Strategy Team is looking ahead to the Apaches over the Link 16 network. The Level 4 TCDL UAV control allows “at changes that could be possible for the The Apaches can then maneuver in and full communication between the aircraft’s aircraft,” he explained. determine if the target is a threat, all while pilots and a TCDL-controllable UAV, with a One such change will be a maritime, or the Air Force platform continues its original range of more than 50 kilometers, Hager said. “over-water” version that will allow the fire mission. Link 16 will be fielded in 2015. The pilot of the Echo can control and fire control radar to identify and target ships. The CDAS will introduce a set of new the drone, or he can use it as a “third crew- Currently, the aircraft’s fire control radar capabilities known as “behaviors” that serve member,” with the drone’s ground controller is confused even by waves in the water, to reduce pilot workload, he said. For exam- directing the UAV wherever the Apache presenting all kinds of false targets. With ple, one CDAS behavior will automatically pilot needs it. the new maritime radar mode, the Apache detect when the aircraft has been painted by “The ground controller for the UAV will be able to see and target ships just as it an enemy radar missile system, determine is always watching the sensor systems, so does now with tanks and other land-based the nature of the attack to include missile the pilot can ask the controller to watch vehicles, he said. The Apache team has range, and provide the pilot with options to a building or intersection while is off ser- already started preliminary design efforts avoid the attack. The pilot simply clicks on vicing another target. The controller can for the new maritime capability. the preferred option and the aircraft maneu- then call the pilot, letting him know what Lastly, what the AH-64E is not. It is no the UAV is showing.” The pilot longer the AH-64D Block III, despite people Side view of AH-64E. can view in real time what the still calling it that, Hager said. Also, the term drone is seeing, then go back “Guardian” is just an unofficial nickname, and service that target. “This as Huey and Loach were nicknames for gives the pilot the ability to get the UH-1 Iroquois and OH-6 Cayuse. The the situational awareness very name “Huey” stuck. “Loach” didn’t. —By quickly,” Hager said. Douglas Nelms Boeing

CONTRACTS

The U.S. Naval Air Systems Command has UH-3D trainer. Eighty percent of the work 40 percent in Amarillo, Texas. Completion issued a $6.6-million contract to Lockheed will take place in Cherry Point, N.C., with is scheduled for September 2014. Martin for continued operational support the remaining 20 percent in Stratford. The U.S. Navy has issued a $27.9-mil- of two K-Max unmanned aircraft systems Projected for completion in October 2014, lion modification to a Lockheed Martin (UAS). The cargo resupply aircraft are the agreement includes related testing Mission Systems and Training contract deployed with the U.S. Marine Corps. Work support. covering long lead materials and support will take place at NAVAIR’s Patuxent River, The U.S. Army has awarded Boeing a for nine mission avionics systems and com- Md. base and various OCONUS locations. $17.9-million contract to provide design mon cockpits for the Danish government’s According to the Department of Defense, and engineering services in support of the Sikorsky MH-60Rs. The agreement, which the contract is expected to run through CH-47 Advanced Chinook Rotor Blade. is part of the foreign military sales (FMS) September. According to the Department of Defense, program, is with the Danish Defence K-Max, Kaman Aerospace’s converted work for the cost-plus-fixed-fee award is Acquisition and Logistics Organization. helicopter UAS, first entered service in expected to be complete in 2017. Work will be split into a number of loca- Afghanistan to provide operationally pilot- Fort Worth, Texas-based Bell Heli- tions, with much of it taking place in Farm- ed battlefield air cargo resupply for the U.S. copter has won a $13.1-million contract ingdale (around 55 percent) and Owego, military in 2011. to supply long lead parts and components N.Y. (31 percent) through June 2013. The Stratford, Conn.-based Sikorsky Air- as part of the delivery of 15 Lot 11 UH-1Y rest will occur in Ciudad Real, (5 per- craft has obtained a $10.1-million extension Venoms and 10 Lot 11 AH-1Z Vipers to cent), Syracuse, N.Y. (5 percent), Everett, of an existing U.S. Navy contract that calls the U.S. Marine Corps. Around 60 percent Wash. (3 percent), and at various facilities for the conversion of one UH-3H into a of the work will occur in Fort Worth, with around the U.S.

WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM MAY 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 23 Rotorcraft Report

PEOPLE

F l i g h t L t . Regional Helicopter Council. Currently ness development and technology, C h r i s t o p h e r regional manager for North Atlan- and Julian Hellebrand to executive Gordon, a Royal tic sales at Bell Helicopter Textron, vice president of lifecycle management Air Force (RAF) Eaton is a member of other various (LCM) and program management. Chinook pilot, organizations that promote women in Ashton was previously vice president of has received the aviation, including Whirly Girls, the Cobham’s Tactical Communications & Distinguished Flying Cross for rescuing Ninety-Nines and Woman in Aviation, Surveillance (TC&S) unit, and will con- British and Afghan troops during as well as the Northeast Pilots Group, tinue to serve in the role until the com- a major contact with the Taliban in AOPA and the New England Helicop- pany hires a replacement. Hellebrand Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Flying ter Council. Eaton joined Bell in 2004 was formerly chief of staff to the CEO one of two Chinooks, escorted by a and previously worked at Sikorsky and group director of communications. Boeing Apache attack helicopter, his Aircraft in Stratford, Conn. Fargo, N.D.-based Spectrum Aer- mission had required the insertion of Scott’s Bell 47 has named Neil omed has appointed the troops into a known insurgent “safe Marshall chief operating officer. He Chad Chad Kost to haven.” However, due to heavy fire, the was the general manager of the compa- a newly created posi- subsequent extraction of the ground ny during the start-up phase following tion of chief operat- troops initially had to be abandoned. Scott’s acquisition of the Bell 47 type ing officer. He served Intelligence reports indicated that certificate. Marshall also served as pro- in a consulting role the Taliban were preparing for a major gram director for the Bell 429 during its for brief period before joining Spectrum assault on the friendly ground forces development from 2008 to 2010. Aeromed full time, and his previous expe- once the Apache was forced to break CW4 Stormy rience includes 17 years in the banking contact to refuel and rearm. Gordon Ripley, senior safety industry. persuaded his crews to make a final officer for the Com- FlightSafety International has pro- rescue attempt before this happened, bat Aviation Brigade, moted John Van Maren to vice presi- resulting in him placing the Chinook 1st Armored Divi- dent of simulation in a position to protect the troops from sion, received the and George Brady Taliban fire while they boarded the Order of Saint Michael and Legion of (left) to director of aircraft. Read the full story at www. Merit during a retirement ceremony product support and rotorandwing.com following 27 years of active duty ser- simulator operations. R o t a r y a n d vice in the U.S. Army. She served as a The company has fixed-wing pilot Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk pilot for also appointed Greg Jeanette Eaton 21 years. Arend director of commercial programs recently joined the Cobham has promoted David Ash- for its design, manufacturing and support board of the Eastern ton to executive vice president of busi- complex in Tulsa, Okla.

Rotors ‘n Ribs May 16–18: 6th International Helicopter Industry Exhibition, , Russia. Contact HeliRussia, phone +7 (0) 495 958 9490 or visit helirussia.ru/en

May 21–23: AHS International 69th Annual Forum and July 29–Aug. 4: EAA AirVenture, Wittman Regional Airport, Technology Display, Phoenix, Ariz. Contact AHS, phone 1-703- Oshkosh, Wis. Visit www.eaa.org 684-6777 or visit www.vtol.org Aug. 12–15: Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems May 21–23: European Business Aviation Convention International (AUVSI) Unmanned Systems 2013, Walter E. and Exhibition (EBACE), Geneva PALEXPO and Geneva Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C. Visit www. International Airport, Geneva, Switzerland. Visit www.ebace.aero auvsi.org June 17–23: Paris Airshow, Le Bourget, Paris, France. Visit Oct. 10–12: Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Aviation www.paris-air-show.com Summit, Fort Worth, Texas. Visit www.aopa.org.

coming events June 29: Rotors ‘n Ribs, Goshen, Ind. Contact Indiana Helicopters Oct. 21–23: AUSA Annual Meeting and Exposition, Walter E. at 1-574-233-1040 or visit www.indianahelicopters.com Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C. Visit www. ausa.org

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

■ SERVICES | CERTIFICATION ■ PUBLIC SERVICE | SAR Joins Nine Attempts Needed to Rescue Trawler Nations in Bell Crewman Caught in Raging Storm

429 Weight Club On March 21, 2013, the crew of a UK Royal Air Force (RAF) Sikorsky Sea rescue. S-61 Sea King rescued a French trawler crewman with serious head Mercy One Bell 429. injuries on the ninth attempt when a violent storm in the Irish Sea made a boat-to-boat transfer impossible. Although a Royal Navy hydrographic ship, HMS Echo, and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution boat Angel responded to the trawler captain’s call for help, the violent pitching and rolling of the 25-foot trawler Alf meant that a

winching operation was the only practical option. UK RAF Frank Lombardi The crew of the S-61, Rescue 169 from A Flight 22 Squadron, initially made six Bell Helicopter has earned attempts to get winchwoman Sgt. Rachel Robinson onboard the trawler, but she was Indonesian Directorate General of continually unable to securely land due to the 40-foot range of pitching and the danger- Civil Aviation (DGCA) approval ous role of the vessel, with the speed of the winch cable pay-out unable to keep pace to increase the maximum gross with the ship’s motion. Waves sweeping the small landing area also carried her off target weight of the 429 to 7,500 lbs. several times. The 500-lb increase is based on Needing to refuel, the helicopter returned the 50-plus miles to shore then came back Transport Canada’s certification for a second attempt. What had made matters worse, and more complicated, was that in December 2011. Indonesia the French captain and crew spoke little English, therefore all communication between becomes the 17th country to the helicopter and the trawler had to be conducted through UK and French coastguards approve the exception, joining five via satellite phone. others in Southeast Asia/Oceania A new plan was formed for the next rescue attempt. The lifeboat was positioned and five in South America, in around 65 feet (20 meters) off the trawler’s starboard side giving the S-61’s pilot an addition to Canada, China, India, improved visual reference for the extraction attempt, and with HMS Echo trying its best Israel, Mexico and . Missing to shield the vessel from some of the weather, on the third occasion Sgt. Robinson got from the list is the U.S. FAA, which down successfully onto the trawler’s deck. denied the weight increase in The crewman’s head injuries were found to be critical and Robinson determined an mid-2012, and EASA in Europe. immediate hospital transfer was necessary. Using a single-strop, the Sea King’s pilot Taff FAA noted that the boost would Wilkins calculated the lift to the optimum second, climbing his Sea King as the trawler create an “advantage” versus other reached the top of a swell and Trawler engulfed competitors in the category that by large wave. lifting both the injured crewman are restricted to 7,000 lbs. (The and winchwoman away from 429’s primary competition is the the heaving deck. Although with Eurocopter EC145 and MD902.) head injuries and hypothermia, Bell’s position is that raising the the crewman was treated dur- weight limit would allow operators ing his return to hospital on the to install additional safety mainland and survived. —By equipment, carry more cargo/ Andrew Drwiega, International payload and fly at longer ranges, UK RAF Bureau Chief among other options. During an exclusive interview with Rotor & ■ COMMERCIAL | OFFSHORE Wing in March, Bell Helicopter President & CEO John Garrison Weststar Purchases Eight AgustaWestland explained that the company Helicopters, Eurocopter EC225 Duo appealed the decision and is in the process of re-applying for the ’s Weststar Aviation Services has placed an order for eight helicopters exception. The situation has also from AgustaWestland, consisting of a pair of large-cabin AW189s and a half-dozen caused FAA to step back and look AW139s. The helicopters will support overseas expansion of the company’s offshore at the wider issue of regulations oil and gas operations, including to Africa, South America and the Middle East. The governing Parts 27 and 29. AgustaWestland order follows another recent Weststar purchase of two EC225s Read the full story online at from Eurocopter. The heavy-lift helicopters will also see service in the oil & gas sector. www.rotorandwing.com Weststar is based at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Malaysia.

WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM MAY 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 25 for Helicopter Operators

From The Cockpit To Your iPad® 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 or any tab- let without additional costly Wi-Fi devices. This unique interface product routes live data from aircraft sensors and systems to tablets enabling a wide range of incremental functionality for the flight crew. You simply plug your iPad or tablet into connectors conveniently located in the cockpit to get data and power to keep tablets 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 work- load and increase crew information and awareness. To find out more, contact DAC International by phone at 1-512- 331-5323 or visit the company on the web at www.dacint.com

HEATCON Composite Systems Provides Positive Pressure Repairs

A large number of composite repairs can be accomplished by a Hot Bonder, utilizing vacuum pressure for material compaction. However, there are many instances for which the Structural Repair Manual (SRM) stipulates that a positive pressure, typically up to 50 psi, must be used, as that created by vacuum alone is insufficient for carrying out large area repairs on major components. In such instances, up until recently the only alternative to utilizing an Autoclave was to combine vacuum with a ‘Dead Weight,’ such as sandbags, in order to achieve the equivalent of the required positive pressure. As it is difficult to achieve pressure uniformity over the repair area, plus the fact that sandbags act as a huge ‘heat sink’, most repair stations without an Autoclave would either decline the job, or subcontract the repair to a facility with one. Our patented HCS3100 (Series) Portable Autoclaves are custom built semi-portable pressure vessels. They are designed to provide controlled temperature, vacuum, and pressure during composite and metal bond repair processes. The positive internal pressure applied to the repair enables operators to achieve the higher pressure when required by aircraft manufacturer repair manuals. Heat is applied only where required using specially constructed silicone rubber heat blankets. This method results in reduced operational costs and fewer problems due to temperature induced part damage. For more information, visit www.heatcon.com

26 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | MAY 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM for Helicopter Operators Anytime. Anywhere. Information You Can Count On

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www.aviationtoday.com/rw 17796 FUTUREMILITARY | TECHNOLOGY VERTICAL L Bell Helicopter

Examining the contenders behind the U.S. Department of Defense’s Joint Multi-Role (JMR) Technology Demonstrator competition, the precursor to moving toward a Future Vertical Lift (FVL) decision for a new type of U.S. Army rotorcraft beyond 2030.

By Andrew Drwiega, International Bureau Chief

28 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | MAY 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM JMR Future Vertical Lift AL LIFT:AN OVERVIEW

he U.S. Army’s rotorcraft fleet is wearing out at broaden their “families” of aircraft or provide remanufac- a much faster rate than was predicted thanks to ture and Block upgrades of existing aircraft. Ta decade of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. While FVL is expected to develop into a family of Department of Defense findings state: “The systems, the initial focus is on the medium lift because Operational Tempo (OPTEMPO) in Operation Iraqi that is where the greatest number of helicopters to be Freedom (OIF) was, and Operation Enduring Freedom replaced resides—around 4,000 or so. (OEF) is, five times that of peace time, and much higher The Joint Multi-Role technology demonstration than the design usage spectrum, further taxing the is the first part of three “separate and distinct Science already aging fleet.” and Technology (S&T) acquisitions”, according to the The concept of Future Vertical Lift is to use new Army’s synopsis. “The first acquisition was JMR TD technology, materials and designs to deliver rotorcraft Configuration Trades and Analysis; followed by Phase 1, that are quicker, have further range, better payload, are Air Vehicle Development; and Phase 2, Mission Systems more reliable, easier to maintain and operate, have lower Development. In Phase 2, the Government intends to operating costs, and can reduce the logistical footprint of demonstrate advanced mission systems architectures.” “big Army.” So it’s a significant challenge to most original JMR TD is only focused on the development of the platform manufacturers whose trend of late has been to aerial platform.

Graphical rendering of the Bell V-280 Valor third-generation tiltrotor shown in a landing scene as part of the military troop transport role.

WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM MAY 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 29 MILITARY | TECHNOLOGY

agement . “This guy can lift 13,000 lbs under “They have slung, with the internal payload at 8,000 been revis- lbs. We had to carry the 777 howitzer; ing their so we could take over some of the Chi- require- nook loads,” stated Brown. “The coaxial ments and or compound is going to give you the the latest speed you need which is also a positive line in the point for casualty evacuation.” sand is 230 AVX proposes to build two aircraft knots and for the JMR TD: one for the flight test 3 0 , 0 0 0 and one that will go straight into the Graphic courtesy AVX lbs gross wind tunnel. Wind tunnel tests have w e i g h t . already been run on one at three-quar- Utility configuration for AVX Aircraft’s Joint Multi-Role concept. The company has also displayed an attack configuration. That drove ters scale to validate the lift and drag of us to a high- the fuselage, but not yet the rotor. er power point. We were originally “We can use the GE T706 engines JMR TD Milestones going to use the ITEP engines but now that are on the MH-60M Black Hawk— looking at the Advanced Affordable they are in production and in service Preliminary design and Turbine Engine (AATE), which is about so that is another huge risk reduction,” risk review 3Q FY14 4800 hp, so all the extra power will give said Brown. He added that the AVX Detailed design and us our performance.” team is in place with such notables at system risk review 2Q FY15 Brown said that the AVX design Rockwell Collins, General Electric and would bring greater operational capa- BAE Systems declared onboard. Pre-demonstration bility. “Our six-by-six-foot cabin is risk/test readiness review 2Q FY17 twice the interior of the Black Hawk Bell Helicopter cabin today. That not only allows us to Bell Helicopter made public its JMR First flight 4Q FY17 meet the troop and crew loads but we TD entry, the V-280 Valor, in April also have two space seats.” at the Army Aviation Association of The Contenders Brown added that 12 NATO litters America (Quad-A) annual gather- There are five main parties who have could be fitted, or an auxiliary fuel sys- ing in Fort Worth. “This is our third- publically declared an interest in the tem for self-deployment over distances. generation of tiltrotor which is based JMR TD. These are: AVX Aircraft, Boe- They also have plans to make the air- on over 55 years of experience,” began ing/Sikorsky, Bell Helicopter, EADS craft optionally manned. Keith Flail, Bell’s program director, FVL North America and Piasecki—although “There are two different missions military programs. the latter two have not been vocal but the utility and attack version will “This is not going to be a product about their bids (an extremely rare phe- have 90 percent commonality and but a demonstration of capability for nomenon in the case of EADS and its will fly at the same speed. The O&S the buying agencies. You look at where Eurocopter offering). So here are their cost will be much reduced. Rotating we are with the great success of the bids (in alphabetical order). components have a life but when our V-22 with more than 170,000 combat aircraft goes at full speed the rotor hours and over 200 aircraft fielded. AVX Aircraft becomes like a wing. Forty percent of The DoD has already seen and what AVX Aircraft, perhaps the company the lift is going to come from the fuse- a tiltrotor can provide operationally with the least known team and prod- lage and the canards, and the ducts that compared to a conventional aircraft— uct, features a coaxial rotor aircraft, surround the fans which all serve to particularly twice the speed and range. but with twin-ducted fans instead of unload the rotor system,” he explained. We have so many lessons learned and the pusher prop of the Sikorsky/Boe- As the Army would like 360-degree coming forward with new technologies ing bid. cover fire they initially wanted to place to focus on what the Army needs.” “As one of the four contractors for a machine gun on the ramp door but Having built that are the CTA, over the last 18 months we were recommended to take it off as that smaller (Eagle Eye) and larger (V-22) have been working very closely with would be the main exiting and entering than the JMR requirement, Bell’s FVL the U.S. Army, AATD and others,” said point for troops, so the guns will be team considers that they are well posi- Ian Brown, director, program man- mounted on the side. tioned to deliver to the Army’s require-

30 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | MAY 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM JMR Future Vertical Lift

ments—whatever they will emerge as. we rotated the engine in this applica- aid systems.” “The start point is to be able to hover tion. At the moment you get more lift As everything in the TD is currently out of ground effect at 6,000 feet, an power through this in the V-22 but as focused on the utility rather than the optimized engine and transition to 280 we go to the next generation with less attack version, Bell is still consider- knots with between one and two-thirds thrust to provide lift, there is no benefit ing how it can maximize the attack better fuel efficiency than with a con- in rotating the engine.” platform: “we would have stores that ventional helicopter or a compound Talking strategically, Flail noted that could fold out and back into the air- that wants to burn more gas to go due to the restrictions of the defense craft so you still have the aerodynamic faster,” stated Flail. budget “we are going to end up with a efficiency that you need at the high A major change between the V-280 smaller force structure so in the V-280 cruise airspeeds. We want to bring the and other tiltrotors is the fixed non- you can go twice as far, twice as fast, and same principles in commonality that rotating engine for the air assault mis- your ability to project combat power we have applied to the H1 Yankee and sion. “There are six foot wide doors for around the battlefield is immensely Zulu helicopters for the Marine Corps troops to rapidly egress on the LZ, crew improved. Force projection and force for the U.S. Army.” chiefs can lay down suppressive fire, protection is what it is all about. so there is no concern about running “The fly-by-wire allowed us to use Boeing/Sikorsky or firing into the rotors or tail rotor. different configurations and we have On January 13, Boeing made a fun- There are both operational reasons and evaluated those; we wanted to keep damental and deliberate leap away technical advantages for this particular the size down and maintain the per- from developing the next generation application as we look at where turbine formance,” said Flair. “We looked at of tiltrotor technology (it is still com- engines are going in the future. There T-tail and H-tail, but selected the V-tail mitted to the V-22 program) in leaving will be higher exhaust gas tempera- (butterfly). This also offers alternative its partner Bell Helicopter Textron for tures, which would become a factor if positions for antennas and defensive new joint venture partner Sikorsky.

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WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM MAY 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 31 MILITARY | TECHNOLOGY

Douglas Shidler, Sikorsky’s director fourth platform that began with the of engineering sciences, as well as the of the JMR TD program, said that the XH-59A/S-69 helicopter advancing chief designer of the X2 technology Army needed to start its FVL approach blade concept (that reached over 204 demonstrator. He told Rotor & Wing with the Armed Aerial Scout require- knots), which we brought to a close that Sikorsky had conducted a series of ment. at the end of the 1980s, with X2 being internal studies into the concept of the “Start on your small fleet, go for the second, S-97 the third and finally future of the helicopter, looking at all your Armed Aerial Scout, if you don’t the JMR. X2 and Raider are rapidly technologies. He said they understood do something your industrial base is prototyping platforms—using existing the need to expand the operational going to lose its capability to develop technology.” range of the helicopter, particularly a future platform. We did the X2 to He added that this was Sikorsky’s speed and maneuver. ensure we had continuity throughout sixth fly-by-wire platform (the CH-53K, “Every system is a compromise,” our engineers, those who started young S-92, UH-60, etc.), with vibration con- he said. “The co-axial rotor maintains on the X2 have now matured and are trol systems on multiple platforms, pitch and yaw. There is a clutched pro- working on the S-97 Raider,” which is composite technology and rigid rotors: peller so that when the aircraft needs to Sikorsky’s own AAS offering. “What we are doing now is blending hover that is turned off. The Raider will Shidler said that the aim was for the those together.” provide hot and high performance and first AAS unit to be equipped by 2025- Boeing’s involvement comes from at speeds of up to 220 knots.” 27. The first unit equipped with FVL its experience (and dominance) of the When the propeller is turned off, he will be in the 2035-38 timeframe. “If the attack market while Sikorsky offers the continued, “the aircraft behaves like a Army buys 100 aircraft a year, how long same in its range of UH-60 platforms. regular helicopter with speed up to 160 will it take to replace those thousands Added Shidler: “In the tech demonstra- knots. We use the main rotor to provide of medium lift helicopters,” he ques- tor phase there is a cost share and a fair lift at speed. To brake, we can reverse tioned, underlining the need for precise amount of money is needed—so the the prop to quickly slow in a short dis- timing of the FVL program. resources of both companies can be tance,” he said, adding that “fly-by-wire The Boeing/Sikorsky JMR TD is brought into play. The scale of the TD is our standard work now and we are an X2-based configuration, which will has not been announced yet, only that way along the learning curve.” demonstrate technologies to allow the it will be in an X2 configuration.” There When the Army’s Aviation Applied Army to establish its definitive require- has been no decision on the power- Technology Directorate (AATD) ments for future vertical lift. plant and the conceptual design is awarded four contracts for JMR con- “Some people say we are offer- being done jointly, with Boeing people figuration and trades analysis studies in ing a new, never-been-done-before co-located in Connecticut. 2011, Sikorsky was one of the beneficia- platform. But it could arguably be our Steve Weiner is Sikorsky’s director ries alongside Boeing, the Bell-Boeing

Boeing and Sikorsky’s JMR offering is based on the compound X2. Boeing/Sikorsky

32 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | MAY 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM JMR Future Vertical Lift

wasn’t AAS or FVL— A derivative of Eurocopter’s X3 aircraft we were looking at is perhaps to be expected for the EADS speed. We selected North America bid. The company the X2 to retain the describes the X3 as a hybrid technology attributes of a heli- demonstrator that has attained a speed copter and we want- of 180 knots that various company ed to go fast without spokesmen continue to affirm is well reconfiguring. The within its limits. reason for that, if you Its tour of North America was used have a problem in to showcase it to military aviators, flight you don’t want among others. This could well have laid to have to reconfigure the groundwork for what is to come— the aircraft. With the whenever it comes! Bell Helicopter S-97 you can autoro- Bell Helicopter’s new V-280 Valor tiltrotor in airplane mode. tate like any other Piasecki Aircraft helicopter, without This well-known research organiza- partnership and AVX Aircraft. Said having to reconfigure the platform. We tion has entered its PA61-4 Advanced Weiner: “the CTA study meant that we also wanted to make sure it has a com- Winged Compound (AWC) into the could look across many options, from parable rotor downwash for SAR and JMR arena. It has a vectored thrust single rotor aircraft to compounds, as disaster relief.” ducted propeller (VTDP) as seen on its well as different types of tiltrotor. Dur- X-49 aircraft. The long wing not only ing multiple studies 2004-05 looking EADS North America provides lift but also anti-torque and at multiple configurations—then there This offering is a complete unknown. pivots in flight.  Customize Your Reprints Today!

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WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM MAY 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 33 COMMERCIAL | OFFSHORE THE NEW GEN Photo by Pat Gray

AgustaWestland AW189, Bell 525, Eurocopter EC175, Kamov Ka-62 and Sikorsky S-92 are the heavy hitters in the emerging class of large cabin, long-range helicopters.

By Pat Gray

abers have been drawn and Eventually a rigid steel platform and even basing small helicopters on the battle is on for the deep- would be attached to the seabed and the platforms, if needed. In many cases, Swater offshore helicopter production would begin. Other wells platforms are 20 to 30 miles apart or market that has already would be developed nearby until you less, allowing the helicopters to hop emerged. The large energy compa- had a fully constructed “field” of wells about anywhere without worries of fuel nies are now drilling exploratory or platforms. When those production availability, navigation or lost commu- wells in ocean depths of 10,000 feet platforms were put into service, almost nication with the shore. That scenario or more at distances that exceed 200 all of them were equipped with a heli- will stay as it is until all of the close-in oil miles from shorelines all over the deck that was certified for a maximum and gas is depleted. world. The history of ocean drilling weight, usually around 5,000 or 6,000 Shallow well drilling, though still has always been in a leap-frog fashion pounds. However, the drilling rig heli- active, is giving way to deepwater and with outward movement from shore decks were capable of 10,000 pounds ultra deepwater drilling, and all the generally being in stages of maybe 20 and upward. For many years, 100 miles conveniences of having stepping stone miles at a time. There were and are a from shore was about the limit for drill- platforms en route to a deep water variety of rigs used for drilling such as ing due to sea depth, lack of technol- rig 200-plus miles out is no longer a jack-ups and semi-submersibles that ogy and government prohibits on the certainty. There will be relatively few, could be floated to a location and eas- outer shelf. if any, fixed platforms in the deep ily stabilized over the seabed. When The 100-mile range is ideal for waters. By use of directional drilling, a paying well was hit, the drilling rig existing shore-based helicopters in multiple wells will be consolidated on would do a completion, cap the well providing crew changes, establishing one platform giving it a subsea, spider and move on to a new location. refueling points just about anywhere, web-like presence. The operator’s need

34 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | MAY 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM NextGen Offshore

GENERATION OF

Eurocopter EC175 on the tarmac, with image from the cockpit of the helicopter taking off blended into the background.

is for larger capacity and longer-range engines producing 2,000 horsepower twin” category. Some history is needed helicopters that can get the crews but giving increased fuel efficiency to make good comparisons on these transferred in a more efficient manner. over less-powerful engines. They have new models. Let’s see what we do Because of their weight, these new heli- navigation and integrated flight control know. copters will only be able to take advan- systems that greatly ease pilot workload tage of a few en route refueling points and ergonomic cockpits that can actu- AgustaWestland due to helideck weight restrictions. ally make long helicopter flights com- AW189 As it became apparent that the fortable, increasing safety by having the The new AW189 arrived via the mili- existing fleet of medium and heavy crews more alert. Passenger comfort tary AW149, which in turn used the helicopters were not the best fit for this and safety are also being attended to AW139 for much of its design heritage. role, the manufactures began looking with such items as four-point safety The AW139 has been around long for ways to accommodate the offshore belts, large pop-out windows, emer- enough for operators to appreciate the market and in most cases, went to the gency lighting, air conditioning and value of the medium twin helicopter. operators and their customers for input comfortable seats, some even covered It was one of the first helicopters to on needs and desires. The result of that with leather. give the S-76 real competition in that input and other studies indicated a heli- The players in this market are the market, if sales are any measure of copter that would fit between the two. usual regulars—AgustaWestland, Bell, success. The AW189 will have seat- The new breed of helicopters are Eurocopter, Russian Helicopters and ing for 16 to 18 passengers and one or being referred to as “medium heavy” Sikorsky. It is too early to see how the two crewmembers. AgustaWestland class twins or “super medium twins” exact performance characteristics stack is also seeking certification for single- that will be coming to market with up against each other because none pilot operation. Gross weight will be gross weights at or near 16,000 to except the Sikorsky S-92 and Euro- 17,600 lbs. Engines are two GE C27- 17,000 pounds with ranges of at least copter EC225 heavies have reached 2E1 rated at 2,000 hp each. Speed is 140 400 miles carrying 16 to 19 passengers the market. The S-76, EC155 and to 150 knots. These figures may not be on board. AgustaWestland AW139 are not, for accurate because the aircraft is still in The helicopters are powered with the purpose of this article, in the “super development stage and the numbers

WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM MAY 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 35 COMMERCIAL | OFFSHORE

sion. The helicopter should have no problems getting to the 200-mile range but it would need to refuel on the way home if it went that far. Most likely the drilling rig of destination would have fuel available. The high points of the EC175 are found in the cockpit. The automation and the avionics suite are so good that they can be compared with any airliner flying today. It’s like the helicopter world has finally arrived. Features include

Photo by Ernie Stephens synthetic vision, H-TAWS, coupled TCAS to the AFCS for automatic col- lision avoidance, four-axis autopilot with dual duplex integration into the AFCS, tail fin cameras that view per- Commemorative S-92 at the Sikorsky booth during Heli-Expo 2013 in March. sonnel and cargo loading displayed on the multifunction display (MFD). Auto are subject to change, but this gives an real treat for short-armed pilots. The takeoffs and auto approaches to 30 feet. idea of approximate performance. collective control has increased sensi- When flight plans are loaded, course tivity due to only having a maximum intercepts, headings and altitude holds Bell 525 movement of three inches. Garmin are precise without hunting. OEI’s are The Relentless will be a clean-sheet is the avionics of choice. One unique seamless with automatic shutdowns design with no derivatives or other feature is a small LED panel that has a and configuration for continued flight specific helicopters in Bell’s inventory touchscreen with aps on it for navigat- in the mode that the loss took place. to match it. It is still in the design stage ing through most of the systems. There is some heritage in the EC175 with some sub-assemblies having been design such as the avionics being based built. It will be the only civil helicopter Eurocopter EC175 and on the EC225 suite and other design with a fly-by-wire flight control system. EC225 features found in the Eurocopter family. Sikorsky is said to be working on a triple Four pre-production EC175 models The manufacturing is a joint venture redundant fly-by-wire computer mod- have been built and flown for test and with Chinese Harbin Industries who ule for retrofit onto the S-92 at some demonstration purposes. Still experi- will be producing their version, the future date. A lot of design work has mental, it made stops in North Amer- Z-15. gone into the flight control system and ica on a world tour allowing potential The EC225 is the other helicopter cockpit ergonomics. Like its competi- operators to fly and evaluate it. Rotor & working in the heavy twin offshore tors, there will be a fully integrated and Wing was given the opportunity to take market. It grosses out at 24,250 and it automated flight control system. As an a first-hand look as well. Some of the too carries 19 passengers. The engines example, if an engine failure occurred, numbers for the EC175 include: are Turbomeca Makila 2A1’s at 1,902 the autopilot system would take over • Gross Weight: 16,535 lbs hp. Standard fuel capacity is 674 gallons before the pilot could react. Things • Advertised max speed: 175 knots but it has several options for extra fuel like fuel shut off, yaw control, altitude • Service Ceiling: 19,690 feet such as side-mounted pods that will hold and power management, to name • Advertised Cruise Speed: 150 give it additional range when needed. some. Of course, the pilot could over- knots Avionics is a product of Helionix, a ride any or all of the automation if the • Seating Capacity: 16 passengers, 2 part of Eurocopter’s parent company. emergency warranted it. crew (18 passengers optional) It has dual flight control computers There are no crew doors for the • Fuel capacity internal tanks 685 linked to the MFDs. They are self cockpit, but Bell came up with an inno- gals or 715 with pressure fueling monitoring and one will take over if vative approach by allowing the crew (slightly over four hours maxi- the other has a detected error. Another seats to swivel 90 degrees or more so mum endurance.) feature is found in the AFCS. When the that entry and exit can be easily accom- This should give it an action radius autopilot is in the cruise mode the pilot modated through the sliding passenger of 200 miles in the SAR configuration, can switch it to ground speed mode for doors. The cyclic control stick is a side 190 with 12 seats filled and 135 miles use in the approach and can modulate controller complete with an armrest—a with 16 passengers in the offshore ver- speed even down to a hover. The fea-

36 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | MAY 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM NextGen Offshore

ture can bring the helicopter down to it can carry enough to go 200 miles and One of five AgustaWestland AW189 the landing decision point (LDP) and return without refueling, which is a big testbeds visited Texas in early 2013. hover there if needed. plus in the offshore market. Most S-92s are equipped with Rockwell Collins Russian Helicopters Pro Line IV avionics with all the bells Kamov Ka-62 and whistles. Dual MFD, four-axis A derivative of the military Ka-60, this autopilot, automatic hover mode, dual is a serious entry into the “small” heli- channel FADEC and coupled auto copter market by the Russian manufac- approaches, to name a few. The word turer. It’s sleek, aerodynamic looks are a is that Sikorsky is developing a fly-by- real selling point, making it comparable wire control system that may be retro- to what western manufacturers have fitted to the existing fleet. been producing for many years. It’s not certain that the Ka-62 is in the super The Future twin category. The stated capacity is It seems that the manufactures are 16 passengers and a crew of two. Gross always behind the curve in designing weight is 14,330 lbs and engine power and building a helicopter for a specific from dual Turbomeca Ardiden 3G market. Helicopter manufacturers have engines is rated at 1,282 hp each. The given us products, over the years,

helicopter is making headway with which have almost always had a multi- AgustaWestland operators in South America, includ- role objective. The users of these won- ing Brazilian launch customer Atlas derful machines are the ones who have U.S. The manufacturers have listened Taxi Aero. The Ka-62 is sure to make discovered and made markets for their and incorporated many of the sugges- some European friends as well, but it’s many uses. This is probably a neces- tions into the airframes and avionics unlikely to find a home in the Gulf of sary path because no one really knows suites. Airframes have been given real Mexico. Then again, if the price is right, what the next great market will be corrosion protection in the places who knows? when you have a product as flexible as normally inaccessible, substituting a helicopter, but it is nice to know that composite materials where practicable. Sikorsky S-92 at least one or more markets have been Maintenance panels have been pro- This helicopter has enjoyed a large per- defined, and that the manufacturers are vided to expose more inspection and centage of the deepwater crew change striving to provide helicopters that give work sites. Larger windows for cockpit business. It is considered a heavy twin the operators the needed tool to serve visibility. Comfortable passenger seats with a gross weight of 26,500 lbs. It their customers. with some actual leg room. Increased seats 19 passengers in a standup, spa- Three of the new helicopters—the baggage areas. Crew stations that pro- cious cabin. The S-92 does the offshore AW189, EC175 and Bell 525—had a vide comfort. Automated flight con- mission well but it is pricey at around large amount input from customer trols. Externally mounted cameras. $26 million per copy. It takes a lot of advisory teams made up mostly of off- Powerful engines that give category fuel to feed the GE CT7-8 engines but shore operators from Europe and the A performance for all occasions. This list could go on but as you can see, this mock-up during a Rotor & Wing visit to Bell Helicopter in early 2013. is a new way to build helicopters for a market fit. One point absent until now is cost. The medium heavy helicopters will be priced somewhere around $18 million in 2013 money. When you compare this to the heavy twins at $25 million, there is no doubt where the market will be. The medium heavies will do everything that the heavies do with the exception of the heavies having a range advantage. The difference between one or two passengers should not pose a problem when acquisition and operat-

Photo by Pat Gray ing costs are factored in.

WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM MAY 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 37 MILITARY | EVENT COVERAGE Photos by Andrew Drwiega Andrew by Photos

Maj. Gen. William Crosby, Program Executive Officer Aviation, addressing delegates at the Quad-A annual gathering, held this year at the Fort Worth Convention Center in Texas.

Military personnel were hard to find at this year’s U.S. Army Aviation Association of America gathering in Fort Worth, with worries aplenty on what sequestration means for budgets and programs. By Andrew Drwiega, International Bureau Chief

38 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | MAY 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM Quad-A Review

AgustaWestland took the wraps off its AW169 AAS during Quad-A. The helicopter is the manufacturer’s submission for the Armed Aerial Scout competition, should the U.S. Army decide to proceed with the fleet replacement program.

rmed Aerial Scout: Will address at the annual Quad-A con- do this’… yes, but the truth changed!” they or won’t they? “What vention, held this year in Fort Worth, Crosby was referring, of course, to the Ado we do with the Scout? Texas. impact of U.S. government’s sequestra- Do we buy new or do we Addressing industry delegates in tion or spending cuts in the defense do a SLEP [service life extension the audience, he continued: “I know budget, something his audience was program with the Kiowa Warrior]?” you are poised and ready to execute only too aware of given the lack of asked Maj. Gen. William “Tim” Cros- [new helicopter deliveries] and you say military participants and delegates by, PEO Army Aviation, during his ‘Last year you said you were going to throughout the event.

WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM MAY 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 39 MILITARY | EVENT COVERAGE

International military speakers panel at Quad-A: (left to right) William Westerbeek, Netherlands, Olivier Gourlez de la Motte, French Army, and Kevin Whale with Canadian Forces.

“Look at what we are now facing,” sion was no clearer, continued Crosby, III, Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, he said. “We are taking a step back and even after the technology demonstra- G 3/5/7, was looking at in detail was saying let’s not make a rush to failure,” tions of last year that most of the bid- when a particular system was going to Crosby continued (where memories ders participated in. “We are going to be needed and when the technology of RAH-66 Comanche and Bell ARH- have to adjust—and slow a few things was going to be available to match the 70A still reside). “Let’s think about down,” he said. There was short-term need. “Following that we need to look what is affordable across the portfolio way ahead, Crosby added: “There are at the sustainment plan to keep our and it is critical that we do that now. If five or six programs that need to be existing systems until they arrive,” he we don’t, then you could use some of put into the affordability category to added, and referenced further invest- your precious R&D on something we keep the portfolio balanced ... to limit ment in solutions to cope with degrad- might not be able to pursue.” the impact it has on the fleet.” ed visual environments (brownouts) The AAS is needed, of that there But for those who can afford to take and the ever increasing manned- is no doubt in the minds of the Army the longer-term view, it is the Joint unmanned teaming (MUM-T). Aviation commanders who have said Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator There were potential further com- as much time and again. In fact the rela- (JMR TD) that has really captured the plications ahead he noted, particularly tively late public unveiling on the exhi- undercurrent of the rotorcraft manu- discussions “about putting a maneuver bition floor of a contender from one of facturers. The plan is for this to be the battalion back into every brigade— the bidders was the AgustaWestland first stage of new and better designs well that increases the scope of what AW169 AAS. This is a military version that will eventually lead to the whole the Combat Aviation Brigade has to of the civil AW169 that has already Future Vertical Lift (FVL) proposal, do, so we have to look at the structure flown, with certification expected which will encompass light, medium, of that too.” during 2014. AgustaWestland states heavy and ultra types of helicopter. Crosby admitted that while the that more than 70 civil orders have “We talk about Future Vertical Lift AAS is the most pressing issue, the been received. However, this would be and the systems that we need to invest future of medium lift is the bigger a brand new type addition to the U.S. in now,” said Crosby. According to him issue over the long term: “We have Army’s fleet if selected. But the deci- the question Maj. Gen. James Barclay made a conscious decision to look

40 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | MAY 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM Quad-A Review

at the medium lift. The AAS is most • MQ-1 Gray Eagle Extended being “one of the bigger, smaller coun- pressing but 75 percent of the fleet is Range Multi-Purpose ($518M); 15 tries.” He expects that the RNLAF in the attack/utility sector, so if you aircraft, supporting ground control future helicopter force that will com- are looking for a return on investment, stations and satellite communication prise 29 Apache Block II helicopters, then you go after that and you need an terminals 17 Chinook D/Fs and 20 NH-90 TTLs, alternative path for the Scout.” • UH-72A Lakota Light Utility heli- with the existing Cougar (eight), AB copters ($96M); all 10 aircraft are for 412 (three) and Alouette III (four) all the Army National Guard. being phased out by 2017. “What is DoD FY14 Budget In a new move Gen. Barclay took important is the effect you want to Announcement to the public floor to outline some achieve... how much bang for the buck Elsewhere at the show the impact of general thoughts and answer ques- we can get.” He said that the RNLAF the U.S. Department of Defense’s fis- tions from exhibition attendees. He had received good value out of basing cal year 2014 proposal announced on said that sequestration was resulting eight Apaches and three Chinooks at April 10 saw EADS North America’s in more projects being pushed for- Fort Hood for training and familiar- Eurocopter subsidiary lose out with ward to the FY14-15 timeframe, but ization with the U.S. Army. But he too only 10 of the remaining 41 UH-72A stated that in general, Army Aviation admitted that the force “did not have Lakota helicopters slated for pur- was better integrated than it had been the money to fly all the hours they chase. The organization’s Chairman as a result of great investment over the wanted.” Options, he said, included and CEO Sean O’Keefe expressed his past decade. looking at neighboring countries such regret that “an extremely successful He added that as the deployment as Germany and Belgium to see what program like the Lakota—with its to Afghanistan was wound down, he ‘joint’ cooperation in capability might demonstrated low cost and unbroken believed that the leaning on contrac- be achieved in budget-hit times. record of on-time and on-cost deliver- tor support would lessen and that Regarding the use of synthetic ies” was a casualty. With the majority skills would be brought back into the simulators for training, he said that of the 345 U.S. Army utility aircraft “green” Army. The challenge there reducing flight hours was not a prob- already delivered this was perhaps an would be retaining the right mix and lem: “I am convinced that the product easier cut for the DoD to make in the what could be afforded, but he added at the end will be the same, if not circumstances. “we have got to get soldiers back to better.” Boeing has been earmarked for doing that workload” (Editor’s Note: MG Olivier Gourlez de la Motte, 42 remanufactured Apache AH-64E Contractors are valued for their high CMDT with the French Army, attack helicopters as well as 22 reman- skill set in dedicated areas and this said that French forces tradition- ufactured CH-47s and six new builds, might be difficult to emulate and to ally deploy overseas within a framed all into the CH-47F model. ensure highly skilled personnel are agreement with NATO, adding that The following is an extract from retained by the Army). the current preference is to deploy “in FY14 Budget Overview, described as When asked about the continuing cooperation with other nations.” He continuing to invest in the modern- role of the National Guard and the mentioned the forces commonality ization of manned and unmanned Reserve, he said it was critical. “Look in aircraft with Germany and Spain aircraft, with aviation enablers, but at at the gains we have made over the regarding the Tiger attack helicopter a slower pace: last 10 years—we cannot go back on and NH90 support helicopter. • OH-58 Kiowa Warrior ($184M); the investment we have made in the Wing Commander Col. Kevin upgrades supporting conversion from Guard.” Whale, Tactical Aviation, 1 Wing, “D” to “F” model Canadian Forces, said that Canadian • CH-47F Chinook helicopters forces had been deployed internation- ($1,050M); 6 new and 22 remanufac- International Panel ally for 93 percent of the last 24 years. tured aircraft The expected lack of senior U.S. Army His force would comprise 67 CH146 • UH-60 Black Hawk helicop- personnel meant that the organizers Griffon helicopters as well as 15 newer ters ($1,237M); 65 new aircraft—41 looked for alternative presentations CH-47Fs. He added that the force was UH-60M (Utility) and 24 HH-60M during the forum sessions. Air Com- based on meeting four requirements: (Medical) to modernize the fleet modore William Westerbeek, com- it had to be joint, offer inter-agency • AH-64 Apache helicopters mander of the Defence Helicopter specialization and have international ($813M); 42 remanufactured Block Command for the Royal Netherlands capability, all while retaining the gen- III aircraft Air Force, talked the Netherlands eral trust of the public at home.

WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM MAY 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 41 COMMERCIAL | Q&A HEADS OF INDUSTRY: ONE WITH THE TOP BRASS AT SIK AVINCIS GROUP AND BREEZE Avincis

Rotor & Wing editors recently sat down with Sikorsky President Mick Maurer, Avincis Group CEO James Drummond and Breeze- Eastern’s Brad Pedersen for interviews as part of our ongoing Q&A series with industry leaders.

By Andrew Parker, Editor-in-Chief

hat do the chief executives of a longstanding U.S. helicopter manufacturer, a London-based emergency medical services, Woffshore and SAR operator, and a hoist and winch supplier from New Jersey have in common? All of them sat down with Rotor & Wing during Heli-Expo in March for exclusive interviews that are Photo by Andrew Parker Photo by Andrew part of our ongoing series featuring CEOs from the top companies around the helicopter industry. Sikorsky President Mick Maurer at Heli-Expo 2013.

42 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | MAY 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM CEOs Take Stock NEONONE has been proven, and so we’ve seen a lot Rotor & Wing: Has Sikorsky examined of demand come as a result of that. Then any commercial applications for the in the other two major product platforms X2/S-97 Raider? that we have, the S-92 and S-76—a lot of it Maurer: We’re considering that, but I T SIKORSKY, depends on the oil business. The oil and wouldn’t put that as a front-burner item. gas industry is doing well, the demand You’ve got to have a lot of fortitude to go is there and also the need to have larger out and speculatively develop a com- aircraft that can fly farther out to oil rigs mercial aircraft of any kind. ZEEASTERN as they explore deeper and deeper, that’s Without some major launch cus- been a real positive. tomer or group of orders to pull from, Then with the S-76 we transitioned it doesn’t happen often, while that from the C++ to the D, so on a relative approach is much more typical on the basis we went out of production on the military side. So long-term, absolute- C++ and down to pretty low volume as ly—we’re in the commercial business we transitioned, and now we’re ramping and over time we have to introduce back up on the D. We’ve also been pretty new products and there’s no doubt strong on aftermarket. It’s kind of been that we’ll continue to do that. But in spread around, there’s not one single terms of some front-burner commer- element. cial application for X2, probably not, it looks like the military is going to be Rotor & Wing: What impact will seques- first for that. tration have on Sikorsky? Maurer: It won’t be good, and it will Rotor & Wing: How did the partner- probably affect our spares and aftermar- ship with Boeing on Future Vertical Lift ket business a little sooner than the other develop? sectors. But with or without sequestra- Maurer: We’ve always had relation- tion, there’s going to be a general down- ships with Boeing over the years, not just Sikorsky S-92 in operation with ward pressure on U.S. military budgets. on new aircraft but with the aftermarket. Avincis Group subsidiary Norsk We have to be ready for that. The prob- We looked at where the Future Vertical Helikopter Service (NHS). lem with sequestration is that it’s a little Lift/Joint Multi-Role was going and tough from an uncertainty standpoint, just started to have conversations about but to the extent that the other pressures “Where do you see it going? What’s your Sikorsky President Mick unfold slowly and predictably enough, we appetite for investment?” and that sort of Maurer should be able to compensate. Aerospace thing. It really started as a much about a Rotor & Wing: To what do you attribute is a cyclical business, they tend to be long business deal as opposed to a discussion Sikorsky’s success during 2012? cycles. We’ve been around for 90 years, about whether we’re going to go with a Maurer: We have some pretty solid and we’ll still be around. certain aircraft configuration. franchises, in terms of products. The It wasn’t about that [compound vs. single biggest order is the multi-year Rotor & Wing: What’s the forecast look tiltrotor or other design], it was about do contract with the U.S. government on like for the commercial sector? Boeing and Sikorsky want to collaborate the H-60s, the Army and Navy contract Maurer: There are two levels. On a rela- on medium lift? Because we’re both in for Black Hawks and Sea Hawks. It’s very tive basis, we’ll experience a big increase there now, we both would like to stay nice to have that base volume, to have because we’re introducing the S-76D. On there and it’s just a massive program— that predictability, which allows you to an absolute basis, it still looks very strong right now, the government’s ability to invest in some other things. It also allows going forward because the oil market is invest is a lot less than it used to be. So you to use that product to sell into other the biggest, but we’re also seeing lots of if you look at our collective ability to countries. interest from search and rescue, and that’s invest, tolerance for risk, things like that, If you look at the global war on terror, for both the S-92 and the S-76. We’re we thought that collaborating in this it has turned into a helicopter war. The getting demand from parapublic-type program made a lot of sense. use of helicopters over the last 10 years missions—interior ministries, homeland We’re going with an X2 configura- has grown, the tactics have been validated defense, coastguards, things like that—so tion, but it’s bigger. From a gross weight and the effectiveness of the Black Hawk pretty good trends in a number of areas. standpoint, it’s roughly three times

WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM MAY 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 43 COMMERCIAL | Q&A

what an S-97 Raider is. That’s one of important in the long term, the way we’re U.S. military while being an opportunis- the big things that we’re going to have going to win or compete on anything else tic exporter, to now where we need to to prove out in the JMR technology in the U.S. government—they’re going to become a real multi-local company that demonstrator program, and that’s one of look at past performance and the 53K has an industrial presence in key parts of the questions the customer has—is this is really our key. We want to have a real the world. That is part of the fabric in our thing scalable to something that big? program we can hold up and say, “Here’s key markets that we don’t just ship things how to do it.” That will help us with any there—we make things there, we service Rotor & Wing: As CEO, what are your other competition we have. So I look at things there, we develop products there, personal goals for Sikorsky? that, and with FVL, it will happen long and we start to expand the footprint of Maurer: I’ve talked about having these after I’m gone, but I want to make sure the company so that we operate in these big franchises. We really have to do that whatever replaces the Black Hawk, other international markets. So I’d put well in executing and introducing the that it’s us. The other thing is anything that as my top three. CH-53K so that we have that fourth to do with globalization. We’ve evolved Read the full interview online at pillar in the business. That’s critically from being really centered around the www.rotorandwing.com Avincis Group CEO James Drummond

Rotor & Wing: Please elaborate on the Rotor & Wing How did you come up Avincis recent restructuring of the company. with the Avincis name? CEO James Drummond: When I joined the busi- Drummond: It was one of the more Drummond at Heli-Expo. ness in July 2011, we actually had two difficult decisions in the last two years. groups of companies—there was the The board decided on the strategy for Inaer group of companies and the the group, and that was far easier than Bond group. They were held under a deciding what we were going to call it. financial controlling company called What I thought would be a 30-min- World Helicopter Group. One of the ute discussion turned into something things we had to do quickly was work a great deal longer and more difficult out what to do with the two groups, than that. In the end, we decided to put and we decided that we only needed the question to everyone in the com- one group of companies [under a single pany, please tell us what you think the umbrella]. So we created the Avincis group should be called, and whoever Group. We think it’s very important picks the name that the board thinks

to maintain the individual operating is the best gets dinner for two at a res- Parker Photo by Andrew companies within the group, and that’s taurant of your choice and a bottle of why the group is branded Avincis, but champagne. we’re retaining Inaer, Bond, Australian One of our people in Spain picked Helicopters and Norsk Helikopter Ser- the name, he thought of it in the con- in Eurocopter and they will always be a vice (NHS), because we firmly believe text of Leonardo da Vinci, the concept part of the future of the business, no that proximity to the customer is really design for helicopters and also the con- question—but as we grew the business, important. They need to understand cept of advancing. He thought Avincis we needed some diversity within the [local needs] at a very deep level. The sounded pretty good, and we agreed. fleet to avoid overly concentrating the customers know that that responsibil- risk of the business. ity’s sitting right next to them—it’s not Rotor & Wing: What have you been sitting somewhere remote in some cen- hearing about new Sikorsky S-92 that Rotor & Wing: What are the global tralized location, but it’s where they are, just entered service with NHS? trends you’re watching and where do you and that’s really important. But there Drummond: We took delivery of [two foresee growth in emerging markets? are clearly advantages of scale that we S-92s] in early February, and they went Drummond: We operate in can deliver to the operating compa- into revenue service in early March. and Peru right now, and we see Latin nies, and that’s the purpose of Avincis We’re very excited about it, it’s a great America as a very strong and attractive Group—we determine the strategy and helicopter and it provides vital diver- market for growth, not just for the ener- deliver the advantages of scale to the sity to the fleet. Our previous heavy gy services business, but also the life/ operating companies so they can pro- fleet had been entirely Eurocopter—of rescue and firefighting business, both vide better value to the customers. course we have tremendous confidence services we’re operating there right

44 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | MAY 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM CEOs Take Stock

now. All the countries in the region are Pedersen Hoisting Breeze-Eastern to investing heavily in building infrastruc- New Levels of Customer Support ture as their economies grow, and this is the part of that infrastructure that we’re By Andrew Drwiega, International Bureau Chief providing. We continue to invest our- rad Pedersen is Breeze-Eastern’s new president and selves and see a good future there. CEO and has been in place since the first week of Other growth at the moment is BJune 2012. His aviation experience includes 17 years in Australia and northern Europe. as a helicopter flight test engineer with Boeing, pro- Those areas are we see most of the gressing to director of international Apache programs among growth coming from in the medium other titles, and six years with Sikorsky where he was the Cana- term. Beyond that, there’s areas else- dian Maritime Helicopter program manager, the UH-60M where like Africa, where there’s tons of program manager and director of advanced programs. More investment going into infrastructure recently he was president of the New Jersey-based Airborne and energy services. But we can’t be Systems Group. everywhere all at once, so we will look Pedersen says that his business sense started being accu-

at those markets in another 12 months’ mulated from those early days. “We did flight testing off site Breeze-Eastern Breeze-Eastern President & CEO time as we build the businesses in our and got to know that if I didn’t have something, often something Brad Pedersen. current regions. Both Africa and India small, then we couldn’t fly. So logistics and support were factors are really attractive. Southeast Asia is that I appreciated from an early stage.” At Breeze-Eastern he wants to ensure exciting, we just can’t get all of these logistics and customer support are made cornerstones of the business: “Some regions at once, unfortunately. components have lead times up to a year or more so we have to anticipate the demand and have to have our own orders in with suppliers.” Rotor & Wing: What are your personal He emphasizes that expectations in business have changed, often from what goals as CEO for the company? we demand outside of work. “The people buying our parts, whether in Australia Drummond: The vision for the com- or wherever, are used to going online and buying a book, for example, and as soon pany is we want to be seen as the as their order is in they receive a confirmation e-mail that the order has been best mission-critical aviation service placed. Then it’s in shipping—positive affirmation along the line. That’s what we requirement in the world. And seen need to aim for.” Pedersen states that he hopes to lead the company through a not by ourselves, but by our customers, mindset change “to make sure that our customers questions have been answered regulators, our workforce and our com- when we go home at night.” petitors. That’s a fairly lofty goal, but “We want to get 24-hour response time anywhere in the world. That takes I think it’s realistic and it’s achievable, work—our suppliers as well as distributors—to be in sync. You can’t do it right nine and we believe we’re making progress times, then get it wrong on the 10th time, because it is the last one your customers with that, so the [U.S. Transportation remember you by. You have to keep doing it right.” Safety Institute] Moral Courage award He continued: “At Boeing and Sikorsky I learned the benefit of standard pro- is one example. It’s not the entirety, but cess. You need four things to make a change: the people; the organization; the it’s a very significant step and important tools; and the process. So the process serves the customer, not just individuals. If recognition, Richard [Mintern, Bond you don’t have all the pieces in place, change is difficult.” CEO] and Simon [Stuart, Bond’s safety Pedersen said that Breeze-Eastern is fortunate in that most of its suppliers are director] have done a great job. small companies and are fairly agile with the ability to respond. “Most of them are That’s what we want to achieve. happy to support us in the direction we want to go. Every one of our distributors If we’re seen as the best services pro- is on-board. Once we have shown them how much we are committed, they are vider, we’re not going to have a problem prepared to respond.” growing the business. If we’re generally The new factory has allowed the company to better organize its customer sup- a very high standards operator, then we port: “We get things focused in one line, not two separate groups. We can pool our will not have a problem providing value spares and repair requirements. Operators can make better real-time decisions.” to our customers, and making money. He explained that the company is trying to introduce more transparency of So that safety goal is not motherhood where stock is being held. The objective is to release inventory quicker if custom- and apple pie, it’s a real objective and ers have more visibility. “It’s not rocket science, the software is there we just need it requires real investment over a sus- to apply it,” he states. tained period of time. That’s exactly There have already been changes he pointed out. “A year ago, perhaps 18 what we’re doing. months, overall repair turnaround times were 160-plus days—we are now down Read the full interview online at to 60 days (plus or minus). Our deliveries to people like Sikorsky have been close www.rotorandwing.com to 100 percent over the last six months.”

WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM MAY 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 45 TECHCATEGORY | INFO NEWS Joint Multi-Role/Future Vertical Lift 28 Next Generation Offshore Helos 34 E-volo Designs Electric Aircraft 46 ■ PRODUCTS | TECHNOLOGY German Start-Up BUild- inG electric two-Seater

Editor’s Note: E-volo does not use the words “rotorcraft,” “rotary-wing aircraft” or “helicopter.” Yet, the author believes their concept clearly belongs to the rotorcraft family (according to the definition in Webster’s dictionary). Therefore, the author is using “rotor- craft” to describe E-volo’s concept.

-volo, a Karlsruhe-based company that is devel- oping the Volocopter VC200, hoped to be the Efirst electric two-seater in the rotorcraft world, has received significant support from German authorities. A new aircraft category is being created, while subsidies are boosting the project. In 2011, E-volo flew a single-seater, thus claiming the Graphical rendering of E-volo’s electric VC200. first flight of an electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) Images courtesy E-volo aircraft. French-Australian engineer and commercial heli- copter pilot Pascal Chrétien, who flew an electric helicopter a new category in aviation,” company manager Alex Zosel two months earlier (see Rotor & Wing, November 2012), is told Rotor & Wing. The German Ultralight Aircraft Asso- formally contesting the claim. ciation, the German Sports Aircraft Association and the “The innovative concept of an electric VTOL convinced civil aviation authorities will work with E-volo. They will the supreme authority for aviation in Germany, the Federal define “a new manufacturing specification” and rules for Ministry of Transport, to such an extent that it has com- where and when the Volocopter has permission to fly. They missioned a two- to three-year program for the creation of will also issue training specifications for future pilots.

The first flight of the single-seat E-volo VC1 prototype took place in October 2011.

46 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | MAY 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM After “extensive endurance testing of the cabin, the and the rotor array,” test flights of a VC200 prototype should begin in the middle of this year. They will take place on a glider airfield in Bruchsal. This is where the factory of DG Flugzeugbau is located. A specialist of gliders, DG Flugzeugbau will build the airframe in carbon-fiber composites. The VC200 will be lifted by an array of 18 rotors. E-volo targets a speed of “over 54 knots,” a ceiling of 6,500 feet and a maximum takeoff weight of 990 lbs. Today’s battery technology would only allow 20 minutes of electric flight. Therefore, like Chevrolet has done with the Volt electric E-volo is developing an electric two-seater that will feature an array car, the VC200 will be fitted with a “range extender.” A pis- of 18 rotors. The first version of the VC200 will be equipped with a ton engine will run at constant rpm, driving a generator that “range extender” – a piston engine that will recharge the batteries, like in the Chevrolet Volt. will charge the batteries. This will make the VC200 a serial hybrid aircraft. translate into rotor movement? For forward flight, the E-volo hopes progress in battery technology will enable Volocopter changes its pitch angle. Thus, the rear rotors reaching one hour of electric endurance within the next increase their rotation speed and the front rotors decrease few years. it. The same principle of differentiated speeds is applied for An optional pusher propeller will enable “an even faster turns. Several independent and mutually monitoring air- flight.” Separately, the VC200 will be equipped with a rescue borne computers control the rotation speed of each drive parachute. E-volo officials would not discuss pricing. separately. The federal ministry of The VC1 has 16 rotors. With its four arms, it measures economy and technology approximately 17 feet by 17 feet. It has an empty weight of has granted £2 million ($2.6 around 180 lbs, including the batteries. million) as a subsidy. So far It first flew on Oct. 21, 2011. In 2012, the Lindbergh the company has spent “over Foundation awarded its annual Lindbergh prize to E-volo. £500,000,” or around $650,000, This, and the claim for the flight of an electric VTOL, Zosel said. caused bitter feelings for Pascal Chrétien. The electric heli- One of the three company copter he had designed, with the support of France-based founders, Zosel is the entrepre- motorsports specialist Solution F, had flown in August neur. Physicist Thomas Senkel 2011. One of three founders, Alex Zosel is manager of E-volo. used to specialize in the devel- Chrétien has a record from a local court-appointed bai- opment of electric drives and liff (in France, a bailiff can be an official witness). The Guin- the construction of ultra light vehicles. Meanwhile, Stephan ness World Records 2013 do list the first flight that took Wolf has developed the software for the onboard flight place in Venelles, southeast France. E-volo’s Wolf hinted it computer. was not a real flight because it was too low. An official at Right from the start of the project, they chose a con- the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, the Lausanne, figuration based on an array of rotors. “Higher redundancy Switzerland-based international air sports federation, told offers higher safety,” Zosel explained. The Volocopter can Rotor & Wing that there is no particular criterion to meet land safely “even if some drives fail.” for an aircraft flight to be considered as such, “except taking However, in case of total loss of power, it can’t perform off the ground, maybe under its own power.” an autorotation. “Autorotation requires a variable pitch of In fact, Chrétien blames the French civil aviation author- the blades, which we do not have,” Zosel admitted. This ities, which would not let him fly because there was no cor- notwithstanding, helicopter aerodynamics department at responding helicopter category at the time, he asserts. He the University of Stuttgart are currently investigating the infringed the law to perform his flights. They took place on braking effect of E-volo concept’s rotors. private property, far from airports, he insists. Flight controls use a fly-by-wire system, hence a claimed In hindsight, Chrétien concluded on E-volo, “by con- easiness of piloting. “Without any steering input, it would trast, the German authorities let them fly and their govern- just hover there on the spot,” noted Senkel, who piloted the ment even supported them afterward. Good on them,” proof-of-concept VC1 aircraft, commented at the time. adding: “France is one of the rare countries where you have If the pilot moves the joystick forward, how does it to hide to develop innovations.” —By Thierry Dubois

WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM MAY 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 47 TRAINING | REGULATIONS Public Service

By Lee Benson Heliport Standards: Where the Bears Live n 1998 at the Heli Con- input had injected a bit of common Unless some fool has a gun or the ference held in Gifu, Japan, I sense into the process. Before you say place is on fire, nobody is landing there. Iattended a presentation by the “that’s only an AC, it’s an ‘advisory,’ not I always thought this was a good require- U.S. Federal Aviation Admin- a regulation,” be informed that the indi- ment because it met two standards, the istration (FAA) on what they thought vidual states are responsible for regulat- intention was to provide a safe exit, via future heliport design criteria should ing heliport design and many states the rooftop, for folks who were trapped include. For instance, at that time the incorporate this AC, in whole or part above the seventh floor by a fire below FAA was pushing a 4,800-foot straight and it becomes the design condition them and the folks that wrote it kept it line approach at a 3-degree slope. That that you have to meet in order to build simple. means you would start the approach a heliport. In my opinion this is an inter- Indeed while I was at Los Angeles 4,800 feet from the pad 250 feet above esting way for the Feds to write a law County Fire I tried unsuccessfully to the heliport. Until then I had viewed without the burden of actually getting a get a similar code written for the areas heliports as a flat spot on a roof with law passed. that we protected. Unfortunately the a few lines, numbers and a windsock. Last year the FAA issued AC-2C, an harder I tried to keep it simple, the more This made them much easier to land updated Heliport Design guide. This certain staff members were trying to on than a mountain peak where one document has led to a great deal of con- mandate the equivalent of a full heliport. actually had to do your own site survey fusion in the heliport design community The libertarian in me was not about to for things like slope, rocks, tree trunks, and some of the requirements are very help generate a rule that would require bears and whatever the wind was up to. difficult to understand from a pilot’s an investment of a couple of hundred I figured heliports fell into the “can of view of risk vs. gain perspective. thousand dollars for a facility that would corn” category. Emergency room nurses For example, in 1974 the Los Ange- probably span the life of the building can be a bit difficult when you land on les City Council enacted a municipal without being used. their hospital’s heliport, but they aren’t fire code that required all buildings Under previous ACs, these EHLFs near as grumpy as grizzly bears. After above seven stories to have an Emergen- were not considered a heliport. The listening to the presentation I became cy Helicopter Landing Facility (EHLF). new AC-2C does consider an EHLF a very concerned. Not because I cared This height requirement is generated heliport and therefore the EHLF will be about heliports, but because I was by the inability of a fire department lad- inserted into the federal database caus- employed by a government service that der truck to reach above seven stories. ing considerable confusion, additionally utilized heliports in at least 40 percent The design standards for these facilities unlike before normal airspace require- of their missions. I really liked being are kept very simple, basically a 50-foot ments will apply. Just because a building employed by these folks and being by 50-foot clear spot on the roof with a is within the clear airspace required somewhat smarter than the bear listed 25-foot safety zone beyond that, with for LAX doesn’t mean it can’t catch on above, not the nurse, I started to pay nothing high enough to be a hazard to fire. Do you think that on that once in a attention. I solicited the opinions of our the helicopter. lifetime day that the building catches on pilot staff and attended a few FAA and Usually you see these in the corner fire, we might close a chunk of airspace industry meetings in an effort to share of the building so that two sides of the to allow emergency operations for a few the pilot staff’s opinions of what they 25-foot safety zone are in clear airspace hours? If you make your living flying would like to see or not see at a heliport. beyond the building. No private or on and off heliports, you might want to In 2004, FAA released Advisory government operations are allowed at read this circular, or your future in heli- Circular AC-2B, the Heliport Guideline, these facilities unless there is an emer- copters may be restricted to where the and at the time I thought that industry’s gency condition at that building. bears live. More to follow.

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WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM MAY 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 49 COMMERCIAL | OFFSHORE

By Pat Gray Out Basing Around the Gulf

ne of the advantages of oper- land and is adjacent to a four-lane divided registered vessel in transit, then customs ating rotary wing aircraft is highway, allowing easy access for person- clearance is required. If the rig is secured Othat we are not confined to nel and cargo deliveries. At any given to the ocean floor, then there is no cus- established airports or oper- time there are 30 to 35 helicopters based toms requirement. ate under FAA fixed-wing standards there that comprise six or seven differ- Normally, there are 50 pilots assigned of “one shoe fits everyone” ideology. In ent models. Sikorsky S-92s and S-76s, to Galliano. They work a 14 and 14 years past, we have all suffered from vis- AgustaWestland AW139s, Eurocopter schedule and most live far away from the ibility limitations, controllers not under- EC135s, and Bell 407s and 206s. base, like Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, standing our unique capabilities, ramp As for passengers, they average 200 Texas and other states. Bristow has 31 positioning problems, prohibitive costs to 250 per day, the biggest days being very nice modular homes on the base and so on. I will say that in some cases, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays— where the pilots eat sleep and rest. There it is to our advantage to operate in the the days that crew changes take place is also a weight and exercise room avail- airport environment and many do. We’ll on the offshore rigs. On the other days able. There are 35 maintenance tech- leave it at that. flights are filled with oil field mainte- nicians assigned who work a seven Around the Gulf of Mexico, stretch- nance workers, engineers, administrative and seven schedule. They too use the ing from Alabama to Corpus Christie, personnel, communication workers, oil modular homes for temporary housing. Texas, there are about 20 helicopter bases and gas specialists; people who generally Thirty-three of these personnel work at not on airports with another 10 that are do not work on a seven-on and seven- night and two are assigned ramp duty on airports, almost all of which are south off schedule. Most of them go out and during the day. Every level of mainte- of Interstate Highway 10. return the same day. nance is done at the base with the excep- Why out base? Economics plays a The passengers arrive at the facil- tion of refurbishment, which is done at big role. Practically every flight is south- ity and park in a very large parking lot Bristow’s home base in New Iberia, La. bound from the beach and back. This that contains 300 to 500 vehicles at any The base has a small control tower that means less flight time the customer has given time. They proceed to the check supervises movement on the ramp and to pay for. Convenience is big. For years in counter, sign in, show a picture ID, controls takeoffs, landings and traffic pat- a majority of skilled oil field workers have deposit their luggage, have a seat and terns. Pilots get their weather briefings, come from the bayous and small towns await their call for the flight. Once called, flight assignments and file flight plans in of south Louisiana. They work 24/7 for they attend an aircraft safety briefing a spacious ready room. Flight tracking 7 or 14 days straight when offshore and that covers ditching procedures, exiting is done from Bristow’s headquarters in when the shift changes, they want to get the aircraft, and movement around a New Iberia where all Bristow flights are back to their families as soon as possible. running aircraft. This is done via video tracked throughout the gulf. Some other reasons are space to park and is specific to the type of helicopter There are about 75 IFR flights per automobiles and helicopters. Thirty or they will fly in. They are then driven month out of Galliano, most taking 40 helicopters take up a lot of space. Bris- to the helicopter on a tram, put on life place during the winter months. ADS-B tow U.S. operates a large out base near vests and take a seat. This is very similar is used as much as possible. The S-92s the town of Galliano, La. about 50 miles to scheduled airliner procedure but have the equipment installed along with south of New Orleans. They have other without the hassle of Homeland Security eight S-76s and the AW139s soon to be out bases but this is their largest one. The (TSA) requiring shoe removal, X-rays equipped. location is about 10 miles from the beach etc. On the same hand all passengers are All of the large offshore helicopter on a straight flight. Vance Poleski, the screened to make sure they are not on companies have similar bases at differ- base manager, gave me a hands-on tour the TSA no-fly list. ent locations around the gulf. It’s a good of the facility, explaining how the base is There are some special custom pro- system for expediting crew changes and operated and the statistics they compile. cedures that sometimes come into effect. giving airborne support to the energy The base is located on 90 acres of If the offshore destination is a foreign- industry at a cost savings.

50 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | MAY 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM International Marketplace

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49 ...... Alpine Air Support ...... www.alpine.aero

56 ...... American Eurocopter ...... www.eurocopterusa.com

CV0 ...... BLR Aerospace...... www.blrvgs.com

49 ...... BorgWarner...... www.aerospace.borgwarner.com

49 ...... Chopper Spotter ...... www.chopperspotter.com

5 ...... Garmin International ...... www.garmin.com

49 ...... HR Smith ...... www.hr-smith.com

3 ...... Mid-Continent Instruments & Avionics ...... www.mcico.com

15 ...... Milestone Aviation ...... www.milestoneaviation.com

11 ...... Sandel Avionics ...... www.sandel.com

51 ...... Switlik ...... www.switlik.com

51 ...... Tanis Aircraft ...... www.tanispreheat.com

17 ...... UTC Aerospace Systems ...... www.utcaerospacesystems.com

WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM MAY 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 51 PUBLIC SERVICE | POLICE Law Enforcement

By Ernie Stephens Sequestration Reservations irst of all, I hate partisan poli- all said that they aren’t happy about it. craft). That alone makes rotorcraft the tics. There are too many times To begin with, any airport that has a oddball of the airways. That huge fixed- Fwhen it gets in the way of the tower probably got it because it handles wing community is used to working an nation’s—any nation’s—best such a large volume of traffic, it needs an uncontrolled airport by a standard set interest. Second, while I knew the recent FAA referee. Take Martin State (MTN) of pattern rules. So, they tend to look budget battle that raged on Capitol outside of Baltimore, Md. It has a witch’s for other airplanes flying the obligatory Hill was going to go down to the wire, I brew of state police medevac aircraft, racetrack pattern, at the published alti- had good money that said a resolution city and county police patrol helicopters, tude, at the usual speeds. That’s all fine… was going to be reached at the elev- a flock of Air Nation Guard A-10 attack right up until you throw in Air-1 pros- enth hour, thus averting “sequestra- jets, military cargo planes, business jets, ecuting a chase that has it yanking and tion,” the automatic implementation of turboprops, and small private airplanes banking in the middle of the downwind pre-determined budget cuts that were based there, plus a large mix of transient leg. Now, you have a Gulfstream pilot designed to be so harsh, both political aircraft trying to circumnavigate the trying to sort you out on his TCAS, an parties would work hard to come up restricted airspace around Washington, 80-hour private pilot who has no idea of with mutually agreeable ways to avoid DC. Highly experienced pilots are flying what to do, and a tower that has become them. Well, I was wrong. The parties some of the aircraft in that total mix. nothing more than a storeroom for the never reached an agreement on how to But some folks flying those aircraft have airport manager. trim spending by the March 1 deadline, less time in the air than a package of deli I’ve been told that other operators, so the slash-and-burn consequences of meat has in my refrigerator. And while with those same concerns, lobbied local sequestration took effect. taking off and landing amid that kind of legislators for financial relief, and got it in Sequestration calls for some pretty traffic can be challenging enough, I’m the form of state funds to run the towers. ugly spending cuts to a variety of U.S. equally concerned about what it will be To that I say, “Fine!” It’ll keep the facil- government operations, including a like to conduct missions in close prox- ity open, and maybe even offer employ- reported $637-million reduction in the imity to an environment when there’s no ment opportunities to those dedicated FAA’s $15 billion fiscal 2013 budget. FAA traffic cop in the tower. FAA controllers the government could In addition to furloughing some of its Personally, I always found it more no longer keep on the payroll. employees, the FAA said it would have comforting to be working a call near an Last month, though, a reader called to cut funding to 189 of its 251 civilian- airport with an air traffic controller vec- me an “alarmist,” because I was warn- staffed air traffic control towers by April toring traffic away from me, as opposed ing people about eye injuries caused by 7. In other words, close them. to having to self-announce every 2-3 laser strikes. And while I understood The towers that were selected for minutes near an airport without one. his point, I continue to stand by the closure had fewer than 10,000 commer- That isn’t to say that I wasn’t maintaining evidence I saw that says a laser device cial operations, and less than 150,000 a vigilant scan while being handled by injured a pilot’s eye. But just to make total operations per year. However, any ATC. I’m just saying that it was nice to sure that I and the guys I checked with of those airports could file an appeal to have another set of trained eyes—and a aren’t getting all stirred up about nothing keep its tower funded, but only a few radar scope—helping to keep me from in this case, let’s call this column “part were successful in doing so, leaving 149 exchanging paint with another aircraft. one of a two-part series.” The reason is contract towers on the chopping block. The issue, as I see it, is trying to safely because the tower closures were sched- This news makes me nervous. And do something abnormal around people uled to begin on April 7, just a few days I’m not alone. I put some calls in to some who are used to everything being nor- before this issue went to press. So, the of my friends around the country who mal. The last time I checked, there were next time I post my column, some time drive police helos. All fly in areas where more than 280,000 airplanes registered will have passed since the cuts took at least one control tower they normally in the U.S., but only around 11,000 place. We shall see then if this tower have to talk to made the closure list. And helicopters (not including military air- thing was a big deal or not.

52 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | MAY 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM June 2013: Paris, SVS & Firefighting

Safety & Training Enhancements—We’ll talk to a num- skilled firefighting pilots wherever and whenever they might be ber of operators with exemplary safety records to find out what needed and ask them how the mission has changed for better or they are doing right and how safety management systems (SMS) worse in recent years. We also ask each to provide a list of what are improving the culture of the organization. We’ll also focus on they consider the “essential equipment” for effective firefighting safety and training enhancements that are making a real differ- operations. ence in the operational world. Paris Air Show Preview—Our team of editors, includ- Synthetic Vision—Editor-at-Large Ernie Stephens travels to ing International Bureau Chief Andrew Drwiega, will pro- Manhattan where he flies the soon-to-be-certified Honeywell Syn- vide a look ahead at what to expect from the helicopter thetic Vision system installed in the avionics maker’s AgustaWest- community at Le Bourget. The 50th iteration of the inter- land AW139 test-bed aircraft, and see how it compares to the other national event is set to draw thousands of visitors from systems already out there. June 17-23.

Aerial Firefighting—We’ll interview a number of operators Columns—Leading Edge by Frank Lombardi; Safety Watch by from around the globe who specialize in providing aircraft and Terry Terrell; and Military Insider by Andrew Drwiega.

Bonus Distribution: Paris Air Show, June 17-23, Le Bourget.

July 2013: Police & Excellence Ratings

ALEA Issue—Once again, we’ll profile a police unit as part of are Overall Aircraft Performance, Technological Innovations, Direct our Operator Profile series. We’ll also contact the vendors who are Operating Costs, Maintenance Issues, Technical Documentation, lined up to exhibit at the Airborne Law Enforcement Association Technical Assistance, Factory Training, Parts Availability and Cus- (ALEA) annual conference, held in Orlando for 2013. We’ll find out tomer Support. what new equipment is going to be available for law enforcement operators and what other products and services to expect on the R&D Report—July will also feature the official launch of a new show floor. special section dedicated to rotorcraft science and technology. A spinoff from Military Insider that seeks to incorporate both mili- Return of the Excellence Ratings—Rotor & Wing is re- tary and commercial technology developments, “R&D Report” will launching its Excellence Ratings, which surveys helicopter opera- examine Future Vertical Lift efforts and other research initiatives tors to find out who provides the best customer satisfaction in key that will help shape the look of tomorrow’s helicopter and how it areas. The 2013 Excellence Ratings survey will be conducted dur- will function. It will also include a number of reports from the AHS ing the spring with results published in the July issue. Categories Forum and Technology Display, held in late May in Phoenix, Ariz.

Bonus Distribution: ALEA, July 17-20, Orlando, Fla.

WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM MAY 2013 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 53 MILITARY | EVENT COVERAGE Military Insider By Andrew Drwiega Hosting Industrial-Military Expositions; Searching for the Middle Ground he opening late afternoon Defense (DoD) will have to rethink its throughout the year. But that too would session of the U.S. Army Avia- travel allowances, or the organizers and not be ideal as it could increase travel Ttion Association of America industry will have to drastically rework rather than reduce it. Or perhaps there (Quad-A) annual convention the way the convention is done. is another solution. usually has a vibrant expectation to it. To back away from industry conven- Would the military be able to open An eclectic mix of fighting men and tions, particularly those that are as well their own facilities for this kind of women all with aviation in common, established as this, is a grave mistake. event, for which they may even gener- some shouldering old buddies with the Drastically reducing military contact ate additional revenue? The problems ． “where the heck did you go” conversa- with industry, especially the lower-tier are many: finding a suitable location, tion; beside them old veterans—some players, will be bad for the future. The security access to the site—for industry, ． recently retired and working in indus- multinational OEMs will always have visitors and even media, power supply try, others “really” retired and getting their lobbyists to maintain contact with for all the stands, catering, parking— the respectful greetings that they have those at the top in government and the list is long. But perhaps somewhere earned through their service. And amid the senior military, but where the axe- in there is a short-term solution that ． all of this is expectant industry eager to restricting travel hits hardest is with the might be workable if not as a direct push forward their products and ser- smaller concerns to whom suddenly replacement, then perhaps as part of vices (and increase their revenues or just having their order book frozen for 18 the solution? Certainly there are too guarantee corporate survival). months means almost certain disaster. many exhibition and conferences, both ．" All of this comes together for a few It is they who need to keep their busi- in the U.S. and internationally. And days of information sharing and pushing ness’ finger on the pulse. They need to also during years-gone entertainment, Army Aviation development forward a hear what Maj. Gen. William Crosby, by that I mean corporate after-hours few more steps. PEO Aviation, has to say. And they events, played a role and it was very At Fort Worth this year, though, need the word on the street, rubbing much “work hard, play hard.” But that ． it was different. You could have shot shoulders with those serving and their can be moderated. a Hellfire down some of the aisles on peers in business. This is their recon— Tightening up on what can be opening night, safe in the knowledge their intel mission. attended and supported by the military you wouldn’t hit anyone in uniform. Crosby offered the organizers a solu- should be examined. But there needs to ． The tumbleweed in the city’s environs tion: “If we can’t come to you, then you be a more pragmatic approach than just would have been at home here. The cuts come to us.” He means hold the events a blanket ban on all attendance. That, in ． made to the U.S. Army’s travel budget near to the key U.S. Army Aviation sites business terms, reminds me of the oft- through the sequestration process had of Huntsville, Redstone and Fort Rucker. cited case where an organization that is ．" a major impact. Although it did get bet- The problem here is a lack of facilities going through a difficult period starts its ter, marginally, the following day, it had suitable for staging events the size of cash-saving drive by cutting the adver- ．" died again by the close. With exhibitors Quad-A in these locales. tising budget. Not smart, and almost taking a brave stance by declaring that There is not the draw of the “side always counter-productive! ．" " they had more time to talk to those who events” that the big cities offer either, Editor’s Note: As this issue went to press, were there (including industry peers on or more importantly the range of hotels the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) the surrounding stands), there was no for the thousands that attend. Perhaps announced that its 2014 Winter Sympo- escaping the fact that this cannot hap- this ultimately leads to a plethora of sium will be held at Redstone Arsenal in pen next year. Either the Department of smaller, more focused events, staged Hunstville, Ala.

54 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | MAY 2013 WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM Introducing International Marketplace Aerospace | DecisionBriefs DB What is Aerospace Decision Briefs? It's an all new online destination for the aerospace community where individual vendor & supplier information may be aggregated from multiple sources all over the web into one easy place.

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WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM http://decisionbriefs.comOCTOBER 2011 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 55 ( THINK OIL & GAS )

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