Latest from Mark Huber
Regulations and Government
Counterfeit Kamov Helicopter Ring Busted
Moldovan police raided a factory in Cruileni allegedly making unauthorized copies of Russian Kamov-26 coaxial rotor utility helicopters.
Aircraft
Stratos 716X Personal Jet Makes First Flight
The Stratos 716X single-engine, 4-6 seat personal jet made its first flight July 2 from the company’s plant in Redmond, Oregon .
Rotorcraft
Airbus H160 Gets EASA Nod
Airbus Helicopters’ medium twin H160 received EASA type certification approval on July 1.
Rotorcraft
Horizon Academy's Bell 505 Fleet Tops 1,000 Hours
UAE's Horizon International Flight Academy achieved the milestone with the 12 Bell 505 light singles it's received since January.
Rotorcraft
Aaron Brings Helicopter Upset Training to Southern Utah
Chuck Aaron's helicopter upset and instrument training coming to Southern Utah University.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Swiss Researchers Develop Fast 'Detect and Avoid' Tech
New detect and avoid technology identifies other fast-moving objects in as little as 3.5 milliseconds.
Rotorcraft
Bell Expanding Virtual Training Offerings
Bell is expanding its virtual training offerings during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Rotorcraft
HAI Members Pledge 'Covid Clean'
The Helicopter Association International's "Covid Clean" program seeks to reassure rotorcraft customers.
Maintenance and Modifications
EASA Approves Five-blade Airbus H145
Customer deliveries of the new Airbus Helicopters H145 D3 will begin later this summer.
Rotorcraft
Sikorsky-Boeing Defiant Busts 200 Knots
The compound Sikorsky-Boeing SB-1 Defiant helicopter broke the 200-knot speed barrier earlier this month.
Regulations and Government
Hawaii Pols Seek End to Part 135 Exemptions
Sens Schatz, Hirono introduce legislation to mandate 135 for air tour, skydiving ops.
Rotorcraft
Leonardo Trekker Sales Top 70
Leonardo has sold over 70 of its AW109 Trekker skid gear light twins, including to a helicopter EMS services in Normandy, France.
Engines
Leonardo AW189K Gets EASA Nod
Leonardo has received EASA certification for the super-medium twin AW189K, a variant developed with a pair of Safran Aneto 1K engines.
Regulations and Government
Police Aviation Under the Gun
New political and budget pressures could ground some police helicopters in the U.S.
Rotorcraft
Hill Dems Call For Helos To Have TAWS, Flight Recorders
A bill to mandate HTAWS and flight recorders for large helicopters was introduced by House and Senate Democrats.
Rotorcraft
Bristow and Era Complete Helicopter Operations Merger
New Bristow CEO Chris Bradshaw says industry consolidation "long overdue."
Rotorcraft
Unmanned Civil K-Max Helicopter To Deliver in 2021
Kaman Aerospace has already received commitments for its first five unmanned K-1200 K-Max helicopter kits for civil operators.
Rotorcraft
France Funding Hybrid Airbus H125 Helicopter
Airbus Helicopters is poised to receive French government financial support to develop a hybrid powerplant for its H125 single.
Maintenance and Modifications
ESG Earns STC for 3G/4G Helicopter Cabin Wi-Fi
EASA has approved ESG’s STC for 3G/4G mobile communications and cabin wi-fi for the Airbus EC135 and EC635 helicopters.
Rotorcraft
Aircraft Lasered During George Floyd Protests
Helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft were lasered in at least three American cities during the recent George Floyd protests.
Rotorcraft
Coptersafety Qualifies AW139 Sim To Level-D
Helsinki-based Coptersafety has received FAA Level-D qualification from the FAA for its CAE AW139 full flight simulator.
Rotorcraft
HAI Calls For FDM in Piston Helicopters
The Helicopter Association International calls for installing flight recorders in all new helicopters, not just those with turbine engines.
Rotorcraft
Bell V-280 Flies With GKN's Plastic Airframe Parts
The Bell V-280 Valor tiltrotor recently began test flights with thermoplastic parts from GKN Aerospace.
Rotorcraft
Airbus E-Delivers New Helicopters to Helitrans
Norway’s Helitrans is the first customer to take delivery of new Airbus helicopters using the OEM’s e-Delivery process.
Rotorcraft
New Bell Buyers Get Garmin OnePak
Bell is offering buyers of new civil aircraft a free one-year subscription to Garmin OnePak database bundles and the Garmin Pilot app.
Rotorcraft
Canada's Universal Helicopters Shuts Down
Citing debt, Covid-19, Universal Helicopters ceases operations
Rotorcraft
Airbus, Bell Continue Rotor Research
Covid-19 has not stopped new rotor blade research and patents at Airbus and Bell.
Finance, Taxes, Insurance
New Venture Jettisons Parked Offshore Helos
A new venture has been formed to help lenders to the offshore rotorcraft industry dispose of under-utilized assets.
Accidents
Flight Safety Foundation Tackles VFR Helicopter Accidents
Flight Safety Foundation proposes strategy to reduce commercial VFR helicopter operations.
