LIFE www.helicopterlife.com Winter 2013 / £3.99 including gyroplanes

HELICOPTER LIFE is the HIGH LIFE HELICOPTER WInTER 2013 LIFE COVER STORY

Flight Show & Tell Guide 4 The Age of Aquarius shows and conferences. Georgina Hunter-Jones 32 flies the latest gyro - The Editor’s Letter 5 copter from in German, the twin Aerial Forum 6 & 7 seat, fully enclosed tourer, the Cavalon. Letters to the Editor 10, 13, 45-49 Flying Crackers 8 & 9 Helicopter Training 16 & 17 High Hopes Georgina Hunter-Jones 38 New Technology HeliAir is emerging as Panda for iPad a leading helicopter 12 company in spite of turbulent times. How and why is examined.

Rosvertol on the Marenco Swiss 40 Move 14 Helicopter David Oliver Helicopter Life reports on Rosvertol’s Unveiled at HAI move to Batyaska Air HeliExpo 2011, the Base Marenco Swiss Helicopter continues to make strides.

French Cayman SAR UK History Bronco Aviation 52 G Hunter-Jones, 24 Kuit and Kievit look on the changes to SAR at the history and regiem in the UK. present of the French Navy Flotille 31F.

Book Reviews 58

Balkan Hawks CAA Legislation changes 59 Carlo Kuit and Paul Kievit of Bronco 26 Nordholtz Airday Arjan Dijksterhuis 62 Aviation visit the Macedonian Accident Reports 64 Police and STU (Special Task Unit) House & Helicopter 66

HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 3 S how & T ell G uide HELICOPTER

24 February - 27 February 2014 LIFE HELIExPO Anaheim, California, USA WInTER 2013 http://www.rotor.com

13 March - 16 March 2014 HON. EDITORIAL BOARD AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIx Captain Eric Brown, CBE, RN Melbourne, Australia The Lord Glenarthur, DL http://www.grandprix.com.au Jennifer Murray Michael J. H. Smith 9 April - 12 April 2014 AEROFRIEDRICHSHAFEN Lake Constance, Germany EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / PILOT Georgina Hunter-Jones http://www.aero-expo.com [email protected] CREATIVE DIRECTORS 22 May - 24 May 2014 [email protected] HELIRUSSIA COPY EDITORS Crocus Forum, Evangeline Hunter-Jones, JP Gerald Cheyne www.helirussia.ru/en/index.html?src=englishlink‎ CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Reg Austin, Bruce Charnov, Carlo Kuit, Paul 30 May - 1 June 2014 Kievit, David Oliver, Brian Kane, Arjan AEROExPO Dijksterhuis, John Periam Sywell, Northamptonshire, UK CONTRIBUTED PHOTOGRAPHY www.expo.aero/uk/‎ Reg Austin, Bruce Charnov, Brian Kane, Carlo Kuit, Paul Kievit, David Oliver, Arjan Dijksterhuis 2 June - 4 June 2014 SPECIAL THANKS TO HELIExPO UK Dave Smith ATPL(H)IR, Sywell Aerodrome, Northamptonshire, UK http://www.heliukexpo.com ADVERTISING Telephone: +44-(0)20-7430-2384, [email protected] 19 - 21 June 2014 SUBSCRIPTIONS EUROPEAN HELICOPTER SHOW Go to our website or turn to page 54 Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic [email protected] http://www.eurohelishow.com WEBSITE www.helicopterlife.com 14 July - 20 July 2014 Blog FARNBOROUGH AIR SHOW http://www.helicopterlife.blogspot.com Farnborough, near , UK. See Helicopter Life on Facebook & Twitter www.farnborough.com

24 September - 26 September 2014 COVER PHOTOGRAPH HELITECH Cavalon Gyrocopter at Wycombe Air Park. Amsterdam, Holland Photograph courtesy Georgina Hunter-Jones http://www.helitechevents.com HELICOPTER LIFE is published quarterly by FlyFizzi Ltd. 4 November - 6 November 2014 59 Great Ormond Street DUBAI HELICOPTER SHOW London, WC 1N-3 Hz . Maydan Racecourse, Dubai Copyright © FlyFizzi Ltd. 2013. www.dubaihelicoptershow.com ISSN 1743-1042. All rights reserved. Opinions expressed herein are not neces - sarily those of the pub lishers, the Editor or any of the editorial staff. Reproduction in whole or in part, in any form whatever, is strictly prohibited without specific written permission of the Editor.

4 HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 T he e diTor ’ S l eTTer

n the 6th November 2013 the copters, machines actually very dif - CAA made the following ferent from but often con - Opublic statement: fused with them. This confusion lies “Following the General Aviation partly in their overhead free-wheeling Red Tape Challenge (GARTC), which rotor and partly because of the histo - found that the current regulatory ry of helicopter development which regime is often too prescriptive, started with gyroplanes (such as de impractical and inappropriate, the Cierva) and then departed from them. Government and Civil Aviation However, one major difference Authority (CAA) have announced between small helicopters and small plans to transform the way in which gyrocopters now seems to be new the UK’s General Aviation (GA) sec - technology. While Gyrocopter com - tor is regulated. panies are using uptodate equipment, This is particularly true in the case of One of the key changes will be the monocoque bodies, digital engine HeliAir, once a small company, now setting up of a new GA Unit within regulators etc kit helicopters (often in growing to become the largest heli - the CAA dedicated to more propor - a similar price range) appear to be copter training organisation in the tionate, effective regulation that sup - sticking to older tried and tested tech - UK. (Helped by the demise of CabAir). ports and encourages a dynamic GA nology. This may be partly to do with When new helicopters are built it sector for the UK. The unit will be in regulation, it may be related to the tends to be done in already well estab - place by April 2014.” fear of spiraling costs. It may also be lished companies. However, the SKYe This should, I hope, make a great related to the fact that while gyro - SH09, which has just had the proto - deal of difference to helicopter flying copters can be freely bought and sold type revealed at Mollis Airport in and particularly to light helicopters. in the UK, only the Rotorway kit hel - Switzerland, is an exception. As with everything the ‘proof of the icopter is available here, even though Conceived in 2007, unveiled at HAI pudding will be in the eating’ but I there are now many good kits on the HeliTech in 2011 and already taking am very hopeful that this will be a market. Perhaps, now GARTC’s find - orders in 2013, the SKYe SH09 was boost to inventors in the aviation field ings have put the CAA to the blush, produced by the formerly unknown in the UK and perhaps means that the we may get some helpful action here. Swiss Company Marenco R66 may finally get EASA certifica - I am reminded here by a quote Swisshelicopter Ltd. On 28th tion. Roll on April 2014. from Steve Biko: “The most powerful November this year the SH09 was There are also other regulatory weapon in the hands of the oppressor unveiled before an audience of jour - changes happening and one of these is the mind of the oppressed.” nalists and prospective buyers. is our continuing immersion into Push on. Let’s see if we can get the At a recent show in Pittsburgh, it EASA. Now is the time for CAA/EASA to find a way to combine was revealed that helicopter designers Registered Training Facilities (RTF) safety with freedom. are learning new methods of move - to get to grips with changing to It is winter again and the onset of ment from jellyfish and owls, leading become Approved Training bad weather. Even though we now to interesting new creations. Organisations (ATO). There will be have about half the number of pri - See page 43 for details. far more fixed wing than helicopter vately owned helicopters we had in Before making your Christmas list companies affected but on page 6 2008, (for example just over 300 have a thought for the Robinson R66, there are details of the CAA confer - Robinsons now compared to just still not given EASA certification 8 ence I attended on 1st November and under 600 in 2007) this seems to months after ELOS (equivalent level what we were told. I asked the CAA have been a better summer than last of safety) and six months since if they could now answer the ques - both in terms of hours flown and Canadian certification. Come on tions on which they said they would weather. Only one of the operators I Father Christmas, give EASA a nudge ‘get back to us’ but had still not had a asked said he had been quieter, oper - for 2014, perhaps that could be the reply to my email on going to press. ationally speaking, this year than last. CAA’s New Year resolution. However, given all the changes, I Generally, it seemed that schools and fully accept they must be very busy. helicopter companies were happier An interesting growth area is gyro - with improvements in the market.

HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 5 A eriAl F orum When RTFs Become ATOs are you ready for April 8th 2015?

s part of the UK’s commitment to the European 2015 if they are intending to do flight training for an ini - Union the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) have tial EASA pilots licence, for rating issues or renewals. Abecome part of EASA (European Aviation Safety However, if they are only planning to do revalidations or Agency). EASA is not a legislative body but drafts, they are using older aircraft such as the Tiger Moth or implements and monitors the regulations. However, they Spitfire, or indeed if they are only planning to fly gyro - have no implementation body and in the UK that will copters or kit helicopters, all of which have remained now be done by the CAA. Amongst EASA changes under national rather than EASA regulations they do not which the CAA needs to oversee and enforce are the need to do anything, such schools can remain as RTFs. transition of RTF (Registered Training Facilties) to ATOs The question here, will theses national RTFs still have to (Approved Training Organisations). pay to exist as they are, remains in limo. It like, rather a Instructors, examiners, owners and chief pilots of fly - lot of the other questions asked at the end of the seminar, ing schools, went to Aviation House in November to find remained unanswered. In the popular CAA phrase: “we out when, why and how these regulations which require will get back to you on that.” the transitions of RTFs to ATOs will be implemented. Given that there will be significant costs incurred, The conference was introduced by Neil Benson and he both for the CAA and for individual schools the question and John Wickenden gave details of how the CAA would was raised, why should schools changed to ATOs? be handling the transition of RTFs . Firstly, it is the law and RTFs as they currently are John Wickenden explained that the transition was a will cease to exist after 8th April 2015. legal requirement now we are overseen by EASA. That it Secondly, the new regulations will allow pilots from covered PPL and LAL training regulations and that there any EU country to be training in the UK and vice versa was a specific timetable. under EASA. This is perhaps not as exciting as it sounds RTFs will need to be transferred to ATOs by 8 April since this was already possible under JAA regulations

6 HELICOPTER LIFE, Winter 2013 and significant numbers of German, Russian and other fee per school irrespective of the number of courses or pilots were trained in Spain in UK schools. So this is sites. New ATOs with no RTF background will be more a case of legislation catching up with common charged an annual fee of £560. practice than a lightening of the regulations. 4. Any additional course added will get a charge of an Thirdly, the CAA suggest that this will give a level additional £54 as will any additional site added. playing field across Europe. What exactly they mean by Audits: this is hard to say, but I would suggest it means that stu - The CAA will be making audits of all the ATOs new dents sneaking off to Poland to get licences there because or old. This, they explained, will help spread best prac - they have different medical requirements will now be tice, and that CAA and ATOs will both learn from the stamped on! The question here is will we now get the experience. same experimental category they have in Italy and Audits will be done with the first 24 months of an Greece? ATOs application, but for new ATOs the audit must take How the implementation will work. place prior to the application. There will be a simplified process for RTFs registered There will be continuation audits on a nominal 24 with the CAA on or before 17th September 2014. month cycle. Schools that have not registered by this date will have to What is involved in an audit? work through the normal registration process. Checking the manual, looking at the management What will the new approvals cover? structure of the company, SMS ad compliance, material All training activity previously provided by an RTF, records, documents, publication, training records, and plus the LAPLs and associated courses. logbooks etc. What will not be covered. What do you need to do now? Any specific rating such as aerobatics or towing, or 1. Use sample manual and make it specific. heavy lifting etc, anything which already needed a spe - 2. Submit application forms, manual and fees as soon cific exemption to be taught. as possible and definitely by December 2014. How to Apply: 3. 31st December 2014 is the latest time an application 1. The RTF will need to submit form SRG2116 for can be submitted in order to guarantee the issue of the their organisation and the courses required, they will ATO by 8th April 2015. need their current registration number as this is only for Other factors: schools transferring from RTFs to ATOs, not new appli - Pilots must have EASA licences in order to fly aircraft cations. covered by EASA regulations. 2. The ATO will need a manual. This manual will EASA licence holders can fly Annex 11 (older and dif - cover operations, management, training, SMS and com - ferent) aircraft but not vice versa. This is not true for hel - pliance and monitoring. icopter and when I asked how this regulation was going 3. The school will need to submit the fee. to be worked out I was told the CAA would “get back to The Manual: you on that.” The CAA will supply a template manual with a guide NB anyone originally issued with a national licence on the free CD. This covers operations, training, safety still has it, as these were issued for life. The difficulty and compliance. arises with JAA licences as these are not ‘for life’ and All the school needs to do is add their unique compa - hence have renewing options. ny information and procedures, writing the manual to a Third countries not covered by EASA: way that works for their particular needs. It is, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, USA, non European Wickenden was keen to impress, your individual manual countries, Africa, Australia, etc and the one from which your company will work. Holders of third country licences must have an indi - Fees: vidual validation issued by the member state where they 1. For existing RTFs applying to be an ATO using a are resident or established before they can fly under CAA manual template it will be £100 per RTF, that is per EASA. This validation is granted once and is annual by company not per course. may be extended. 2. For RTFs using their own manual, however, the fee EASA licence regulations regarding third countries are will be £1000, plus however many extra hours is neces - deferred until 2015. sary to examine the manual at £172 per hour, up to NB: I wrote to the CAA asking for clarification on the £2,500. questions on which they had said they “will get back to 3. There is also an annual charge of £430 per year, you” but had received no reply by the time we went to which will first be payable on 1st April 2015. This is one press.

HELICOPTER LIFE, Winter 2013 7 F lyinG C rACkerS

View. Caleb Garling, writing for the workers in nuclear power plants, and Royal Aero Club Bursaries SFGate Tech Chronicles, said that that exposure is climbing as airlines Aged between 16 years and 21 the proximity to Google's headquar - fly polar routes more often, accord - years? Got a basic air sport qualifi - ters, and apparently robust funding ing to NASA. During a typical polar cation? Want to advance your air supporting 50 employees, with post - flight, pilots are exposed to the sport qualifications but lack the ings online looking for more techni - equivalent of two chest X-rays, an funds? Would £1,000 help you cal staff, suggests that Google may exposure rate 3 to 5 times higher realise your air sport ambitions? be involved. Ilan Kroo, a professor than flights at lower latitudes. The Royal Aero Club Trust of aeronautics at Stanford, has “Multiplied over the course of a announces its bursary scheme for been CEO of zee.Aero since 2011, career,” says NASA, “this can cause young people for the 2014 season. according to his online profile. problems such as increased risk of THE CLOSING DATE FOR APPLI - cancer and possibly cataracts.” The CATIONS IS 31 MARCH 2014. Passenger jumps from R44 space agency is working on its mod - Full details, rules and an application 61-year-old man flying as passen - els for predicting the intensity of form are available on the Royal Aero ger in a Robinson R44 tour heli - radiation so flight planners can alter Club Trust web site: copter near Newport Beach, course to avoid the most intense www.royalaeroclubtrust.org California, appears to have opened radiation events. the door and jumped out while Slovakian Flying roughly 500 feet above the ocean, Don’t Crash at Nashville! Slovakian company that has been according to local police. The man It took six hours for anyone to working on a flying-car design since was recovered notice that a Canadian-registered the 1990s, recently flew its aircraft from the water and later pro - 172 had crashed and burned for the first time. The company says nounced dead at an area hospital. at Nashville International Airport, it aims for the design to be a ‘real During the flight the man opened killing the pilot. Apparently, roadable aircraft’ that combines the the helicopter's door and jumped the pilot of the aircraft attempted to performance of a with the out while land unannounced at the major qualities of a light aircraft. The air - the pilot attempted to restrain him, airport but details are few. The plane that flew is the third-genera - the pilot's father told the Los Tennessean says the aircraft, regis - tion prototype, which the company Angeles Times. Information tered to the Windsor Flying Club in said aims to be "stylish, comfortable acquired so far by the FAA appears Ontario, is estimated to have crashed for the driver and the passenger." to concur with the pilot’s account. sometime after 3 a.m. In its auto configuration, the “The only passenger on board on Runway 2C, the middle of three Aeromobil fits into standard parking opened the door and jumped into parallel runways at the airport. spaces, and can be fueled at any gas the water,” FAA spokesman Ian station. It runs with a 100 hp Rotax Gregor told local news stations via Jetman flies above Mount Fuji 912 engine and, in its airplane con - email. Local police are investigat - Yves Rossy flew his unique jet-pow - figuration, has a top speed of 124 ing the incident as a possible sui - ered wingsuit above Mount Fuji mph and a range of 430 miles. It's cide. Both the FAA and Newport nine times, as part of a celebration constructed of a steel framework Beach police are investigating the of the mountain's official designa - with a carbon-fibre coating. incident. The deceased man’s tion as a World Heritage Site. Each

brother reportedly said his brother of the flights lasts about 10 minutes. s e

Google’s ? n suffered from a debilitating medical o When the fuel is exhausted, Rossy J - r

A blogger in San Francisco pub - e

condition and had been unable to deploys a parachute for landing. It t n

lished patent drawings that show u

fund the treatment he needed. was Rossy's first flight in Asia. “It's h a n

designs for a battery-powered “per - i

a fantastic privilege to be a little g r

sonal aircraft” with vertical takeoff o Radioactive Pilots mosquito flying in front of that big e and landing capabilities, in develop - g h

Pilots who fly at high altitudes for mountain," Rossy told reporters on p a

ment by zee.Aero, a somewhat mys - r business or commercial aviation Wednesday. "It's really impressive. g o terious company based in Mountain t o

are exposed to as much radiation as It's a perfect form, a huge mountain, h p 8 HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 F lyinG C rACkerS

a huge volcano, a presence that you can feel on the said, “After a tragic and tumultuous year, this marks a new ground and also in the air.” phase. I am excited about the possibilities that lie ahead and am looking forward to developing the executive char - Lady Gaga dressed for flying ter business in the South East.” At the launch of her fourth album, Artpop, in New York in November, Lady Gaga, the flamboyant Gliding on the Edge of Space singer, flew 20 feet (6 m) into the air. To do this she The not-for-profit Perlan Project aims to raise more than wore the world’s first flying dress, designed by $2 million to build the Perlan II sailplane and send it to a TechHaus, the technical branch of House of Gaga, near-space altitude of more than 90,000 feet. The project which took two years to make. Once landed Lady hopes to use "stratospheric mountain waves and the polar Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, said vortex" to reach the target altitudes and to collect atmos - her flight was: “a small step for Volantis but a big pheric data along the way. Flying in near-vacuum condi - step for Lady Gaga!” tions, the aircraft will need to reach near-transonic speeds The flying dress, a platform with four battery pow - to create enough lift for flight. The project predicts build - ered rotors, was controlled remotely. ing costs to exceed $1.4 million with equipment and flight testing to add an additional $800,000. Perlan II is meant to extend the efforts of the NASA Dryden Perlan Project, which included Steve Fossett and in 2006 set a record for altitude in an unpowered aircraft.

Electric powered Flight The two-seat e-volo Volocopter rotorcraft flew inside an arena in Karlsruhe, Germany, in November. The aircraft made several flights to nearly 70 feet. The company said, the flight was vibration-free. The rotors are powered by eighteen small, quiet electric motors. The company said the design is highly redundant, and the distributed energy RotorMotion bought by Castle Air supply is virtually fail-proof. “Nearly all problems of nor - After sixteen years operating rotary wing executive mal helicopters are thereby solved,” according to the news charter and flying illustrious clients from the Dalai release. The aircraft was flown remotely. E-volo managing Lama to Prime Ministers, rock stars to Royalty, from director Stephan Wolf admitted that, due to the complex Redhill Aerodrome, RotorMotion announced in structure of the rotorcraft and its lightweight carbon struc - November that it has completed its sale to Castle ture, it was not possible to accurately simulate how the Air. first flight would go, and if it would be vibration-free. The deal will see RotorMotion’s fleet of 109’s relocate to Castle Air’s new Biggin Hill centre of operations to augment their existing A109 fleet.

s RotorMotion’s Operations Manager, Sue Spencer, e n o

J and Operations Assistant, Declan Lehane, are includ - - r e t ed in the move. n u h Captain Philip Amadeus, founder and Managing a n i

g Director of RotorMotion, will take on a new role as r o e an independent aviation consultant through a new g f

o firm Amadeus Aviation. He will facilitate the transi - y s e tion by servicing RotorMotion’s existing clientele t r u

o and also develop new charter business and aircraft c h

p sales. a r g Amadeus, who was dubbed a ‘hero’ after successful - o t o

h ly landing PM David Cameron despite a gear failure Two-seat electrically powered Volocopter p HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 9 l eTTerS To The e diTor

59 Great Ormond Street, London WC1N-3Hz, . Telephone: 020-7430-2384, Email: [email protected]. Letters are continued on page 13, 17 and 45 Please include your name, and email or phone.

Helipads for Sierra Leone Dear Georgina, I would like to let you know that the concession for the two new international standard Heli-pad sites at Aberdeen and Lungi, has been awarded to my compa - ny 'Air Sierra Ltd.' (AS) AS will manage the sites, I am therefore, inviting hel - icopter operators to the locations from which they will run their own operations. This will include charter work for the mining companies in the provinces, NGO's, the various oil companies now undertaking off-shore exploration and the passenger shuttle service to Lungi. There are many international flights BA is increasing to 4 flights a week. There are other possibil - Lungi terminal ities such as Medivac and governmental opportunities for charter. The operators can be based at either location and will pay AS a annual rental fee, this will include unlimited landing fees and parking. Office space is available and other facilities if required. I would help any new operator to adjust to the local conditions and advise them as may be required in order to help make their business successful. Depending on the amount of help wanted a separate consultancy contract would be available if required. Both sites will be ready to begin flight operations by November 2013. I am attaching some Photo's of the sites for your interest. If you know of any operators that would be interested to take up this opportunity, I would be Lungi helipad pleased if you can facilitate in this process. Kind regards, Aberdeen helipad and Roger Nathan. terminal Air Sierra Ltd (AS) [email protected] Helicopter on Aberdeen helipad

HELICOPTER LIFE, Winter 2013 10

n ew

T eChnoloGy For h eliCopTerS

Dutch HEMS Panda for iPad provided by AirBox

irbox Aerospace Limited, the digital mapping, sit - flight planning ability, airspace awareness including warn - uational awareness and navigation company, has ings, in-fight navigation, geo-referenced approach plates, confirmed it will be providing ANWB Medical A advanced satellite weather overlays, an obstacle and the Air Assistance B.V., the Dutch HEMS operator with a new overhead wires collision avoidance system, and remote tablet software application for iPad called PANDA, an tasking etc. advanced planning, navigation and situational awareness The mapping engine, originally developed for the app. General Aviation consumer market gives users the ability William Moore, Airbox’ Chief Technical Officer and to access and view multiple map scales and styles at any co-founder of the company explained, “Airbox has one time including ICAO charts right down to high detail worked hard with ANWB to create a bespoke package street level mapping and photographic imagery if based on our successful RunwayHD mapping engine required. Because chart, airfield and location data is available for GA pilots. PANDA, however, allows for stored offline pilots are now able to carry with them digi - much more than simple planning and navigation with new tal documentation that previously would have been a prac - features such as an offline street search and wires avoid -

tical impossibility due to volume of paper required. p ance warning capabilities which makes this one of the h o

Airbox worked with ANWB to add a powerful on and t o

most advanced aids to HEMS operators in the world.” g offline search function for PANDA, which allows users to r a

“The Airbox PANDA system provides all our pilots and p h

search, locate and fly to locations such as towns, land - c navigators with a powerful reference tool without distract - o u

marks and even individual numbered houses on streets. r t ing them from the task at hand. It provides hugely e s

The company is hoping to continue the rollout of its y enhanced situational awareness in the high stress environ - o PANDA system to more HEMS operators across Europe f a i

ment of the cockpit which saves time and ultimately lives r

and beyond. B o

when in use.” Said an ANWB spokesperson. x Interested parties should contact William Moore at PANDA (Planning, Awareness, Navigation, Documents Airbox directly on [email protected] or via App) is an all encompassing application providing pilots the website www.airboxmissionsystems.net with an unprecedented level of functionality including full

12 HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 m ore l eTTerS To The ediTor continued from page 10

Rocks from Kenya

Hey Georgina This is what can happen to a H300c when you fly through an explosion from road blasting! Fortunately, we were at 600agl and only flew through the small stones. Rocks the size of a dining-room chair were only about 20ft below and fortunately we only went through the edge!! Best, Alastair Llewelyn continued on page 45 p h o t o g r a p h s a l l l e w e l y n

HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 13 Rosvertol on the Move

David Oliver discovers Rosvertol is moving to Bataysk Air Base

aving produced Mil OKB-designed helicopters also set to become the centre for the production of tail since 1956, the Rostvertol aviation plant in rotor blades for all Mil types including the Mi-8/17 fami - HRostov-on-Don 800 km south of Moscow, sur - ly, it designed a new more efficient Mi-2 tail rotor after vived the difficult years after the Soviet Union imploded production in Poland ceased. Metal blades for early Mi- and now has a workforce of 8,500 working in two shifts 24 variants are still in production. producing more than 25 helicopters annually. Birthplace of the iconic Mi-24 Hind in 1969, Director General Boris Slyusar told Helicopter Life Rostvertol is still producing the latest variant, the Mi- that Rostvertol’s 2013 output will increase by 17 percent 35M, along side the Mi-28 combat helicopter and the over 2012 and that it has a backlog of production until heavy lift Mi-26. When the facility was built it was on 2017. the outskirts of Rostov but now the construction of new In 2012, Rostvertol invested $100 million in new tech - housing is encroaching on the factory’s boundaries and p h o

nology to increase its composite construction capability. its flight test airfield. Director General Slusar revealed t o g

Japanese machine tools, European spiral-winding com - to Helicopter Life that the company has a five-year plan r a p h

posite rotor blade machinery, and the establishment of a to move the facility to the former Russian Air Force s c o

dynamic testing laboratory that will come on stream next training base at Bataysk, 20 km south of the city, begin - u r t

year are all part of the investment package. ning with the flight test centre in 2015. Bataysk Air Base e s y

Rostvertol manufactures the spirally wound composite was the home of the 801st Training Aviation Regiment o f D

main rotor blades for the Mi-28 and Mi-35, and the Mi- where many leading Soviet cosmonauts, including Viktor a v i D

26 blades that have a one-piece tubular steel spar with Gorbatko, Yevgeniy Khrunov and Vladimir Milhaylovich o l i v

honeycomb filled composite pockets. The company is Komarov, first learned to fly. The base closed in 1993. e r

14 HELICOPTER LIFE Winter 2013 stub wings and inflates an air bag beneath each door to protect the crew from striking the landing gear when they parachute from the helicopter. At the time of Helicopter Life’s visit two Mi-28Ns were undergoing flight tests, with five in final assembly plus three early production aircraft undergoing upgrades, and one damaged in a hard landing, being rebuilt. More than 1,600 Mi-24 Hind variants have left the Rostvertol produc - tion lines over the past four decades and the latest Mi-35M variant continues to be delivered to the Russian Armed Forces and several export customers. At the time of Helicopter Life’s visit, five of fifty Mi-35Ms for the Russian Air Force and a single Russian Border Guard Force aircraft were in final assembly with another under - Mi-28N and Mi-24V outside the going flight trials while the last three of 12 ordered by the Rosvertol flight centre Brazilian Air Force were being prepared for delivery. Earlier Russian Air Force Mi-24V helicopters were also being refurbished and upgraded Rostvertol Director General Boris Slyusar told Helicopter Life that there would be no more redesigns of the airframe by the company was working on enhance - ments of the Mi-35’s avionics and weapons systems. At a earlier meeting in Moscow, then CEO Dmitry Petrov told Helicopter Life that develop - ment of its High Speed Russian Advanced Commercial Helicopter (RACHEL) project to replace the Mi-8/17 fam - ily in 2018, is forging ahead with a decision on the power - plants, which could be either Russian or Western, to be made before the end of the year. A flying test bed is being built around a Mil Mi-35 with a new rotor system to set speed parameters and validate systems, so the iconic Hind New Mi-28UB is guaranteed to reach a half century of useful life.

Back to the present, a new variant of the Mi-28N made its first flight from Rostov-on-Don on 9 August. The Mi-28UB combat training variant fea - tures and enlarged rear cockpit for the instructor pilot but retains the type’s full attack capability and unique crew emergency system. The main differ - ence between the new Mi-28UB and the Mi-28N Night Hunter is the dual hydromechanical flight control system that enables the helicopter to be flown from either the pilot’s forward cockpit or the flight instructor’s rear cockpit. The area of the flight p h instructor’s cockpit has been increased, with an o t o expansion in the pilot canopy and change to the g r a p configuration of the energy-absorbing seats. h s c Rostvertol’s chief engineer, Andrey Varfolomeyev o u r admitted that the modifications have added weight t e s y to the helicopter but it was built to Russian Air D a v Force specifications. i D o When activated, the Mi-28’s unique emergency l Russian Air Force Mi-35M prepared for i v e r system jettisons the crew doors, blasts away the flight testing HELICOPTER LIFE Winter 2013 Helicopter Training Type Rating on the Rotorway 162F by Georgina Hunter-Jones see: http://www.helicopterlife.blogspot.com

am doing a type rating on the Rotorway 162F. This, lift on the occurrence of a gust or while transitioning, plus further hours up to 15 in total, will allow me to owing to increased airflow but the 162F is particularly Iexamine and teach owners on the kit helicopter series sensitive because of the large, effective horizontal stabi - the Rotorway. My teacher is John Jackson and I am lizer. In time a new pilot learns to compensate for this as learning at Street Farm in Stansted, the home of the UK with any unusual aspect of a helicopter. Rotorway distributors. Thirdly, the blades are asymmetrical and do not have We started with theory. This is particularly interesting washout (twist), which leads to ‘spread of lift’ along the as the Rotorway 162F is a kit helicopter and as such has blade, instead of parts of the blade lifting more than oth - differences from the main series of factory built helicop - ers. The effect is movement in pitch, which needs to be ters. Some of these differences are intrinsic to the compensated for by the pilot. In practice most people Rotorway, others are normal for two blade helicopters. quickly get used to this. We started with Rotorway Foibles! When flying the Rotorway series for the first time it is The 162F has three main foibles. These are not disad - helpful to compare it with the Robinson R22, as they vantages, they are interesting and significant differences have many similarities and some difference. which should be taken into account while flying. Firstly, the are both light, two bladed machines. The First, it has a lag between action and reaction when Rotorway is the heavier machine with a 975 lbs (442 you move the controls. A time delay between a control kgs) empty weight and a useful load of 522lbs (238 kgs) input and the response. This is a function of rotorhead compared to the R22 empty weight of 865 lbs (392 kgs) control and balance, takes a while to get used to and can and a useful load of 510 lbs (229kgs). Secondly, being lead to a new pilot over-controlling, even if he is already narrow but dual controlled helicopters they both have to used to flying helicopters. compensate for the distance the controls need to cover Secondly, the 162F has a tendency towards flapback without hitting the sides of the machine. Robinson com - (the act of the rotor disc flapping away from the relative pensated for this in his R22 by using the ‘T’ bar, while in wind). As with any helicopter the main rotor blade will the Rotorway they used stiffness.

16 HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 Thirdly, they both have relatively small piston engines. The Rotorway has a 2.6 litre engine with revolutions per minute up to 4,250 giving a nominal value of 150 bhp. The R22 has a 5.3 litre engine, with rpm of 2,300, which gives 138 bhp. This is a very significant difference in that Robinson has clearly gone Rotorway for a larger low-revving larger engine, while Rotorway has 162F has a opted for a smaller, higher revving engine, which actually clockwise gives more power but at the long term expense of its compo - rotor nents, which do not like the vibration. While the R22 engine will need a major overhaul at 2200 hours in the Rotorway this is 500 for a major overhaul but with a top overhaul at 250 hours. While this sounds as though the R22 is a significantly more cost effective helicopter it is worth bearing in mind that few private owners do more than 50 hours a year, and most much less and their is a consider - able difference in purchase and maintenance costs. Before we set off on the first flight JJ pointed out some important factor to notice with the machine. These are true of any helicopter but are particularly pronounced in the Rotorway. Firstly, tail rotor performance. As with any helicopter if the RPM decays the tail rotor becomes less effective, however in the Rotorway this is very noticeable. When I was later doing turns on the spot (NB to the left not to the right so this not a function of the drag of the machine) I allowed the RPM to droop and found my feet were suddenly becoming very inef - fective in the turn. However, once the RPM was increased to the green range this was fine. Secondly, manifold pressure. MAP is related to RPM and throttle position, and hence is not a true reflection of engine power. Again this is normal with any helicopter but is more pronounced with the Rotorway. The point being that you can - not simply raise the lever to get more power, you must also monitor the RPM and will generally need to increase it. This can be hard for R22 pilots who have a governor and thus are not used to moving the throttle. However, for those who learnt Rotorway 162F on the Schweizer series this is completely normal. has a FADEC Thirdly, the clockwise moving main rotor. With power you system need right pedal and in autorotation you need left pedal. This is the opposite direction from the normal US helicopters and does need to be taken into account. Pilots who have learnt on s e the Cabri will find this completely normal, others will not. n o J - Now for the check ‘A’. r e t n Checking the Rotorway means taking off the panels and u h

a looking inside. Once these are off you get a clear view of the n i g

r engine, the control rods, the gear chain in the oil bath in the o e

g dog house, the control belts and the fans, the primary and sec - f o ondary shafts. y s e

t The oil dipstick is behind the pilot’s seat. The engine is liq - Rotorway r u o uid cooled and there is a reservoir to check. Make sure the top make their c s own 150hp h is put back securely or you can have problems with liquid p a

r engine g spilling onto the belts below. o t o Next issue onto flying the Rotorway. Or see the blog. h p HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 17 Around the World World Vision Mexico helps Flooded

he Eurocopter Foundation and NGO World Vision Civil Emergency Plan for natural disasters, known as the Mexico have joined forces to distribute food and DN-III Plan humanitarian aid to the communities affected by T The operations began last September 28 with a recon - Hurricane Ingrid and Tropical Storm Manuel. This agree - naissance flight by an EC120 in the state of Veracruz. ment provides 30 helicopter flight hours to reach com - “It is hugely satisfying for Eurocopter to see first-hand munities in the most devastated regions of the country, how our helicopters are helping those most in need and inaccessible by land. drastically affected by these hurricanes,” said Guillaume In order to assist those affected by the recent storms Faury, Chairman of the Board of the Eurocopter that affected multiple areas of Mexico, the Eurocopter Foundation. “The provision of support to humanitarian Foundation has teamed up with the NGO World Vision organizations forms part of our company’s fundamental Mexico. values and we are quite content with this first urgent “The hurricane left various communities in a dramatic

humanitarian action by our foundation together with r

e situation, which is further aggravated by the inability to t

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World Vision Mexico.” o

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access these zones by land,” said Martha Yaneth o Meanwhile, on October 3, World Vision Mexico began r

u

Rodríguez, General Manager of World Vision Mexico. e

its operations in Guerrero, the state worst affected by the f “Helicopters are undoubtedly an excellent alternative, o

y

tropical storms, with an EC130 B4. Based at the NGO’s s

e enabling us to get humanitarian aid to totally devastated t

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operational center in Ometepec, this helicopter has u

o

and inaccessible zones.” c

already airlifted more than a ton of food and personal s

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This humanitarian organization collects and distributes p

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hygiene items to people living in Ometepec, r food and basic necessities and is one of the entities g

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Cuajinicuilapa and Xochistlahuaca. t

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working together with the Mexican authorities under the h

p 18 HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 AS365n3+ Dauphin for nagoya City Fire

urocopter has signed a contract to supply standing relationship that spans more than 40 years,” said Nagoya with an AS365 N3+ Dauphin for opera - Stephane Ginoux, the President and CEO of Eurocopter Etion by the Nagoya City Fire Bureau as an Japan. “This fourth Dauphin family order in 2013 upgrade for the service’s existing helicopter resources. demonstrates a strong endorsement for our services in Delivery of this new rotorcraft is planned in 2015 to the Japan. We are committed to offering the best and most Pacific Coast city of Japan, which is the country’s fourth comprehensive support and service to meet our cus - most populous urban area. tomers’ needs.” The Nagoya City Fire Bureau has been using The 4.5-ton class AS365 N3+ is part of Eurocopter’s Eurocopter products for over 40 years since introducing Dauphin family, and is a highly popular helicopter type helicopters into its equipment inventory, and it currently for firefighting services, disaster relief organizations, operates two AS365s. The aircraft are used for firefight - police agencies as well as news media in Japan and ing, disaster prevention, emergency medical transport around the world. Currently, more than 50 AS365s are and rescue missions. operated in Japan. Including this contract, Eurocopter Japan has booked Eurocopter leads the Japanese firefighting segment four orders this year for Dauphin family helicopters – with a 60 percent market share, thanks to its wide range involving the AS365 and EC155 versions. Nagoya’s con - of products, in-country support and services network. tract follows orders received so far in 2013 from Hyogo Popular models used for firefighting and disaster relief Prefecture, Hiroshima Prefecture and the Metropolitan missions in Japan include the AS365, the Super Puma Police Department. family, and the BK117 – which is a light twin-engine “We are greatly honored to have signed another con - helicopter developed jointly with Japan’s Kawasaki tract with city of Nagoya, with which we have a long- Heavy Industries.

HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 19 South African AW139 for EMS

gustaWestland has delivered a second AW139 of wild animals typically found in African game reserves. featuring a highly customized exterior painting Equipped with a particle separator system, the per - Ascheme to a South African private customer. This formance of the AW139 allows for operations anywhere aircraft is also the 600th AW139 delivered to the global in Africa and in hot and high conditions. This AW139’s market and it will be used to perform corporate and pas - cabin is provided with a mix of six backward/forward- senger transport in South Africa and Emergency Medical facing seats with the possibility of quick reconfiguration Services utilizing a quick EMS pod. In addi - on a mission by mission basis. The unique aircraft’s paint tion it will perform the unconventional mission of per - scheme provides a glimpse of Southern African art and forming aerial game counting to monitor the populations cultural tradition with its primary focus on nature. First AW139s certified in Tanzania

gustaWestland announced that Bristow and Everett Aviation has operated for nearly 20 years, the D n

Everett Aviation have taken delivery two only East African commercial operator of twin-engine a l t s

AW139s, the first to be certified for operations in helicopters. Everett is a member of the European e

A w a

Tanzania. Representatives from the Tanzanian CAA have Helicopter Operators’ Committee. In addition to the pro - t s u completed training in the and will be vision of helicopter support to offshore Oil and Gas com - g a h licensed to certify future AW139s in-country. panies, they provide onshore services to international p a r g

A third aircraft is expected to be delivered within this mining companies, and medevac services to governments o t o year and will be dedicated to . and government agencies. www.everettaviation.com. h p 20 HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 Russian Helicopters new Helicopters

ussian Helicopters carried out testing of the new by the end of December 2013. The NHBC is simultane - Mi-171A2 and Mi-38 helicopters at the National ously carrying out the latest stage in the third phase of RHelicopter Building Centre (NHBC) in Tomilino, testing for a prototype Mi-38 fitted with Russian-made Moscow Region. The tests were attended by Vladimir TV7-117V engines by Klimov, including ground-based Kozhin, Chief of the Presidential Property Management testing. Directorate. The NHBC is currently carrying out the first Vladimir Kozhin was briefed on the progress of test - round of testing on the medium multi-role Mi-171A2 and ing of the new Russian-built helicopters. He praised the s r e t the third round of tests on the transport and passenger potential of the Mi-38 and Mi-171A2, and noted that p o c i Mi-38. The helicopters were demonstrated at the MAKS- Russia has always been a leading producer of medium l e h 2013 airshow in August, and can be used for VIP trans - and heavy-lift helicopters. Kozhin stressed that today’s n a i s port and corporate purposes. Mi-8 series helicopters are the mainstay of the fleet of s u r In line with the testing programme, the Mi-171A2 suc - the Russia Special Flight Detachment, which provides air f o y cessfully completed testing of its on-board systems and transport services for senior state officials. s e t r new Klimov BARK-6S-7V automatic engine manage - The new multi-role Mi-171A2 and the new transport u o c ment system, which increases engine efficiency in vari - and passenger Mi-38 are core projects for Russian s h p

a ous modes of operation. It is expected that the developer Helicopters in the medium sector and can be configured r g

o will start ground tests and flight-testing of the Mi-171A2 in specialised VIP versions. t o h HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 21 AW189 Maiden Flight gustaWestland announced that the first produc - ational service is a tremendous programme achievement tion AW189 8 tonne class twin engine helicopter to AgustaWestland and to our customer. With this event Aperformed its maiden flight at Vergiate plant on we’ve brought to life the first and only new generation 2nd october 2013. The aircraft is expected to be deliv - production aircraft in its category with an extremely ered to Ltd. by year end to carry out reduced time to market, meeting the most stringent offshore transport missions in the North Sea, with opera - requirements set by the relevant authorities and by the tional readiness planned in early 2014. Two AW189 heli - market. With many orders by a number of major cus - copters are currently under assembly in Vergiate. tomers already logged to date, we’re confident that this Daniele Romiti, Chief Executive Officer, said will be just the first of hundreds of AW189s to be deliv - “Completing the very first AW189 which will enter oper - ered in the coming years.”

Bristow introducing AW189s ristow Helicopters Ltd. is set to introduce the first oil and gas company to introduce this new state-of-the- of six AgustaWestland (AW189) helicopters to its art helicopter to its North Sea operations. oil and gas customers. B “Designed to operate in harsh conditions and capable The eight tonne aircraft, which is capable of carrying of undertaking long range flights, the AW189 effective - 16 passengers, will support GDF SUEz E&P UK’s rap - ly fills the gap between the medium and heavy helicop - idly expanding E&P operations in the Central and ter markets. We look forward to introducing the remain - Southern North Sea from Q2 2014. The twin engine ing five to our fleet and the oil and gas sector. helicopter will be based at Bristow’s Norwich facility. The AW189 is a second Bristow aircraft for GDF Bristow is the first helicopter operator to introduce SUEz E&P UK Ltd with an existing contract for a the AW189 and has six on order for use in the oil and p

Sikorsky S-92 operating out of Aberdeen. h

gas sector with the remainder expected by 2015. The o t

Jean-Claude Perdigues, Managing Director, GDF o g

company recently signed a contract for 11 Search and r a

SUEz E&P UK Ltd said: “The AW189 is of the high - p

Rescue AW189s to be used in the delivery of the UK h est technical specification and we are privileged to pro - B r i

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Georgina Hunter-Jones looks at the history of Helicopters in Search and Rescue in the rom Summer 2017, a civilian company, Bristow Boulton Paul Defiants. The RAF used fixed wing until Helicopters Ltd, will run the Search and Rescue the early 1950s, when helicopters took over the SAR role Fservice in the United Kingdom. This is a change using Sea Kings. They also worked in the mountains of from the original military service, but in fact the ‘civil - Great Britain and coordinated with the mountain rescue ianization’ of the SAR service has been being slowly tak - services. ing place since 2001, with the final phase being imple - It was not until 1971 that civilian companies took over mented in stages from 2015. As there has been some a few of the SAR roles. The first civilian company to do anxiety from the general public, and in particular from so was Bristow, its Sikorsky S55 helicopters replacing people living on the coast, the government has declared the RAF Whirlwinds at RAF Manston in Kent. In the in writing that there will be a better coverage for all, and North Sea, Bristow took over more SAR roles and that it was with this in mind that the bases used were became the main SAR provider as part of their greater chosen: service provision to the oil and gas industry. In 1982, “These base locations are strategically placed near Bristow took over Sumburgh in The Shetlands. areas with high SAR incident rates. Based on historic BP founded the Jigsaw Project in the North Sea, which incident patterns, the government estimates an average was used for SAR and to assist sick or injured oil-rig flight time of nineteen minutes instead of the previous employees. It became fully operational in 2006, when twenty-three, and believes that the new service will raise Bond Helicopters won the SAR contract for rescues pre - s r e the percentage of high-risk areas reachable within thirty viously done by the RAF and Coastguard. t p o c minutes from 70% to 85%.” Efficiency drives in the 1990s led to the introduction i l e

Historically there has been a search and rescue service of Her Majesty's Coastguard, a government executive h w o since 1809, when the Preventative Water Guard was agency. In 1998, the Marine Safety Agency and the t s i r established. Its primary role was to prevent smuggling, Coastguard Agency were joined together to become the B y s but it was also responsible for giving assistance to ship - Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). e t r u

wrecks. By the Second World War, there were sufficient In 2001, a government study emphasized the benefits o c h

numbers of aircraft flying for aircrew to need as much of increasing the private financing of public projects and p a r assistance as sailors so, in 1941, the RAF created a in 2006, the government announced plans to completely g o t o

Search and Rescue team using Supermarine Spitfires and privatize provision of search and rescue helicopters in h p

24 HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 order to replace the aging helicopters (predominantly Sea Sikorsky S92 helicopters will continue to be based at Kings) currently in use. A contract was put out to tender. the existing MCA bases at Stornoway and Sumburgh, In February 2010, the consortium Soteria SAR was and at new bases at Newquay, Caernarfon and announced as the ‘preferred bidder’ for the UK SAR pro - Humberside airports, while the AgustaWestland AW189 gramme. However, on 8 February 2011, only a few days helicopters will operate from Lee on Solent, Prestwick before the contract was due to be signed, the UK airport, and new bases at St Athan, Inverness and Government halted the process after Soteria admitted that Manston airports. it had unauthorised access to commercially sensitive The remaining working Sea Kings will now be retired information regarding the programme. from SAR service. The government announced it would then have to rene - The S-92 can carry its crew of 4, plus 3 stretchers and gotiate the SAR project and while that was happening a up to 10 passengers, to an operational radius beyond 250 ‘Gap’ contract was tendered for the existing MCA bases. nautical miles. On 28 November 2011, the Department for Transport The ten smaller AgustaWestland AW189 twin-engine began the procurement process for UK Search and helicopters will operate from Lee on Solent and Rescue (SAR) helicopter services by issuing a contract Prestwick airport, and from new bases at St Athan, notice in the Official Journal of the European Union. Inverness and Manston airports. The eleven AW189s will In February 2012, it was announced that Bristow be built at AgustaWestland’s Yeovil facility in Britain, Helicopters would take over the running of Stornoway these will be brought into service with Bristow between and Sumburgh, using four Sikorsky S-92s, while CHC 2015 – 2017. The AW189 can carry its crew of four, plus Helicopters, using AgustaWestland AW139s, would retain two stretchers and up to six passengers, to an operational Portland and Lee on Solent. This Gap contract was to run radius beyond 200 nautical miles. for four years and would involve working with the Each base will host two SAR helicopters, which will Maritime and Coastguard Agency. It started in the sum - be on-call at all times, and are expected to be fully serv - mer of 2013. iceable. Since no machine has a 100% readiness record, In March 2013, the Department for Transport it is presumed that Bristow will keep one spare helicopter announced that it had a signed a contract with Bristow of each type as the gap-filler. Helicopters Ltd to provide Search and Rescue Helicopter Services in the UK, operations commencing progressive - ly from 2015. The new service is expected to be fully operational across the United Kingdom by Summer 2017. Bristow Helicopters will use both the original Sikorsky S-92s and AgustaWestland AW189s, based in ten loca - tions around the UK, an increase from the current four MCA bases at Stornoway, Shetland, Portland and Lee-on- Solent. The new service will operate in a similar manner to the existing MCA contract and will run for 7-10 years. The contract will be managed by the MCA. All bases will be operational 24 hours a day. These base locations are S-92 on GAP Search strategically placed near areas with high SAR incident and Rescue contract rates. Bristow Helicopters Ltd and the MOD have agreed a special transition between spring 2015 and early 2016, to s r allow Service Personnel who wish to continue to work in e t p

o UK SAR to do so without risking the current military c i l e service provision. Civilian personnel currently working h o for UK SAR will also have the opportunity to work with w t s i

r Bristow Helicopters Ltd B f

o The RAF and RN SAR bases: RAF Boulmer; RAF y s

e Valley; RAF Lossiemouth; Royal Naval Air Station t r u (RNAS) Culdrose and HMS Gannet at Prestwick, plus o c h Wattisham, Chivenor and Leconfield will revert to their p a r

g pure military roles and their future will no longer be o t o linked to the UK SAR. h p HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 25 Balkan Hawks Paul Kievit and Carlo Kuit visit the Macedonian Police Photographs by Bronco Aviation

acedonia, officially the Republic of Skopje and headed by a Government-appointed Macedonia, is located in the central Balkan Director for a four-year mandate, the Ministry’s Bureau MPeninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of for Public Security runs the national Police Force. The the states of former Yugoslavia, from which it declared Macedonian Police is playing a vital role in the coun - independence in 1991. Macedonia became a member try’s security; an important role is played by the of the United Nations in 1993. The Republic of Macedonian Police Aviation Unit which has a long and Macedonia is bordered by Kosovo to the northwest, rich history in the region. Serbia to the north, Bulgaria to the east, Greece to the The Macedonian Police aviation unit “Hawks” south and Albania to the west. Macedonia is a member (Helikopterska Edinica “Jastrebi”) operates currently a of the UN (1993) and the Council of Europe. Since small fleet of various helicopters out of Petrovec December 2005 it has also been a candidate for joining Airport and Indrizovo, the latter is the main the European Union and has applied for NATO mem - Macedonian Police station, located about 15 kilometres bership. Law enforcement in the Former Yugoslav to the east of Petrovec airport. Various types are cur - Republic of Macedonia is the responsibility of the rently in use ranging from the AB.206, AB.212, AB.412 Ministry of Internal Affairs (MOI). Headquartered in to the in the 2008 procured Mi-17V5 (2) and Mi-171

, 26 HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 The Macedonian Ministry of Internal Affairs Policija Na Republika Makedonija, oper - ates two Mi-171's and two Mi- 17V-5's in its Helikopterska Edinica “Jastrebi” out of Petrovec-Skopje.

(2) heavy transport helicopters. The latter were original - lates as Aircraft Unit of the Macedonian Police. ly planned to be delivered to the new established Iraqi Macedonian Police helicopters are used by the Ministry Air Force. As this deal did not materialize the of Internal Affairs (MOI) for various tasks: VIP trans - Macedonian Police acquired these helicopters to sup - port, transport of cargo and the special police units port their tasks and expand capabilities especially night (STU/ Special Task Unit), Border monitoring, Search operations and support of the Special Task Unit (STU). and Rescue (SAR) missions, Medevac and Traffic sur - The official name of the Macedonian Police Aviation veillance. The Hawks unit was formed in 1969 and for Unit is Oddel za vozduhoplovni edinici, which trans - 40 years has been operating Bell-designed helicopters.

HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 27 Members of the Special Training Unit (STU) exercise a tactical deployment from the sole Bell 412EP in use by the Macedonian Police.

The addition of the four Mi-17 helicopters came as a gency”. Currently three student pilots are being trained surprise in both Macedonia and abroad, especially con - within the unit to relieve the pressures of the senior sidering the experience the MOI has with its small pilots on base also acting as examiners. Two of them western-made fleet and at the same time, the logistical are expected to finalize their training soon. “We could problems the Macedonian Air Brigade is currently hav - easily double our headcount in order to achieve all our ing with its Mi-17 and Mi-24V helicopters in terms of activities and put less pressure on the current team”. spare parts. Dragi Micev says. “Our main challenge is to expand the The Mi-171 helicopters are currently part of an number of pilots and work with the budget we are pro - extensive upgrade under the so-called ‘Balkan’ pro - vided by the MOI. In the most optimal scenario we gramme. Elbit Systems is involved in the upgrade would like to have forty-eight pilots”. The Macedonian which seems similar to the ‘Alexander’ upgrade to both Police student examiners consist now of the Head of the Mi-17 and Mi-24s of the Macedonian Air Brigade Aviation Department Dragi Micev and the former Head though detailed information remains scarce at the of the unit. It takes up to 135 flight hours to complete moment. Dragi Micev Head of the Aviation Department the training phase. details “The first stage of the upgrade consists of As of 2014 it is expected the first student class of adding Night Vision Capabilities and has been imple - Police pilots will be trained by the newly established mented by now. Stage 2 comprises of a Moving Map, Pilot Training Center (PTC) at Petrovec Air Base. The upgraded Radio and GPS amongst others. Both Police PTC is a joint venture between Elbit Systems of Israel Mi-171 helicopters should be upgraded by the end of and Macedonian Ministry of Defence dating back to 2013”. Further details were not revealed during the May 2011. Currently the PTC trains two classes for the Authors’ visit. Air Brigade utilizing zlin 142s and a sole AB.206, in The Hawks are currently working with reduced num - total four AB.206s will be operated by the PTC over the bers of staff, which puts a lot of pressure on pilots and next year to allow for a smooth transition on the Mi-17 technicians. “Our pilots and mechanics are mainly ex and Mi-24 helicopters. “The main difference in require - Air Force staff” the Head of the Aviation Department ments for the Police pilots is we do not require an aca - t i

Dragi Micev continues. “We have experienced senior demic background” says Dragi Micev. v e i

personnel; however there is a continuous pressure as we The Augusta Bell AB.206 and Agusta-Bell AB.212 K D n work with a team of around 30 people in total. have been in the Macedonian inventory since the early a t i u

Maintenance of our helicopters is executed on base by 1970s. During 2000, Taiwan announced it would donate K s h

the Unit. After 600 hours of flight the helicopters are one Bell UH-1H to the Macedonian p a r g

overhauled abroad. There is always a challenge to allow Air Force and Air Defence Forces. This decision of the o t o

for holidays, but also keep a 24/7 alert in case of emer - Taiwan Government was later changed, owing to objec - h p 28 HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 tions from the United States. Taiwan decided instead to donate US 5 million to the Macedonian Government to be used for procurement of one new helicopter from Bell Helicopter TEXTRON. The Macedonian Government decided to acquire one Bell 412EP which was delivered to the Macedonian Police Aviation Unit on November 22, 2000. The helicopter received the seri - al z3-HHC and is has recently been recoded to MAP- 7752 as part of new legislation of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) where MAP is the abbreviation of Macedonian Police. The main roles for the Macedonian Police Aviation The history of the Special Task Unit Unit, since its establishment in 1969, focus on monitor - (STU) dates back to 1980. ing the borders of Yugoslavia with Bulgaria, Greece and Albania, humanitarian missions and other activities to The Bell 206 is used preserve and protect the interests of Macedonia. The full for training Border Patrol role, with all those responsibilities, was taken over from the Air Brigade some years ago. One of the new roles that came up as a new task for the Police is conducting Commercial flights. In practice everybody can hire one of the Police helicopters for travel in Macedonia, a pricelist is available. The cost of one fly - ing hour is (between 1000 – 4000 euro) around 1.500 Euro per hour depending on the helicopter type. “The drug enforcement role has become more important, the harbor of Thessaloniki, Greece is very nearby and Macedonia is been used as one of the transit countries” according to Dragi Micev. “Of course, the general crime fighting and prostitution problem from neighbouring t i v e i K After the independence of the Republic of D n a Macedonia in 1991, under the Ministry of t i u

K Interior, the Militia became a Special task unit s h

p an elite part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. a r

g The STU operates with Macedonian Police o t o Aviation Unit h p

HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 29 The two Mi-171's (710 and 711) are the Iraqi machines that were stored in Poland

country Albania needs constant attention”. The four helicopters are now operational within the Macedonian Police is working with other European Ministry’s Helicopter Hawks unit located at Petrovec Police Forces. Tasks are becoming more intensive and airport. “These new helicopters brought us new chal - more complicated,” the Head of the Aviation lenges” Dragi Micev outlines “The heavy Mi-17 heli - Department concludes. copters have been acquired for new tasks previously During the Autumn of 1972 the initial AB.206 was not in scope of our work. Besides SAR, VIP, standard completely destroyed in an incident near the village police tasks we are now also involved in border patrol Lojanje, Shar Planina, near Tetovo. Shortly thereafter, activities and work closely together with the Special the State Secretariat for Internal Affairs ordered a new Task Unit (STU). The crew of Mi-17 consists of a AB.206 helicopter from Agusta. The unit was left crew of three, whereas we normally work with a crew without a helicopter until 1973, when new AB.206B of two pilots operating the Bell helicopters”. JetRanger II was made available to the unit. As a result The Mi-171s (serials MAP-7710 and MAP-7711) of their work in the 1990s, the unit received the presti - and Mi-17V-5s (MAP-7712 and MAP-7714) all dis - gious Gold Medal for their work in the field of civil play the Macedonian national flag, Macedonian Police protection. emblem, Cyrillic inscription “Policija” as well as an After operating a small fleet of Bell helicopters for English translation “Police.” The new Macedonian Mi- thirty-five years the Macedonian Police Aviation unit 171 helicopters are easily recognizable by the fact that acquired two Mi-171 and two Mi-17V5s late 2008. they have an Iraqi Air Force colour scheme, the two The helicopters were not procured directly from the helicopters were part of a group that the Iraqi Ministry Russian helicopter production plants Ulan-Ude of Defence refused to take from the Polish company Aviation Plant (UUAz) and Kazan Helicopter Plant Bumar before acquired by Macedonian Ministry of (KVz). Instead, they have been purchased on the Internal Affairs. The Mi-17V-5s are recognizable by European market in order to meet the urgent need for their overall olive-green colour. helicopters that could perform a wide range of Co-located at Indrizovo Police station is the STU. demanding missions, such as disaster relief and civil The history of the Special Task Unit (STU) dates back operations under the Ministry of Internal Affairs to 1980 following a decision made by the State responsibility. Secretary of Interior to form a new unit for specialized The first two Mi-17s were purchased on Nov. 27, tasks. After the independence of the Republic of 2008, with Lithuanian, Kaunas-based Aviabaltika Macedonia in 1991, under the Ministry of Interior, the Aviation. The second agreement was signed on Militia became a Special task unit (STU) as an elite December 23, 2008 with a Finnish registered company part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MOI). In the under a deal for two KVz-produced Mi-17V-5s. All past the STU has been engaged in supporting major

30 HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 The Macedonian Police Aviation unit has operated a small fleet of Bell helicopters for forty years

events to support the regular police, to execute arrests of countries are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, criminals, assist in case of natural disasters. Nowadays, Montenegro, Croatia, Macedonia and Serbia, while the following the world trends in the fight against crime, international partners, among others, are Slovenia, particularly in combatting terrorism the STU performs Romania, Europol and Interpol. The professionalism of the following tasks: hostage negotiation, counterterror - the STU is high and can be deployed in an hours’ ism activities, arrest of high risk targets, VIP protection, notice. “ coordinating actions with other organizational units of The main issue is to attract new team members and the MOI in providing escorts and high ranking foreign to train them” according to one of the senior staff of delegations, secure shipments of money, support trans - the unit. “Continuation of executing missions is to our port of weapons and ammunition, Search and Rescue, utmost importance”. selection and admission of new members, conducting The STU is highly recognized by other special appropriate training with the same training and perform - forces around the World. The STU has won the 3rd ing advanced training to the other members of the STU. place for Snipers during the World Special Task Force For the successful execution of the tasks by the STU a Competition in Hungary (2008). significant part is depending on international coopera - tion, this consists of exchange of experience, seminars, sporting events and visits to similar units from other states. The STU is currently collaborating with Police agencies in the USA, France, Germany (RAID/ Research, Assistance, Intervention, Deterrence), France, Hungary, Austria (Cobra) and Italy. Furthermore the STU has a good cooperation with the Ministry of Interior (MOI) of Serbia, special anti-terrorist unit (SAJ) and with Croatia. The STU have the professional capaci - ties to handle challenges when it comes to cross-border crime. The STU is part of the International Law Enforcement Cooperation Unit (ILECU). ILECU is a European Commission funded project, carried out by the Austrian Ministry of Interior. Its aim is to enhance the cooperation and networking among beneficiaries and EU Member States through the establishment of cooperation The STU can be mechanisms and/or agreements with national and inter - deployed at an national law enforcements partners. The beneficiary hour’s notice HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 31 The Age of

Georgina Hunter-Jones flies the Cavalon

his,” the Cavalon salesman, Andy Wall, told me, ed than the current models. “is the era of the gyrocopter.” The Cavalon is a two seat side-by-side enclosed TInterestingly, gyrocopters were the first aircraft model designed in 2012, it was, built in Germany in to be flown in Antarctica, South Pole, during the Byrd 2012, and selling in the UK from 1st May 2013. It has a Expedition in 1933 and those gyrocopters (the Kellet fibreglass body over a stainless steel frame, unlike pre - autogiro see below) were considerably less sophisticat - vious models it was built with a monocoque structure to

32 Aquarius Winter 2013

Cavalon taxying with the overhead rotor in the BRAKE position

33 33 implementations were down to his insight. The pilot’s seat is on the right, and in the current Cavalon main rotor models there is only one throttle, between the pilots, however, in training models a second throttle can be added. Starting is electric and has a double ignition for safe - ty. This only involves the engine since, as with other gyrocopters there is a knob on the console for ‘Brake’ or ‘Flight’. While on the ground the blades are kept in Brake mode for safety. We taxied out with the blades fore and aft, it is worth emphasising this position as more than one gyrocopter blade has hit a gate or tree when being taxied up to the runway with the blades in the abeam position! Once lined up on the runway the knob is changed from Brake to Flight position. Once the gyroplane is in flight mode, the pre-rotator button on the stick is held down until rotor rpm reaches 250 rpm. (Pneumatics are used to power the pre-rotator, this reduces the number of moving parts in the cockpit and improves reliability.) make it more robust. The engine is a four stroke Rotax, Once the blades are spinning, the wheel brakes are partly air and partly water cooled, you have a choice of released and the gyrocopter motors forward, with the two types of engine; the basic 912 hp or the tur - stick now held back, until around 300 rpm, when the bocharged 914 model. Both engines can run on UL91, nose wheel lifts slightly from the ground. At 350 rpm or Mogas, but as they are designed for use with UL91 the gyro lifts into the air, and climbs out at 60 mph (all they will need a bi-annual filter change if they use speeds are in miles, not knots). Rpm varies slightly Mogas. The Cavalon carries a fuel tank of 100 litres and depending on varying wind conditions. uses 14/15 litres an hour, depending on the mode of fly - I was surprised by the length of ground run before ing, so it has an endurance of five hours. The engines the gyrocopter lifted off the ground. This was longer need an overhaul at 2000 hours. The Cavalon cruises at than I expected and is possibly a function of the drag 145 km per hour with a maximum speed of 160 km/hr. induced by the wide (relatively) body. There appeared As the Cavalon was designed in 2012 it has a lot of to be touch of squirreling in the ground run (there was uptodate features. These include the LED headlights, no wind) however, this might be because I am more electrically heated seats with lumbar support, and an used to the take off run of helicopters than aeroplanes. iPad mount, on which you can run AirBox, Sky Demon We climbed up to 2000 feet, rate of climb was around or whatever navigation package you choose. 800 fpm. Once levelled off we did some turns and slow and fast flight. The Cavalon has very good visibility and Test Flight is very benign in flight. You can easily fly hands off, I flew with Rotorsport salesman Andy Wall from and although, thanks to the large windscreen, there are Booker Airfield, near London. no horizon markers and when first doing steep turns the While doing the pre-flight check he explained that the nose tends to drop, its stability allows this to be easily Cavalon is designed to be a simple machine, hence it is recovered. easy to check lights, fuel and water states, and any We did a few engine offs, and apart from the fact I stresses on the airframe or blades. kept expecting to come to the hover, and then hastily We climb on board and adjust the backrest and lum - remembering that that is not possible, these were fine bar support so the seat is very comfortable. The cockpit and clean. Rate of descent is benign and I felt as though is wide and roomy, partly a function of its monocoque I was in a Warrior or other comfortable touring aero - structure, but also related to the neat baggage areas plane. behind the seat and the movement of the seat back, We headed back to the airfield and approached the which allows for more or less luggage behind both pilot runway at 60 knots. A nice approach and gentle touch - and passenger. The console is laid out in a ergonomic down with a short ground run. We stopped to return the manner. Gerry Speich is on the compliance committee blades to the fore and aft position and to return the knob of the Rotorsport Company and many of the necessary to Brake, and taxied in with our aluminium blades held 34 HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 Cavalon panel

The Cavalon has an egg-like monocoque structure

safely in position. In conclusion, I would say this is a nice tourer, it Cavalon 912/914 Specifications is stable, clean, spacious and full of modern technol - Minimum crew: 1 plus 1 passenger or 2 crew. ogy, but don’t look for the fun of a helicopter. It is Length: 4.6 m (15 ft 1 in) an aeroplane with overhead blades and a pusher Width: 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in) engine not a helicopter, so treat it as a long distance Height: 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in) flyer and you will not be disappointed but don’t set Gross weight: 450 kg (992 lb) out for Antarctica without a few more gallons of 912 Powerplant: 1 × Rotax 912ULS horizontally opposed fuel. four cylinder, liquid and air-cooled, four stroke aircraft engine, 75 kW (100 hp) Backrest 914 Powerplant: 1 × Rotax 914ULS horizontally opposed mover and storage space four cylinder, liquid and air-cooled, four stroke aircraft behind the engine, 75 kW (100 hp) plus turbo charger. seat Max power 5800 rpm Cruise power 4850 rpm Main rotor diameter: 8.4 m (27 ft 7 in) Pusher : 3-bladed composite

Performance Maximum speed: 160 km/h (112 mph; 97 kn) Cruising speed: 145 km/h (94 mph; 86 kn) Best rate of climb 60 mph, gives 550 fpm in 912 and 750 fpm in 914 Cruise climb 70 mph VNE 100 kph Fuel tank: 100 litres Fuel usage: 14 / 15 litres an hour s e n Endurance 5 hours o J -

r Fuel: MoGas or UL91, which is approved by Lycoming. e t n u h a

n Costs i g r

o Basic model 912 without options around £66,000 plus VAT. e g y B h

p NB. An apology: on page 31 of the last issue of Helicopter a r g Life we tittled a picture the M24 Magnigyro. It was actually o t o the Cavalon. I hope this article will clear up the confusion! h p HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 35 Bruce Charnov on the Byrd Expedition to Antarctica

n America a Kellet autogiro would briefly become was greatly impressed with the virtues of the autogiro. the most famous autogiro in the world when its cor - With its singular hovering instincts and its nearly vertical Iporate owner, the Pep Boys chain of automotive landings, it is the perfect instrument for short-range stores, lent it to Rear Admiral and national hero Robert reconnaissance in the polar regions." E. Byrd for his second Antarctic Expedition of 1933 – On March 24th the K-3, flown by McCormick with 1935. The ‘Pep Boys Snowman’ K-3 Autogiro Byrd again as passenger, flew out in the face of strong (NC12615) was a converted K-2 that the company had winds to find one of the expedition’s fixed-wing aircraft used for advertising purposes. It is likely that the Pep that had not returned. When Byrd and McCormick sight - Boys corporate executives had been impressed by the ed the missing aircraft, the K-3 landed to check on the publicity gained by the Champion Spark Plug Company, condition of the two marooned pilots. The K-3 then from the involvement of Lew Yancy and ‘Miss returned to base and returned with the leaders of the Champion’ in the Mayan explorations in the Yucatán the dogsled teams who would come to rescue the stranded previous year. airmen. Although when winter set in all the aircraft were The ‘Snowman’ left Boston in October 1933, securely grounded, and the K-3 experienced engine problems, the placed aboard Byrd’s supply ship Ruppert. It was rescue gained much notoriety and public acclaim. Flying unloaded in the Bay of Whales, after a largely uneventful resumed in early September and, when weather permitted journey on January 28, 1934, and flown to the expedi - it, the K-3 was used for measuring the temperature of the v o tion’s forward base at Little America by pilot W. S. upper air, but the aircraft crashed on September 28, 1934 n r a h

McCormick. By the end of January the K-3 had been as it took off. It fell from a height of approximately 75 ft c e c

employed for sea ice reconnaissance by McCormick, and was completely destroyed. McCormick survived but u r with Byrd as a passenger, and both were impressed with was found unconscious, in shock, with a broken arm. B f o the performance. Investigation revealed that drifting snow had weighed y t s e

That autogiro, unlike the Cierva and Pitcairn models, down the rear of the fuselage and shifted the centre of r u o was ideally suited to such exploration, as the side-by-side gravity. c s h p

seating allowed for easy communication between the In September 1989, gyroplane pilot Beverly Johnson, a r g participants, and the optional coupé top facilitated flying wife of Academy Award winner Mike Hoover asked o t o in the cold climate. Byrd was reported as observing: "I Ron Menzie (who, along with John T. Potter, had flown h p 36 HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 in the 1972 New Television Workshop production of October 18, 1976 and broken his tibia and fibula, "Between Time and Timbuktu") to build a tandem gyroplane requiring evacuation to Los Angeles for medical treat - "capable of performing in the harshest conditions on earth ment, but Brock’s performance under harsher condi - while carrying two persons, survival gear and heavy camera tions had been flawless. However, five days after mounts and cameras . . . " Johnson was a veteran of two pre - Brock left for the trip back to California, another pilot vious expeditions and had flown a Brock KB—3 gyroplane, inexperienced with the gyroplane was killed while try - but now not only wanted a two-passenger, she and her hus - ing to fly the two-passenger model. band wanted Ken Brock to fly with them in Antarctica while This is an extract from a previous article by Bruce filming a National Geographic TV special. Charnov on the Byrd Expedition published in The Ron Menzie ‘Ice 90’ gyroplane, was completed in Helicopter Life in Winter 2006. two months, transported to Brock’s machine shop in California and tested where further modifications were made The Pep Boys before being crated, flown to Santiago, Chile and placed on Company gave K-2 board a ship for the final southward leg. to Byrd’s expedition Brock spent two months and three days in January- February 1990 in Antarctica, during which he flew both gyroplanes for nearly 30 hours and spent three weeks on the polar ice cap. It was the time of his life and, when asked if he would go again, he stated in typical Ken Brock-fashion: "I’d go in a minute! It was just a lot of fun and good old time." Such photographic survey work had proven hazardous in the past for naturalists, and Philippe Cousteau had crashed on just such a expedition while exploring Easter Island on

The Kellet K-3 wa a converted K-2 with a top and side- by-side seating

HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 37 High Hopes

HeliAir now has nine bases from which it flies Robinsons, Bells, Eurocopters doing training, charter, aerial work and maintenance

eliAir, originally started in the 1980s has grown since 2008 from a Hsmall privately owned school into a large company with nine bases nationwide including one in Scotland. “Heli Air’s success has come from diver - sification,” said Brian Kane, Head of Sales & Marketing. The company, which started with just pilot training and a few helicopter sales, now embraces helicopter maintenance for many brands, charter, and both oil and gas pipeline patrol work as well as expanding on their sales and training schools. They r recently won the IS-BAO(H) award for i r i a i a i l l safety standards. e e h h f HeliAir started in Wellesbourne and then f o o y y s s e expanded to Denham and High Wycombe, e r r u u o they later included Fairoaks, Thruxton, and o c c s s e Manchester. e r r u u t t c In 2010, Heli Air added Silverstone Race Robinson R66, which still has c i i p p D circuit to its stable. Here they have a FATO not received EASA certification D n n a a s eight months after ELOS s D (final approach and take off area) and D r r o ground to air radio control. However, this (equivalent level of safety) o w w 38 HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 base is exceptionally busy with helicopter traffic during Cumbernauld to start Heli Air Scotland. They have now the Grand Prix weekend with an additional GP FATO, been operational there for six months. and at other times of year they give pleasure flights and “There have been huge changes since 2009,” said trial lessons as well as PPL(H) training. Kane, “but for now we have stopped expanding and con - In 2012, they added Gloucester to their company, a centrate on consolidation and growth at all bases. start-up operation at that time and now the base is rapid - Although each individual base will grow, we will not be ly becoming very busy. This year they added looking to acquire any more at in the short term.”

FrankRobinson visiting HeliAir in 2012

Pipeline work involves following and checking the pipeline route, ensuring that no damage has been done to the lines

Silverstone, once the businest heliport in the UK. Managed by HeliAir r i a i l e h f o y s e r u o c s e r u t c i p D n a s D r o w HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 39 SKYe is the limit

Helicopter Life looks at the growth of the SKYe SH09 Marenco Swiss Helicopter from conception to prototype Photographs courtesy of MarencoSwissHelicopter

n 28th November 2013, the prototype of the generation’ light turbine helicopter, using more advanced SKYe SH09 MarencoSwiss Helicopter was materials and modularity and advanced ergonomics. Ounveiled at Mollis Airport in Switzerland. The SKYe SH09, has a standard configuration in the Martin Stuki, CEO and designer of the helicopter said: 2.5 ton weight class. It has five composite blades with an “With a maximum take-off weight of 2,650 kg (5,842 advanced bearing free rotor system and a shrouded tail

lbs), the SKYe SH09 has seating for up to seven passen - rotor. The aim is to reduce noise levels and maintenance e r i a gers in addition to the pilot. A cruise speed of 260 km/h while increasing safety for people and objects on the h u o

(140 knots) will allow it to offer a range in excess of ground. D u e i

800km (430 nautical miles) with standard fuel tanks.” The body-work is composite and uses the same crash h t t a

The SKYe design was first unveiled as a mock-up at resistant technology employed by the Formula One M h p

HaiHeliExpo 2011, but it had been in construction since industry. The ceiling is higher than on most helicopters, a r g

2008. The aim of the Marenco company was to take all perhaps to give more room for medical work inside, and o t o the best bits of previous helicopters, and build a ‘new it is easily changed from five to eight seats for differing h p 40 HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 roles. There are clamshell doors at the back, again use - ful for stretcher access, and the tail boom is higher above the ground to prevent anyone accidentally touch - ing the shrouded rotor. There are four doors, the back two are sliding doors and the front two can be jettisoned in case of emergency. A Plexiglas viewing floor allows a pilot to hook loads without having to crane through a side window or alternatively gives a good view for sightseeing. The engine is a Honeywell HTS900 (820 shp takeoff, Left to right: Martin 750 shp max continuous) and has FADEC (Full Stuki CEO and Authority Digital Engine Control) with dual channel and Founder; Daniel manual backup provision. The dual centrifugal compres - Schultheiss CAO and sor in the engine is said to increase power output and Mathias Senes CCO reduce engine consumption. Standard tanks carry 800 litres. This performance is one of the most interesting claims. Marenco Swisshelicopter says that the SKYe SH90 will be able to hover at 2,200 kgs at a height of 4,478 metres in ISA + 20˚c (this is the height of the Matterhorn). Cruise is 145 knots (27km/h) and it will offer range around 430 nm (800 kms) with standard tanks. Throughout 2013, the Marenco SKYe SH09 was becoming known and approaches were being made for orders. Marenco Swisshelicopter has already taken nine firm orders for helicopters.

The SKYe SH09 by Frédéric Vergneres showing the high visibility cockpit s e r e n g r e v c i r e D e r f h p a r g o t o h p HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 41 Air BP’s Reward Card

n December 2013, Air BP launched their new cash- pilots, owners and airports. Air BP feel that this separa - rewards fuel-card. A credit card in a combined ven - tion of cards will ensure ground staff do not use the Iture with Visa, this will allow Air BP to reward their incorrect fuel. customers for loyalty. Although the Sterling Card has first been launched in Miguel Moreno, Global General Aviation Manager Air the UK, it is intended that the card will be able to be BP, explained, “this is not a discount card or a price set - used world over, from the USA, to Africa, China and the ter, but a way to thank customers for their loyalty by giv - Near and Far East, Australia and New zealand and ing them a cash reward.” Europe. The credit card, which comes in two versions, one for Air BP is currently used in sixty different countries AvGas and one for AvTur, can be used anywhere in the and has been at Biggin Hill for over eighty years. world that has BP aviation fuel, by customers registered Moreno says that there will be further promotions to for the scheme. They will then be given loyalty points, come and that Air BP is very serious about rewarding which will be credited as cash to their rewards card at the their customers. end of each month. The rewards card can then be used to However, for GA buyers with only one or two small purchase certain products. aircraft or helicopters this scheme will probably have lit - As Biggin Hill Airport was the launch airport cus - tle effect as, for example at Biggin Hill, the extra cost of tomers fuelling here will be given a bigger cash reward the landing fee would negate the small saving in the fuel than at other airfields. Customers will get 10 cents cash cost. back rewards per gallon, instead of the 1 cent per gallon BP are also looking into getting rid of plastic cards offered elsewhere. altogether and moving into electronic capture and pay - The reason Air BP have opt for separate cards for ment. They already have an enabled system which allows AvGas and AvTur is that they wish to emphasise the every customer to check their invoices electronically on importance of using the correct fuel for each aircraft to line.

42 HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 Changes in Chinese Airspace and other Helicopter Mishmash elicopter development like any similar field has Group’s purchase of Enstrom. its ups and downs, changes are sometimes not In 2013, the Tanjin Air Show (fairly near Beijing) fea - Himprovements and steps can be taken that lead to tured civil as well as military helicopters and it was over-regulation and a diminishing of creativity. However, announced that the government had plans to build or there have been some positive movements recently inter - reconstruct 100 heliports in the next decade. nationally. As well as countries and air space, there is also a One is in China, which has taken a major step toward movement to change the design of helicopter, to increase opening its airspace for general aviation operations. their availability and to create other flying craft. Reuters reported that the government said that from Recently, jellyfish and an owl have inspired December 1st 2013, companies and individuals flying in researchers with new insights about how to fly more effi - a private jet or helicopter no longer need to have their ciently and with less noise. The oscillating movement flight plans pre-approved by the military. Flights will still used by jellyfish underwater can translate into aerial need to be OKed by the Civil Aviation Administration of capabilities, as proven by a tiny hovercraft built by Leif China, and civilian aircraft must stay out of designated Ristroph, a mathematician at New York University. The no-fly zones but this is a significant relaxation of the tiny 3-inch-wide prototype, which he demonstrated at the restrictions.. recent meeting of the American Physical Society, in These change should make it much easier for compa - Pittsburgh, hovers using four small petal-like wings that nies like Eurocopter, Sikorsky and AgustaWestland who open and close. have parts and sometimes whole machines built in China This machine Jaworski explained, “achieves self-right - and who are also envisaging huge sales in the future. ing flight using flapping wings alone, without relying on It is no secret that China is one of the most sought additional aerodynamic surfaces and without feedback after helicopter markets. In 2010, there were only around control”. At the same meeting, engineer Justin Jaworski 200 helicopters in the whole country, then in 2011 China of Lehigh University said the mechanics of owl wings opened its lower airspace to general aviation aircraft. may help design quieter airplanes. Indigenous companies went into co-operation with major Places, shapes, power units; we are finding more and foreign manufacturers such as Eurocopter, Sikorsky and more light and adaptable power sources and materials. I AgustaWestland. Chinese companies bought US manu - hope nature keeps inspiring inventors and we keep sup - facturers, such as Chongqing Helicopter Investment porting their creativity.

HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 43 Dubai Air Show November 2013 Report by Gerald Cheyne

ubai Airshow takes place every two years and is a key event in the Middle East region. The first Ka32A11BC DDubai Airshow took place in 1989. Participants include global aerospace and defence companies and pro - ducers of systems and components interested in expand - ing their presence in the Middle East. Now, in 2013, Eurocopter showed the company’s mili - tary helicopters the EC725 and efficient NH90 and the latest generation of corporate aircraft, including the new EC145 T2 and the executive version EC175 presented for the first time in the Middle East. Eurocopter’s EC725 and NH90 were presented at Dubai in scale model form to illustrate their capabilities for customers worldwide. To date, 17 military services from 12 countries have ordered 130 helicopters from the EC725/EC225 family for deployment in Afghanistan, Mali, Europe, Latin and South America, as well as Asia. Russian Helicopters demonstrated commercial models currently in production, including the Ka-32A11BC, as well as the new Mi-171A2, the latest Ka-62 and the mod - ernized Mi-26T2. The company and Rosoboronexport jointly presented the military Ka-52 Alligator, the Mi- AW139 was used by Dubai 28NE Night Hunter, the multirole Mi-35M and the Mi- Police to monitor the show 17V-5 and Mi-171Sh military transports. Six Bell products were at the Dubai Airshow, each tar - geted at the challenging environment, geography and diverse missions of the region, including three newly upgraded and enhanced commercial aircraft – the Bell 412EPI, Bell 407GT and Bell 429WLG. On the static dis - play were the Bell AH-1z, Bell UH-1Y and the Bell- Boeing V-22 Osprey. 2013 marks the debut of the Bell AH-1z and Bell UH-1Y at the Dubai Airshow. Dubai Airshow 2013 hosted 60,692 trade attendees with 1,046 exhibitors from 60 countries; deals announced at the show totaled $206.1b, the largest in any airshow history. Mi-28NE Night Hunter

HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 44 m ore l eTTerS To The e diTor

continued from page 13 At Auster we also had plans for a Mk 2 Skyrover – a five seater with two Aurora engines, giving an engine- A Long Career in Helicopters out performance when that was necessary to overfly urban areas. We were 20 years ahead of Robinson, and Dear Georgina, with a potentially better aircraft with better perform - Thank you for the most interesting current copy of ance. Robinson, to his credit, has demonstrated the Helicopter Life. demand for small affordable light helicopters. It was of particular interest to me as it touched upon You commented how a successful British Aircraft many of the aspects of my long career in the British Industry had declined over the ensuing years. That is Helicopter Industry – beginning with a Student just one example of how political interference has Apprenticeship in 1945 with Bristol Aeroplane dogged the industry – there are many others! Company and working on the Prototype Bristol Type I then returned to Bristol to work again under Raoul 171, Sycamore. The apprenticeship was superb seeing Hafner but I have one reason to thank Sandys for his us through every department in the Company including interference- as there I met my dear Wife-to-be but who Flight test and learning to fly gliders and light aircraft. sadly died 3 years ago. After completing my doctorate in 1953 for which my You report on the sad death of Ken Wallis – a main thesis was a theoretical prediction of helicopter remarkable man and both my friend and erstwhile com - vibration, I returned for a while to Bristol Helicopters petitor! but then left to assist in setting up a Helicopter Division On one occasion, we were each invited to compete in at Auster Aircraft in Leicestershire. There, after a year trials at an RAF airfield on Airfield Damage attempting, not too successfully, to develop the Auster Surveillance, the winner being given a contract to pro - B9 ram-jet powered Helicopter, I was given full control duce equipment for a number of airfields. of the Helicopter Division and went on to design and Ken, carrying a thermal imager in one of his autogy - develop the ‘SkyRover’. ros and me, then with ML Aviation, operating a Sprite, This was a collaborative programme between Auster a small, very stealthy, unmanned co-axial-rotor helicop - and the Rover Car Company at Solihull. Rover had a ter which had a range of interchangeable payloads for beautiful little 180 shp Aurora free-power gas turbine different tasks, Civilian and Military. On this occasion it engine which, although not suitable as a land vehicle as was fitted with a payload mounting a Rank-Pullin high it used too much fuel when idling at low powers, ideal - resolution thermal imager, ly suited a helicopter with its generally high-power Unfortunately for Ken, the Sprite won hands down operation. but we remained friends! So the 3-seater Skyrover was born. The third seat The Sprite with its much higher resolution imager could face either forward or aft which pleased the Army could, when a suspicious item was seen ahead, slow Air Corps who wished to obtain a number for observa - down, hover near to it and zoom in to identify it. tion purposes. Within 2 weeks of promoting it, we had Something that Ken, of course, could not do. ITPs for just over 500 for both Civilian and Military MLA won the competition but, as usual, the MOD customers. Then disaster struck! found that they had no money, so it was only a pyrrhic The day on which I collected a contract for 40 air - victory. craft with up-front money from the Swedish embassy, Interestingly, whilst this operation was being carried Duncan Sandys, the then Air Minister, summoned our out, we discovered that the imager could detect the steel managing director to London. Sandys thereupon effec - reinforcement in the concrete about 12” below the sur - tively blackmailed him into ceasing our helicopter face. This led us to begin the development of a payload activities and I had the ignominious task of telling with other added sensors which should quite readily Rovers and handing back our contracts. detect IEDs and buried landmines and also, in the same He was probably already planning the merger of the payload, have the means of destroying them using then four helicopters companies into one and did not either explosive darts or a pulsed acoustic beam devel - want another successful company to undermine his oped for us by ISVR of Southampton. This would be plans. I mention this because of your references to the done remotely with no personnel ‘boots on the ground’. Robinson R22 and R66 The Sprite System was available with several other

HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 45 payloads by 1990 and the anti-IED payload almost The prototype of the Type 173, a much smaller ready. It could have been used to our troops’ advantage, Tandem Rotor aircraft, a predecessor; of the Type 192, saving many lives, in Iraq and Afghanistan. Belvedere, did initially have a problem in that it insisted Returning to Ken’s , although he bought his on turning to port in level forward flight. original machines from Benson in the USA, they actual - We expected this as the rear rotor, operating in the ly originated in the UK. downwash of the front rotor used more power and During WW2, Raoul Hafner and a team at Airborne therefore generated greater torque than did the front Forces developed a small autogyro named the rotor. We had thought that we had countered that by ‘Rotachute’. This was intended to be dropped in num - building in a differential rotor axis tilt. bers from a transport aircraft to deploy paratroopers. Its However, the effect was greater than expected so that intended advantage was that compared with a para - we added an offset tab to the rear of the fin which sort - chute, the Rotochute could be descended more quickly ed that out. The 173 was a technically successful heli - and flown under more precise control to a given spot in copter but the prototype was powered as an interim the drop zone. It could also carry more arms and ammu - measure by 500shp Leonides piston engines awaiting nition. the availability of the 850 shp Bristol Janus free-power turbine engine. A number of Type 173s were ordered by BEA on the premise that the production machines would be fitted with the Janus This engine, in final development, was designed by Bristol Engines in collaboration with advice from the helicopter team to make it especially suitable for rotorcraft installation. In the event, however, the Korean war began and the UK government ordered Bristol to cease manufacture of the Janus in order to assist Rolls in the accelerated man - ufacture of its Avon engines for the Hunter fighter which, however, never made it to the war. Without the Janus, the 173 did not have a reliable A number of successful trials were carried out but the engine-out capability so BEA, understandably cancelled war ended before they could be used in action. Post- their order. Another political gaffe! war, they were offered for sale in Government surplus Moving on to the much larger Belvedere, politics military equipment outlets. Igor Benson, helped by the again took control. USAF in the UK, bought one, and flew it. Whereas the Company concept was of a machine It so inspired him on the concept of autogyros that he with GE T58 engines, made under licence by De took it back with him to the USA where he made Havilland as the Gnome, mounted atop the fuselage improvements such as replacing the 2-blade flapping which was to be of a much larger uncumbered cross- rotor with a teetering rotor, added an engine and pro - section and with a rear-loading ramp, the “Ministry” peller and reproduced them to sell as part-assembled insisted on our use of the Napier Gazelle, a much heav - kits. It was there that Ken Wallis purchased one to bring ier engine with a much larger diameter, which had to be back to the UK and set about making other improve - installed within the fuselage ments. Unfortunately, the Ministry also insisted on our use So began Ken’s stable (or Harem as he called them) of IPN starters for the engines, in which they had a of autogyros and very successful life’s work. I don’t vested interest, instead of our preferred installation of a think that story is generally known. Rover Neptune APU mounted in the aircraft sternframe n

I was also intrigued to see the advertisement in your i and available to supply electrical power to start the t s

magazine for the book entitled Borneo Boys by Roger u engines and provide power to other aircraft systems a g

Annett. I have obtained a copy. e while it was on the ground. r t

The reason for my interest was the comment of the f The IPN starters were a source of unreliability on o y

reviewer that the Bristol Belvedere was “prone to insta - s e

Belvederes as they exploded causing fires, especially on t r

bility” which puzzled me, especially as no such com - u

start-up. An explosion with the aircraft airborne was the o c

ment appears in the book! s

cause of one fatal crash of Belvederes during their oper - h p

I was closely involved in the development of that air - a r

ations. Another criminal decision by The Ministry. g o

craft including its stability characteristics. t Returning to the issue of instability, the prototype o h p 46 HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 Belvedere did exhibit a bias to port and Dutch roll char - The Belvedere could be flown virtually ‘hands off’ acteristics. The stalling of the main fin was suspect above about 40 knots. If there were indeed, any even though it had a built-in camber in light of the instances of instability, it was more likely to have been experience with the Type 173. To assess this, the fin brought about by the assortment of external loads car - was covered in black wool tufts but we did not have a ried slung from the aircraft. At the Bristol Weston- video camera with a sufficiently wide angle lens to super-Mare works, we had a method of ensuring that cover the field. loads were stable before they were picked up. These So I volunteered to be strapped to the outside of the included the Spire for the new Coventry Cathedral, fuselage in a position to view the whole of the fin and which a Belvedere carried and lowered onto the roof of passed information to the crew by intercom at progres - the Cathedral, and a radio dish antenna for Cambridge sive values of forward speed. University. The Borneo Boys would not have had that Indeed the fin became stalled at quite low values of facility. speed, due to the rotary wake of the forward rotor impinging upon the port side of the fin. We cured that by adding a quite large trailing-edge tab. However, the Dutch-roll characteristics had not been completely cured so we measured, in flight, the values of the stability derivatives lv (rolling moment with sideslip) and nv (yawing moment with sideslip) and found them to be ill-matched. So changes were required. We made progressive changes to the original empennage in an attempt to provide a measure of anhedral and to increase the effective fin area. (See page 49) We also developed a twin-cable suspension system for external loads which used the bifilar principle to sta - bilise even aerodynamically unstable loads such as large containers onto cargo ships. Unlike the other helicopters in Borneo, the Belvedere could be flown manually should the power controls fail. This ability resulted from Raoul Hafner’s often declared maxim – “We do not seek a solution – we seek the elegant solution”. Hence the control loads were minimised by balancing springs to oppose the propeller moment from the blades putting a download onto the collective pitch system and the use of Raoul’s innova - tive resonant torsional tie bars which removed loads from the pitch-change bearings. Unfortunately none of these relatively simple modifi - Apart from the availability of manual reversion, this cations were adequate We found that a new, fairly wide- strategy enabled the use of much smaller hydraulic chord anhedral tailplane (affectionally known as the actuators in the control system thus minimising weight ”Barndoor” ) did the trick and the aircraft was then sta - and cost. As the author of Borneo Boys says, the ble, hands-off, at all airspeeds. We then required that Belvederes did sterling work in Borneo. They were the tailplane to become the production standard. fastest helicopters there by far and carried loads Unfortunately, without our knowledge, the produc - unmatched by any other. tion department had proceeded to build an initial batch The tag ‘the Widow Maker’ was undeserved as the of 25 of the earlier design of tail plane – horizontal, sole fatal crash, caused by the unwanted IPN Starters, tapered and mounting small tip fins. The Company was less than those experienced by the other, single- could not afford to scrap those and build new so we had engined, helicopters. to cobble together a new tailplane from the parts of the Yes, the height above ground requiring a ladder to old. reach the cockpit was not clever and a lower front This did achieve much the same result as the undercarriage could easily have been substituted had ‘Barndoor’ but does not look very elegant! The Ministry agreed.

HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 47 The reason for the Belvederes being handed down scanner. Sadly, all of these developments were aban - from the Navy was not as given in Ansett’s book. The doned after the Westland take-over. Navy originally used anti-submarine helicopters in a Other reminders of my past work were the Lynx hunter-killer arrangement, i.e. one carrying the sonar Helicopter and the EH 101. equipment and the other the torpedoes / depth charges. In 1960, Sandys pushed through a compulsory merg - Reportedly, it was decided to combine these activities ing of the 4 UK helicopter companies under the control into one twin-engined aircraft and hence the require - of Westland. In my view that was a great mistake. ment for the Type 191 Naval Version which preceded It removed all element of competition. I believe that the RAF Type 192 Belvedere. two companies formed, say, of Bristols with Faireys Then another policy change decided to revert to two and Westland with Saunders-Roe would have been the aircraft working together so that if one was forced to better solution. ditch at sea, the other could rescue the crew. Hence two Westland had always produced older-generation smaller aircraft were to be used instead and the Wessex Sikorsky aircraft under licence (as did Italy and Japan was adopted, leaving the 191s redundant. at the same time) and saw no reason to change that. They were then handed to the RAF rather than their Shortly after the merger, I was appointed as Chief specified aircraft. More irrational politics! Project Engineer for the new Group and had to move to Another criticism of the Belvederes was the cracking Yeovil to set up a small team of designers to produce of the base of the rear fin/pylon. designs for new aircraft. I soon discovered that this was Photographs of a Belvedere carrying, underslung, a little more than a front. Wessex (not the smaller Whirlwind) reportedly with full However, I persisted and discussed, with the Army, fuel aboard in order to make the flight from Borneo to the requirements for a medium-sized helicopter to carry the mainland indicated that the Belvedere was operating a section of soldiers plus aircrew and to carry 4 stretch - 20% above its maximum design weight. What other ers and 2 para-medics in a casevac role. i.e. a loads may have been carried is not reported but may Whirlwind replacement with greater capacity, better also have caused overloading. Because of this cracking, performance and reliability in tropical conditions, the aircraft were withdrawn from service and Chinooks including virtually twice the speed of its predecessor. It instead were ordered for the Service. Shortly after that, had to be able to live in the field with minimum mainte - the Chinook order was cancelled leaving the UK with a nance. costly financial penalty and no heavy lift helicopter. I had been acutely aware of the problems of the The money paid to Boeing in compensation could prob - Borneo Boys in . In fact I was scheduled to ably have paid for repairs to the Belvederes. fly out there to discuss their needs for improvement of Yet another political shot in the foot on a par with equipment when the campaign ended and the helicop - today’s no aircraft carriers for a while and no Harriers ters were withdrawn. sold to the USA for a knock-down price! My team outlined a design and estimated phased We had a very capable and enthusiastic team at costs based on the installation of an existing powerplant Bristol Helicopters, working under the inspiration of – the Continental T72. I was well aware of the difficul - Raoul Hafner. Many of the technologies developed then ties which could ensue in designing a new aircraft are interesting Boeing and EADS Helicopters today for around paper engines. Engines take longer to develop possible inclusion in their new helicopters than do aircraft. These included a simple boundary-layer control sys - I wanted a rugged engine and an aircraft whose num - tem for rotor blades which had no moving parts and ber one requirement was that, having spent perhaps simply used the centripetal action to suck in the tired weeks on standby in tropical rain, it started on “the first boundary layer and exhaust it at the blade tips, to press of the button”. reduce the net power required by the rotor and by A generous design contract was offered for the improving the lift on the retreating blade to increase the design phase which I accepted. I was later called to the helicopter speed. boardroom and given a dressing down for having com - Other developments used on the Belvedere were two mitted the company to develop a new helicopter. I was different types of accurate air data measurement sys - not popular. tems, one of which was used to good effect on its However, the die was cast and so the Lynx was born. record run from Battersea to North Africa, But that is another story, again of political interference Another under way was the installation of radar which compromised the design! wave-guides into a radar-transparent blade trailing edge Re the ‘101’: The Royal Navy were looking for an to convert the front rotor into a high-resolution radar anti-submarine helicopter with greater endurance and

48 HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 copter(s) will be looking next, and make his attack accordingly. We therefore had to persuade the Navy to pursue a random pattern, even to the extent of dunking again in the same location, say, 5 minutes later. This latter, they found especially diffi - cult to accept! They did, eventually, understand the logic. The aircraft spec was subsequently rewritten and was designated Westland WG26. Shortly after, I left that activity in order to concentrate on the unmanned helicopters ideas which my team had been developing and in which the MOD were showing great interest. But that, also, is another story. The 101 eventually became the weapon capacity than the then current Sea King. However, their assump - Merlin but when Agusta joined with tion was that it would be operated in similar fashion. Westland to form the European We obtained a contract to carry out the preliminary design of a Sea Helicopter Industries the WG 26 King Replacement but I persuaded the board to let me spend a first third became the EHI 01, i.e. the first heli - of the contract carrying out Operational Research to determine what copter project of the new group. should really be the characteristics of the new helicopter. At the next Farnborough, show the Using sources, I learnt that the new Soviet submarines were now carry - model shown was mistakenly labelled ing medium range missiles and could operate at much greater depths than ‘EH 1o1’ and since then the 101 label their predecessors. It was important therefore that they be intercepted at has stuck! greater distances from the fleet. I also discussed with the Plessey In conclusion, I would like to say Company the possibility of dunking sonar systems that could penetrate to that throughout my long career in the greater depths. British Aircraft Industry, I have had Another aspect of operation that the war-gaming part of our analysis the good fortune to work with brought to light was the fallibility of the practice of dunking buoys in a Aviation Enthusiasts and enjoy their regular pattern. company and friendship. A submarine can detect a ‘ping’ at a far greater range than the helicop - There was always a great cama - ter can detect a return. Therefore, if a regular dunking pattern is main - raderie, a total dedication to the task tained, the submarine commander has prior knowledge of where the heli - in hand, no matter how many ungodly hours we worked and always conduct - ed with a great sense of humour. This was perhaps exemplified by the slo - gan: “Today we do the possible – The impossible we do tomorrow!” So much was achieved in spite of the frequent setbacks brought about by the actions of stupid politicians and short-sighted members of the UK financial sector. I have the very good fortune to remain in contact with many of my aviation colleagues even dating back almost 70 years to my student days, although now, sadly, they are in declining numbers. Best wishes, Reg Austin HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 49 Cricket for Helicopter Museum

he Helicopter Museum in Weston-Super-Mare has The example donated to the Helicopter Museum was taken delivery of one of the few surviving the third Cricket built (G-AXRA), which was completed TCampbell Cricket gyroplanes, built at Membury in in February 1970 and initially sold to a US citizen living Wiltshire in the late 1960s as a single-seat development in Harlow, Essex. It later changed owners before finally of the original US designed Bensen B.8M gyrocopter. ending up in Cardiff, complete but in poor condition. Established by Don Campbell and partner Geoffrey Originally the new owner intended to restore the gyro - Whatley, the Campbell factory originated in a garage in plane to flying condition but eventually abandoned the Reading but relocated to Membury in 1967. Here design - idea and offered G-AXRA to the Museum, along with a er Peter Lovegrove modified a Bensen with a partially second incomplete example. M u enclosed cockpit and replaced the original unreliable Led by Collection Officer John Clews, The Museum e s u two-stroke power plant with a modified Volkswagen Volunteers Chris May and Jack Kilmuray collected the M r e t

engine, hand-built for the purpose by Royal Berks cricket on 4th October and it is now planned to refurbish p o c i

Motors in Reading. Final assembly was carried out at it for static display alongside an original Bensen B.8M l e h

Membury airfield, close to where the Membury motor - for comparison and next to another Campbell gyroplane, e h t

way services on the M4 stand today. the one-off Cougar which was built next door to the t f o

Only about 30 Crickets were eventually produced, Museum in 1973. y s e t

with examples exported to France, Denmark, Norway, The addition brings the Helicopter Museum collection r u o

Malaysia and Morocco, and six to Kuwait, each selling to over 90 aircraft, including 10 different autogyros and c s h for around £1,645 ex-factory. Production ended in 1971 gyrocopters dating from 1935 to the present day, as well p a r g

although some kit-builds were revived for a time in as a secondary collection of over 100 engines. o t o

2001. h p

50 HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013

French Cayman

Words and pictures by Kuit and Kievit of Bronco Aviation

he Naval Air Station Hyères-Palyvestre started in squadron 33F has five crews operational. The Caïman 1919. Now, though, the introduction of the NH- has a reduced crew of three due to the 4-axis T90NFH (NATO Frigate Helicopter) by the French only one pilot is required, seated on the right hand side Navy named Caïman (Cayman) with 31F (Flotille/ of the cockpit. The tacco (the tactical coordinator respon - Squadron) is adding a new Chapter to its long history. sible for mission management) is seated on the left side, On 4 October 2012, when the unit’s Lynx fleet was and a senso (sensor systems operator) in the cabin who transferred to 34F based at Lanveoc-Poulmic, the 31F doubles as the loadmaster and winch operator. was re-activated after a stand down of two and a half The community within 31F is a mixture of experi - years. The 31F is now operating three Caïmans in ‘Step enced helicopter sensos, and former Atlantique NG senso A’ version; a fourth, tested by CEPA/10S (Centre operators. “The tacco role is new to the French Naval d'Expérimentations Pratiques de l'Aéronautique Navale) Aviation and comes with the introduction of the NH-90” during the Authors visit, will be the first in a Step B ver - said Executive Officer Lionel Le Boursicot “We really sion. Further Caiman deliveries are planned. had to prove the French Navy HQ that this new tacco Flottille 31F was founded in Algeria, North Africa 1st role would be of value add to us. The tacco has two vital of August 1956. The unit then operated the H-21C roles to play during operations; most important is the ‘Banana’ helicopter. In March 1960, the H-21C was tactical observer responsible for overseeing the big pic - replaced by the Sikorsky HSS-1 and the unit relocated to ture during operations, located on the left side in the Saint-Mandrier. By the 16th of November 1978, after cockpit. Besides this role we expect the tacco to be a flying 70.000 hours with the H-21C and HSS-1, the back-up pilot who is able to support the pilot during (WG-13) was introduced to the French harsh circumstances as you can imagine when operating Navy. In 2003 31F moved to BAN Hyères Le-Palyvestre over sea. Now everybody sees the value add of the tacco; and had been operating the type till June 2010. it is like a contract between pilot and crew.” The first Caïman delivery to the French Navy in May “It is a challenge to convert to the NH-90, it is a high - 2010, was for initial experimental testing on behalf of the ly computer driven helicopter which requires a different Aeronavale. Each future NH-90NFH following the same mindset from other types of helicopter currently in serv - path before being delivered to 31F or 33F based at ice within the French Navy” says LT. Jerome Dagnac Lanveoc-Poulmic. The latter was the first unit to be (NH-90 pilot and 31F Safety Officer). LT. Dagnac has declared operational on the new type as of December been operating the SA.321G Super Frelon with 32F and 2011. was one of the first three pilots to be involved in the NH- Currently five crews are operational with 31F; sister 90 programme testing the aircraft with CEPA/10S and 52 HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 writing the manuals for operations. The first three pilots were trained at Eurocopter, Marseille in 2010 and flew 30-40 hours before moving on to 31F. One of these three pilots is LT Laureline Beuvelet; the first female NH-90 pilot. “For the other pilots we use the train the trainer con - cept” continues LT Dagnac. “Besides the three trained pilots by Eurocopter 31F is responsible for the transition to the NH-90 of all pilots for both 31F and 33F. As we have currently only senior pilots in the squadron the conversion can be done in 20-30hrs of flying”. To support the pilot training of 31F a Partial Task Trainer, developed by Augusta Westland, is made avail - able. This consists of four terminals which are connected and simulate the set-up of the NH-90 cockpit. On average pilots spend 10-20 hours familiarizing themselves with specific tasks. A full NH-90 simulator will be available in 2015. “The aim eventually is to have 50%-60% of the NH- 90 training on the simulator in the future”says Commander Barbe “so we can push the envelope in learning curve of our pilots. “Within two years from now we plan to have a separate NH-90 training squadron at Hyères” explains Commander Barbe. First part of the training will be conducted at Le Luc, Base école Général Lejay (French Army/ Armée de LT Laureline Beuvelet, Terre) training facility for combat helicopters. The second first female NH-90 part, the Aeronautical part will be at Hyères. The helicop - pilot ters will stay at the existing squadrons; no aircraft are to be assigned to the Training School. The French Navy NH-90NFHs are being shipped direct - ly from the Agusta production plant in two different con - figurations: 13 for SAR and sea assault, with a rear loading ramp and 14 for pure anti-submarine warfare (ASW) oper - ations, without a ramp. However the cabin of all 27 NFHs is able to be fitted with specific pallet-mounted ASW kit comprising an avionics bay, a sensor operator station and tactical coordinator station, plus dipping sonar and sonobuoy launcher. A magnetic anomaly detector (MAD), in the helicopter’s tail boom, completes the ASW suite for Within two years the detection and identification of underwater targets. there will be NH-90 training squadrons Besides a complete IFF system, the Caïman has a compre - at Hyeres hensive communications suite for tactical communications and a navigation suite including GPS, INS, Doppler, air data and a digital map generator. The L11 tactical data link, which provides extended on-board data fusion and total networking with a NATO task force at sea. The FREMM multipurpose frigate designed by DCNS/Armaris and Fincantieri, operates in anti-air, anti- submarine and anti-ship warfare, and is capable of carrying out strikes against land targets. The French Navy plans to operate nine FREMM frigates. 31F's aircraft will be on detachments to Forbin-class air defence ships, while 33F, the other NH90 unit, will deploy its aircraft on the

HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 53 FREMM-class vessels. Typically the primary missions of back from 31F crews and technicians CEPA/10S is able the NH90 NFH helicopter is in the autonomous anti-sub - to deliver a solution on short notice. “We are the toolbox marine warfare (ASW) and anti-surface ship warfare of the French Navy” as Commander Henri Mavé (AsuW) role. In a four-hour 'relocation on call' operation, explains. “Our work is dedicated to experimental flights the helicopter would take: 35 minutes to reach the area since the NH-90 has already been certified. We evaluate of operation; 20 minutes releasing sonobuoys; two hours the NH-90 to make sure it is living up to the standards of on surveillance in the area of operations; 30 minutes the French Navy. Furthermore we are developing opera - releasing torpedoes; and 35 minutes to return to ship and tional documentation for tactical use, training and flight land, with 20 minutes in reserve. In a four-hour 'screen - safety. For these tasks we have two experimental flight ing' operation, the helicopter would take: 15 minutes to test pilots a crewmember and ten technical staff”. reach the area of operation; three hours and 30 minutes Commander Mavé continues “We are experiencing some in the operations zone carrying out 11 consecutive cycles challenges currently as the French Navy has not reached of ten-minute sonar dipping; and 15 minutes to return to the targeted number of NH-90s in service. We have to the ship and land, with 20 minutes reserve. In the anti- deal with availability and operational needs to perform surface warfare role, the helicopter is capable of detec - our flights. The NH-90 is still in a development phase tion, tracking, classification, identification and attack of through the new versions (Step B) and capabilities hostile ships, and has over-the-horizon capability. (ASW, AsuW, MU-90 torpedoes), we need to find an A vital role in the introduction of the “Caïman” is for accurate conciliation between a stable standard and a CEPA/10S. The unit has been involved from the start quick and consistent response to the operational needs of onwards of the NH-90 introduction to prepare integrating the French Navy. We want to make the NH-90 easy to the NH-90 within the French Navy. Each to be delivered operate by the crews and make sure they can focus on NH-90 is extensively tested before handed-over to either their missions”. Commander Mavé concludes “Our work 31F or 33F. Currently the unit is involved in experiment - is highly dependent on what the French Ministry of ing with the implementation of the MU-90 Defence requires. We anticipate starting with experi - which is fore seen to be finalized before the autumn of ments with the ANL (Anti Navire Leger/ Light Anti-Ship 2013. The first NH-90 Step B was delivered by missile) in the near future. Our schedule is booked for CEPA/10S during January 2013 and is including now a the next two years with developing an electronic warfare ECM (Electronic Counter Measures) kit. Based on feed - doctrine, mission preparation system and ship based

Upgrading will continue between 2014 and 2017

54 HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 Lt Jerome Dagnac discussing the NH-90 programme with his crew

operations”. Caïmans will be in service by then. The seven earlier As CEPA/10S is in the lead of the implementation of delivered Caïmans from 2011 (Step A) will be gradually the NH-90 there is also a high dependency on the techni - upgraded to the Step B between 2014 and 2017. cal support unit of 31F to be able to conduct flying oper - During October 2012 the NATO Helicopter ations. Elementary maintenance is conducted by 31F Management Agency (NAHEMA) awarded Thales a itself; 50 flight hours (visual inspection, torque check), two-year contract, with a three-year extension close, to 100 flight hours and 150 flight hours checks are execut - support 14 FLASH dipping sonars on the French Navy's ed. “The helicopter is like an iPhone and requires a dif - 27 NH-90 NFH helicopters. The contract will contribute ferent way of working then before with the Lynx” states to the operational readiness of the French Navy NH- the Chief Engineer of 31F. “We are now only working 90NFH helicopters equipped with the FLASH sonar sys - with electronic documentation, our crew had to be tem and will enable them to fulfill their antisubmarine trained to handle the maintenance. Ever since operations warfare missions in conjunction with the Navy's have started some child deceases had to be overcome. FREMM frigates equipped with the Captas-4 variable “We have to be very watchful on corrosion especially of depth sonar from Thales. “The introduction of the the composite materials on the NH-90, furthermore we Caïman to our unit has been a great adventure so far with had to replace the floating devices numerous times, we major achievements. We have now eight NH-90s deliv - found out these were ripped apart during flight opera - ered over a three year period with two units equipped tions. “Currently too many tasks are in each scheduled with the new helicopters and able to perform SAR and maintenance and consumes a lot of time; aim is to fur - MCT missions. Last but not least we have been operating ther streamline these tasks over the next years” con - onboard a multi mission FREMM Frégate during 2012 to cludes the Chief Engineer. To support 31F’s maintenance gain experiences. During the autumn of 2013 we will team five Eurocopter technicians are embedded with 31F start experimenting with ASW and AsuW missions, as part of first contract which runs till May 2014. implement the MU-90 Torpedo and Machine Gun MAG- On 21 December 2012 the Directorate General of 15 and will start with operating with Chaff & Flare. Armaments (DGA) took delivery of the first standard Within a year from now will be fully SAR and Special Caïman. After a short period of evaluation conducted by Forces capable; in two years’ time we aim for full quali - CEPA/10S, the total number of NH-90s in service will be fication on the NH-90NFH”concludes Commander delivered by end May 2013 to 31F. In total eight Barbe. HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 55 Nordholz Air Day

Words and pictures by Arjan Dijksterhuis

n the 3rd of May 1913, Kaiser (Emperor) HMA2 can easily be recognized by the infra-red sup - Wilhelm II founded the first two pressed engine exhausts and the tail boom is far more O‘Marinefliegerabteilungen’. One for the airplanes angular than the original tail boom. A civil EC135P2+ and another for the zeppelins. On Sunday the 18th of was seen with badges from MFG5 on both sides of the August, the German Marineflieger, celebrated their 100th helicopter as well on the nose. This particular EC135 is anniversary with an Air Day at Naval Airbase Nordholz. in use for training purposes with MFG5. Nordholz is one of the oldest airports in Germany and Special liveries were applied on both types of helicop - located in the north of Germany, about 25 kilometres ter as well as the Orion. The Orion received a blue fuse - north of Bremerhaven and close to the town of Nordholz. lage top with the text ‘100 Jahre Marineflieger’. Sea It is the homebase of the Marinefliegerkommando (Naval Lynx Mk88A with serial 83+20 and Sea King Mk41 with Air Command) with Marinefliegergeschwader 3 ‚Graf serial 89+55 both received the same dark blue livery. An zepplin’ (MFG3) and Marinefliegergeschwader 5 UH-1D Huey and a German Bo-105P1 were present (MFG5). The P-3C Orion and the Dornier Do-228NG wearing a special livery. are operated by Marinefliegergeschwader 3. The Sea This Air day even had a small aerial display with a Lynx Mk88A helicopters were transferred from few military helicopters displaying their capabilities. The Marinefliegergeschwader 3 to Marinefliegergeschwader Orion also flew a display. Formation flying was done 5, that already operated the other type of helicopter; the with a Dornier Do-228 and the Dornier Do-28. Both air - Sea King Mk41. The Sea Kings were moved to Nordholz craft flew a display afterwards. An Austrian Air Force in November 2012, as part of the scheduled closure of Saab 105ÖE flew its display in a tiger-livery. their, now former, homebase Kiel-Holtenau. A few participants on static display reflected the histo - One of the highlights at a rainy Nordholz was a pair of ry from the German Navy. A Dassault Atlantique 2 from Wildcat HMA2 helicopters. AgustaWestland had a booth the French Aeronavale was present, still wearing the spe - inside one of the hangars to promote the AW159. One cial markings, celebrating 100 years Marine (1910- AW159, designated by the Royal Navy as a Wildcat 2010). The German Atlantic fleet was replaced by the HMA2, was parked inside. The second example was Orions that were acquired from the Royal Netherlands parked outside after a lot of requests and was probably Navy. One of the former German examples can be seen the most photographed helicopter. The AW159/ Wildcat at the junction outside the gate of the airbase, with the

56 HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 SeaKings were moved to Nordholz in 2012

special painted MFG 3 ‘Graf zeppelin’ tail. The museum a not so good condition. This particular helicopter was ‘Aeronauticum’ also has an example preserved. The previously preserved at Kiel-Holtenau. entrance of the museum can be found close to the The polish Mi-14 helicopter was cancelled a few days entrance of the air base. prior to the event. Had it been there it would have A few civil aircraft on static display like the Dornier reflected history: in late October 1979, the East German 27 and a Piaggio P.149 reflected the fixed wing part of Navy (DDR-Volksmarine) received the first Mi-14 in the history within the German Navy. A Dornier Do-28 two different versions. After the reunification in 1990, could be seen as part of the small flying display. A pre - fourteen Mi-14s were added to the new inventory, but served Sikorsky H-34 was parked out of sight and was in were quickly phased out in December 1991.

UH-1D Huey

German BO105P1 p h o t o g r a p h s c o u r t e s y o f a r J a n D i J K s t e r h AW159 Wildcat u i s HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 57 B ookS AT C hriSTmAS

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perennial arrie’s hus - favourite. band, a AA detec - Cpilot in an tive romance set Orange Freestate around a group of game park, sells UK pilots flying her house and buys to Moscow in a Piper Warrior in Russia for the its place. Trying to 1994 World find out why and Championships. bringing the plane There are some back from the surprising twists USA to the UK in this story leads Carrie into which took me all sorts of trouble unawares. Good and eventually into for fireside read - becoming a pilot ing. herself. HELICOPTER LIFE ,Winter 2013 58 CAA Legislation Changes concerning helicopters and gyroplanes IN-2013/158: Withdrawal of CAA Master Minimum background to these changes. Equipment Lists (MMELs) and CAA MMEL http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?catid=33&page Supplements type=65&appid=11&mode=detail&id=5771 The CAA currently maintains a number of CAA-generat - ed MMELs and MMEL Supplements which modify the CAA announces review of North Sea helicopter opera - Type Certificate Holder’s MMEL for use by UK opera - tions tors. Due to the transition to the new European Aviation The review will be undertaken jointly with the Norwegian Safety Agency (EASA) MMEL rules, the CAA has com - CAA and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) pleted an internal review of the status of these CAA-gen - and advised by a panel of independent experts. It will erated MMELs and MMEL Supplements, resulting in a study current operations, previous incidents and accidents decision to discontinue their support and withdraw them and offshore helicopter flying in other countries to make from use. recommendations aimed at improving the safety of off - http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?catid=33&pag shore flying. etype=65&appid=11&mode=detail&id=5795 Led by the CAA’s Head of Flight Operations, Captain Bob Jones will work closely with Geir Hamre, Head of IN-2013/163: Consultation: Replacement of Class F helicopter safety for the Norwegian CAA. They are sup - Airspace in UK Flight Information Regions - ported by a team of experts who will consult with a wide Addendum Consultation range of individuals and organisations involved in off - The CAA's proposals to replace Class F ADRs by means shore flying. The final review will also be subject to of regularisation to Class E airways, enhanced by addi - scrutiny by independent specialists. The review will pay tional SERA-compliant conspicuity requirements were particular attention to: the subject of a CAA consultation. Comments identified • Operators decision making and internal management a need for additional airspace 'fillets' in the vicinity of • The protection of passengers and crew the Aberdeen Control zone/Control Area in order to • Pilot training and performance facilitate continued application of current radar vectoring • Helicopter airworthiness of traffic off what are currently Class F ADRs, but which It will include a comparison study of UK operations with are likely to become airways ( i.e. controlled airspace) those in Norway. The findings of the review are due to be whilst remaining compliant with Manual of Air Traffic published in early 2014. Services Part 1 requirements. It is therefore necessary to http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?catid=14&page undertake an addendum consultation on the CAA's pro - type=65&appid=7&mode=detail&nid=2285 posals for the establishment of this additional airspace. http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/InformationNotice2013 IN-2013/147: Reminder of the curtailment of National 163.pdf Aeroplane and Helicopter Pilot Licence privileges with effect from 8 April 2014 IN-2013/156: Consultation: CAP 772 Aerodrome To remind pilots that, with effect from 8 April 2014, the Wildlife Strike Hazard Management and Reduction implementation of European legislation will limit the The guidance in CAP 772 was last updated in September privileges of national UK licences. 2008 and was in need of substantial revision. An amend - http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?catid=33&page ed version has been produced for consultation and stake - type=65&appid=11&mode=detail&id=5760 holders are invited to comment on the revised content. http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?catid=33&pag CAP 804: Flight Crew Licensing: Mandatory etype=65&appid=11&mode=detail&id=5781 Requirements, Policy and Guidance Notifying the UK requirements for pilot licensing and IN-2013/151: Helicopter Pilot Licences - Type Ratings also a guide to the new European Flight Crew Licensing for the Agusta Westland A109 and AW109 requirements. Effective on 17 September 2012; LASORS The purpose of this IN is to explain: alterations to the will be withdrawn from that date. A5 paper copies are type rating endorsements to be included in a licence; and available from TSO. adjustments to the training for type ratings for the http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAA_CAP%20804.pdf Agusta Westland A109 and AW109 helicopters and the

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ussian Helicopters has delivered a Mi-171E built Ministry of Internal Affairs plans to expand its fleet of at the Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant to the Kazakhstan Russian-built helicopters in the future. RMinistry of Internal Affairs. The Ministry uses Russia and Kazakhstan have been working together on Mi-8/17s for routine patrolling and search-and-rescue helicopter operations for several years. The Kazakhstan missions, and for transporting personnel and cargo. Emergencies Ministry makes active use of the Mi-171E The Mi-171E has a number of features that give it an and attests to its outstanding qualities. edge in Kazakhstan’s extremes of climate – temperatures The Mi-8/17 series are among the world’s most effec - can range from plus 50 to minus 58 degrees Celsius – tive rescue helicopters. They are widely deployed to help and geography, marked by extensive steppe and tall deal with flooding, earthquakes and other disasters mountain ranges. The helicopter can operate across local - including forest fires around the world, and to provide ities from steppe to foothills to mountains, and can with - emergency medical assistance in the field. stand temperatures from plus to minus 50. The Mi-171E The Mi-171E is one of the latest versions of the Mi- can operate in all weathers and difficult navigation con - 8/17. It has been developed by the Mil Moscow ditions. Helicopter Plant and is built at the Ulan-Ude Aviation The Ministry chose the Mi-171E for its flexibility – Plant, both of which are Russian Helicopters companies. the helicopter can carry up to 26 passengers or 12 Today more than 4,500 Mi-8/17 series helicopters are in wounded people on stretchers accompanied by medical operation around the world. personnel. In its cargo configuration the helicopter can carry loads of up to 4,000 kg in its cabin or on an exter - nal sling. The Mi-171E is fitted with a Safir 5K/G Mi auxiliary power plant and VK-2500-03 engines that sup - port operations at high altitude and turbulent air condi - tions. Helicopters of this type have a long list of optional extras to extend their operational possibilities. Under Russian Helicopters’ contract with the Ministry, Kazakh pilots and technical crew will be given theoretical and practical training at the Ulan-Ude plant. Thanks to the Mi-171E’s competitive edge, its advanced flight capabilities, reliability and ease of opera - tion, as well as its attractive price point, the Kazakhstan 62 HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 Chinese Helicopters Enstrom Brazilian and Argentinia Type Certificates

he Brazil Agência Nacional de Aviaçáo Civil Portuarios Limitada de Puerto General San Martín in to issued a Type Certificate for the The Enstrom be used as Emergency Medical Services vehicles. The Helicopter Corporation has received updated type T optional Litter Kit has proved to be a valuable asset in certification in both Brazil and Argentina. this community. The Brazil Agência Nacional de Aviaçáo Civil issued a “We are thrilled to be able to meet our customers’ var - Type Certificate for the Enstrom 480 and 480B helicop - ied requirements,” said Enstrom’s Director of Sales and ters. This certification update includes several options Marketing, Orlando Alaniz. “This updated certification that were not previously available. The Brazilian Type allows us to provide helicopters that are designed to meet Certificate is now current with the FAA Type Certificate. the unique missions of each user.” “Brazilian operators can take advantage of the latest Founded in 1959, Enstrom Helicopter Corporation configuration and options available on the 480B,” said designs, fabricates, assembles, and tests a full line of Bill Taylor, Director of Engineering at Enstrom. “This light single helicopters for sale and delivery to customers reflects Enstrom’s commitment to establishing and sup - in the global market. They are used for training, execu - porting a strong fleet in South America.” tive transport, and commercial operations. Enstrom is a In addition, the Argentina Administración de Aviación wholly owned subsidiary of Chongqing Helicopter Civil has also updated the type certification for the Investment Group (CQHIC) and is located in Enstrom 480B. Two helicopters were delivered Menominee, Michigan. September 2013 to the Cooperativa de Trabajos

HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 63 A CCidenT r eporTS

AS332 L2 Super Puma G-WNSB served by the crew. At 2.0 nm the co-pilot advised the The flight, which was the third leg of a four-leg rotation commander that the height at 1 nm should be 390 ft. The out of Aberdeen Airport, was between the Borgsten co-pilot made a call at 100 ft above the MDA (300 ft); Dolphin semi-submersible drilling platform and the commander acknowledged. There was then an auto - Sumburgh Airport. The intention was to refuel the heli - mated audio call of “CHECK HEIGHT”, an acknowl - copter at Sumburgh, before returning to Aberdeen. The edgement by the commander, and then a comment by the helicopter lifted from the Borgsten Dolphin platform at co-pilot to draw the commander’s attention to the air - 1612 hrs, with the commander acting as the Pilot Flying speed. At this time the helicopter’s airspeed was 35 kt (PF) and the co-pilot as the Pilot Not Flying (PNF) and reducing. Shortly thereafter, there was a second auto - The flight towards Sumburgh was uneventful. mated audio call of “CHECK HEIGHT”, followed by a Whilst en-route, the crew requested radar vectors to the “100 FEET” automated call two seconds before impact final approach course for Runway 09; the request was with the surface of the sea. At some point the commander acknowledged by Sumburgh ATC. At 1626 hrs the crew saw the sea, but he was unable to arrest the helicopter’s listened to the 1620 hrs Sumburgh ATIS information descent and it struck the surface shortly thereafter, at ‘Whisky’. This gave the weather conditions as: surface 1717 hrs. The co-pilot, realising that the helicopter was wind from 150° at 18 kt, visibility 4,000 m in haze, scat - about to enter the water, armed the helicopter’s flotation tered cloud at 300 ft, broken cloud at 500 ft, temperature system. After striking the surface the helicopter rapidly +15°C, dew point +14°C and pressure 1014 hPa. inverted, but remained afloat, the flotation equipment At 1648 hrs, Sumburgh ATC informed the crew of the having successfully deployed. latest weather. The visibility was 2,800 m in mist, Of the 18 occupants, 14 survived. The survivability with few clouds at 200 ft and broken cloud at 300 ft. aspects of this accident are the subject of ongoing The commander briefed for the ‘SUB’ LOC/DME investigation. To date, the wreckage examination and Non-Precision Approach to Runway 09 at Sumburgh analysis of the recorded data have not found any evi - Airport. Minimum Descent Altitude for the approach dence of a technical fault that could have been causal to was 300 ft and the Automatic Voice Alarm Device bugs the accident. The ongoing AAIB investigation will focus were set accordingly. The plan was that the commander on the operational aspects of the flight; specifically on would fly the approach while the co-pilot monitored the the effectiveness of pilot monitoring of instruments dur - vertical descent profile with reference to the published ing the approach, operational procedures and the training approach chart. The commander briefed that he would of flight crews. The survivability aspects of this accident reduce the airspeed to 80 kt for the latter stage of the will also be examined in detail approach. At 1702 hrs, the ‘Approach’ and ‘Before Landing’ checklists had been completed. The helicopter, Robinson R22 Beta G-EROM receiving a radar control service from Sumburgh ATC, The student pilot was briefed to carry out his first solo was vectored to the north of Sumburgh before being flight which comprised takeoffs, landings and hover turned onto a south-easterly heading and being cleared practice in the southern hover square at Redhill. The to intercept the localiser for Runway 09. surface wind was calm. Initially, the exercises were car - The autopilot was engaged in Heading and Altitude ried out ‘dual’ with an instructor and were performed sat - modes, with the APP push button selected on the isfactorily. The instructor confirmed the student under - Automatic Flight Control Panel. The localiser was cap - stood the brief for a solo flight. Standing some 10 metres tured at 1714 hrs. At 6.4 DME ‘SUB’, the commander in front of the helicopter, the instructor gave the student initiated the descent using the autopilot vertical speed the signal to lift into the hover. The student slowly raised (V/S) mode with a selected rate of 500 ft/min. A cross- the collective control lever, at the same time monitoring check by the co-pilot at 5 nm and 1,670 ft indicated to the Manifold Air Pressure (MAP) gauge to achieve the crew that they were on the correct vertical profile. 18 inches of boost. He had been told that this was the There were further checks at 4 nm and 3 nm, which con - approximate power indication at which the helicopter firmed that the vertical profile was being maintained. At would start to lift off. As it appeared to lift off, the 3 nm the airspeed was 110 kt and reducing. At approxi - helicopter ‘lurched’ to the right and the student mately 2.3 nm, the commander noted that the airspeed instinctively continued to raise the collective lever. was 80 kt and increased the collective pitch, intending to The roll to the right increased and was accompanied by maintain this speed. However, the helicopter’s airspeed the nose yawing to the right, both of which the student reduced below 80 kt and continued to reduce, unob - was unable to correct before the main rotor blades

64 HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 A CCidenT r eporTS require power that is beyond the limits of the aircraft and struck the ground. The helicopter rolled onto its right power plant. side, having rotated through approximately 180°. The The pilot was not wearing his flight helmet, which con - student isolated the fuel and electrical systems before tributed to his head injuries. Despite the recognized ben - exiting through the left door. efits of head protection, there is no regulatory require - The student pilot considered that the cause of the ment for helicopter pilots to wear helmets. The operator accident was that he had not identified the developing has implemented a safety policy that requires that all dynamic rollover. He had been taught to lower the pilots wear flight helmets during flight operations. collective lever at the onset of this condition but had focused his attention on the MAP gauge and not Bell 206 JetRanger C-GLQI monitored the helicopter attitude and therefore did not One pilot and four passengers flew VFR from the identify the developing situation. The student was 36 Kananaskis base Alberta. 13 minutes after departure the years old and had 24 hours of flying all on type. helicopter crashed in a steep, snow-covered avalanche corridor, near Loder Peak. 1 hour and 29 minutes later, Robinson R44 C-GHZN the operator was advised by the Joint Rescue The helicopter departed Whitehorse, Yukon, on a wildlife Coordination Centre in Trenton, Ontario, that the ELT on survey flight. At approximately 1513, the Joint Rescue C-GLQI was transmitting. A company helicopter was Coordination Centre received an emergency locator dispatched to search the tour route, and found the wreck - transmitter signal from the aircraft. A company helicopter age. All occupants were extracted from the site. The pas - was dispatched to the site with emergency medical serv - sengers sustained minor injuries; the pilot succumbed to ices personnel aboard. The wreckage was found approxi - injuries 5 hours after the accident. mately 5 nautical miles east of Carcross, Yukon, on The investigation found nothing to indicate any airframe Nares Mountain. The pilot was fatally injured, one pas - failure or system malfunction before or during the flight. senger was seriously injured, and another received minor The helicopter was being operated within its weight and injuries. The passengers were treated and flown back to CoG limits at the time of the accident. The weather was Whitehorse. There was no post-impact fire. suitable. Therefore, analysis focused on other factors, There was no indication that an aircraft system malfunc - including the pilot’s experience and training, airmanship, tion contributed to this occurrence. As a result, the analy - operational control within the company, and environmen - sis focused on the operational and environmental factors tal factors that likely contributed to the occurrence. that contributed to the occurrence. Other than 2.6 hours of flight time obtained in February Conducting a reconnaissance pass is an industry standard 2012 toward a Robinson R44 helicopter endorsement, and is taught at mountain flying schools. The pilot had there was no record of the pilot having flown for approx - completed a mountain flying course; however, for imately 21 months when hired by Kananaskis Mountain unknown reasons, he did not carry out a reconnaissance Helicopters. At the time of hiring, the pilot had little or pass before attempting to land. Downdrafts frequently no mountain-flying training or actual mountain-flying exist on the lee side of mountain peaks and ridges. Those experience. downdrafts can be severe, and may contribute to addi - Based on the pilot’s self-reports of having approximately tional power demands during the approach for landing. 500 hours of helicopter flight experience in British The pilot, upon entering the region downwind of the Columbia and no accidents, the company considered the ridgeline, should have expected higher engine power pilot to have adequate knowledge, skill, and experience requirements to maintain altitude in the descending air. to safely conduct mountain tour flights with minimal Attempting to maintain altitude by increasing rotor pitch recurrent flight training and checkout. That the pilot had likely demanded engine power beyond the aircraft’s a previous accident, no prior mountain-flying training, capability, resulting in a loss of rotor rpm. In this heli - and minimal mountain-flight experience was not identi - copter, the rotors are coupled directly to the engine. fied. As a result, the pilot received very little instruction When the increased pitch caused a low rotor speed con - from Kananaskis Mountain Helicopters (KMH) in moun - dition, the engine did not have the power to overcome it tain-flying techniques, and a minimal evaluation of abili - and slowed down as well. The pilot attempted a landing ties in that environment. The pilot’s reluctance to fly in where the power required exceeded the power available. close proximity to rock outcrops during KMH flight Numerous warnings from both the helicopter manufac - training heightened the company’s confidence in the turer and the FAA have indicated the dangers of flying pilot’s ability to safely conduct tour flights within the this model in high-wind conditions, and that it may mountainous local area.

HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 65 u S e A n d e h o h l i C o p T e r

World Helicopter Championships 1986 at Castle Ashby additions such as the Fender. The USA no long sends he first World Helicopter Championships took teams as it has been otherwise employed and cannot place in West Germany in 1971. Much later, Tony afford the cost. Everard, then Chairman of the Helicopter Club of T Through the years there have been British winners, Great Britain, told me: “we thought people’s helicopter notably Q Smith in the Free Style, and Caroline Gough- handling was pretty poor, so we welcomed these trials as Copper and Imogen Asker, who won the Ladies a way of raising the standard.” Championships in 2006. Included in the first championships was the Second The next WHC will be held again in 2015 and Poland World War Ace, known as ‘Hitler’s pilot’ Hannah is bidding the FAI-CIG have not fully accepted the bid, Reitsch. There were only three events, and most of the but no other country has offered to host the event. competitors were either British or from West German, most of the helicopters were Brantlys, Bell 47s or the Hughes 269. The second world championships was held in Britain, in 1973. This time there were five events, Time Arrival, Precision flying, Navigation, Slalom, and the non-obliga- tory Free Style, which was won by Karl zimmerman. Teams came from the USSR, the USA, the UK and West Germany. For the first time, there were a lot of women competitors. The third championships were in Russia, in 1978, and included Polish and Hungarian teams. Both Eastern block teams had female members. The fourth champi - onship was in Poland in 1981, and the fifth went back to Great Britain to be held at Castle Ashby in the presence of Prince Andrew and his wife-to-be Sarah Ferguson. Castle Ashby with Prince Since 1986, there have been a lot of changes including Andrew and his fiance the rules. The events are mostly the same, with some Sarah Ferguson 66 HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013