13-Nov-2012Source: OPB
An Oregon helicopter pilot who rescued a firefighter from the Pole Creek Fire this summer says he feared for his job after the incident. But a new Forest Service review commends both men for their quick thinking and decisive actions. (see full story) File photo... Read more
8-Nov-2012Source: Erickson Air-Crane
Erickson Air-Crane Incorporated, a leading operator and the manufacturer of the powerful heavy-lift helicopter, the Erickson S-64 Aircrane, today announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2012. Revenues for the three months ended September 30, 2012 increased by 29% versus the third quarter of 2011, rising to $76.3 million. This increase was... Read more
6-Nov-2012
A water-bombing helicopter has mistakenly sprayed partially treated sewage onto firefighters battling a blaze on the NSW mid-north coast.... Read more
29-Oct-2012Source: Erickson Air-Crane
Erickson Air-Crane, Inc, a leading operator and the manufacturer of the powerful heavy-lift helicopter, the Erickson S-64 Aircrane, today announced that it will release its earnings results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2012 on Wednesday, November 7, 2012 after the market close. Udo Rieder, the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer, and Chuck... Read more
18-Oct-2012Source: Aero Dynamix
Aero Dynamix added the AgustaWestland AW139 to its STC portfolio of NVG cockpits. With this addition, the Aero Dynamix portfolio now includes 26 multi-ship STCs on 36 different aircraft model types. Aero Dynamix first STC AW139 was delivered to the Los Angeles Fire Department and is the first of three LAFD AW139s to receive the... Read more
12-Oct-2012Source: European Helicopter Show
The dates are now confirmed for European Helicopter Show 2013. The event will take place at Hradec Králové in Czech Republic during 9th – 11th of May 2013. This new helicopter event in Czech Republic, 9th -11th May 2013, is already attracting a positive reaction within the helicopter industry, with major manufacturers including Bell Europe... Read more
12-Oct-2012Source: KEYT
Santa Barbara County Supervisor Janet Wolf is standing by the newly combined Aviation Unit despite some critics who say crews from the fire and sheriff’s department’s are not working well together. (see full story)... Read more
11-Oct-2012Source: HeliHub.com
Erickson Air-Crane has this week named long-time employee Kerry Jarandson as the new General Manager of its operations at Central Point, Oregon. Jarandson has been a senior director of plant operations and takes on his new role following the resignation of David Ford, vP of maintenance, repair and overhaul for the past two years. Jarandson... Read more
11-Oct-2012Source: HAI
The annual fall HAI Aerial Firefighting and Natural Resources Committee will meet November 26-28 at the Grove Hotel in Boise, Idaho. HAI President Matt Zuccaro will host the annual Firefighting Safety Forum on November 27 with participation from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The U.S. Forest Service, Department of... Read more
10-Oct-2012Source: My Fox Austin
Travis County Commissioners approved a $2.4 million fire-fighting helicopter as part of its 2013 budget on Tuesday. Travis County Emergency Services has long requested the funds for an aircraft dedicated to fight fires. (see full story) File photo... Read more
7-Oct-2012Source: Erickson Air-Crane
Erickson Air-Crane, a leading operator and the manufacturer of the powerful heavy-lift helicopter, the Erickson S-64 Aircrane, today announced its purchase of the Sun Bird Aircraft (“Sun Bird”) and associated spare parts inventory and accessories from San Diego Gas & Electric Company (“SDG&E”). The Sun Bird is an Erickson model S-64F Aircrane that was originally... Read more
7-Oct-2012
Emergency landing by fire-fighting helicopter. Pilot Cody Seeger (only person on board) not injured. The helicopter landed on its side in a forested hillside – trees surrounding the crash site may have softened the impact... Read more
30-Sep-2012Source: Draganflyer
The Draganflyer ES (Emergency Services) unmanned aircraft line provides two models, a six rotor Draganflyer X6-ES helicopter and a new larger version with four rotors, the Draganflyer X4-ES helicopter. The X6-ES and X4-ES are models exclusively sold to Public Safety Agencies. Used to obtain video from an aerial vantage point, these unmanned aircraft feature a digital wireless video... Read more
30-Sep-2012Source: HeliHub.com
Travis County in Texas has announced it will buy a military-surplus Bell UH-1H primarily for fighting wildfires. The helicopter will undergo a full refurbishment and fit-out as soon as the purchase order is signed. It would be expected to become operational in 3-6 months thereafter. The County already operates three EC145s for air ambulance and... Read more
19-Sep-2012Source: Simplex Aerospace
Simplex Aerospace has received FAA STC for a hover refill pump storage latching system, called the Aft Hook™. The Aft Hook™ allows firefighting helicopter operators to store the 5″ hover pump during flight and deploy the pump upon arrival at a water fill source. When installed on a Simplex Fire Attack system equipped helicopter, the... Read more
6-Sep-2012Source: SDG&E
San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) today announced it has renewed agreements with the County and City of San Diego and firefighting agencies to continue to make a heavy-lift air-crane available to support fire suppression efforts this fire season. An Erickson Air-Crane helitanker, the “Sun Bird,” was used by SDG&E during construction of the Sunrise... Read more
3-Sep-2012
Piloted by Commander Paulo Loureiro and the co-pilot Diogo Cabral – and involved in firefighting when it crashed.... Read more
28-Aug-2012Source: NVAC
On Wednesday August 8th, 2012, in response to an open invitation to industry, a group of Night Vision Goggle (NVG) industry professionals convened in Dallas, Texas. Hosted by FlightSafety International, the purpose of the meeting was to develop a council of NVG subject matter experts to provide recommendations on safety, education, standardization, and other issues... Read more
17-Aug-2012Source: US Forest Service
Beginning next year the U.S. Forest Service will contract a helicopter capable of fighting wildfire at night in a move to strengthen the agency’s capability to suppress fires and better protect firefighters and communities in Southern California. “We have made this important decision very carefully,†said Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell. “We have studied night... Read more
13-Aug-2012Source: Erickson Air-Crane
Erickson Air-Crane Incorporated (“Erickson Air-Crane†or the “Companyâ€), a leading operator and the manufacturer of the powerful heavy-lift helicopter, the Erickson S-64 Aircrane, today announced its financial results for the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2012. Second Quarter 2012 Highlights and Recent Events Revenue of $37.9 million exceeded guidance of $32 million... Read more
11-Aug-2012
While firefighting, refilling hose struck trees and then swung up into main rotors and the tail boom. Extensively damaged.... Read more
9-Aug-2012
Firefighting helicopter impacted terrain, killing 5 including three Russian citizens named as Alexander Gavrilov, Nikolai Atepalikhin and Sergey Khorokhorin... Read more
7-Aug-2012Source: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Recently, a fire drill was performed by researchers at Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences (SIA), simulating fire scenes in high-rise buildings and around the city. During the exercise, the rotorcraft flying robot system for fire scene monitoring and emergency treatment developed by SIA realized precise positioning of ignition source and fire scene... Read more
2-Aug-2012Source: Erickson Air-Crane
Erickson Air-Crane Incorporated (“Erickson Air-Crane†or the “Companyâ€), a leading operator and the manufacturer of the powerful heavy-lift helicopter, the Erickson S-64 Aircrane, today announced it will conduct a conference call at 1:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, August 8, 2012, to discuss its financial results for the second quarter and first half fiscal year 2012... Read more
17-Jul-2012Source: Eurocopter
The Tokyo Fire Department has signed on another EC225 this month, adding to its Eurocopter fleet of fire-fighting, emergency medical services as well as search & rescue helicopters. This affirms Eurocopter’s leading position in Japan as the preferred choice for such missions, and proves its capability in meeting high expectations. Following the purchase of an... Read more
10-Jul-2012Source: AgustaWestland
AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, and Mitsui Bussan Aerospace are pleased to announce that two additional AW139 intermediate twin helicopters have been ordered in Japan to perform fire fighting missions. Contracts have been signed by the Fire Disaster Management Agency (FDMA) and Yokohama City respectively. These latest orders bring to five the number of fire fighting-configured... Read more
3-Jul-2012Source: HeliHub.com
A Bell 412 and a PZL Sokol crashed yesterday in Spain in separate incidents. Both were firefighting. The sole-occupant pilot in the Bell 412 was sadly killed, while both crew in the Sokol survived with injuries. Both helicopters were operated by INAER. We will track updates in the two incidents in our accident pages. HeliHub.com... Read more
3-Jul-2012
Cal Fire helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing. No injuries, minor damage... Read more
2-Jul-2012
First of two accidents fighting the same fire in Spain. Pilot killed.... Read more
2-Jul-2012
Crashed 30 minutes after the Bell 412 firefighting accident. One report states loss of tail rotor on approach to site at altitude of 20m. Both occupants (aged 55 and 36) injured... Read more
1-Jul-2012
Force landing due to a technical issue on positioning flight back to base after firefighting... Read more
28-Jun-2012Source: AHSAFA
The American Helicopter Services and Aerial Firefighting Association (AHSAFA) congratulate Congress for its passage of legislation authorizing the US Forest Service (USFS) to make multi-year, operational funding available to private operators for fleet modernization of large air tankers engaged in wildland fire suppression. The Bill, S 3261, “Contract Awards For Large Air Tankers,†was signed... Read more
26-Jun-2012Source: Olaeris
Olaeris, Inc. today unveiled a new VTOL Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) named AEVA™ that has been specifically developed for domestic emergency responders including fire, police and rescue workers. It is designed to be a first response aerial vehicle that arrives at 911 emergencies before ground personnel to enhance safety and multiply manpower. Unlike drones, AEVA™ uses robotic intelligence to... Read more
25-Jun-2012Source: US Forest Service
U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell today announced the agency is adding four heavy helicopters to the aviation firefighting fleet. “The addition of these helicopters to our aviation fleet will increase our ability to respond quickly and aggressively to fight wildfires and protect lives and property,†said Tidwell. “We will continue to mobilize our firefighting... Read more
22-Jun-2012Source: HeliHub.com
Austin Police Department have put a funds request in to the City Council for $3,745,000 to buy a new Eurocopter AS350B3 – and the request will be heard at their scheduled meeting on 28th June at Austin City Hall. The paperwork submitted indicates that this is ostensibly to replace their 1969-vintage Bell OH-58A. There is... Read more
20-Jun-2012Source: Erickson Air-Crane
Erickson Air-Crane, a leading operator and the manufacturer of the powerful heavy-lift helicopter, the Erickson S-64 Aircrane, today announced that it has been awarded a new exclusive use firefighting services contract with the US Forest Service (“USFSâ€). Under the terms of the contract, Erickson Air-Crane will provide aerial firefighting services using one heavy-lift Aircrane helicopter... Read more
15-Jun-2012
Crashed on firefighting ops while filling up the water bucket... Read more
15-Jun-2012
Overturned while loading water from a stream during firefighting operations. Aircraft destroyed ... Read more
5-Jun-2012Source: US Army
A New York Army National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter will be testing the National Guard’s Firehawk helicopter firefighting system on the Mohawk River between the Thaddeus Kosciusko Bridge (Twin Bridges) on I-87 and the Route 9 Crescent Bridge tomorrow morning (Tuesday, June 5) in Crescent, Saratoga County. The Firehawk system consists of a 1,000-gallon... Read more
30-May-2012Source: Erickson Air-Crane
Erickson Air-Crane Incorporated, a leading operator and the manufacturer of the powerful heavy-lift helicopter, the Erickson S-64 Aircrane, today announced that the NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency (“NAMSAâ€), which provides various logistics services for NATO nations, has, as the prime contracting party, awarded the Company a three year contract to supply aerial firefighting services in... Read more
16-May-2012Source: Simplex
Simplex received FAA STC approval for several enhancements to their Fire Attack system for the AgustaWestland AW139. The new system, STC number SR02351LA, was issued on April 23th, 2012, and is the result of a partnership with AgustaWestland to take advantage of the AW139 flight speed and increased payload capacity. The enhanced AW139 Fire Attack... Read more
16-May-2012Source: Night Flight Concepts
Leading night vision imaging system (NVIS) solution provider Night Flight Concepts is pleased to announce the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) has contracted to use NVIO™ Night Vision Goggle (NVG) Computer-Based Training (CBT) for Initial and Recurrent training of flight crews to ensure readiness in night operations. “The use of night vision goggles has really... Read more
14-May-2012Source: US Marine Corps
Third Marine Aircraft Wing Marines from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., participated in a Wildland Firefighting Exercise at Camp Pendleton, Calif., May 10. The exercise was presented in the form of a demonstration to local military and fire departments as to what 3rd MAW, military assets, and local fire departments bring to the fight.... Read more
14-May-2012Source: Erickson Air-Crane
Erickson Air-Crane Incorporated (NASDAQ: EAC) (“Erickson Air-Crane†or the “Companyâ€), a leading operator and the manufacturer of the powerful heavy-lift helicopter, the Erickson S-64 Aircrane, today announced its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2012. The Company completed its initial public offering (“IPOâ€) in April, 2012. First Quarter 2012 Highlights and Recent... Read more
7-May-2012Source: Rogers Helicopters
Rogers Helicopters, one of the country’s leading aerial firefighting specialists, is now emerging as a major provider of services to the gas and electric utility industry which relies increasingly on helicopters for power line installations and other construction projects. “Although we are still committed to firefighting, we decided to pursue the utility and construction markets... Read more
3-May-2012
Simplex Aerospace has announced an agreement with Shanghai-Sino-US Intercontinental Helicopter Investment Company to promote Simplex products throughout China. This agreement will allow Simplex to better serve Chinese operators and expand their distribution of systems for firefighting and utilities maintenance. Simplex Aerospace has been actively selling their products in China for the past two years. In... Read more
2-May-2012Source: Erickson Air-Crane
Erickson Air-Crane Incorporated (NASDAQ:EAC) (“Erickson Air-Crane†or the “Companyâ€), a leading operator and manufacturer of the powerful heavy-lift helicopter, the Erickson S-64 Aircrane, today announced it will conduct a conference call at 1:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 10, 2012, to discuss its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2012. Hosting the... Read more
19-Apr-2012Source: HAI
The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee held a hearing April 18th to discuss the U.S. Forest Service’s budget. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell testified on behalf of his department, with the focus of the hearing being on the forest fire season. When asked by Sen. John Tester (D-Mont.) on how the agency will fight fires in the... Read more
11-Apr-2012Source: Simplex Aerospace
Simplex Aerospace has received a Japanese STC for its Fire Attack system on an AgustaWestland AW139. The STC, No. STC-380-TYO, was issued on March 12, 2012. The STC will be used to install the new Simplex Aerospace Fire Attack system on three firefighting helicopters in Japan. The Simplex Aerospace tanks are the first Japanese installations... Read more
31-Mar-2012
Emergency landing while firefighting, possibly due to broken hydraulic lines... Read more
20-Mar-2012Source: TSB
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) released its final investigation report (A11W0070) into the loss of control and collision with the water involving a helicopter operated by Campbell Helicopters Ltd. that occurred on Lesser Slave Lake, Alberta, on 20 May 2011. The pilot, who was the sole occupant of the helicopter, died in the crash. Mid–afternoon on the 20 of May... Read more
20-Mar-2012Source: Simplex
Simplex Aerospace announced today that it has purchased the intellectual property and rights to manufacture, the Fire Attackâ„¢ (Fire Attack is a registered trade mark of Simplex Aerospace) system for the Sikorsky Blackhawk Helicopter. The rights were purchased from Aero Union of Sacramento, California. The new Simplex Aerospace Fire Attack â„¢ system, called the Firehawkâ„¢,... Read more
22-Feb-2012Source: Vislink
Vislink has won a major order from Motorola Solutions, Inc. to fulfill Motorola’s contract with the City of Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) to equip Chicago Fire and Police Department helicopters with airborne surveillance technology in advance of the city’s hosting of the Group of Eight (G8) and NATO Summits in May... Read more
21-Feb-2012Source: KPCC
Firefighters in Southern California are still waiting to find out whether the U.S. Forest Service will help them battle flames from the air, after dark. Â The ban went into effect after a 1977 helicopter crash. Critics say the lack of Forest Service air support during the 2009 Station Fire allowed it to get out of... Read more
10-Feb-2012Source: TracPlus Global
TracPlus Global is proud to announce that theNational Aerial Firefighting Centre (NAFC) of Australia has renewed their AFAMS data integration contract with TracPlus Global. The contract, first issued in 2010, Â saw the establishment of the Australian Fire Aircraft Monitoring System (AFAMS) which intregrates tracking data from all contracted firefighting aircraft and deliveres it in... Read more
9-Feb-2012Source: TracPlus Global
Absolute Fire Solutions and TracPlus Global are pleased to announce support for AFS FAST Trac data-logging units within TracPlus’s tracking service. This development allows crucial airborne fire fighting event information to be integrated and presented within a single common operating picture provided by TracPlus. As part of the Australian Fire Aircraft Monitoring System (AFAMS), Australian... Read more
7-Feb-2012Source: Absolute Fire Solutions
Absolute Fire Solutions (AFS), is pleased to announce that it has reached an agreement to sell the Fast Bucket product line. The sale, which closes March 01 2012, will see the buyer offer and support the complete Fast Bucket product line, including the Fast Fill, Fast Foam and the Fast Cockpit Controller accessories, immediately following... Read more
5-Feb-2012Source: AHSAFA
“With near record lows in rainfall, combined with record high temperatures in much of California in December–plus ongoing dry conditions throughout much of the Southwest–the aerial firefighters are preparing for an earlier than normal deployment of assets, given the prevailing high fire dangers, especially in those parts of the country,” said Tom Eversole, Executive Director... Read more
8-Jan-2012Source: Tangent Link
As metropolitan populations increase, the trend is for city architects to design taller buildings – office, hotel and apartments to accommodate this increase, such as examples in Hong Kong, New York, Singapore, Dubai and London. Fire regulations are already strict but should a fire occur in a high-rise or mega building it could be disastrous... Read more
6-Jan-2012Source: DART Helicopter Services
DART Helicopter Services is pleased to announce that Geneva Aviation has secured Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for FAST Trac, which collects performance data from analog aircraft systems and legacy operations equipment. The FAST Trac kit, which includes both the Master Control Box (MCB) and the Remote Tap Units... Read more
23-Dec-2011Source: Eurocopter
The Tokyo Fire Department has ordered a second EC225 helicopter to further expand its Eurocopter-built rotary-wing fleet, which already has seen significant operational service in Japan – including rescue and recovery efforts following the country’s earthquake and tsunami in March. This latest order was placed after an open competition, and will lead to delivery of... Read more
20-Dec-2011Source: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/fire-department-seeks-chopper-for-emergencies/212023-60-119.html
The State Fire and Emergency Department will soon send a proposal to the state government requesting for a helicopter, exclusively during times of major fire disasters. (see full story)... Read more
7-Dec-2011Source: Mail Tribune
Erickson Air-Crane put its best foot forward Monday, reaffirming its initial public offering efforts more than 18 months after saying it hoped to raise $75 million from investors. (see full story)... Read more
29-Nov-2011Source: East Day
From a current fleet of four, a total of 15 helicopters will be in place by 2020, said the Aviation Force of the Shanghai police yesterday. The next new helicopter should be a firefighting Ka32 for delivery in 2012 (see full story). The current fleet includes two EC135s and the EC155 photo’d here for the... Read more
17-Nov-2011Source: Herald Sun
Victoria State Government will save $3 million by dumping a giant firefighting helicopter in a move the firefighters’ union slammed as the most irresponsible decision in two decades. (see full story)... Read more
16-Nov-2011Source: HAI
HAI hosted the 2011 Annual Fire Safety Forum in Boise, Idaho this week. HAI President Matt Zuccaro, opened the forum with a presentation to more than 100 attendees on the status of safety challenges in the industry. Stan Rose, HAI’s director of Safety, presented an overview of HAI accreditation, while Terry Palmer of FlightSafety International... Read more
10-Nov-2011Source: Los Angeles Fire Dept
Glenn Victor Smith was only 54 years old when he lost his courageous battle with cancer. He will be remembered first and foremost for being a loving husband, father, brother, and grandfather to his family. To everyone else that was fortunate enough to have known Glenn personally or worked around him, he was many things.... Read more
31-Oct-2011Source: Timken
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) recently counted on The Timken Company (NYSE:Â TKR) to provide its fleet mechanics with training to keep the department’s firefighting helicopters ready to perform in high-heat situations. This preventative training is critical to CAL FIRE, which responds to an average of 5,600 wildfires and as many... Read more
31-Oct-2011Source: HeliHub.com
The blog run by enthusiast Damiano Gualdoni reports that the Italian firefighting organisation Vigili del Fuoco took delivery of one of a pair of AW139s on Friday. Registered I-TNCC and I-TNDD are new production aircraft, serials 31369 and 31374 respectively. It is not clear at this time whether they add to the existing pair of... Read more
25-Oct-2011Source: HeliHub.com
Russian Helicopters has signed an agreement wiht the Public Security organisation of Ordos (China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region) to supply a Ka-32A11BC in the fire-fighting role. Each will be fitted with a Simplex fire attack system (either model 328 or 348), a horizontal water gun and VSU-9 bucket carrying up to 5 tonnes of water. ... Read more
25-Oct-2011Source: HAI
Mark your calendars and make plans to attend the HAI Government Contracting Committee meeting and HAI Helicopter Firefighting Safety Forum in Boise, Idaho on Nov. 14, 15 & 16. Meetings will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn Boise Spectrum. Attendees should contact the hotel directly to make a room reservation. The HAI Government Contracting... Read more
10-Oct-2011
The Fire and Emergency Services Authority will get a state-of-the-art $4 million aerial command and control helicopter with the latest technology to battle the upcoming fire season. Heliwest are the chosen supplier with a Bo105. (Full story)... Read more
9-Oct-2011Source: HAI
Mark your calendars and make plans to attend the HAI Government Contracting Committee meeting and HAI Helicopter Firefighting Safety Forum in Boise, Idaho on Nov. 14, 15 & 16. Meetings will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn Boise Spectrum. Attendees should contact the hotel directly to make a room reservation. The HAI Government Contracting... Read more
16-Sep-2011Source: AgustaWestland
AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce that the Public Security Bureau of Ordos, in China’s Inner Mongolia, has ordered two GrandNew twin-engine helicopters. The two helicopters will be used to perform fire fighting, rescue, observation, transport and civil protection duties. The GrandNew was selected, following a tender process and a comprehensive evaluation of... Read more
8-Sep-2011Source: Night Flight Concepts
Night Flight Concepts, a leading provider of night vision solutions, announced today that the Los Angeles County Fire Department Air Operations Section has successfully completed certification training of the Night Vision Goggle (NVG) Lighting Conformity Test Kit. Los Angeles Country Fire is now equipped and trained to monitor night vision imaging system (NVIS) lighting airworthiness... Read more