ERA FOR OIL
Era Helicopters and Priority 1 Air Rescue have launched a search and rescue and emergency medical services operation from Era's Fourchon, Louisiana base for offshore oil and gas companies in the Gulf of Mexico. Era will supply AgustaWestland AW139 helicopters - the first time the medium twin-engined types have been operated in an SAR/EMS role in North America - and P1AR the air crews, including hoist system operators, rescue swimmers and flight paramedics.
FILTER BARRIER
Aerospace Filtration Systems has received Canadian supplemental type certification for its engine inlet barrier filtration on the AgustaWestland AW119Ke. The device has already been approved on a number of helicopters including the standard AW119 Koala, AW139, Bell 205A1, 206B, 407 and Eurocopter EC130.
HATS OFF TO BELL
The Helicopter Academy to Train by Simulation of Flying (Hatsoff) - the joint venture owned equally by Hindustan Aeronautics and CAE - has clinched Level D approval from the European and Indian civil aviation authorities for the Bell 412 full-mission simulator. The 412 training programme is the first to be offered by the Bangalore-based academy. Additional simulators for the Indian army/air force variant of the Hindustan Aeronautics Dhruv, the civil variant of the Dhruv, and the Eurocopter Dauphin will be added over the next year.
AVIDYNE UNVEILING
Avidyne is planning to unveil at the AirVenture show in Oshkosh this month two new TSO C147-certificated traffic advisory systems. The TAS605 and TAS615 are touted as "cost-effective cousins to the five-year old entry-level TAS600 and boost Avidyne's TAS line-up to four. "We are adding additional features and setting lower price points," says Avidyne, which claims to be the first to offer active-surveillance traffic systems for under $10,000 and the "smallest, lightest, and most affordable" active traffic systems available for GA aircraft.
Source: Flight International
