HELICOPTER LIFE www.helicopterlife.com Winter 2013 / £3.99 including gyroplanes HELICOPTER LIFE is the HIGH LIFE HELICOPTER WInTER 2013 LIFE COVER STORY Flight Show & Tell Guide 4 The Age of Aquarius Aviation shows and conferences. Georgina Hunter-Jones 32 flies the latest gyro - The Editor’s Letter 5 copter from AutoGyro in German, the twin Aerial Forum 6 & 7 seat, fully enclosed tourer, the Cavalon. Letters to the Editor 10, 13, 45-49 Flying Crackers 8 & 9 Helicopter Training 16 & 17 High Hopes Georgina Hunter-Jones 38 New Technology HeliAir is emerging as Panda for iPad a leading helicopter 12 company in spite of turbulent times. How and why is examined. Rosvertol on the Marenco Swiss 40 Move 14 Helicopter David Oliver Helicopter Life reports on Rosvertol’s Unveiled at HAI move to Batyaska Air HeliExpo 2011, the Base Marenco Swiss Helicopter continues to make strides. French Cayman SAR UK History Bronco Aviation 52 G Hunter-Jones, 24 Kuit and Kievit look on the changes to SAR at the history and regiem in the UK. present of the French Navy Flotille 31F. Book Reviews 58 Balkan Hawks CAA Legislation changes 59 Carlo Kuit and Paul Kievit of Bronco 26 Nordholtz Airday Arjan Dijksterhuis 62 Aviation visit the Macedonian Accident Reports 64 Police and STU (Special Task Unit) House & Helicopter 66 HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 3 S how & T ell G uide HELICOPTER 24 February - 27 February 2014 LIFE HELIExPO Anaheim, California, USA WInTER 2013 http://www.rotor.com 13 March - 16 March 2014 HON. EDITORIAL BOARD AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIx Captain Eric Brown, CBE, RN Melbourne, Australia The Lord Glenarthur, DL http://www.grandprix.com.au Jennifer Murray Michael J. H. Smith 9 April - 12 April 2014 AEROFRIEDRICHSHAFEN Lake Constance, Germany EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / PILOT Georgina Hunter-Jones http://www.aero-expo.com [email protected] CREATIVE DIRECTORS 22 May - 24 May 2014 [email protected] HELIRUSSIA COPY EDITORS Crocus Forum, Moscow Evangeline Hunter-Jones, JP Gerald Cheyne www.helirussia.ru/en/index.html?src=englishlink‎ CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Reg Austin, Bruce Charnov, Carlo Kuit, Paul 30 May - 1 June 2014 Kievit, David Oliver, Brian Kane, Arjan AEROExPO Dijksterhuis, John Periam Sywell, Northamptonshire, UK CONTRIBUTED PHOTOGRAPHY www.expo.aero/uk/‎ Reg Austin, Bruce Charnov, Brian Kane, Carlo Kuit, Paul Kievit, David Oliver, Arjan Dijksterhuis 2 June - 4 June 2014 SPECIAL THANKS TO HELIExPO UK Dave Smith ATPL(H)IR, Sywell Aerodrome, Northamptonshire, UK http://www.heliukexpo.com ADVERTISING Telephone: +44-(0)20-7430-2384, [email protected] 19 - 21 June 2014 SUBSCRIPTIONS EUROPEAN HELICOPTER SHOW Go to our website or turn to page 54 Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic [email protected] http://www.eurohelishow.com WEBSITE www.helicopterlife.com 14 July - 20 July 2014 Blog FARNBOROUGH AIR SHOW http://www.helicopterlife.blogspot.com Farnborough, near London, UK. See Helicopter Life on Facebook & Twitter www.farnborough.com 24 September - 26 September 2014 COVER PHOTOGRAPH HELITECH Cavalon Gyrocopter at Wycombe Air Park. Amsterdam, Holland Photograph courtesy Georgina Hunter-Jones http://www.helitechevents.com HELICOPTER LIFE is published quarterly by FlyFizzi Ltd. 4 November - 6 November 2014 59 Great Ormond Street DUBAI HELICOPTER SHOW London, WC 1N-3 Hz . Maydan Racecourse, Dubai Copyright © FlyFizzi Ltd. 2013. www.dubaihelicoptershow.com ISSN 1743-1042. All rights reserved. Opinions expressed herein are not neces - sarily those of the pub lishers, the Editor or any of the editorial staff. Reproduction in whole or in part, in any form whatever, is strictly prohibited without specific written permission of the Editor. 4 HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 T he e diTor ’ S l eTTer n the 6th November 2013 the copters, machines actually very dif - CAA made the following ferent from helicopters but often con - Opublic statement: fused with them. This confusion lies “Following the General Aviation partly in their overhead free-wheeling Red Tape Challenge (GARTC), which rotor and partly because of the histo - found that the current regulatory ry of helicopter development which regime is often too prescriptive, started with gyroplanes (such as de impractical and inappropriate, the Cierva) and then departed from them. Government and Civil Aviation However, one major difference Authority (CAA) have announced between small helicopters and small plans to transform the way in which gyrocopters now seems to be new the UK’s General Aviation (GA) sec - technology. While Gyrocopter com - tor is regulated. panies are using uptodate equipment, This is particularly true in the case of One of the key changes will be the monocoque bodies, digital engine HeliAir, once a small company, now setting up of a new GA Unit within regulators etc kit helicopters (often in growing to become the largest heli - the CAA dedicated to more propor - a similar price range) appear to be copter training organisation in the tionate, effective regulation that sup - sticking to older tried and tested tech - UK. (Helped by the demise of CabAir). ports and encourages a dynamic GA nology. This may be partly to do with When new helicopters are built it sector for the UK. The unit will be in regulation, it may be related to the tends to be done in already well estab - place by April 2014.” fear of spiraling costs. It may also be lished companies. However, the SKYe This should, I hope, make a great related to the fact that while gyro - SH09, which has just had the proto - deal of difference to helicopter flying copters can be freely bought and sold type revealed at Mollis Airport in and particularly to light helicopters. in the UK, only the Rotorway kit hel - Switzerland, is an exception. As with everything the ‘proof of the icopter is available here, even though Conceived in 2007, unveiled at HAI pudding will be in the eating’ but I there are now many good kits on the HeliTech in 2011 and already taking am very hopeful that this will be a market. Perhaps, now GARTC’s find - orders in 2013, the SKYe SH09 was boost to inventors in the aviation field ings have put the CAA to the blush, produced by the formerly unknown in the UK and perhaps means that the we may get some helpful action here. Swiss Company Marenco R66 may finally get EASA certifica - I am reminded here by a quote Swisshelicopter Ltd. On 28th tion. Roll on April 2014. from Steve Biko: “The most powerful November this year the SH09 was There are also other regulatory weapon in the hands of the oppressor unveiled before an audience of jour - changes happening and one of these is the mind of the oppressed.” nalists and prospective buyers. is our continuing immersion into Push on. Let’s see if we can get the At a recent show in Pittsburgh, it EASA. Now is the time for CAA/EASA to find a way to combine was revealed that helicopter designers Registered Training Facilities (RTF) safety with freedom. are learning new methods of move - to get to grips with changing to It is winter again and the onset of ment from jellyfish and owls, leading become Approved Training bad weather. Even though we now to interesting new aircraft creations. Organisations (ATO). There will be have about half the number of pri - See page 43 for details. far more fixed wing than helicopter vately owned helicopters we had in Before making your Christmas list companies affected but on page 6 2008, (for example just over 300 have a thought for the Robinson R66, there are details of the CAA confer - Robinsons now compared to just still not given EASA certification 8 ence I attended on 1st November and under 600 in 2007) this seems to months after ELOS (equivalent level what we were told. I asked the CAA have been a better summer than last of safety) and six months since if they could now answer the ques - both in terms of hours flown and Canadian certification. Come on tions on which they said they would weather. Only one of the operators I Father Christmas, give EASA a nudge ‘get back to us’ but had still not had a asked said he had been quieter, oper - for 2014, perhaps that could be the reply to my email on going to press. ationally speaking, this year than last. CAA’s New Year resolution. However, given all the changes, I Generally, it seemed that schools and fully accept they must be very busy. helicopter companies were happier An interesting growth area is gyro - with improvements in the market. HELICOPTER LIFE , Winter 2013 5 A eriAl F orum When RTFs Become ATOs are you ready for April 8th 2015? s part of the UK’s commitment to the European 2015 if they are intending to do flight training for an ini - Union the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) have tial EASA pilots licence, for rating issues or renewals. Abecome part of EASA (European Aviation Safety However, if they are only planning to do revalidations or Agency). EASA is not a legislative body but drafts, they are using older aircraft such as the Tiger Moth or implements and monitors the regulations. However, they Spitfire, or indeed if they are only planning to fly gyro - have no implementation body and in the UK that will copters or kit helicopters, all of which have remained now be done by the CAA. Amongst EASA changes under national rather than EASA regulations they do not which the CAA needs to oversee and enforce are the need to do anything, such schools can remain as RTFs. transition of RTF (Registered Training Facilties) to ATOs The question here, will theses national RTFs still have to (Approved Training Organisations). pay to exist as they are, remains in limo.