Helicopters – Page 242
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Bell launches Model 407
BELL HELICOPTER Textron has launched its Model 407, with orders for more than 40 of the new light-turbine helicopters. As expected, the single-turbine 407 and twin-turbine 407T are based on the current Model 206, with the four-blade-rotor dynamic system from the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior. Launch customer is Niagara Helicopters. ...
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US schools drop R22s
TWO MAJOR US flight schools have decided to replace their Robinson R22s with Schweizer's new Model 300CB training helicopter, citing as a factor safety concerns with the R22. Schweizer launched the 300CB at Heli-Expo with orders for 23 aircraft, including ten for Concord, California-based Helicopter Adventures. Oakland, California-based ...
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FAA plans to publish standards for helicopter GPS approach
THE US FEDERAL Aviation Administration has completed a four-site test programme to develop standards for helicopter non-precision-approaches, using global positioning (GPS). A GPS based approach was demonstrated at Heli-Expo using an Eurocopter BK.117 equipped with an AlliedSignal Bendix/King KLN-90B GPS and Arnav Systems datalink. Steve ...
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Upgraded A.109 may be on the way
AGUSTA HAS declined to comment on reports that it is developing an upgraded A.109 turbine twin, which will be available with three engine options. Industry sources suggest that the Italian Company has tested an improved Allison-powered variant and is about to begin flight tests of a Pratt & Whitney Canada ...
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Arizona's Airstar confirms order for first MD 630Ns
AIRSTAR HELICOPTER, a Grand Canyon, Arizona-based tour operator, will be the launch customer for the newly unveiled MD 630N if McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems (MDHS) decides to go ahead (Flight International, 1-7 February). AirStar has placed a $20,000 deposit on each of the first two MD 630Ns ...
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Hiller acquires Soloy STC
HILLER AIRCRAFT has acquired the supplemental type certificate (STC) from Soloy to retrofit turbine engines into the Hiller UH-12E and Bell 47. The STC will be a "perfect complement" to Hiller's planned re-introduction of the UH-12E, says Jeffrey Hiller, leader of the investment consortium, which bought back the ...
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US schools drop R22s as Robinson turns on FAA and NTSB
FRANK ROBINSON, owner and founder of Robinson Helicopter, says that inadequate training is the cause of the recent spate of rotor-strike accidents, affecting the company's R22 and R44 helicopters. "It's not a helicopter problem, it's a training problem," he says. The US Federal Aviation Administration and National ...
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AlliedSignal works on new versions of LT101 turboshaft
ALLIEDSIGNAL ENGINES is working on growth plans for the LT101 turbo-shaft as a possible future engine option for the Bell 430, the US Coast Guard (USCG) HH-60 Dolphin and a heavier BK117 under study at Eurocopter. The two-stage growth option would increase engine rating over the LTS101 750B1 ...
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Helidyne fits Bell 230 for news
HELIDYNE SYSTEMS HAS EQUIPPED a Bell 230 to allow it to be operated as an electronic news gathering helicopter, with video-production capabilities, for the Korean Broadcasting System. The helicopter, with a crew of six, can carry two independent microwave receive-transmit systems with deployable skid antennae for simultaneous aerial broadcast and ...
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Liquid-Crystal Contract
Litton will supply EASI liquid-crystal engine instruments to Bell for the new Model 407 light-turbine helicopter, providing a tenfold increase in reliability over conventional engine instruments. Source: Flight International
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Norsk ousts Helikopter in North Sea
NORWEGIAN helicopter operator Norsk Helikopter has won a lucrative transportation contract with Phillips Petroleum, displacing former monopoly Norwegian North Sea operator Helikopter Services. The deal covers transportation to the Ekofisk field, from 1 September, when the existing deal with Helikopter Services expires - one of the company's largest ...
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SEXTANT avionics
Sextant Avionique says that its Avionique Nouvelle (AN) series of helicopter avionics has been selected for the Eurocopter EC.120, EC.135 and future EC.165. The AN series, consists of liquid-crystal multi-function displays, dual-screen vehicle- and engine-management display, global-positioning navigation system and air-data computer. SFIM, will supply the automatic flight-control system. ...
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Heads Up On S-76
AlliedSignal is to install Flight Visions' FV-2000 head-up display on its Sikorsky S-76, scheduled for certification in the second quarter of this year. The installation will be performed by Keystone Helicopter. Source: Flight International
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Restructure approved
SHAREHOLDERS of Canada's Fleet Aerospace have approved a major financial restructuring. Toronto-based Fleet, which makes parts for Bell Helicopter Textron, de Havilland and McDonnell Douglas, was in danger of defaulting on debt payments due early this year. Aerospace contractors, concerned about the company's ability to survive long-term, have ...
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Samsung purchase plan alarms KAL and Asiana
SOUTH KOREAN industrial conglomerate Samsung is seeking to purchase two long-range wide-body passenger aircraft, ostensibly for company use, but raising the fears of Korean Air (KAL) and Asiana that it intends to establish a rival third national carrier. Samsung is understood to be discussing the purchase of ...
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Surprise HAI debut for MD 630N
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES McDONNELL DOUGLAS Helicopter Systems (MDHS) has surprised the rotary world by unveiling a flying prototype of the MD 630N, a stretched version of the MD 520N, at the Heli-Expo '95 exposition in Las Vegas, Nevada. The seven- to eight-seat helicopter has been ...
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First K-MAX due in Europe
KAMAN AEROSPACE will deliver the first K-MAX external-lift helicopter to a European customer in the second quarter of this year. The aircraft, for Helog of Switzerland, was displayed at the Helicopter Association International's Heli-Expo '95 in Las Vegas on 29-31 January, ahead of its first flight. Five K-MAX ...
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Washington eyes safety standards
As US airlines assess the damage inflicted by the high-profile debate on safety, concerns are growing that the subject could provoke a political battle of wills, with aviation caught in the middle again. By Mead Jennings. Most US citizens are familiar with the statistics: more than 40,000 people die ...
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Stability with style
Bell has incorporated both flair and style in its intermediate-sized twin-turbine helicopter, the Model 230. Peter Gray/DALLAS When Bell Helicopter Textron decided to re-engine its Bell 222 helicopter with Allison 250-C30G/2s, it took the opportunity to incorporate more than 70 other refinements and modifications. The result is the ...
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Exploring technology
The McDonnell Douglas Explorer was designed with the customer more than just in mind Guy Norris/MESA, ARIZONA As the latest commercial machine from the manufacturer of the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, it is reasonable to expect the McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems (MDHS) Explorer to incorporate the ...