HELICOPTER

LIFESUMMER 2009 / £3.99 www.helicopterlife.com HistoricHistoric GazelleGazelle

HELICOPTER LIFEis theHIGH LIFE

HELICOPTER Summer 2009

LIFE COVER STORY

Show & Tell Guide 4 How the Gazelle Aviation shows and conferences. Stole Christmas 32 Helicopter Life The Editor’s Letter 5 looks at the history of the Gazelle, its Aerial Forum 6 & 10 military use and how Phil Cazaly on his H300 engine failure it was adapted to be used as a civilian Letters to the Editor 7, 11, 15 & 39 performer Flying Crackers 8, 9 The Long March 40 Georgina Hunter-Jones and Mark Kengelbacher G-HENS takes off 12 fly a Schweizer Georgina Hunter- 300 from Redhill Jones wites about in the United the new Global Kingdom to Jerez Helicoper Executive in Southern Network inagurated Spain. The trip by AAG Global takes four days from New York and and sixteen hours PremiAir from the flying. This is United Kingdom their story. New Technology 16 HeliRussia Moscow 48 Helicopter Life looks at the Hungarian Diora Helicopter Life Kx165 icepick and the Italian AH130 Turbine spends four days in Moscow at the Second Russian Helicopter Show and examines whether this is an Cholmondeley Pageant of Power 18 international or a local show and the potential for Georgina Hunter- growth Jones goes to Cholmondeley to The Music of the Skies 54 get a taste of the Romina Ciuffa forthcoming event takes to the skies in a in July and take a quartet of helicopters spin on the race - sees how the music track of the 20th century composer Karl Heinz Autogyro training 21 Stockhausen is Chris Jones on flying gyroplanes played using the heli - copers as part of the Medical Crew Training 22 orchestra Richard Patterson on improving crew training after the NTSB report Aviation in Music (Bruno Misonne) 59 Friedrichshafen 26 Helicopters Past and Future 62 Helicopter Life experi - ences the most influen - Book Reviews 63 tial general aviation show in Europe and sees Accident Reports 64 many possible helicotper innovations House & Helicopter 66

HELICOPTER LIFE,Summer2009 3 SHOW & T ELL HELICOPTER G UIDE LIFE 15 June - 21 June 2009 SUMMER 2009 PARIS AIRSHOW 2009 Aeroport Le Bourget, Paris France HON. EDITORIAL BOARD Fax: +33 1 47 20 00 86 Captain Eric Brown, CBE, RN The Lord Glenarthur, DL email: [email protected] Jennifer Murray Registration: www.salon-du-bourget.fr Michael J. H. Smith Website: www.paris-air-show.com Wing Cdr. Ken Wallis, MBE, RAF

11th July 2009 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / PILOT AMERICAN HEROES AIRSHOW Georgina Hunter-Jones Hansen Dam Recreation Area [email protected] Lakeview Terrace, CA CREATIVE DIRECTORS Contact Jim Paules [email protected] 818) 631-8132 office COPY EDITORS Evangeline Hunter-Jones, JP (818) 347-4577 fax John Wilson [email protected] CONTRIBUTING EDITORS www.heroes-airshow.com/losangeles/ Richard Patterson, Philip Cazaly, Jeremy Paxton, Bruce Charnov. Romina Ciuffa, Chris Jones 18 July - 19 July 2009 CONTRIBUTED PHOTOGRAPHY Romina Ciuffa, Richard Patterson, Jeremy CHOLMONDELEY PAGEANT OF POWER Paxton, Bruce Charnov, Milutskiy Gennadiy, Cholmondeley, Cheshire Chris Jones, Mark Kengelbacher, Nick Mouton United Kingdom Mason-Williams Tel: 0845 0941 007 SPECIAL THANKS TO Dave Smith ATPL(H)IR, Bruno Misonne, Bruce Fax: 0845 0941 008 Charnov, Mark Kengelbacher email: [email protected] or ADVERTISING [email protected] Telephone: +44-(0)20-7430-2384 Website: http://www.cpop.co.uk [email protected] SUBSCRIPTIONS Go to our website or turn to page 54 22 September - 24 September 2009 [email protected] HELITECH 2009 WEBSITE Duxford Airfield, Cambridge www.helicopterlife.com England Contact Brandon Ward COVER PHOTOGRAPH Fax: +44 (0)20 8439 8853 email: [email protected] Bob Fairall landing his Gazelle at Redhill Website: www.helitech.co.uk by Georgina Hunter-Jones

HELICoPTER LIFE is published quarterly by FlyFizzi Ltd. 21 February - 23 February 2010 59 Great ormond Street HAI HELIExPO 2010 London, WC 1N-3 Hz . Houston, Texas Copyright © FlyFizzi Ltd. 2009. Contact Helicopter Association International ISSN 1743-1042. All rights reserved. opinions expressed herein are not neces - 1635 Prince Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 sarily those of the pub lishers, the Editor or any of the editorial Phone: (703) 683-4646 Fax: (703) 683-4745 staff. Reproduction in whole or in part, in any form whatever, is strictly prohibited without specific written permission of [email protected] the Editor.

4 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 T HE EDITOR S LETTER

his has not been the best in spite of the recession, keep flying; quarter for helicopters and the experience you will get will hold Thelicopter flying. Helicopter you in good stead, long before you schools are not busy and a lot of get to the age of 92. people are selling their helicopters. In this issue w e have the prelimi - Even manufacturers are not as nary findings of the EHSET (the upbeat as they were at the start of European Helicopter Safety Teams) the year, with complaints that if this board and it makes interesting read - level of investment continues they ing. Tellingly, only 16% of accidents will not be able to continue with are attributable to rule or law break - research and development. And ing - the lowest figure in every cate - then we have all the blather over gory studied. And something that the ‘obama Helicopter’. Will it should be taken into account when continue in its present form? Will making new regulations: it is unlikely tonnes.” the contract go back to an American that people like pilots, who are natu - Which I took as another way of manufacturer? It is, of course, no rally disposed towards safety, will saying that Russia is very happy to be secret that Sikorsky is waiting to intentionally break rules but quite party of the International Helicopter welcome back that sweet likely, if rules are continually chang - Scene, as long as the world follows Presidential Suite with the open ing, that pilots won’t always know the Russian lead. of course, this is arms of a former lover. them. Pilots are generally men of exactly how America and China also Now there are more rumbles; the action, not necessarily the most likely view the world, so hardly surprising, Citizens Against Waste recommend people to read every piece of legisla - and the only reason that Europe is so going on with the present project. tion, especially if these are variable. keen to be party of a conglomerate, is Still, even if nothing else, this Although there may be less heli - that all its countries are too small to debate has got readers of the New copter flying there are definitely not be world leaders on their own: as York Times talking about helicopters. fewer shows. Friedrichshafen, soon as we lost our colonies we one advantage of less flying is although a general GA show, rather became fervent Europeans. there fewer accidents. Though that than just helicopters, was full of new In Aerial Forum we have a possibly is only until people start flying and interesting very light helicopters: controversial piece on whether or not again; then there may be an Alpi Aviation’s new turbine helicop - autorotations should be taken all the increase, as pilots attempt to shake ter, which can only be flown on a way to the ground, by Phil Cazaly. I off the rustiness of lack of training permit in Italy and Greece was one, worked with Phil for many years and in the down years; even a short time and there were a variety of gyro - he is a very good instructor, however, away from flying can make a differ - copters and small helicopters. this is one thing on which we totally ence to your skill levels. Gyrocopters will probably do well disagree. I believe students should be The New York Times had an piece out of the recession, as pilots, still taught to go all the way to the ground about a survey on 92 years olds who keen to fly rotorcraft but unable to on autorotations, he is vehemently play bridge. Apparently, people who afford helicopters, look around for a against it, for the reasons put forth in suffer with dementia can, if they have cheaper way of experiencing the his article. What do you think? spent enough of their lives playing whirling rotors above. Helicopter Life been nominated for bridge, can still recall brdige moves, The Russian helicopter show, now the Aerospace Journalist of the Year even while they can hardly function in its second year, gave a slightly dif - Awards in Paris Le Bourget, for the on a day to day level. Thestudy ferent view of the world from the one firefighting in oregon story: Baby showed that the more experienced we see from the West. The Chief of won’t you Light my Fire. It is unlike - people were, the more moves they Russian Helicopters oleg Ponomarev ly that we will win, but it was nice to could recal. This can be transposed told me: “Russian aircraft plants are be nominated. Thank you. over to helicopter flying; the more the biggest serial manufacturers of experienced you are, the more likely rotorcraft in the world, having pro - you are to react in the correct manner duced 56 thousand rotor wing aircraft when put in an unusual situation. So, with a take-off weight of one to 56 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 5 A ERIAL FORUM The Day the Donkey Died

Philip Cazaly experienced an engine failure in a H269c, here he examines what he learnt from the unexpected event

f a helicopter pilot had to nominate one major mechani - and resultant forward thrust. Much the same thing happens cal component to suffer the inconvenience of terminal with helicopters; by lowering the collective lever we quickly Ifailure in flight, chances are they’d pick the engine. Ask reduce the pitch and angle of attack on the blades. The heli - a pilot who flies fixed- and rotary-winged machines which copter then starts to descend and the updraft through the rotor mount would afford the best chance of surviving an engine disc causes the central area of the disc to provide a resultant failure, odds are they would choose the helicopter. forward driving force on the blades to keep them turning, Hopefully these are choices we’ll never have to make, espe - while the outer sections of the blade provide more lift, as well cially as there is a common misconception that if a heli - as drag, thereby maintaining constant rpm. Thus the helicop - copter’s engine quits it carries on flying about as well as a ter is gliding and all the controls (except the throttle) behave mallet. Not so. If it were so, these words would not be on this as normal, including the tail rotor which is still being turned page, because one perfect spring afternoon the Lycoming by the main rotor through the drive shafts and gears. A free- 360 engine powering the Schweizer 269 I was flying wheeling clutch between the broken engine and the main gear - stopped, giving me a golden opportunity to put all my engine box allows the rotor system to keep turning. failure drills into practice. Also normal in autorotation is the helicopter’s ability to keep We can all learn valuable lessons from other people’s inci - flying when stationary – long enough to make a controlled dents and mistakes, and become better pilots for it, and for landing at little or no ground speed. This is where helicopters this reason I would like to share my experience of total score over stiff wings; they can land on a sixpence without engine failure on the day the donkey died . the need to keep barrelling along at 60, 70, 80mph; which is All we can do in training is simulate a situation. Even those tiresome when aeroplanes are forced to land away from nice, helicopter instructors with a death wish, who chop the throt - big, smooth airfields. tle on their students, come nowhere close to demonstrating Relatively speaking, the aeroplane pilot has plenty of time to the reality of an engine failure. In my role as instructor I’ve think about lowering the nose after an engine failure and if he had plenty of student pilots rapidly roll off the throttle; a very allow the wings to stall he can still recover from this situa - common affliction, especially among bikers who are used to tion, even more than once if necessary. The helicopter pilot opening the throttle in the opposite direction. Believe me, a does not have this luxury: he must reduce the pitch on the rapidly-closed throttle is nothing like a real engine failure. blades – known technically as dumping the lever – pretty My experience also has reinforced my personal – and I stress damn quickly. How quickly? Well it depends on aircraft type, personal – views on how engine failures are dealt with in all-up weight, atmospherics and whether you happen to be training. But first: climbing, cruising or descending. The smaller and lighter the How is it that a helicopter is able to glide? It is because the helicopter the less stored-up inertia there is in the rotor disc. main rotor blades are capable of autorotation, which means Worst-case scenario would be two well-fed persons in a that the blades are being driven by aerodynamic forces alone, fully-fuelled small helicopter on a hot and humid day climb - as opposed to the usual state of affairs in which the engine ing away from a high-altitude airfield. Less than a second is provides the power. Think of the sycamore tree sending its all the time they would have to dump the lever. And just the seeds away under gracefully rotating blades, or James Bond one chance to get it right. in the Little Nellie auto-gyro, and you get the picture. The rotor system in a helicopter is similar to a constant- But helicopters, like aeroplanes, were designed for powered speed, variable-pitch propeller, but with one hinges at the flight, and when that power source is taken away the pitch root, and once the blades start to slow from their normal and the angle of attack on the main lifting surfaces is all (very narrow) operating rpm band, they cone up and noth - wrong, and will have the same potentially disastrous result if ing – not even a revived and healthy engine – will get them the pilot does nothing about it; the lifting surfaces stall, no down and turning again. Game over. This is the main area longer produce lift, but do create plenty of drag. To remedy in which rotary loses out to fixed wing. Even in larger this the aeroplane pilot lowers the nose to exchange some of machines, the window of opportunity to lower the lever is only that potential energy for kinetic energy to keep the wing around two seconds. And I think there is a very important moving, reducing the angle of attack to produce some lift continued on page 10

6 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer2009 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters continue on pages 11 & 15 & 39 59 Great ormond Street, London WC1N-3Hz, England. Telephone: 020-7430-2384, Email: [email protected]. community between Kemble, Gloucester Please include your name, and email or phone. and oaksey and it really is top notch for aviation all around here. Lower Mill isn’t on high ground – it’s couple of hundred A Flying Paradise architecture. feet lower than Kemble - so there’s not Dear Georgina, But no. Actually, I landed for a much by way of hill fog. So you can usu - If I were showing off, I’d say I sandwich, a bit of a snooze ally get into Lower Mill, plus you’ve got had a blinding flash of inspira - and a swim. exceptionally good radar from RAF Brize tion that summer’s day in And it was the flying, which is Norton, the European landing site for the 1994 when I was bimbling fantastic in this part of the Space Shuttle, you’ve got oaksey air - around the skies over the country, that in many senses field, which is Jet-A fuel and helicopter Cotswolds in my then R22 and was the tail that wagged the friendly just a helicopter mile away - and spotted something intriguing dog which would, as the years Kemble about three H miles away. 1,500 feet below me. passed, slowly morph into Today, the media variously describes I’d tell an amazing but quite Lower Mill Estate. Lower Mill Estate as a residential nature untrue story that when I Even when I had bought and reserve, a designer vacation village and looked down on the series of started building on the land, it even a celebrity resort. None of these deserted, overgrown lakes was primarily as an ideal labels are wholly untrue, as it happens, below, I decided on the spot retreat for my own family – To me, however, more than anything, it’s that I would turn it into a glob - which for me meant some - a giant playground offering residents, ally recognised nature reserve where in the Cotswolds we holiday letters and their families the housing an idyllic upmarket could fly down to and from extraordinary prospect – unavailable even vacation village studded dis - which I could keep on flying to most people who live permanently in creetly with some of the all weekend. the country – of the run of most of 650 world’s leading modernist There is a great helicopter acres of safe, virgin rural landscape and water - along with a world-class spa that Jeremy Paxton’s perfect on its own would be an attraction worthy ecological dream house of moving to the estate for. And all this is alongside that fantastic helicopter flying opportunity. There are very few places, really, that are helicopter friendly. A lot of hotels, for example, charge private helicopter pilots for land - ing while they wouldn’t dream of charg - ing motorists to park their cars. I think this is a complete stitch-up and so refuse to go to any hotel which charges for landing. At Lower Mill Estate, I like to think we have successfully combined ecology, community and architecture – and we’re happy to say that we can also accommodate n o

x helicopters because we’re able to land them a P

y on a part of the land that’s completely unaf - m e r fected by noise disturbance. e j f Helicopter pilots have the benefit of a o y s

e private helipad with 24 hour security and t r u hangarage and we can even offer jet fuel o c h on a complimentary basis to people who P a r

g turn up and are a bit low. o t o continued on page 11 h P HELICOPTER LIFE,Summer 2009 7 FLYING

Marriage in Flight been pleased with the response This was overheard on a radio serv - we have received since the heli - ice in California. copter arrived.” Aircraft to ATC: Madam, am I still Hampton says that, although getting flight following? I haven’t there has been some downturn had a call for a while. in the industry, Capital has had ATC: Sir, Flight following is like a steady number of requests marriage, the less we talk the better from people wishing to travel off we are. further and the EC155 will cater for that market. He adds: “our It is Hard to be a Heroclients wish to avoid the endless Ruedi Hafen, owner of Niagara traffic on the roads and prefer to Helicopters, was determined to save fly. Having been one of the the life of an unidentified 30-year- largest helicopter shuttle service old ontario man who went over providers to the Silverstone Niagara Falls without a barrel: even Grand Prix, we understand the though the man did not want to be unique requirements of flying just rescued. The man became only the one, or large number of clients, third person known to have survive smoothly and with no fuss.” the plunge unaided (perhaps the first Capital anticipates brisk business. to skinny dip) but it wasn’t for lack “People still want to travel and be of helpers. In the end, it was only entertained,” adds Hampton. Hafen’s flying rescue that put the The company is no stranger to man into the arms of rescuers whom glamour and featured in the Girls Michael Hampton MD he'd been trying to avoid. Aloud Christmas special. of Capital Air Services Hampton is optimistic about the A Capital Rebrand future. “We’re looking forward to time his licence has either been revoked oxford Air Services, has relaunched a busy summer, and to introduc - or suspended, according to the AP, which as Capital Air Services (CAS). The ing more people to the conven - noted a prior infraction that the FAA company has been in business since ience of private charter,” he says deemed as reckless flying. In that, 2006 1994 and feels it has outgrown its case, ‘reckless’ meant landing a helicopter name. “We realised that people were No Sex Please, on a Hollywood street to pick up a rock confused by fact that we were called we are Pilots star and deliver him to a concert. ‘oxford’ Air Services when we fly A FAA pilot’s licence has been from all over the UK and into revoked (not the first time) for The Future Lynx is a Wild Cat Europe. We felt that Capital was having sex in the cockpit. The At a ceremony at AgustaWestland in more representative of our client 52 year old male pilot has Yeovil, it was announced that the Future base and capabilities,” says Michael appealed against the revocation Lynx aircraft is now to be known as the Hampton, MD. of his certificate, which he lost AW159 Lynx Wildcat. The Lynx Wildcat P h Capital is meeting the difficuulties after a video started doing the programme will deliver 62 light helicop - o t o g

of the current financial turbulence rounds showing him having sex ters for the Army and Royal Navy from r a P

2014 and 2015 respectively.The Army h

by expanding its business at a time with a Swedish adult film s b when many in the industry are actress while flying a helicopter variant of will perform a range of tasks y c a

over San Diego. Reports do not on the battlefield including reconnais - P

downsizing. The company has just i t a sance, command and control, transporta - l taken delivery of a state of the art say what type of helicopter he a i r

Eurocopter EC155. Hampton says: was flying, but probably not a tion of troops and force protection. The s e r

“We saw there was a demand for a Robinson R22. RN variant will provide an agile maritime v i c e larger aircraft in our fleet and have The revocation marks the fifth capability providing anti-surface warfare s

8 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 FLYING C RACKERS

Columbia Helicopters The Lynx Wildcat is Chinook 234 the new name for the AW159

with access restricted by trees and other obstacles. The bucket contains four high-speed pumps which allow the pilots to fill the bucket from sources as shallow as 18- capability and force protection and will operate in inches in less than two minutes. When fighting fire, the support of amphibious operations as well as acting as pilots are able to control the gates on the bucket to best a light utility helicopter. The aircraft will be able to meet the requirements of the Incident Commander. The switch between Army and Royal Navy roles, princi - pilot can drop the entire load in one massive spot drop, pally through the changing of role equipment. Their open and close the bucket gates to create a series of small - capability will be a significant advance on that pro - er spot drops, or partially open the gates in forward flight vided in both Iraq and Afghanistan by the current to create a fire line. Pilots can also use the bucket to drop Lynx fleet. The name ‘Wildcat’ was given to the short or long-term retardants. Grumman F4F widely used during the Second World War. The aircraft ceased operational service in 1945 but some flying aircraft remain, including one in the collection of the Imperial War Museum Duxford. 9`kjZ_eXlJk\\cXe[ 8cld`e`ld:fejkilZk`fe

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W Columbia Helicopters has deployed a Model 234 ƒ gi\]XYi`ZXk\[df[lc\j]fi]Xjk\i\Zk`fe a t s Chinook helicopter to Mexico to help fight forest fires fe$j`k\ u g a on the Yucatán Peninsula. This is the first time ƒ ]lcciXe^\f]_\c`gfikXZZ\jjfi`\jjlZ_ f Xjg\i`d\k\ic`^_k`e^#fYjkilZk`fe o

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r Mexico. The Columbia Model 234 Chinook is capable

u ]l\c&nXk\ij\gXiXkfij#Xe[]`i\ o c of lifting 28,000 pounds at sea level, and carries a jlggi\jj`fe\hl`gd\ek% h P a 2,650-gallon SEI Torrentula Bambi Bucket equipped r g :fekXZk1NXck\iI•jZ_\i9`kjZ_eXl>dY? o t with the Powerfill System. This bucket, carried at the 8$-.('E\eq`e^ 8ljki`X&

t water from a wide variety of sources, including many HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 9 . continued from page 6 practising full touch-down simulated down – getting on for 20 knots on light lesson to be learnt from this. engine failures in helicopters? I really do machines – otherwise the blades could Apart from being a legal requirement to not think so. In fact, I’d go as far to say slow down too much and be left with be able to land clear when flying single- they are utter madness, an opinion rein - insufficient inertia to cushion the touch - engine aircraft, this basic precaution was forced by my own real engine-failure down. on calmer days high airspeed ingrained into to me by an old mate who experience and a view I know is shared by means high ground speeds and it is these suffered an engine failure in an R22. He many other instructors. high ground speeds that have caused hel - landed safely in a field instead of annoy - A good touchdown is the inevitable con - icopters to flip over break. ingly bumping into a block of flats or a clusion of a good approach and in the Well this is all fine and dandy at the hands school that could have been in his way if world of helicopters we fly the autorota - of an experienced instructor on his home he hadn’t stuck to that basic rule. tion approach at around 50 to 60 knots turf, which is probably as flat and well- So, there I was flying the Schweizer (although we can bring the speed back to groomed as a bowling green, and who 269CBi over open farmland with a lady in zero) and then initiate a flare at 30-40ft doesn’t indulge if the wind is less than 10 the left seat, who had been treated on her above the ground, which arrests not only knots. But in the real world the ground is birthday to a one-hour trial lesson. She descent but also the speed. The aircraft is going to be rough, the wind is going to be was doing a grand job on the cyclic stick then levelled and using the stored calm (or cross- or downwind) and when without warning the Lycoming 360 momentum in the spinning rotor system, chances are you are not going to be cur - dropped an exhaust valve into a piston. It the collective lever is raised to increase rent in the art of run-on landings. If you did this with an almighty bang that was blade pitch and lift, which therefore slows passed your PPL(H) recently you won’t felt as much as heard. It was if a giant had the rate of descent and cushions the land - even have flown a full touch down struck our little helicopter with a huge ing. In training, if the throttle is deliber - because the rules say they can only be baseball bat. our flight path was dis - ately closed back to idle, then the helicop - demonstrated by an instructor. turbed and altered in every plane, ter will settle on the ground – hopefully In a real-life, genuine engine failure, zero although the sudden yaw to the left which uneventfully. However, if the throttle is ground speed surely must be the preferred I had always thought would accompany not closed then the engine governor or option, even if maybe you do come down an engine failure - due to the change in correlator will kick in and get the blades with a bit of a bump in a lighter helicop - torque reaction with sudden loss of power turning again under power, which means ter if maybe you do run out of collective; - was not that apparent. It could be that that the machine will end up hovering far better than flipping the machine over some of the other sounds masked the rather than landing. And that, in my hum - and potentially being joined - or separat - yawing. I can’t be sure. It’s not easy to ble opinion, is how simulated engine fail - ed - in the cockpit by bits of flailing accurately recall unfamiliar events when ures should be taught; back to the (pow - blades. What really is the point of taking every last drop of adrenaline in your body ered) hover as opposed to banging per - all those risks in training with run-on, has just surged into your bloodstream. fectly sound helicopters down onto the engine-off landings when they bear no Thankfully, those were the only body flu - deck. If a pilot can end up in the hover, at relation to the zero ground speed touch ids that did any surging that day. the right spot at the right height, they will down you should be doing on the day the I had no idea at this point that the cause of survive a real engine failure, almost certain - engine really does quit? Work on getting all our troubles was engine failure. And ly without breaking anything. those autorotation entries off pat, the this is the point I really want to ram home. Another downside of practising full approaches well judged to a chosen spot our aircraft’s attitude was so disturbed touch-down engine offs is that they can on the ground, finishing with a good flare that I thought the problem was far, far break helicopters and pilots. The dangers and recovery back to the powered, zero worse - possibly some kind of major outweigh any advantages. Too many ground-speed hover. If ever you are structural failure. However, my immedi - machines have been wrecked when unlucky enough to lose the engine one ate reaction was to lower the lever and engine offs have gone wrong, and for day, the only difference should be that enter autorotation. I do strongly believe every one time there has been visible you’ll settle softly onto the ground. that when a helicopter pilot encounters damage I’ll wager there are a hundred Soapbox session over, I can report that any unknown mechanical problem, or when the stored up stresses and strains our birthday girl did wonder why I had worrying noise, the first action should be caused by rotten landings are lurking parked the Schweizer in a remote to enter autorotation, pick a landing site within the machine waiting to get their farmer’s field instead of returning her to and only after that indulge in the task of own back. It’s not because helicopter Biggin Hill. After reassuring her that my analysing the situation. The pilot who owners are worried about getting mud on intentions were entirely honourable and attempts to analyse and resolve the problem their pride and joy that many will ban flying that she had been treated at no extra first will have left it too late to successfully schools from doing engine-off practice. charge to a real engine failure demonstra - enter autorotation if rotor rpm has already Whether or not you agree with me so far, tion, the company JetRanger arrived to started to decay. the next point should clinch the issue. I whisk us back to base. Although the trial one of the most important areas of the maintain that the landings we practise in lesson was curtailed by the engine’s training syllabus, whether fixed or rotary, the training engine-off scenario are noth - faulty valve-retaining collet, our cus - is dealing with emergencies, especially ing like the landings we should be doing tomer was not put off by the experience, engine failure and forced landings. But when the engine really does quit. In train - returning to complete her trip and is now should we be teaching, demonstrating or ing we have to maintain airspeed at touch - contemplating lessons. 10 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 M ORE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

continued from page 7 the ecological model for the whole These days, I get so many ideas, estate is sustainable for a thousand and I don’t mean just business It’s the ultimate flying community, years. We really do have a thou - ideas, in the countryside. I just really, because if you’re a helicop - sand year business model. dream and dream and I still love ter owner, and we’ve had as many We’re already the most significant hanging out and letting the mind as eight here at the same time, it’s nature reserve in Europe in private wander. fantastic to be able to have a vaca - hands, host to over 13,000 trees It’s been an amazing exercise for tion house and land right on the and over 3,000 species of wildlife the past 15 years harmonising peo - property. – including the famous Lower ple ecology and architecture. I Lower Mill Estate’s flying roots Mill Estate beavers. And the hous - don’t even really see myself as a are surprisingly extensive, too. es we build are designed to last as “developer” in the traditional The renowned English artist who long as – and probably longer than sense. made our gates, Alexander - as any of the Cotswold stone I’m just someone with an interest Baynes, oddly enough, had a houses in the traditional villages in the countryside and an interest grandfather, L.E. Baynes, who around us. in design and wanting the two to designed the Baynes Bat glider, I’m very much a country boy. I work symbiotically. So the core of Churchill’s favourite, and also the was brought up, in the New Forest Lower Mill Estate, the basic idea swept wing and vertical lift air - and spent most of my time as a that developed out of that initial craft and the hydrofoil. kid scraping my head open going landing for a snooze and a swim, What I believe has been one of underneath barbed wire fences and is about connecting wonderful our proudest achievements at running away from farmers who’d architecture with nature. Lower Mill Estate has been to be chasing us off a bit of land Best wishes, H ensure that while w e’re a n because we’d found a great swim - Jeremy Paxton absolute haven for helicopter flyers, ming place there. letters continue on page 15

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t • Upgraded electrical e s

y generation system o f • Next generation avionics r e

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Please quote reference ASHLQ7 in any correspondence When Harry Met Sally The inaguration of the Global Helicopter Executive Network took place on 1st May 2009

BY G EORGINA H UNTER -JONES

preparing for the deal with AAG things they have a fractional owner - remiAir Aviation has been Global or as one pilot put it “the deal ship programme. The fractional busy. In spite of, or perhaps with Sikorsky”(who own AAG) to scheme is so successful in New York because of, the decline in the become the Global Helicopter that Tom McQuade, CEo of AAG P

P h economy, they have been planning Executive Network. This involved a decided that he wanted to expand it o t o new ventures, some more taxing that g very intensive audit by ARGUS to over the rest of the world. He said, “I r a P others. They have started a new heli - make sure the British company was up wanted to raise more money and I also h s g

copter shuttle between the major air - to US standards. Apparently it was, wanted to know what my ‘owners’ e o r ports, they have inagurated a new and the launch of the Global Helicopter wanted.” g i n a

Global Helicopter Executive Executive Network (G-HEN) took place What they wanted turned out to be h u n

Network, and they have a variety of between the Sikorksy owned American the ability to have a helicopter avail - t e r - new projects starting at the revamped company AAG Global and Von Essen able to them in the same way it was in j o n e

oxford Airport. owned PremiAir on 1st May. New York, across the Atlantic and s The most difficult venture, accord - AAG are a helicopter comapny elsewhere in the world. Available, ing to the PremiAir pilots, was based in New York. Amongst other moreover, twenty four hours a day,

12 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 seven days a week. PremiAir Aviation in the UK was the only helicopter in Europe big enough for the business. “I don’t do brokering,” said McQuade, and it seemed Sikorsky did not want to buy PremiAir, nor did Von Essen wish to sell, so the alternative was a partnership between the British and US companies. “We will be sharing best practices,” McQuade says, “flights will be bookable via the website, which will always be manned.” They claim to be able to dispatch a helicopter in 20 minutes. The new network is now looking to expand across the globe, particuarly in the Far and Middle East. In February, PremiAir also launched its London Heliport Shuttle Service, which offers dedicated flights to meet private jet arrivals into the business airports around London, flying them up to Battersea and thus avoid - ing the traffic on the capital’s notorious motorways. PremiAir now have five bases: Blackbushe, Denham, Battersea, Farnborough and oxford. They have a fleet of 18 helicopters, including a Sikorsky S92. They are a FAA, CAA, and EASA Part 145 approved maintenance organisation, a Hawker Beechcraft Authorised Service Centre, a Sikorsky Service Centre, a Bell Customers Service Facility and a Eurocopter maintenance centre. AAG were started after the Vietnam War by John Agor, a helicopter pilot who saw the potential in heli -

Franchisees will now be able to have a helicopter available in London as well as New York. Inset: PremiAir MD David McRobert P h o t o g r a P h b y P r e m i a i r a v i a t i o n l t d

HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 13 European Helicopter Safety Analysis Team (EHEST) preliminary results

n April, the European Helicopter this objective, EHSAT, the dent. However, accidents also Safety Team (EHEST) released European Helicopter Safety occurred to very experienced pilots. Iits preliminary analysis report on Analysis Team, was formed with The accident analysis aims at iden - helicopter accidents which occurred the purpose of identifying safety tifying all factors, causal or contrib - in EASA Member States between issues and intervention recommen - utory, that played a role in the acci - 2000 and 2005. dations. The report presents the dents. These: Pilot judgment and The report discovered that there results of one hundred and eighty actions, Safety Management and were three main contributory fac - six accidents where a final investi - Safety Culture, and Pilot situation tors, the highest being pilot judge - gation report has been issued by the awareness, had different patterns ment and actions when faced with responsible AIB. when in Commercial Air Transport an emergency. This was very simi - of the accidents analysed so far, 72 compared to Aerial Work and lar to the findings of the involved General Aviation opera - General Aviation. International Helicopter Safety tions, 66 Aerial Work, 40 Violations ie breaking rules or laws Team (IHST) formed in 2005 look - Commercial Air Transport, and 8 were extremely low in the analysis. ing into accidents in the USA VIP Flights. 68% of the fatal acci - only 16% of the accidents were a between 2000 and 2005. dents and 34% of all accidents result of rule-breaking. The second and third problem areas analysed by EHSAT occurred dur - However, a greater emphasis was were found to be the safety culture ing the en route phase of flight. In put on training and the use of the management and pilot situational 33% of the accidents, the pilot had available equipment, and of knowl - awareness. less than 1,000 hours total helicop - edge of regulations. The IHST gave as their objective: ter experience. In 26% of the acci - For further information access the “An a lysis, a s the firs t step towards dents, the pilot had less than 100 report on: http://www.easa.europa.eu/ reducing the helicopter accident hours flight experience on the heli - essi/documents/ReportPreliminaryRe rate by 80% by 2016.” To reach copter type involved in the acci - sultsE HSATv1.0.pdf JETJET A1A1 AAVGASVGAS 100LL100LL

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continued from page 11 The PCA-1B is in the background, while the PCA-2, Dear Georgina, flown by James G. ‘Jim’ Ray is in the foreground – The Spring 2009 article ‘Manhattan Belle’ featured a they are flying over ‘Liberty Island’ upon which the terrific view from a helicopter of the Statue of Statute of Liberty stands, lifting her lamp ‘beside the Liberty, and reminded me of the first rotary-wing air - Golden Door’. Lower Manhattan is to the left while craft to fly in that airspace in october of 1930 – the Brooklyn is to the right. The island was formerly experimental Pitcairn PCA-1B (known as the ‘Black called Bedloe’s Island but was officially changed in Maria’) and PCA-2 Autogiros. Harold F. Pitcairn, 1956. seeking to both certify the PCA-2 (it would be the other photos in the october 1930 certification flight first certified American rotary-wing aircraft, receiv - series include the Autogiros flying over the piers in ing ATC-410 on April 2, 1931) had the two the East River, over the Battery in lower Manhattan Autogiros fly over Manhattan in certification flights and over Wall Street - through what one architect that also garnered much publicity and caused has estimated would later be airspace occupied by pedestrians to stop in their tracks and gaze upward. one of the World Trade Center towers. I thought your And there was an additional aircraft flying with the readers might enjoy these first rotary-wing flights Autogiros, a chase plane from which a wonderful over New York City. aerial series of New York photographs were made. Best wishes, one of these shows the two Autogiros flying through Bruce Charnov Ph.D J.D. FRAeS the same airspace from which the helicopter photo letters continue on page 39 was taken.

P h o t o g r a P h s c o u r t e s y o f b r u c e c h a r n o v The twin boom Icepick has a Subaru engine Diferr Diora

The Icepick has no cross-wind limits Kx165 Icepick

he Diöferr Diora Kx165 Icepick is a twin rotor counter-rotating helicopter built in Hungary and Tdesigned by the AeroConsult Engineering Bureau. I talked to their chief engineer Dr Imre Bánó. The company has been designing the Icepick for four years, and they hope to fly it soon. So far they have only done ground-runs, as Dr Bánó said, rather endearingly, “we did not want to risk flying it for the first time just before Friedrichshafen, and then having nothing to show.” They decided to go for the co-axial main rotor for rea - sons of safety, expense (as there are fewer moving parts) and compactness. Unlike other co-axial systems the Icepick does not have a rudder, and the pedals work on the lower swashplate, changing pitch. “There is,” says Dr Bánó, “no cross-wind limit with this type of helicopter. Also,” he continues, “there is less for the pilot to do than in conventional helicopters, so he has more time to concentrate on flying and getting where he is going.” (obviously helicopter pilots have a poor reputation have also started designing a two seat model with a bigger

for navigational ability in Hungary.) Subaru engine. The single seat machine will have an empty s e n o

At present they are using a Subaru 165 hp normally weight of 460 kgs, while the two seat will be 490 kgs. Both j - r e

aspirated piston engine with fuel injection. However, this is machines will cruise at 150 km/h and have a VNE of 180 t n u

a very high revving engine and Dr Bánó says, “if there is a km/h. The single seat will carry 86 litres of fuel and the h a n problem with EASA we can change the engine, but Subaru two seat 94 litres. They expect both machines to have a i g r

are very experienced in light aviation engines and cars.” range of between 350 and 380 kms, but they are hoping to o e g

They looked at using a Lycoming engine, as it was more increase this to a 3 hour endurance and more than 500 kms. y b s

traditional, but discovered it was too heavy for their com - Dr Bánó says, “the rotor is made of carbon and the body h P a

pact machine. They have not considered using a turbine of glass fibre with a steel frame, all of which is very light.” r g o t

engine as it would be too expensive and too big. The expected price for the machines is 60,000 Euros for o h

The Kx 165 is a single seat helicopter, but the company the single seat machine, 65,000 Euros for the two seater. P

16 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 N EW T ECHNOLOGY Alpi Aviation Sylon AH

Th AH130 uses an APU conversion as an engine

lpi Aviation, an Italian company, designed the 90% in autorotation, and it is much better than the stan - Sylon AH130 from a derivative of the Rotorway dard Rotorway because Alpi Aviation have changed the AExec body and an APU turbine engine. blades to ones with more stored inertia.” The engine is a Solar ground generator modified for The blades are composite. use in a helicopter and giving 130 hp. The modified He continues, “it can hover out of ground effect at engine is lighter than a piston engine, and uses 50 litres 10,000 feet and then fly away from there, level or climb of AvTur an hour. It has a range of an hour and a half, at 500 feet a minute.” with a reserve of 20 minutes. Everything on the Sylon AH130 is produced in Italy, Corrado Rusalen, one of the owners of the company, the factory is based at San Qiorno close to Venice. says, “using no more than 70% torque, it can fly for The AH130 Turbine uses FADEC and can fly at 103 almost two hours.” knots, using 70% torque. Normal cruise speed is 86 This turbine model first flew as a prototype four knots with VNE 113 knots. Empty weight is 693 lbs years ago, a second machine, with some small modifica - with a take off weight of 992 lbs but a maximum take s e n tions, flying three years later. In Italy the helicopter may off weight of 1278lbs. o j -

r be flown as an Ultralight, because it weighs less than The AH130 is 29 feet long, with a main rotor diame - e t n 300 kgs, (the empty weight is 280 kgs) but in countries ter of 25 feet, and a tail rotor diameter of 4.20 feet. It is u h a outside Italy it must be flown on an experimental cate - just under eight feet tall. n i g r gory. The one exception being Greece, which also The ‘fly-away’ price for Italy and Greece, the only o e g allows flying of Ultralights below 300 kgs. There are two countries that can accept the machine as a produc - y b

s currently five models flying, all privately owned. tion model, is 180,000 Euros. h P a

r Rusalen says, “the AH130 is very good in autorota - The AH130 was on show at Friedrichshafen, sur - g o t tion.” (He trained on both the Angel Compress and the rounded by other Ultralights designed by the Alpi o h

P Enstrom Shark). He says, “the rpm does not drop below Aviation company.

HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 17 Cholmondeley Pageant of Power 18th and 19th July @ Cholmondeley Castle near Crew

BY G EORGINA H UNTER -JONES

entlemen, please keep your Major Dan The Cholmondeley Pageant will cars at half speed on the track. McBride have a wonderful array of cars, bikes GDrivers were told. and boats, both racing and static. There This was not because the rain was will also be a fly-in of helicopters. Last slanting down like a Grand Prix in year there were 120 helicopters parked Shanghai, nor because members of the on the lawn, even though the weather press, who were to experience the ride on the Saturday was considerably less first hand, are a weeny lot, happier than CAVoK. This year the exhibition

organisers are hoping to attract 180 or s

talking about speed than actually being e n o j

involved with it, but for the safety of more helicopters, all of whom get free - r e

all concerned. Regulations. on the landing fees and free entry to the t n u

Pageant day, however, these will be grounds. h a n i

lifted, and, as a weeny member of the Major Dan McBride, of the Army g r o press who did experience the corners, Air Corps, said the three services will e g s

bends and straights of the track at half be there doing an ‘Agility Test’. This, h P a r

speed, full speed must be absolutely he explained, is not a competition, but a g o t

awesome! ‘test of the fittest’ for Army, Navy and o h P

18 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 Ready to go on the Cholmondeley Racing Track with Alistair Barker in the 1938 Lagonda V12 once owned by Sam Goldwyn of Goldwyn Meyer Air Force, who will no doubt be holding back in a most gen - Graham Hildich driving tlemanly manner from any form of vile competitiveness. the 1972 840 Westlake built The combined forces will also be demonstrating a drop - by JO ‘Paddy’ Lynch with ping and carrying manoeuvre, with underslung loads, as in Lucy Hall in the sidecar a war-zone and there will be a recruitment tent. At Shawbury, where the majority of the combined forces training now takes place, there are Squirrels for basic train - n o t u ing and Griffins for twin training. Similar to the civilian o m AS350s and Bell 412s, these are designed specifically for k c i n military purposes and have some unique features. All the d n a consoles are ‘one fit’ and are currently all analogue. s m

a Although training in the three forces varies slightly the i

l Using the rolling l i basic training is the same and done on the same machines. W road starting tool - n

o only later it will become more specific, with the RAF, for s a

m example, staying at Shawbury to do their multiengine and f o CRM training on the Griffin (77 flying hours) before mov - y s e t ing on to the Chinooks they will eventually fly. They also r u o

c do crew training here. This is different from the Army, who d n

a will return to Middle Wallop for training on the Lynx, or s e

n Apache, and there do their NVG and the operational phase o j -

r of their training. or the Navy who will go to Yeovilton or e t n Culdrose. u h a The event charity this year will be the Army Benevolent n i g r Fund which, for 65 years, has worked to provide support o e g to serving and former soldiers, together with their families s h P

a in time of need. That includes people with disabilities or r g o mental illness, those experiencing homelessness or unem - t o h ployment and older people. P

HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 19 Latest Update on the Presidental Helicopters

n spite of obama’s reluctance to demanding requirements. The VH-71 icopter scheme. It is said that the change his fleet of helicopters delivers much greater safety, speed, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Iand cause extra costs, the ninth range and capability that the legacy is against the project and that it is no and final VH-71 to be built under aircraft which are now reaching the longer part of the defense budget. ‘Increment 1’ of the US Presidential end of their service life.” Sikorsky has a keen interest in the Helicopter Replacement Programme The programme was actually only debate as they are the company who was delivered in April. six months over schedule but there would be the most natural successors The VH-71 flew across the Atlantic have been over 800 customer to take over, should the current fleet to the United Statesin the US Air changes including 50 major design be scrapped. Whether that would be Force C-17 transport aircraft, for changes, hence the huge overspend. a cheaper alternative is not by any completion by prime contractor The VH-71 is more than just an means certain. Lockheed Martin. executive transport helicopter; it also In another change, though, at the end AgustaWestland CEo Giuseppe orsi, allows the President the same com - of May, CAGW (Citizens Against said, “All the aircraft delivered are munication and command ability as Government Waste) recommended compliant to the specifications if he was in his home office. It is that the project continue and that required by the U.S. Government based on the AW101, a helicopter Congress did not suspend funding. and the progress achieved in such a currently serving with 7 armed The reason for this was that the cur - short period of time is uncommon forces having logged more than rent fleet is ageing and will cost bil - d n

for an acquisition of this size and 180,000 flight hours, including com - lions of tax-payers dollars to upgrade a l t s

complexity. The whole VH-71 team bat operations in Iraq and Kosovo. and keep flying. They also point out e W can be proud of this remarkable If the project goes ahead the the current fleet is 35 years old and a t s u

achievement”. He went on to say Presidential helicopter should be that “while every take-off is optional, g a h

“The VH-71 helicopters remains the ready for service in 2010 . every landing is mandatory.” P a r only helicopter available today, or in However, there is still debate on the So, it looks like Sikorsky may have g o t o

the medium term, that can meet the final outcome of the Presidential hel - to lengthen their wish list. h P 20 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 BY CHRIS JONES The 5000 autorotations above may should the engine actually stop allow are all very similar in design with a seem like an exaggeration but in a us to still land on the runway. At 20 tandem two-seat cockpit and Rotax gyroplane you have very little feet we start the flair, reducing the engine. choice: leaving the ground is option - airspeed but continuing towards the The new design will which, I am al and landing a necessity. ground, at 5 feet we reduce the air - sure, attract tremendous interest, par - I tell all newcomers to the gyroplane speed further and a 2 feet we flare ticularly from the helicopter fraterni - world we are not helicopters nor are and stop. With a 20 knot wind we ty is the Rotorsport Calidus. This we fixed wing aeroplanes; we can’t achieve a zero zero landing, in no gyroplane has a fully enclosed cock - alter the pitch of the rotor blade and wind you can expect a ground roll of pit and will be available as from late therefore we are unable to demon - around 30 feet, bearing in mind that summer, just in time for the winter! strate a vertical take off or more we have wheels rather than skids. Running cost, in these times an all importantly a vertical descent to the Gyroplanes are extremely easy to important feature, are: £20 an hour! ground. But what we do achieve fly: no collective, no mixture control Yes, that’s it! through our limited abilities are con - and you can’t over-speed the rotor For example, my MT03 which burns sistent and successful autos to the nor can you reduce the Rotor RPM, fourteen litres of Mogas an hour. ground, and while training student unless you unload the disk. We can Then servicing will cost £220 every pilots we complete 10 reduced power fly slowly, backwards and sideways, 100 hours, insurance £2200 per year landings an hour equating to over we can perform a 360˚ rudder turn and hangarage. The only lifed part of 100 on a conversion course and a hovering descent. the machine is the rotor bearing at Achieving this rate may not be every Gyroplanes used to have a poor safe - 1000 hours. helicopter pilots idea of fun but isn’t ty record and why that is, is under - A current helicopter pilot will have better to practice for the possible standable: poor build quality, lack of to complete a twenty-hour conver - rather than pray that it never hap - training, pitch sensitivity etc. But we sion, a fixed wing pilot a thirty-hour s

e conversion and forty hour courses n pens? To briefly describe our have seen a dramatic change over the o j are a requirement for all others. s approach: we start at an 800 foot cir - past four years, with the introduction i r

h Training courses are now available at

c cuit height, reduce the power to pre - of manufactured two seat machines f many locations across the UK, all of o vent a powered push over then low - with reliable CAA approved four y s

e the schools have details on the inter - t ering the nose to maintain 65 mph in stroke engines, four hours endurance, r u net. it is well worth trying and you o the descent. our descent path is with VNE at 125mph. c s can see how things have changed for h rather steep, giving a glide angle of 1 There are three training gyroplanes P a

r the better. g in 3 but the reason for such an available; the German MT03, Italian o t Chris Jones is a 3000 hour gyroplane o approach is to reduce the noise and Magni and Spanish ELA07s. They h Instructor and CAA approved Examiner P HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 21 Air Medical Crews Take Training to a Higher Level

W ORDS AND PICTURES BY RICHARD PATTERSON

he year 2008 saw a higher inadvertent IMC). ‘Certified Flight Registered Nurse’ death toll of air medical Various bodies representing (CFRN). Tcrews and patients than any Nurses, Pilots, and Paramedics, as Richard Patterson is also a (CFI) other year in history. As a result, well as several family members of Certificated Flight Instructor in the NTSB has been investigating deceased crew and patients, were Helicopters, an Instrument-rated these occurrences to find a common also on hand to offer their sugges - Commercial Helicopter Pilot, and a denominator, and it recently held tions. one such organization is also Commercial Pilot for Airplanes hearings to address the issues fac - doing its part to ensure that the air (ASEL & AMEL). But what makes ing the industry. The organizations medical crew members, the Flight his training courses unique is that, present included the International Nurses and Paramedics, take an for more than a decade, he was a Flight Paramedics Association active role in the prevention of such Flight Paramedic and Manager him - (IAFP), Air & Surface Transport occurrences in the future. self. “When we developed this cur - Nurses Association (ASTNA), the Critical Care Concepts is head - riculum, I had no idea that it would Commission of Accreditation of quartered in Virginia, at the Suffolk have been as well received as it P h

Medical Transport Services Executive Airport (KSFQ). When has,” stated Richard. o t o

(CAMTS), the National EMS Pilots founder Richard Patterson started Critical Care Concepts has now g r a P

Association (NEMSPA) to name operations in 2006, he was certain provided training at some of the h c

but a few. Also present were several of the need for such a thing, and most prestigious air medical pro - o u r t

representatives from the FAA and knew that certification and training grams around the globe, and has e s y

the NTSB to address the common - make all the difference. The sole traveled to over 10 states within the o f r

alities, which always seem to purpose of Critical Care Concepts United States. The textbook used in i c h a

involve Controlled Flight into is to help prepare his fellow Nurses his courses has recently been pub - r d P

Terrain (CFIT), 49% of these in and Paramedics for their credential - lished (Critical Care Patient a t t e

night weather, and some form of ing examinations as either a ‘Flight Transport, Principles & Practice , r s o

deteriorating weather (most often Paramedic - Certified’ (FP-C) or a ISBN # 0615242677), and is avail - n 22 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 able from Amazon and Barnes and Noble. The textbook has also received a permanent place in the US Library of Congress. Billings Clinic What is vitally important is the training that he provides to medical crews on aspects of weather, aviation sectional interpretations for their local flying areas, terrain features and figures, minimum safe altitudes, elevations, safety & survival techniques, flight physiology, weight & balance, the effects of aft and forward loading, ELT activation and use and, most important, FAA Rules and Regulations per - taining to Part 91 and 135 operations. He goes into great detail in addressing weather trends, to enable crews to decide if it is safe to accept certain calls, based on the available weather information for their local flying areas, and for cross-country flights. (Again, the information pro - vided depends on where the class is conducted, and is rele - vant to that environment.) Richard Patterson, The classes have resulted in the production of an 8 Disc founder of Critical CD Audio Box Set, which presents the live recorded class Care Concepts for people who are not able to attend, or lack the financial means to travel to such classes. “our goal is to reach every - one, despite their inability to be present physically,“ says Richard. “If we can help one person stay safe in their cho - sen profession, then mission accomplished.” Next on the agenda is the production of a DVD of these classes, again to reach more people. “We have already start - ed production of the DVD, and hope to have it available by the summer of 2009,” says Richard. “our goal is to reach as many people as we can, helping to avoid the mishaps that 2008 afforded all of us, and to make the industry safer.” For more information on Critical Care Concepts, please visit www.CriticalCareConcepts.net for information, or to schedule a class at your location.

Lifeflight Peoria, Illinois n o s r e t t a P d r a h c i r f o y s e t r u o c h P a r g o t o h P

HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 23 Summer came early on the Bodensee

Aero 2009 Friedrichshafen, words and picture by Georgina Hunter-Jones Aveo organises adventure rides with bikes and helicopters

he 2009 Aero at and is powered by a turbine engine, They were building for 6 days a week Friedrichshafen was the formerly an APU. Alpi Aviation is a from March to August, and completed Tbiggest yet, with 625 light aircraft manufacturer. (See p.16) the machine in 6 months. He says it is exhibitors, 12 percent more than at Kit helicopters included the Angel very easy to build, if you are a com - the last show, and over 46,400 visi - CH-7, the Rotorway and the Safari. petent engineer. tors. Friedrichshafen sits on Lake The Safari, which was once called The helicopter can fly on MoGas Bodensee, (Lake Konstanz) and is the Baby Bell but had to change its or Avgas and uses 40 litres an hour. It best known as the place that zepplins name after the threat of a possible is made of stainless steel with com - were built. lawsuit from Bell Helicopters, resem - posite blades. It cruises and 84 knots. For the first time ever, the bles the Bell 47G. It was designed in Like the Rotorway the Safari Friedrichshafen Aero show included a Canada and this model was built by comes with a weight, which must be dedicated helicopter hall, as well as a Gustrel Schremp in 2006. He went to moved from the back to the front few helicopters scattered through the Florida to learn how to fly it, and now depending on whether you fly one or other halls. There were three main flies it at air shows and from his home two up. While this sounds problemat - areas of helicopter expertise: working in Germany. ic it must be remembered that for businesses; helicopters with historic Schremp says, he chose the Safair those of us below 150 lbs we have to interest and very light machines as in over other kit helicopters because it carry weight in certain fuel conditions gyrocopters and kit helicopters. was “like a professional helicopter” to fly the JetRanger solo. So this is a Light helicopters and gyrocopters and he thinks it is the safest kit general helicopter problem, not are very popular in Germany, with around. He says, “all the Safari parts restricted to kits. one of the most innovative newcom - are certified and there is a Lycoming on the historic side there was the ers being the Hungarian Diöferer built engine.” It also has size and space in Bristol Sycamore featured in Diora KX 165, Icepick (See page 15 the cockpit, more than the R22, which Helicopter Life Winter 2008, and the New Technology) was the machine he learnt to fly on. Mil Mi-2, featured in Helicopter Life Although the Icepick does not yet “It is also,” he says, “quieter than the Spring 2009, as well as Flying Bull’s have certification nor has yet flown, R22”. Cobra (part of Red Bull) and Volker one helicopter that does and has is the The Safari took 1200 hours to built Grasberger’s Bell 47J. Alpi Aviation Sylon AH130, Turbine. and Schremp was assisted by his col - The Bell 47J was originally in the The AH130T looks like a Rotorway league and partner in the helicopter, UK, but Grasberger bought it in but is actually a production machine who is a professional helicopter pilot. Germany, at an auction of the posses - 26 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 Moveable weight: above shows boom position, Gustrel Schremp with The Lycoming engine below on the Safari he built can use mogas or avgas the skid sions of a bankcrupt machinery com - Grasberger Helicopters were rare at than previous helicopters had been. pany. He had originally bid for the that time, and at that time there was To this end there is only one pilot, and machine thinking he could use it for not much demand for former military the console is to his left hand side. spare parts, but as no one else was helicopters. The three passengers sit behind the interested in buying the machine he Grasberger had to change the heli - pilot and all four of them are in the bought it very cheaply and decided to copters to civilian instead of military cockpit with no partitions, which run it as a helicopter. Grasberger con - specifications, and to remove the allows for much more legroom and verted the 47 to a Soloy engine, and weighty military instruments. better views. he still has three Soloy turbine engine However, the basic helicopters were This was also the first type of heli - models. Grasberger recently met one strong and there was no corrosion, so copter used as VIP transport by an of its former owners, a Director of they were exactly what he was look - American President, and Eisenhower Sloane Helicopters whom he believes ing for. Most of his work at that time had one as his personal transport was known as David George. was spraying and photography machine. Volker started Grasberger flights. Grasberger himself had a Like Grasberger, Red Bull has a Helicopters with one Bell 47 and background of crop spraying and had Bell 47, with a Soloy conversion. some leased helicopters. However, worked in Libya with the police. Red Bull, a company owned by around this time the MoD started Grasberger explains that the reason Dietrich Mateschitz, is currently even selling off their Bell 47s, so he was the Bell 47J looks so different from more in the news than usual after the able to buy a G3 and a G4, which had the other Bell 47s is that this was the Grand Prix win in Shanghai. It has a been used in Norway. The in the first helicopter used for the trans - flying wing based in Salzburg called 1970s he was able to buy a Westland portation of people (particularly civil - The Flying Bulls. Sioux. All the machines were rela - ians) and so it was necessary to make The Chief Pilot of the Flying Bulls, tively cheap to buy, as companies like it far more comfortable and roomy Siegfried Schwarz, is a former rescue

Bell 47J, type used Volker by US Presidents Grasberger in the Bell 47J

HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 27 RotorTech two seat gyrocopter

pilot and a friend of the owner. one Rescue pilot in Austria for 21years. nology in LRLS to the helmet. The day, when they were in the USA For helicopter companies on the warning systems are being trialled in looking at aircraft, Siegfried men - commerical side there was Bodensee both military and civilian helicopters, tioned that he would like to fly a Helicopters, based on the airfield. and so far the results have been very Cobra. “Shall I buy you one?” he was They were trying out a new HELLAS positive. asked. Thus the Flying Bulls were Awareness system. This is a EADS Another commercial venture was formed. Terrain and obstacle collision avoid - Aveo Air Services, which is owned by As well as the Cobra, the Flying ance system, which can be used in Mr Riess, is a camera and event compa - Bulls have a Bo105 certified for aer - combination with NVGs, ny, which also does VIP and adventure obatics. To be allowed to do aerobat - HELLAS is a version of the 1982 flying. They use the MD 600, which ics a helicopter must have approval LRLS (Lasar Radar Line Scanners) pilot Michael Bern says is absolutely from the manufacturer, in this case and is bringing the same radar tech - suitable for the range of work they do. they have it from Eurocopter, since Bolkow became part of that compa - ny. The helicopter must have a full inspection every 18 hours. In the sea - son they do shows across Europe. The Flying Bull’s Soloy conver - sion Bell 47 is one of the few Bell 47s with a turbine engine. They also have a VIP EC135, which is used for transport. The helicopters are all pri - s

vate and are kept for promotion and e n o j

display purposes. They also have - r e twenty five aeroplanes, including jets t n u and piston engine planes. h a n i

The Flying Bulls have five pilots g r o including Chuck Aaron, who came e g s with the Cobra, when they bought the h P a

Autogyro on floats r

machine from him! Siegfried is a g o t civilian pilot, having been a Civil Air o h P 2828 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 Extreme aircraft parking!

Autogyros are very popular in Germany

He explains that one reason why the Aveo are currently organising a MD 600 has a reputation for being bike and helicopter adventure in the hard to fly is that you have to get used South of Spain. Contestants get a to the particular machine before you chance to spend varying amounts of can really fly it well. “The big prob - time on the bike or in the helicopter, lem is speed reaction. over 80 knots depending on the terrain and conditions. the tail fin, is flying, under that speed Friedrichshafen was an enlighten - 70% of the stabilization system is ing show. It was extremely different through the slots and the forces can from the helicopter shows, which become very large.” have a tendency to focus on the major He explains that the colander is manufacturers and business. This was slow to react and consequently the a General Aviation show in the sense pedal forces tend to be very large. that it was for the general flying pop - “Imagine moving from a JetRanger, ulace, and it focused on their interests. where the pedals are very effective on These, naturally, tend to be the things the tail rotor, to the EC120 where the that the major of people can afford fenestron is slower to react and needs and so the emphasis was on the greater imput, the next step is on to cheaper end of flying; microlights, Co-axial, twin - the NoTAR system, where the pedal gyrocopters, kit planes, light aircraft boom Icepick input are another increased step.” etc and the range was phenomenal. see page 15

Red Bull Cobra and baby Cobra s e n o j - r e t n u h a n i g r o e g s h P a r g

o Robinson R44 on the t o h way to do a display P 29 Christian Pilots and Model Fliers raise

PV, Christian Pilots and which 100 hours must be turbine. All things was when they got the radio Model Fliers, is a support pilots must also be Christians and going, this means that it is now pos - Cgroup for aviation related aware of the difficulties and vicissi - sible to contact every mission and religious companies such as MAF tudes of living in very basic regions hospital, and to know when someone (Missionary Aviation Fellowship) with your helicopter or aeroplane. is in trouble and needs help.” and HeliMission , a Swiss helicopter Mathias Glass and Norbert Gerber, The work is a combination of taking support group for missionaries. who have been working in Papua New out provisions to the people, carrying CPV’s aim is to help pilots raise Guinea with the New Tribes Mission, missionaries to distant provinces , and the money needed to work for one helping missionaries, said: taking sick people to hospital or doc - of the flying organisations. Fledgling “It is very difficult to get pilots, as tors and nurses out to the villages. pilots have to pay for all their own they need to be a combination of dedi - Sometimes helicopters are used to training, just like other pilots, these cated to the job, capable and fairly help build airstrips, so that in future pilots, however, even once they have experienced, or at least imagainative cheaper aeroplanes may be used. a job with MAF or HeliMission still in difficult situations, and to realise Both pilots said the work was var - have to raise their ownn salaries and that when the excitement of the ied and exciting, often could be living expenses from their congrega - adventure wears off, there is still the stressful and tiring, but exactly what tions and friends at home. privations and difficulties of living in they felt called to do. CPV also try to help pilots get a deprived country.” Website:http://www.cpv-online.de contracts and work out the legal Even Norbert, who was the son of a details. They liaise between pilots missionary, has had to return home out in the bush and less experienced when his own son became ill living in pilots, so that the novices can learn such a harsh environment. Families from the older pilot’s expertise. usually go out with the missionaries They are currently trying to help and pilots, although that was not Matthias Geiger, an Austrian pilot, always the case in the past. who is also a charimatic Christian. one of the main reasons for need - v

Matthias has just got his CPL(H) in ing helicopters and aircraft in most of P c f Arizona. He is now hour building these regions (the regions stretch from o y s e and hoping to find a way to go and Papua New Guinea, Africa, South t r u work for HeliMission, but he cur - America and across the globe) is that o c

On bad s rently only has R22 time, and before there is very little infrastructure, few h P

weather days a r he can be considered by HeliMission roads and no rail links. g the flying can o t he needs 500 hours total time, of Norbert says, “one of the best o be very hard h P 3030 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009

The Gazelle who

Pictures by Georgina Hunter-Jones, Bob Fairall and courte Stole Christmas Summer 2009

he Gazelle helicopter (SA341 and the first Gazelle flight was made in twenty seven different countries. France and SA342) was the workhorse April 1967. Westland made the first has nearly 300 heavily-armed Gazelles. of the British military for three British military Gazelle in 1970, and There is also a special civilian variant, s T e n

decrades. originally built by Sud- since then the Gazelle has been linked the SA342G, which was certified in o J - r

Aviation, which became AeroSpatial, it with the British forces. June 1972. e t n began as a proposal for a light-weight In 1971, the Gazelle established three The Gazelle uses the same Astazou II u h a n

observation helicopter for the French world helicopter speed records. The powerplant and transmission system as i g r army, and was destined to replace the fastest was 312 km (168 nm) per hour. the Alouette 11. Unlike the Alouette II, o e Alouette 11. The Gazelle has about twenty differ - however, it has a fully-enclosed fuse - g h P a

In 1967, Britain joined in a produc - ent variants, both military and civilian lage structure and two pilots side by r g o tion sharing agreement with the French, and has been used over the years by side, with full dual controls. It also t o h P 1975 AAC Gazelle circling the mosque during a NATO exer - cise at Deep Express in Turkey

1976, Gazelle of the Salerno Flight, mountain training over Mt Etna in Sicily (10,900 ft)

introduced two innovations: the fenestron and a rigid modi - fied Bolkow-type main rotor. The Fenestron is a shrouded 1977 British Army of the tail-rotor with a high fin to improve flight characteristics at Rhine Royal Review at Sennelager, West Germany. high speed. It gives an added safety factor by guarding against tail rotor strikes during landing. The Gazelle was also the first helicopter to use composite blades. As part of the Anglo-French agreement, the Gazelle was built under licence by Westland Helicopters for the British Army, Air Force and Royal Navy. These Gazelles entered service in 1973 as trainers. Later, the Gazelle was chosen by the Army as a light observation/liaison helicopter joining the Army Air Corps. The French Army use the Gazelle in the armed anti-tank role fitted with up to six hot missiles. This version, the SA.342M/L1, is powered by an up- rated Turbomeca Astazou XIVM turbine developing 650kW. The Gazelle is also popular with overseas and n o s i r r a h l i e n 4,000 soldiers, 18 h P

a helicopters and 550 r g

o armoured vehicles t o h took part P 34 used in the armed/anti-tank/observa - 1975 The Royal tion/civilian and training roles. It was Navy display team built under licence in Egypt and The Sharks from Yugoslavia, as well as in the UK. 705 RNAS During the Cold War, Gazelles were Culdrose in used by the British Army of the Rhine Cornwall (BAoR). The BAoR was part of the NATo defence of West Germany from the end of the Second World War until 1994. BAoR was divided into four divi - sions, each of which could call upon the Army Air Corps to provided Gazelle or Lynx helicopters. From 1975 to 1992, the Royal Navy's Helicopter Display Team was composed of four red Aérospatiale Gazelle helicopters; the ‘Sharks’, whose aircraft and pilots were drawn from No 705 Naval Air Squadron based at RNAS Culdrose, Cornwall. The Sharks were unusal as a team in that their crews were changed every year. The pilots were all instructors responsible for the basic training of Royal Navy helicopter pilots. Shark crews were all volunteers and all the team activities; the pre-season rehearsals, transits to and from display venues, and the display flying itself were extra to their normal weekday duties. The Sharks display routine was renowned for mixing together a range of different manoeuvres. They used close formation, synchronised flying, s i r r o n n a l a y b s h P a r g o t o h P

5 3 1 c

e 1977, AAC Gazelle over Hangar d n Mountain near Voss in Norway, a

6

6 during Exercise Hardfall r HELICOPTER LIFE,Summer 2009 35 opposition (ie flying apparently against each other, but without touching or crashing!) and solo flying. Most of the displays lasted for 10 minutes, and the Sharks used a distinctive mix of red and green smoke. The team operated for about twenty years. They flew at airshows and events around the UK and Europe, but were eventually disbanded in 1992, because of RN opera - tional and budget cuts. Despite this, the Royal Navy Helicopter Display Team title was maintained until the end of 1996, as No 705 NAS, they continued to provide a pair of Gazelles, ‘the Gazelle Pair.’ In 1995, the Sharks got up a special four-aircraft team, which flew at a few Specifications commemorative events. The Gazelle was retired from the Gazelle SA341G Royal Navy service in 1996, and at the same time Royal The SA341G was the civil variant powered by an Navy Helicopter Display Team was disbanded. Astazou IIIA engine. It was officially certificated on 7 The Blue Eagles display team, the Army Air Corps June 1972; subsequently became first helicopter to obtain display team, also used Gazelles, but not exclusively. single-pilot IFR Cat 1 approval in the US. Also devel - over the years from the creation of the team in 1968, oped into the ‘Stretched Gazelle’ with the cabin modified they had a variety of helicopters including the Bell 47 to allow an additional 8 inches (20cm) legroom for the (Sioux) the Gazelle, Lynx and Scout. They also had a rear passengers. variety of names; Eagles, Sparrow Hawks, Army Eagles and (on the AAC’s 25th Anniversary Year) the Silver General characteristics Eagles. Between 1995 and 2007, they used four Gazelles Crew: 1 + 4 Passengers and one Lynx in a formation display. They trained at Length: 9.53 m (31 ft 3 in) Middle Wallop. In 2008 the team became an Apache, a Rotor diameter: 10.50 m (34 ft 5 in) Lynx, a Gazelle, a Scout and an Alouette, to represent Height: 3.18 m (10 ft 5 in) their history. Disc area: 87 m (932 ft) The civilian version of the Gazelle, the SA341G was Empty weight: 998 kg (2,196 lb) designed in the early 1970s as a response to interest from This varies with equipment the VIP market. Al Gwilt, Gazelle pilot says, “as with Max takeoff weight : 1,800 kg (3,960 lb) Bell helicopters the military version was used to finance Powerplant: Turboméca Astazou IIIA turboshaft 590 shp the civilian. It was the first single engine turbine market (440 kW) to get IFR certified in the US, and consequently had quite a market in those days.” Performance Today the civilian Gazelles are divided into the Maximum speed: 310 km/h SA341G and the reconsituted military models. Although (168 knots 198 mph) @ Sea Level cheaper to buy, there are some drawbacks with the ex- Range: 500 + Miles military models, in that they can only fly on a permit, and Service ceiling: 20.000 ft so cannot carry passengers, only crew, they may not fly Rate of climb: 12.2 m/s (2,400 ft/min) over congested airspace, for example, the London Endurance: 3.5 Hrs heliroutes, anad have other basic restrictions.

Gazelle Gazelle Fenestron Luxury console l l a r i a f b o b s h P a r

The Gazelle in the SA341G g o t o

civil, luxury variant h P 36 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Book of Recipes In Hardback, 192 pages Celebrate Benjamin Franklin’s 305th birthday with this great Gourmet Present ! “Highly entertaining, with amusing extracts from his writings. The book provides an extraordinary insight into Franklin’s life in America, England and France” HARPER &QUEEN “Mixes scenes from Franklin’s life and quotations from his writings with recipes recreating the flavours of the 18th century” NEW SCIENTIST

Franklin’s quotes in the book “Beware of Meat twice boil’d, and an old Foe reconcil’d” “Eat not to Dullness; drink not to Elevation” “Fruit is essential for maintaining Gums and Skin” “To lengthen thy Life, lessen thy Meals” Main Line Times “Kill no more Pigeons than you can eat” “Fish and Visitors stink in three Days” “The Turkey is a unique American Creature” “Squeamish Stomachs cannot eat without Pickles” “Nothing but Money, is sweeter than Honey” “Never spare the Parson’s wine, nor the Baker’s Pudding” “Cheese and Salt Meat, should be sparingly Eat” “Hunger never saw bad Bread” “The sleeping Fox catches no Poultry” “Take counsel in Wine, but resolve afterwards in Water”

How to order

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Books £14.99 plus postage and packing or by the case of 24

“Bad Commentators spoil the best of Books; God sends us Meat, but the Devil cooks” BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

37 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 The Herm s Helicopter

ouis Vuitton has bought Princess yachts, and now neering are resolved to provide an uncompromisingly Hermès is designing helicopters: what has hap - user-centric experience. Lpened to the world! We are in a recession but lux - Based on the EC135, the world leader in the new gen - ury just goes on winning! eration of light, twin-engine helicopters, “l’Hélicoptère The first Helicopter by Hermes, pictured above, has par Hermès” unites the most advanced aircraft technolo - been delivered to Falcon gies developed by Eurocopter with Helicopters in Abu Dahbi. the savoir-faire of Hermès, which Eurocopter says of its new product: has accompanied discerning trav - “L’Hélicoptère par Hermès’ is a ellers for more than 170 years. singular experiment in collabora - Combining a spacious cabin with tive engineering and design which a seating capacity for four passen - was not founded on a straightfor - gers, ample storage compartment ward combination of skills, (tech - and lateral sliding doors, the EC135 nical on one hand and ‘decorative’ - Eurocopter’s best-selling light mul - r e

on the other) but on a truly mutual timission, twin-engined helicopter t P o evolution on dialogue and research with an unusually low noise-signa - c o r between Eurocopter engineers and Hermès designers and ture - provided an ideal template for the Hermès designer u e s craftmen. and craftsmen. h P a r

The key concept of “l’Helicoptère par Hermès” is: the Hermès’ distinctive signature is apparent across the g o t passenger is all important. Issues of style versus engi - aircraft’s exterior and interior design treatment.” o h P 38 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 M ORE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

continued from page 15

Dear Georgina, I have just returned from playing with two fellow mem - bers at Barton on Sea Golfclud, only to pick up Helicopter Life and read your editor's letter. I hope you were treated royally last December. It's a very friendly club, with lots of wags! When playing, we see a lot of light aircraft and helicopter activity in the skies above, especially on a wonderful spring day like today. Should you make such a precautionary landing again, please get in touch! With best wishes, David Beeby

Dear Georgina, I have just been told there is a helicopter designed by Hermès, would it be possible to see a picture of it in Helicopter Life? Many thanks John Martin

This is what you call quick response to readers queries! Ed The Long March

Two pilots fly a Schweizer 300 from Redhill in England through France to Jerez in Spai

t is nearly 1300 miles from the H300 down there with a student maps for three countries, the aircraft Redhill in England, to Jerez in doing a type rating. on 7th March, I documents and the GPS bag. With a ISouthern Spain, about the same met Mark Kengelbacher (a Swiss bit of creative thinking, and leaving distance as Washington DC to Fort ENT surgeon) at Redhill station, So behind Mark’s towels (he is German Worth, or New York to Palm Beach. far the trip was going well! Swiss) we managed to fit it all in. It does not sound too far, until you Unfortunately, the weather at Then we needed fuel. For some rea - plan to fly a small helicopter from Redhill Airfield was not so encour - son, although Redhill has a bowser one to another, a helicopter, more - aging; 200 foot cloud base and a it will not drive to you (at least not over, with a true air speed of around visibility of less than 500 metres, if you are a piston helicopter) you 70 knots. Forecast to clear. have to fly to it; very cost effective. When Hans Nerlinger bought Meanwhile, we were trying to pack By the time we had packed and GSBHH from Chris Padfield for his into the small cockpit our clothes for fuelled, found a smaller container school in Jerez, he asked me to fly four days, oil for the helicopter, for the oil and got ourselves together, 40 Words and photogaphs by Georgina Hunter-Jones HELICOPTER LIFE,Summer 2009 Arriving at the French coast after a slow flight across The Channel have to file a flight plan. Inset: Oyster beds We left Cherbourg and turned on to Brest frequency. They asked if we had filed a flight plan, and there was some confusion when we said no. However, all this sud - denly became academic: the night was not nearly as much of a problem as the weather. The clouds were descending rapidly and we were straying into worse and worse visibility. After a look at the map, I asked Brest for a diversion to Lessay, because of the weather, and they gave us vectors. We landed at Lessay, half an hour after leaving Brest and in worsening weather. It was a good find. The Aero Club was extremely friendly, and a very nice former Sikorsky S-76 pilot gave us a lift to a nearby hotel. The hotel itself (strangely called the Brit Hotel – but then in the twelfth the weather had cleared into a beautiful sunny day. We and thirteenth centuries this part of France belonged to had a easy and enjoyable trip to Bembridge, on the Isle Britain) was large and clean, with hardly any guests, and, of Wight, where we were to fuel again and file a paper naturally, had a superb restaurant, where later on I was flight plan. able to eat the local oysters. The flight plan was not as straightforward as they used We woke up the following morning to a deluge, and for a to be. Apparently Swannick Control prefers you to file while imagined we would be spending the day visiting on-line these days. My flight plan was rejected twice, the delights of Lessay. But, as the hotel staff informed us, the first time because they could not read my writing, the weather changes very quickly in this part of the second time because the computer pointed out there Normandy, and by 9 o’clock it was a lovely sunny day. was no such helicopter as a Hughes 300; very true it is a our only problem was that this was a warm front and we Hughes 269. However, it would accept the alternative followed it down into France. on the plus side we had a ‘small helicopter’. tailwind, and zipped down to Ancenis, arriving there in These flight plan problems are apparently not unusual. less than two hours, and rather pleased with ourselves, We were told a story of one frustrated pilot who after especially as soon after we landed another front came two rejections said, “Damn the flight plan,” and took off through and drenched the airport. without it. Another case of over-zealous rules leading to We talked to Rennes and Nantes ATC on our way to a dangerous situation. Ancenis, and for the first time there was a mention that By the time we were ready to leave Bembridge, both the our transponder was not working perfectly. The ATC beautiful sunny day had dampened and the wind had got up; it was blowing from the south. The trip across The Channel should have taken us 45 minutes, but with the southerly wind and our speed at times down to 45 knots, it took us an hour and twenty minutes. At one time an unbelieving air traffic controller on the French side, asked, “Are you really still not mid- channel?” Wondering presumably why anyone would be fool enough to fly such a slow helicopter from one country to another. We finally arrived in Cherbourg, to a quiet airfield, clos - s

ing down for Saturday night. Re-fuelled, and got ready e n o j

to leave. However, it was already 5 o’clock local time, - r e t

we had another two hour stint to do, and it got dark at 7 n u

o’clock. So, everything was getting a bit close to the h a n i

edge. g r o A look at the approach plate confirmed that Ancenis, e g h

our intended destination, did allow night flying, so at P a r g

least that was a good thing. It was only later I remem - Lessay the morning after o t o

bered that in France there is no VFR at night, so you our arrival h P 42 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 Along the coast around La Rochelle we passed oyster farms, many of them, which accounts for the fact you can eat oysters everywhere in this part of France. once again we ran into bad weather, yet again we were following the front. And for the first time the ATC got shirty with me. I could hardly blame her though, for a start the transponder was not working, then she couldn’t hear my radio (I don’t know why, but perhaps because Bordeaux is quite a long way from La Rochelle) and she didn’t understand my English. With a combination of poor radio, bad weather and less than full tanks, we decided to make another diversion and land at Medis Royan. In fact we landed there, saw the AvGas pumps were covered with ribbons, suggesting they did not work, and took off again, only to run into worse weath - er and come back to the airfield. Besides, at this point At Ancenis the front caught Bordeaux were so fed up with me, they were not up with us with force answering at all. And it worried me that we might once again be flying in the dark with no flight plan. Medis Royan turned out to be an excellent destination. kindly suggested it might be because we were too low; The people in the Aero Club were extremely friendly, although we were at 1500 feet. However, by the time we they spoke excellent English, there was a military Puma arrived at Ancenis it appeared to be working oK. pilot who was really kind to us, driving us to various Ancenis had an automatic fuelling station, which is a hotels, all of which were closed, this being down-sea - brilliant idea and worked perfectly with credit cards. son, and another man, this time a microlight pilot, who Instructions were clear and written in both English and finally found us a hotel in a nearby town. I don’t think French, and we got a receipt at the end. Again there were pilots arriving in England get nearly the kindness and some friendly and helpful people on the airport, although attention we did in France. it was actually closed and had no air traffic control. And, They also sold me a new map. This was highly needed. again, there was an excellent local bistro for lunch. This Since we had left England in rather a hurry, and I was one was interestingly set in what appeared to be an trying to close the magazine as well as flight plan for industrial estate, and the view out of the window was of the trip, I had to buy my maps for the lower part of a silent digger, but naturally the food was completely delicious. La Rochelle had no piston We walked back to Ancenis and discovered the door fuel for helicopters, we code we had been given to get back into the airfield did landed on the grass to keep not work; probably it was my poor French that did not out of the way of jets work, but either way it was irrelevant as the last pilot had left the back gate open. The good weather having caught us up, we were now able to take off for La Rochelle. Here we talked to Nantes on the radio and La Rochelle. To our surprise, although Jeppesen claims that La Rochelle has both AvGas and AvTur, the air traffic con - trol told us there was no fuel for piston helicopters and we should go and sit on the grass at the back. Clearly we were in the way, but this was sweetened by the fact the landing fee was less than 5 Euros. (As a comparison s i r Biggin Hill in the UK is £37 pounds and at the time we r o n were travelling one pound bought you one Euro). The n a l

a fuel was not a big problem, although we had planned to h P

a fuel here, as we still had two hours of fuel left and we r g o were planning to land at La Teste de Buch Helistation, t o h suggested by Jeppersen as a good place to refuel. P HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 43 French Atlantic coast is full of danger areas. Inset: Soulac, where we less than culinary delight for him) in refuelled GSBHH bizarre surroundings. This time the Picure Mark Kengelbacher restaurant was in a flamboyantly fun- fair-style greenhouse but the seafood platter with snails was something I remember still! When we left Royan it was French- only on the radio, as does sometimes happen in small French airfields. Soulac gave no reply at all but was a sweet airfield, shepherded by a charming woman d’un certain age, who kindly allowed us to use the tele - phone to file our flight plan to San Sebastian. This was the most trouble- free flight plan I filed, quick, easy and a helpful voice on the phone. once again the landing fee was less than 5 Euros. Fuel was also about cheaper than the price of AvGas in the UK in spite of the strong Euro. It is no use asking why, but I still do wonder. France from Stanfords Bookshop in was closed. For a nasty moment it The Atlantic Coast of France was Covent Garden. I didn’t notice until seemed it might be closed on once notorious for pirates, now it is we were about to use them that Monday too, since many places in known for the airspace restrictions. although the maps are sold as, France are, and we did not have But, thanks to a very helpful air traf - ‘Aviation maps’ there was a sign on enough fuel to go any long distance. fic controller from Bordeaux and them saying: ‘Warning. Not to be But we were lucky. Soulac is closed another from Cazaux and, amazingly, used for peacetime navigation with - Tuesday and Wednesday, but open a working transponder, we were able in French airspace.’(Useful.). Monday. to traverse the whole coast, only occa - As we had been about to enter the Again we had a delicious dinner (at sionally changing height to dodge the crowded airspace around Bordeaux least I did, Mark did not eat seafood, odd bullet (presumably) or low flying before we turned back, I once again which made this part of the trip a bit jet. We passed one helicopter, a mili - thought it was a guardian angel that led me not to go on and risk the weather! The new map had all the Royan, where the ATC spoke only French and the Aero airspace we needed. Club was friendly and helpful The guys at Royan also pointed out r e h

that La Teste de Buch Helistation, c a b l

our next destination, was actually a e g n hospital! Clearly we had misjudged e k k

that, and of course, there would be r a m

no fuel there either. P o t

However, it was also true that d n a

Royan had no fuel. Indeed had not s e n o

had for some time, but there was an j - r e

alternative. All the pilots flew over t n u

to Soulac, just over the inlet, to get h a n AvGas. This was useful and new i g r o

information for us; Soulac is such a e g

small airfield we hadn’t even h P a r

noticed its existence. g o t

As this was Sunday night, Soulac o h P HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 44 tary Puma, but this was only a dot on her radar for the ATC. Biarritz: just because its name conjures up the gaiety of the twenties I really wanted to land there, but we had to go on to San Sebastian, not just because we had a flight plan, but because we were already clearly going to make a three day trip, into four, and we needed to press on. San Sebastian is the gateway to Spain at the edge of the Pyrenees. The weather was given as 1500 feet broken, and all the nines visibility. That was fine for the airfield, sitting at sea level, but not so propitious for us, thinking about jour - neying on through the Cameros (foothills of the Pyrenees). The Pyrenees, we were told, are named after Pyrene, the daughter of a Greek god, whose lover, Herakles, deserted SanSebastian, her here. She was eaten by wolves and her guilty lover set gateway to Spain up a tomb – the Pryrenees - in her honour. Pyrene means fire in Greek. (Before anyone writes me a letter, this story is not our next stopping and fuelling point was Logrono, in Herodotus’s Histories.) the capital of La Rioja wine region, This is clearly However, we need not have worried about the weather. It a wealthy area, as the long, virtually unused, run - took us so long to work out how to get fuel and, even way and huge terminal were surrounded by a myri - longer, how to do the flight plan, that the afternoon sun had ad of small planes. broken through the clouds by the time we were ready to go. The ATC and people in the terminal were again Everywhere you fly in Spain you have to file a flight plan. very friendly, but, since our transponder had by These apparently have to be done on-line. There were plenty now virtually stopped working, the ATC was rather of computers for us to use, but all the information is in keen to get us off their frequency and on to some - Spanish. oK we were in Spain but the aviation language is one else. This happened frequently in Spain. English. You would have thought that a Swiss man and an Probably because of our poor communications English woman could have managed this between them, and equipment, we were constantly being sent on to in the end we did. But not quickly. It was not until we another radio, and usually one far too far away for reached Cordoba that a helpful girl told us you can change us to contact. However, since the GPS was very the language on the computer. I suppose everyone else good there was no likelihood of us busting air - thought it was obvious. space or getting lost, unless the GPS failed, of course. There was no internal GPS, simply a hand- held one with batteries propped-up on the console. The Pyrenees, created by Hercules as a tomb to his lost The ground between San Sebastian and Logrono is lover Pyrene (fire in Greek)! all around 5,000 feet, with some peaks over 6,000, but the really high ground was to come; between Logrono and Marid Cuatro Vientos where the safe - ty altitude was 8200 feet. In fact we did not get above 7000 feet, and even then the H300 seemed to be running out of puff, with the throttle full open and the collective up high. From time to time we found ourselves drifting down and it was impossible to fly above 70 knots. VNE decreases at this height, and with the temperature now around 20m degrees centigrade the pressure alti - s e tude was probably around 9000 feet. n o j

- Leaving Logrono we were asked to report Sierra r e t

n point. Correctly assuming this must be the south - u h ern exit, I looked on my map. Unfortunately, we a n i g

r were back to Britain (and Standford’s) best, and o e

g there was no mention of a Sierra point there, nor h P

a on the GPS. So I guessed. It was not as though r g o there was any other traffic around. Incidentally, t o h before you think we were being too blasé about the P HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 45 mountain ranges, hidden valleys with huge wandering lakes, and the fiery red colour of the clay-based earth. Everything you need on a scenic trip. Villages are few and far between, and you get the sense that there is little flying in this region; possibly just the occasional military jet or helicopter. It is the sort of area that makes you want to land for a picnic; not real - ly possible on a long journey, but nice to imagine. After a few more attempts to talk to various air traffic con - trollers, and by now certain that our transponder was not working, we were told to, “maintain visual clues” and talk to Madrid Cuatro Vientos. I assume they were so kind to us Logrono, capital of La because it was obvious we were where we should be, and thus Rioja wine region must have a GPS. The flight into Madrid Cuatro Vientos is fascinating, passing map, we tried to buy one in San Sebastian and as you do two major Madird airports, and north of the city they did not have any maps of Spain there. itself. To the north of Madrid there are high mountains and Moveover, we were told, the ATC will tell you reservoirs which presumably give the city its drinking water. what you need to know, when we showed them To the south it is flat plateau, all the way to Toledo. our deficient maps. Cuatro Vientos itself is on the west side of Madrid, and is a As soon as I reported Sierra point I was asked to very busy general aviation terminal. It is a boon for helicopter contact Madrid. I tried, but the distance was again lovers having a fleet of Hueys, which stand like guardians at far too far to get any contact. From time to time I the end of each row of fixed wing aircraft, and the police tried again, and eventually we did get contact, Eurocopters. It also housed one of the kindest engineers I have only to come up against the problem of the non- ever met. working transponder, and to soon be moved on to True to our form, when we tried to start-up to leave the fol - another frequency. Which again was far too far lowing morning the engine refused to start. It wasn’t even that away to get contact. once I returned to the origi - it was coughing and trying, it simply did nothing. Guessing nal frequency to explain I had tried to contact the this was probably a loose wire, we looked under the helicop - new frequency, but was told to change back and ter, but there appeared to be plenty of loose wires (as well as keep trying. Your problem, is not my problem, I the loose screw pilots?) We looked around for an engineer, could almost hear them saying. And really, I didn’t and amazingly found one, albeit a fixed wing engineer. blame them. We had a GPS and we were fine, but Unfortunately, he did not speak any English, and as mentioned we were being a nuisance. before we had enough Spanish to order a beer and (by now) The route from Logrono to Madrid is beautiful, if file a flight plan. However, he came over to the machine, slow in a H300. There are snow covered peaks, made lots of hand-signals, which we totally misunderstood. s e n o j - r e t n u h a n i g r o e g s h P a r g

Terrain between o t o

Logrono and Madrid h P Went away, while we thought we were goners and starting Mark changed the batteries and we had the GPS again. phoning hopelessly, and came back with tools. He then Here, once again the transponder decided to work, for a fixed the wire, fixed the starter and we were free to go while. Seville Information could see our transponder with a working machine. And he did not even want to be code, but Jerez could not. paid. The end of our trip. It took 16 hours flying and four days. In Madrid I managed to buy maps for the rest of Spain, However, here in Jerez, of all places, I got a telling off. which was a relief, so I now knew where Sierra point was, For taxiing too fast. I thought I was clearing the run - when asked for it, as we indeed were when left the air - way, the ATC thought I was being a hooligan. Her port. In spite of this we were still pushed off quickly onto words were: “That is not funny, Lady!” another ATC, who also managed to get rid of us as soon Cultural differences perhaps? And I thought that only as possible. happened with other English speaking nations! We were now enroute to Cordoba. Again it was a long trip, two and a half hours, and again through magnificent, Madrid: the safety although considerably lower, countryside. There were altitude is 8200 feet some danger areas to avoid here, but as they were on both the map and the GPS, we had no problem with that, even though no ATC wanted to talk to us. In Cordoba the radio work was all Spanish, so we came in effectively non radio, but we had been warned this would be the case and so were unalarmed. As we arrived at lunch time there was only one agricultural plane doing circuits anyway, so we followed him in. Fuelling was again easy and quick, and once again there was a well maintained Huey on the airfield. Hueys seem to be popular helicopters in this part of Spain. The last flight was the hour to Jerez, and at this point the Madrid GPS failed. CuatroVientos It seemed inevitable, but actually it was no great problem,

Hueys at Madrid CuatroVientos

Cordoba, where the The terrain between ATC spoke Spanish Madrid and Cordoba Words and pictures Helicopter Life team HeliRussia 2009

49 The co-axial AP-55 is designed in Irkusk, the designer hopes it will be flying by 2011

f you buy from all over the manufacturer at the show. This, inci - Maloney, a pilot who had flown, world, you will get customers dentally, was commented on with amongst other places in Cambodia Ifrom all over the world. This is some warmth by the Bell dealer, who and Somalia. He now sells spray sys - the philosophy of Richard Booth, pointed out there are 17 Bell helicop - tems for agricultural use, including founder of the Hay-on-Wye Book ters in the Russian Federation as the R44 system, which can carry 486 Festival, which now brings in enthu - compared to some 70 Eurocopters. litres and is certified to fly at 125 siasts from everywhere on the globe. However, the presence and absence knots. He is also developing a pod This is something the founder of of manufacturers was not as clear cut for the R66. HeliRussia, Mikhail Kazachkov as the competition might suggest; of the International manufacturers aspires to, but has not yet managed Agusta, for example, has recently the one that has the most significant to achieve. gone into a co-operative deal with a recent growth in the Russian HeliRussia is a unique and interest - Russian company oboronprom, a Federation is Robinson. This, pre - ing show, but it is not yet interna - division of the government-con - sumably, is partly because the tional. Interesting absences from the trolled arms export company Russian manufacturers have no 2009 show included: Sikorsky, Rosoboron Export, and, on the other equivalent piston helicopter, and Agusta, MD, Enstrom and hand, Eurocopter, so I was told, has indeed have very little in the light Schweizer. Robinson was represent - no maintenance base in the Russian helicopter market, their smallest heli - ed by Japanese dealer, Shizuka Saito, Federation. Moreover, Sikorksy’s copter being the Mil Mi-2. one man - who is also selling her Sumotor, heli- absence may have had something to ufacturer based in Irkusk is trying to moving wheels, and Bell was repre - do with Russian Helicopters plans to change that with their light turbine sented by an independent dealer build a Ka-92 and a co-axial Ka X-1. AP-55. The designer, Sergey Alexey Doronkin. Eurocopter, on the That is not to say an international Kayomov, said, “we are looking at other hand, were there in force, in presence was entirely missing, the Russian Robinson market, and the form of Eurocopter Vostock, their Helipod from New zealand, was then, maybe aiming at the interna - Russian dealership as were there and doing good business. tional market.” Turbomeca, the only foreign engine Helipod was started in 1990 by Peter Abna Mpoekt are designing a four

50 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 HeliPod spray unit which holds 486 litres and is certified to fly at 125 knots. place co-axial turbine helicopter, which uses an Allison engine, and has some external features reminiscent of the EC120. Sergey says they hope to have the first flight in 2011, sooner if they can find investors. He chose the co- axial mode because he thought it was safer, and more stable. “It is much easier to fly than the conventional helicopters,” Kayomov said. other new designs include the Kazan Ansat, a 10 place, multi-purpose helicopter, currently on its 11 or 12 proto - type, the company could not say exactly which because most have been sold. The Ansat uses twin Pratt and Witney engines, built in Russia under licence. They are aiming particularly for the VIP and HEMS markets in Russia. They would be happy to sell to the international market, but that was not their intention when building the helicop - ter. Kazan are a long established company, who also sell Mils and Kamovs. The Russian equivalent of HAI (Helicopter Association International) is Russian Helicopters, who represent “all the helicopter enterprises of the Russian Federation”. oleg Ponomarev, Chief of Department, said. The company was started in 2007, and represents Kazan, Kamov, Mil, Ulan Ude, and all the other companies. Its aim is to help in the introduction and operation of the development of new heli - Top: Shizuka Saito and Mitsuo copters in Russia. oleg pointed out that, “Russian aircraft Aoyana, designers of the Sumotor. plants are the biggest serial manufacturers of rotorcraft in Below: PBC host of HeliRussia

HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 51 They also serve who only stand and wait Gyrocopter in the history booth the world, having produced 56 thousand rotor wing air - craft with a take-off weight of one to 56 tonnes.” Which perhaps explains why they don’t feel they need to be part of an international market. Shizuka Saito from Japan, selling the Sumotor heli- mover said, “although I have always been very interest - ed in Russia and it is very geographically close, I never thought to come here, because it was too different. Then I met Mikhail Kazachkov at HAI and he was really interested in my wheels and thought they would sell well.” She said, “we spent three years working on variations of the Sumotor, changing the battery and connections. We had advice from many, including Frank Robinson.” The Sumotor heli-mover is a mechanical addition to the R44 wheels, enabling it to be pushed up at a distance, without any human effort. It costs 3500 Euros with the wheels or 2500 Euros without the wheels. Alpha Aviation can also convert the basic R44 wheels. Also on the international side, there were several heli - copter trading companies including Q Aviation, from Great Britain and Helipool from Switzerland. Martin Rutty of Q Aviation said, “we have made sever - al good contacts and we will see where they lead us. The Ka-226 co-axial We did not expect to sell something here at the show.” multipurpose helicopter Martin and his business partner Julian Palmer were actually lucky to be at HeliRussia at all. Having misun - derstood the regulations in getting a Russian visa, they turned up at Heathrow airport with the Russian invita - y i tion and evidence of their hotels in their hands, expect - d o n ing to be issued a visa on the spot. When they discov - n e g y

ered to their chagrin this was not possible they did not i k s think it would be possible to get to Russia at all. t u l i

However, thanks to the internet, olga of Intourist and m h P some great kindness on behalf of the Russian Embassy, a r g o

they actually managed to get a visa next day, change t o h their flight and landed in Moscow at 5.10 am the fol - P m o lowing morning, in time to get to the show. They only t t o missed one day of HeliRussia. b P 52 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009

The Fall from Grace Karlheinz Stockhausens Helicopter Quartet

54 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 by Romina Ciuffa

HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 55 Violinist playing in harmony with the rotor and engine sounds

he fourth Festival of Science This is a flight and we are all fly - ing in awed admiration, both feeling was held at Rome’s Parco ing. At the same time, it is a dream the music outside and experiencing Tdella Musica in January. and we are all sleeping: he has creat - it inside, in an open public square”. There were 28,000 spectators over ed a delightful vision, the German “For the majority of the time the the four days of the event. on the Karlheinz Stockhausen, eccentric, quartettisti played tremolii so that Sunday 18th, the cosmic master - narcisista, always his own man, the the stamp and the rhythm of the pro - piece of Karlheinz Stockhausen father of modern electronics, and pellers and the motors of the heli - litererally took off. organized by the one of the greatest composers of the copters used, were stirred together Musica per Roma Foundation, for twentieth century. like musical instruments”. the first time in Italy: The Helicopter “This piece is dedicated to all the “Then the genii in me showed me Quartet by Stockhausen, was played astronauts of the world”, said violin - that the feeling had been communi - by four musicians and four helicop - ist Irvine Arditti, “the piece asks for cated as something so deep from the ters, which circled over the domes of a quartet of arches, of a kind that cosmos that I did not have to reveal the Auditorium. It was an unusual could never have been written. anything”. and spectacular performance, the Except he dreamt of violins and one of greater and the more com - realization of one of the most vision - rotors, in a locked rhythm, the shov - plex musical intense activities ever - P h

ary dreams of Stockhausen, who had els of a helicopter on a par with the realized was thus born as the o t o

always wanted to defeat the force of violins. So, a quartet of helicopters. ” Helicopter String Quartet, and g r a P

gravity, experimenting the space ele - Stockhausen writes: “I had a dream: became the third scene of the mon - h s

ment in his music. on board each I listened and I saw the image of umental grand opera Thursday is r o m i helicopter there was a member of the four musicians playing in four heli - Light. The opera is a contrast n a c

Arditti Quartet (two violins, viola copters in flight. At the same time I between a voluminosity with a depth i u f f

and a cello). saw a vast number of public stand - beyond the history of music, with a 56 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 Even the cameras and the arches of the auditori - um are part of the musical performance, as well as the helicopters and instruments

Stockhausen’s exemplary interest in and then the four soloists are found violoncello) were audacious inter - the mathematical cosmology, formu - again executing the same rhythm preters of a dream. They were as las, the geometric proportions and even though they are isolated from visionary as their creator. the allegorie. In its intentions, each other both by distance and by The whether it rains or shines is Mittwoch represents the relationship the walls of the helicopters. irrelevant to the stockhauseniano . between conflict and reconciliation, In this way the helicopters They experimented with three dif - in the Quartet is the distance from become the musical instruments and ferent microphones: one for the the earth to the sky, a travel from the the rotor blades create the movement instruments, one for the voice, the earthling towards utopia. The three of symmetry. The sky is the record - third outside the helicopter, to carry main elements of the cycle (Birth, ing background. the sound of the motor, and swish of Love and Death characters) choose Thus, just as before the world- the relative airflow. The loudspeak - the theatre of the sky in order to put wide audience during the Dutch ers of Know it Sinopoli returned a into the scene the metamorphosis Festival, which was flown over the rumble, while on the screen inside that gives to the terrestrial stage of city of Amsterdam, again in Rome, the Auditorium the image of the hel - the War door the solidarity of its the four stockhauseniani , orange icopter was shown flying above the celestial utopia. The musicians helicopters were flown in the third earth. Then, the other three helicop - inside the four helicopters - world-wide dispaly. Again they flew ters joined it and the quartet of the Stockhausen specifies - must follow over the city, this time Rome, and mechanical angels traced a great cir - the rhythm of the motors and the they took off from the Auditorium cle in the skies over Rome in order to rotor blades: they are therefore the within of the Festival of Science. make ‘music a heartbeat for all’. The pilots of influence in the time of the The violinists of the Arditti screen was divided in to two, one for execution of the music. Every now Quartet (two violini, one viola and a the helicopter, one for the musicians.

HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009

HL Spring 2009 Cover 6/3/09 14:23 Page 1 H

E HELICOPTER L I C O P T E R L I F E

S LIFE p r

i SPRING 2009 / £3.99 n g

2 www.helicopterlife.com 0 0 9 Alternative Oscars The event was introduced by the scientist Piergiorgio odifreddi, who talked of dreams, skies, angels and the mathematical calculations used to allow the sound to slide in the space. one of the four engaged elicotter - isti (helicopter pilots) was Gianni Bugno, twice world cycling champion, today a passionate aviator. He is our pilot. It is a long, hard performance of 18 minutes and 36 seconds. The voices are indicated in the scores in four various colors, like the shirts of the four artists; HELICOPTER LIFE is the HIGH LIFE the partition is complex, and the instruments do not have a defined melodic procedure. A delirium. www.helicopterlife.com It is true unattainable Stockhausen: the dream HELICOPTER space. omnipotent deliriums detach us from the track when the helicopters take off and we are not returned to sanity until they land. This quartet of helicopters give action the indefinability of solid sound, violins LIFE without harmony, deafening gravity in order to be pas - SSAVINGS CC ERTIFICATE sengers on the edge of the helicopter of a genius. The music imitates with the sound of arches and rotor YES P LEASE ! Send me two full years - blades the language of the cosmos; it is penetrated by 8 exciting issues - of the magnificence of light. To dream of flight is to HELICOPTER LIFE imagine the symbolism of the climb, the reduction and the fall from grace. Freud saw in flight the expres - 2 Years (8 issues) only £22.00 (30% savings) sion of an unsatisfied physical desire made real. This I prefer 1 Year (4 issues) only £14.00 (15% savings) has again been fulfilled by the composer Stockhausen, in some way. That this is also the inspiration for most Please add £8 for each foreign order and prepay in UK funds. of the sonnambuli .

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HELICOPTER LIFEis theHIGH LIFE

58 HELICOPTER LIFE,Summer 2009 Dark side of the Moon

Questions to Bruno Misonne

usic and aviation might seem like a strange To mold the aviation sounds with the music is difficult combination, but in fact there are many over - and always a challenge. The trick is: When I compose Mlaps, many ways they complement each other: Aviation Music, I forget that the plane is just a sound Think Pink Floyd’s Learning to Fly, or the Music in the instead I treat it like a synthesizer. I have to make sure Air festival at Middle Wallop where aircraft fly to the that the plane ‘sits’ comfortably in the mix without com - rythmn of music, and become part of the performance, promizing the melodic part. And furthermore, a correct or the Belgian musician Bruno Misonne, who like volume tweaking of the plane and a careful selection of Karlheinz Stockhausen uses sounds from flight in his instruments playing the melody is essential; ‘The louder music. Here the beauty of flight is celebrated in sound. the plane sounds, the more powerful your instrument We asked Bruno Misonne a few questions about his must be’ is the general rule. For example, a Cessna motivation in bringing together music and aviation. engine running idle could be mixed with a flute, while a HL: I see that you are a pilot or student pilot, was it commercial jet flying-by would need to be mixed with that that made you want to include aviation sounds some trombones to get a balanced mix! in your music, or was it that like Stockhausen you HL: Are you happy with the results? had a dream of merging daily sounds into music? BM: Yes, because the result is really good and I get a lot B.M: I had no dream like Stockhausen did and I have of positive feedback from enthusiastic fans. I have never not started this project because I have been flying a heard that anyone was disappointed when he bought my plane! CD. Besides: If I were not happy with the results I It's simple : I already was fascinated by planes when I would just stop wasting my time doing this. was a kid! Back in 2004 I was astonished to discover The best compliment I ever had was a pilot saying: “I when I ‘Googled’ the internet that nobody composes always think that planes can sing but with your music music mixed with aviation sounds, so I wanted to be the they sing even better”! first to develop this virgin musical idea and till today I HL: Will you be making more music in the same remain the only person worldwide who has released an mode, or with other daily objects? entire CD based on this concept. BM: In April 2009, I released a brand new track called HL: Having decided to include aviation sounds in ‘Hercules’ and more ‘Aviation Music’ stuff will be cre - your music how easy was it to do? Both the practical ated in the future! I definitely plan to release rather soon side of access to aircraft etc, and musically to mold a track featuring many helicopters sounds but will it just the instruments with the aviation sounds. be a regular track or in some kind of context like the BM: To obtain the sound files is easy: I'm a member of Vietnam war? Wait and see ... www.sounddogs.com and this site is wonderful when I I will not use other daily objects but what are other want to obtain very professional sounds. However, I have composers waiting for? They can do this. There is a also recorded some of the sounds myself, usually ATC goldmine of inspiring sounds out there! communications. Since aircraft radio communications I look forward to composing plane-free tracks as well in are anyway of low quality it does not matter that my the future for film and documentaries because aviation recording stuff is just of average quality! ‘Brussels sounds require complex mixing and limit your musical National’ and ‘Tarmac Activity’ are tracks that contain freedom! my own ATC recordings and it sounds perfect! More information: http://www.brunomisonne.com HELICOPTER LIFE,Summer 2009 59 Advertising

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HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 61 Ghosts of Helicopters Past

THE WESTLAND BELVEDERE : T HE FLYING LoNGHoUSE

and bureaucracies) task of withdrawing from its Empire he Belvedere was the Royal Air Force's first twin and the Belvedere was involved in many of those opera - engine, twin rotor helicopter to enter service, tions both in the Middle and Far East. Twhich it did in 1962, when six Belvederes were The Belvedere was built by the Bristol Aeroplane sent out to Singapore by ship. However, the Belvederes Company in 1958, and was based on an earlier design, were all grounded in August as the result of a fatal crash the Bristol Type 173. The Belvedere type 193 prototype in Germany. They started flying had wooden blades and was again in September ‘62. designed for the navy. The fifth In the services the Belvedere was prototype had metal blades. They used both in Singapore and then in

all had manual controls. It used P h

Aden, before returning to Singapore. o

two 1650 shp Napier Gazelle tur - t o g

It was mostly used for heavy lifting bine engines. r a P

jobs. While operating in the more h In 1969, the last Belvedere unit, s c

inaccessible parts of Borneo, the the 66 Squadron based in Seletar o u r t

Iban indigenous tribe nicknamed the in Malaya (now Malayasia) was e s y

Belvedere helicopter ‘the Flying disbanded and as a result flying in o f a

Longhouse’ as it reminded them of the helicopters was discontinued. g u s

their tradional dwellings. t The majority of the Belvederes a W

During its operational service Great Britain began the were then scraped. e s t l

slow (inevitably as they were dealing with governments The few remaining Belvederes can be found in the a n d

6262 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 BOOK R EVIEW

More than an Adventure

by Hedi Tanner A biography of the bush pilot Ernie Tanner HeliMission

his is the story of the foundation of THeliMission, a Swiss helicopter company supporting missionaries in the field, it was originally in German, by the founder’s wife, Hedi. The story itself is interest - Ernie’s charm and the loyalty of ing: Ernie Tanner had such a his congregation allowed him to belief in the efficacy of heli - overcome the problems and he copters that he put himself started HeliMission in 1974. through gruelling rigors to Throughout the history of the make the grade. By his own company Ernie and his wife met account, he was not a natural what they would call challenges pilot, nor a natural navigator, which were often hard to over - and yet in 1971 he trained to come, however they were all fly first the Bell 47J and later propelled along by an over - the JetRanger, he then flew the whelming faith in God, which Bell 47J out to Africa himself, got them through time and a low time pilot, with very again. basic navigational equipment These challenges include hel - and no fuss. icopters crashing, and one, a He even had a bit of a battle Bo105 stolen in Chile (thanks with the church, who felt that to the insurance company he the money he was spending on gets it back, eventually). Sadly helicopters (which he and his some of his pilots and mission - friends and family raised from aries are killed, and there are his flock) could have been ways to make transport easier. He soon realised moments when even the charis -

P used in better ways. h that in the district he was working in, only heli - matic Ernie loses faith and won - o t o Ernie Tanner first realised copters, not even planes, would be suitable for get - ders if it is all worthwhile. g r a the power of the helicopter

P ting across the high ridges and difficult terrain. He When he does, however, there is h s when he went out to approached MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) to always something to put him c o u Cameroon in the late 1960s, see how they used planes and discover why they back on track. This he puts r t e and walked between missions. s did not use helicopters. Unfortunately, the reason down to a miracle from God; the y o It took him several days to go f was money: helicopters were too expensive. less religious may ascribe it to h e between one mission and l Ernie refused to be deterred and decided to learn the triumph of the human spirit. i c o another, and he could see that P to fly, raising the money from his loyal flock. As he There is no doubt, though, that t e r most of the pastor’s time and had five children and was himself a religious man HeliMission is a tribute to the l i f e energy was being used up just neither Ernie nor his wife Hedi ever had much determination of one man, his m a g travelling from place to place. money, so they could not finance the venture them - supportive family and the peo - a z i n He therefore looked around for e selves. Time and again though, a combination of ple who do this work. HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 63 A CCIDENT R EPORTS

Robinson R-44 Astro, G-YIIK still running. The engineers also found evidence that the The pilot lost control of the helicopter, after entering the engine cooling fan had moved on its shaft, which they hover at a private site in Lancshire. A large change of considered to be consistent with an overspeed event. As a wind direction caused the helicopter to rotate. The pilot result of these findings the engine was sent to an managed to increase the height but it continued to rotate. approved Lycoming engine maintenance facility for an At 200 feet the helicopter stopped rotating and the low overspeed inspection. Clear evidence was found of an main rotor rpm warning sounded. The pilot lowered the engine overspeed, with all cylinders having excessively collective and elected to land. Just before impact the worn valve guides and stepped valve springs. pilot raised the collective lever to try and cushion the The pilot was 48 years old, had 378 hours, 350 on type. impact. Nevertheless the pilot was seriously injured and the helicopter damaged beyond economic repair. The AS332L2 Super Puma, G-CHCF pilot was 48 years old had 360 hours, 21 were on type. A training captain was conducting an operational Proficiency Check. The pilot under training was required Robinson R22 Beta, G-BZYE to demonstrate a clear area rejected take-off. The helicop - The day before the accident, a student flying the ter was equipped with a Training Idle System , which was Robinson had a possible engine over-speed. When start - in use to simulate a failure of the left engine. The heli - ing the helicopter, the student did not ensure that the copter took off on Runway 160 at Aberdeen, at 28 knots throttle was closed, and when the engine started the rpm the commander simulated a failure of the left engine and increased rapidly. Hearing the rpm increase, the student the take-off was rejected. The pilot flared the helicopter automatically closed the throttle, but could not remember to reduce speed and descended towards the runway. As how high the rpm had been. He continued his flight and the collective lever was raised to reduce the rate of later told his instructor what had happened. After ques - descent, the overspeed protection system shut down the tioning the student, doing a brief flight with no prob - right engine. Main rotor RPM decayed rapidly and the lems, and talking to his chief pilot, the instructor formed helicopter touched down firmly before the rpm could be the view that the engine had probably not been oversped. restored. The right engine freewheel unit had failed, He tried to contact the maintenance organisation, but, as causing the engine to overspeed; this was contained by it was a Sunday, was unable to. As the helicopter was the overspeed protection unit shutting down the engine. due to fly to the maintenance organisation for a 100 hour Four safety recommendations have been made. The pilot inspection, he put a note in the technical log, and autho - was 50 years old had 13,199 hours, 2,040 were on type. rised a private pilot to fly to the facility the next day. The next day the pilot started the engine as normal. Sikorsky S-76B Spirit, G-DPJR Checks were all as normal. However, after take-off, dur - Whilst operating on a night positioning flight, the air - ing transition from the hover into forward flight, the hel - craft’s auxiliary system overheated, melting the surround - icopter yawed violently to the right, the manifold ing ducting and progressively filling the cockpit with increased and the helicopter began to climb. The pilot smoke. The crew declared an emergency and expedited lowered the collective and applied left pedal to counteract their landing. The smoke and heat subsided once the heli - the yaw, but had difficulty maintaining control. He sus - copter had been shut down on the ground. The electronic pected a governor failure, so he attempted a slow run - control box for the heater was removed and subsequently ning landing, but with the engine surges this was diffi - confirmed to have failed, probably disabling the overheat cult and he had a heavy landing. The helicopter protection and the cockpit controls for the system. A rec - remained upright and there were minor injuries to his ommendation was made. The pilot was 45 years old, had passenger, but the helicopter sustained damage to the 6.210 hours, 1,356 were on type. engine frame, undercarriage and both engine side panels. An inspection of the engine found that the plastic gear Robinson R-44 Raven 11, G-JGJC for the left engine magneto was broken, which could When the collective was raised on take off the helicopter account for the rough running engine and the fluctuating began to rotate quickly. Unable to regain control the pilot manifold pressure. The maintenance organisation had lowered the helicopter to the ground where it rolled over. experience of this failure, which was normally associated The pilot had raised the collective more quickly than with an engine overspeed, or an inadvertent ‘dead cut,’ usual and it began rotating. He thought it was rotating to where both magnetos are turned off while the engine is the left and put in right pedal. The more usual way (and the

64 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 A CCIDENT R EPORTS

way the witnesses thought the helicopter was rotating) is handling difficulties, misjudgment, spatial disorienta - right, so this exacerbated the problem. It was turning when tion, distraction or a combination of factors. There he lowered it to the ground, and so it fell over. The AAIB were indications that the pilot had started a recovery, discussion suggested that it was probable that the helicopter but with insufficient height with which to complete it, rotated to the right when the pilot lifted, and that it might the helicopter struck trees in the valley and crashed have been possible to control the helicopter by applying left killing all four occupants (two adults and two children). pedal in the normal manner, but application of right pedal Although there were no surviving internal witnesses, probably increased the problem. The pilot was 48 years old the adult passenger had a camcorder on which he and had 104 hours, or which 21 were on type . recorded part of the flight, and the pre-flight checks. Robinson R-22 Beta, G-SBUT Several external witnesses saw the helicopter during the flight, although not the accident itself. one witness After completing several dual exercises, the instructor described seeing the helicopter climbing steeply out of briefed her student to fly his first solo circuit. She a narrow wooded valley, he described it as an unusual advised him to apply additional forward and left cyclic manoeuvre giving cause for concern. Witnesses also during takeoff to compensate for the lack of an occupant reported the helicopter flying across the Clyde Valley, in the left seat. During the first attempted takeoff the hel - descending quite low as it did so. No one considered icopter yawed left. The student controlled the yaw by the helicopter was in difficulty and weather was dry applying right yaw pedal and landed. The instructor with 15 to 30 km visibility. returned to the cockpit and, speaking on the intercom, Witnesses, most of whom were used to seeing the heli - reminded him to apply forward and left cyclic control. copter, reported the final flight path and speed as When the instructor had moved away the student unusual and even alarming, as it normally made a slow, resumed the exercise. controlled descent to the helipad. This time it During the second takeoff the helicopter yawed more approached from the west, made a brief right turn violently to the left, while remaining in contact with the before banking steeply to the left and descending into ground. The student responded by applying right cyclic the valley. It adopted a marked nose-low, banked atti - and yaw pedal inputs. He then felt the aircraft jolt and tude as it descended, and was gnerally described as fly - responded by applying aft cyclic control, which caused ing much faster than normal. None of the witnesses the helicopter to pitch nose up. The student attempted to who saw the helicopter descend into the valley saw it control this by applying forward and left cyclic and then emerge again, although some did see smoke rising raised the collective in order to gain height. However, the from the site soon afterwards. The pilot was 39 years rear tip of the cyclic remained in contact with the ground old, had 965 hours of which 490 were on type. and the aircraft rolled over onto its right side, causing Four safety recommendations have been made. damage to the main rotor and a fuel leak. The pilot, whose right arm was trapped in the cockpit, vacated the Enstrom F-28A, G-BRZG helicopter with assistance from the instructor, having Moments after becoming airborne the pilot experienced sustained a broken wrist. There was no fire. The student difficulty in yaw control. He landed the helicopter was 64 years old, had 31 hours, all on type . heavily a few feet from its takeoff position, and exited AS350B3 Squirrel. G-CBHL the aircraft uninjured. Engineering investigation showed one of the blades The accident occurred toward the end of a short flight, bent inwards and backwards and exhibited a series of about 150 metres from the point of intended landing. The regular witness marks consistent with the blade having helicopter crashed in a wooded valley, while manoeu - struck a multi-stranded control cable. The failure of the vring at high speed and low height. It was intact prior to tail rotor driveshaft was consistent with it having failed impact and the available evidence indicated the engine in overload due to excessive torque, such as might be was giving power. The cause of the accident was not expected to occur if the tail rotor had struck a substan - positively determined. Although no technical reason was tial object, but it was not clear how the tail rotor blade found to explain the accident, a technical fault could not had come to strike the cable. No pre-existing defects be ruled out entirely. However, it is more likely that the were found which could have accounted for the yaw pilot attempted a turning manoeuvre at low height, dur - control difficulties experienced by the pilot. The pilot ing which the helicopter diverted from its intended flight was 63 years old, had 81 hours, 17 on type. path. This may have been due to the pilot encountering

HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009 65 H OUSE & H ELICOPTER

Cholmondely Castle a family home since the thirteenth century lthough the current castle is not the original house, house at present. Her heir, the 7th Marquess, divides his time the Cholmondeley family have lived on the site between London, Cheshire and Norfolk. Asince 1200. The original house was burnt down, The helicopter is a Hughes 369HS, built in 1970 by the and another house was destroyed by floods. one of the Hughes Tool Company, a company famous for being the Cholmondeley houses was destroyed by the means that Howard Hughes got his Roundheads in The Civil War. The current start into the world of Hollywood, house was then moved up from the valley in showmanship and aviation, which the park (where there are still some arches, he dominated for so many years. now used for roses) to its current position on The Hughes 369 was used exten - sively in Vietnam during the

the hill; this was better for defence and free P h of flooding. As this dwelling was built by he American Vietnamese conflict, and o t o

in Laos and Cambodia. It features in g 1st Marquess in the early 19th Century, he r a P

took the Gothic inspiration of the time and most period movies. h s b

built a Castle with flamboyant turrets, which The picture was taken on 17th y g

competed with his neighbours. April 2009, when G-HUES flew e o r

into Cholmondeley as part of the g

Cholmondeley Castle is particularly noted i n a

for its gardens, such as the Silver Garden and press day for the Pageant of Power, h u n

the Camellia Walk, which were created by which will be held on 18th and 19th t e r -

the current Dowager Marchioness, the July 2009. Helicopters will get free j o n

widow of the 6th Marquess, who lives in the entry to the pageant. e s

66 HELICOPTER LIFE, Summer 2009