Mark Huber is an aviation industry veteran who has worked in the flight training, aircraft sales, aircraft component, and airport development businesses. He has flight time in more than 50 different and diverse aircraft, including helicopters, aerobatic aircraft, vintage warbirds, jet fighters, business jets and turboprops, and transport-category aircraft. He has jumped out of several of these—on purpose—with a parachute. His defense and aviation journalism has been published in a variety of national and international periodicals.

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Mark Huber

Offshore heavy and super-medium helicopter activity has bounced back to pre-Covid levels, making an overall 5 percent gain year-to-date, according to consultancy Air &amp; Sea Analytics.&nbsp;“The uplift in active aircraft is not surprising given high oil prices and double-digit growth in upstream expenditure," said&nbsp;company director Steve Robertson.&nbsp;

 


"Of particular interest is the underlying intensity of activity in returning aircraft to service," he added. "Aircraft that a year ago no one would have expected to return to the active fleet&nbsp;are now flying again. It’s only a matter of time before scarcity of available aircraft and parts drives up pricing significantly.”

 


The firm reported there were still 41 inactive Sikorsky S-92s in the first quarter&nbsp;but noted the pool of “available” S-92s had since shrunk to less than two dozen. Meanwhile, the market for super-mediums such as the Leonardo AW189 and Airbus H175 is reported as “near full effective utilization,” with flight activity for those types up 50 percent.&nbsp;

 


Air &amp; Sea concluded that the overhang and excess capacity triggered by the 2016 and 2019 bankruptcies of leading offshore operators is largely a thing of the past. “We no longer have a large number of inactive assets owned by banks;&nbsp;these have been moved on into the hands of operators and lessors that can put them to work,” the firm said.

News and issues regarding all manner of civil and military rotorcraft and their powerplants, including helicopters, tilt rotors and unmanned air vehicles.

Offshore Helicopter Market Bounces Back

Air & Sea Analytics predicts substantial price hikes for the offshore helicopter market. 

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

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News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

Essential news and analysis on the defense aerospace business. Your trusted source for new and ongoing programs and requirements in military aircraft (manned and unmanned), engines, avionics, weapons and associated systems, including ground-based air defense.

Pentagon permission facilitates sale of Bell 412EXP and 407M

U.S. Approves $800M Bell 407/412 Sale to Iraq Military

News and information on safety procedures and concerns.

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

Fire and disaster management agency to use aircraft in aerial reconnaissance role

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Flights with two scaled technology demonstrators will inform potential future iterations 

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New developments and products in avionics, specifically about aircraft electronics in the cockpit.

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

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