NHV Group today announced a new long-term contract with Spirit Energy to provide passenger transfer services in support of their East Irish Sea operations. The operations are expected to start in December 2020, and will be based at Blackpool (UK). The contract is currently flown by Babcock MCS Offshore. Spirit Energy has a group of… Read more »
Source: HeliHub.com, 05-May-20
Working in partnership with the NHS and South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb), Kent Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance (KSS) will transfer patients requiring critical care by land, with aircraft being used for the rapid delivery and recovery of the team. See Full Story.
Source: Eastbourne Herald, 04-May-20
Drones in Israel are being used to monitor people in their homes to ensure they aren’t breaking coronavirus self-isolation rules put in place. While it’s great to see the Israeli police utilizing drones, they are raising privacy concerns among the citizens of Israel. See Full Story.
Source: Drone DJ, 04-May-20
Garmin International, Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), announced the aera® 760, a premium aviation portable that is purpose-built for the pilot and the cockpit. The aera 760 boasts a 7-inch bright, sunlight readable touchscreen display complete with comprehensive chart options in a compact and dedicated portable GPS. Additional features of the aera… Read more »
Source: Garmin®, 04-May-20
London’s Air Ambulance, the charity that delivers a 24/7 advanced trauma team to critically injured people in London, has strengthened its Board with the appointment of four new Trustees. The new Trustees, Gemma Sherrington, Brigadier Tim Hodgetts, Dr Margot Gosney, and James Thomas together bring a wealth of experience across the charity, military, technology and… Read more »
Source: London’s Air Ambulance, 04-May-20
Life Link III is pleased to announce that it has been awarded its Part 135 Air Carrier Certificate by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and future plans to open a new air medical helicopter base in Rush City, Minnesota in Summer 2020. Both of these initiatives are moving forward in support of Life Link III’s… Read more »
Source: Life Link III, 04-May-20
The May 2020 edition of Police Aviation News can be found here.
Source: Police Aviation News, 01-May-20
Today marks the first flights being made under the Helicopter Assistance to Civil Authorities (HACA) scheme set up by the British Helicopter Association. Two AW109s have this morning flown from the NHS Nightingale Hospital in London to its sister NHS Nightingale Hospital in Sunderland, and will return later in the day. The aircraft are being… Read more »
Source: HeliHub.com, 30-Apr-20
Boost Human External Cargo Systems (Boost Systems – www.boostsystems.ca), the global leader in the provision of the most advanced, certified and compliant Human External Cargo (HEC) Systems and services for the rescue, utility, public safety and defense sectors introduces its latest offering, a HEC system for the MD500 series helicopter. The system is fully compliant… Read more »
Source: Boost Systems, 30-Apr-20
NHV has started its helicopter services in support of Ørsted’s Borssele 1+2 Offshore Wind farm. The flights depart from NHV’s recently installed base in Arnemuiden (Midden-Zeeland) to the Borssele Wind Farm, located 23 kilometres from Westkapelle in front of the Dutch coast. For the Midden-Zeeland operations, NHV has taken delivery of a brand new H145… Read more »
Source: NHV, 30-Apr-20
The Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) is delighted to announce that, effective from Saturday 25th April 2020 and in partnership with Yorkshire Ambulance NHS Trust, one of their Air Ambulance helicopters will return to operational duty. The news follows an announcement at the beginning of April when their Doctors and Paramedics were redeployed back to the… Read more »
Source: Yorkshire Air Ambulance, 30-Apr-20
University and industry researchers in Grand Forks are testing drones for a variety of applications related to the coronavirus pandemic. This drone, photographed on Friday in Grand Forks, has a spray boom attached to sanitize playground equipment. See Full Story.
Source: MPRnews, 29-Apr-20
Ensuring comfortable and peaceful commutes for passengers. Delivering thrilling new experiences that can save time, reduce cost and make life a little easier. This is the future Bell is focused on providing consumers. But what will it do for the planet? With the emergence of electrically-powered aircraft comes the opportunity to explore more non-carbon sources… Read more »
Source: Bell, 29-Apr-20
UAVOS has successfully tested its cargo delivery UVH-170 unmanned helicopter. The trial aimed to validate a highly automated delivery flight from a vendor to a destination and back, across precisely pre-selected pathways. The flight took 1.7 hours and covered a standoff distance of 62 miles (100 km). Critical humanitarian aid, whose weight was 17,6 lbs… Read more »
Source: UAVOS, 29-Apr-20
As another helicopter of the DRF Luftrettung “Christoph 42” will be equipped with a so-called “EpiShuttle”, a special insulation stretcher, at the end of this week. The medical crews at the station are currently receiving instructions and training on how to use the system safely and practiced. To protect patients and crews, the “Christoph 42”,… Read more »
Source: DRF Luftrettung, 29-Apr-20
Daniel Sitnam, President for Helijet International Inc. is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Michael Potter (photo: left) as Director of Flight Operations, to be effective May 1, 2020. Michael has held the position of Helijet’s Chief Pilot, Rotary Wing Operations for the past two years, and will now oversee all facets of flight… Read more »
Source: Helijet, 29-Apr-20
Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust is delighted to announce its new Chairman to lead the Board of Trustees. Mark Carne joined the Board of Trustees earlier in 2020 and has now been elected by his fellow Trustees to become Chairman. Mark brings a wealth of experience and expertise with him, having been the chief executive of… Read more »
Source: Cornwall Air Ambulance, 29-Apr-20
The U.S. Helicopter Safety Team (www.USHST.org) has released an extensive Recommended Practice document which suggests training scenarios that will mitigate risk and improve aviation decision making. The training lesson plans in the document identify and describe numerous fatal helicopter accidents that involve some aspect showing a lack of sound aviation decision making that placed the… Read more »
Source: USHST, 28-Apr-20
Era Group Inc. (NYSE:ERA) (“Era”) announced that on April 21, 2020 it repurchased an aggregate of 54,099 shares of its common stock at an average price of $3.64 per share, on April 22, 2020 it repurchased an aggregate of 46,027 shares of its common stock at an average price of $3.81 per share and on… Read more »
Source: Era Group, 28-Apr-20
Summit Aviation, a Greenwich AeroGroup company, announced it has hired Frank Reuter as its new Director of Maintenance, replacing John Bonnell who is retiring after 29 years with the company. A retired Master Sergeant with the United States Army, Mr. Reuter most recently served as the Vice President of Maintenance & Engineering and Director of… Read more »
Source: Greenwich AeroGroup, 28-Apr-20
Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company (NYSE: LMT) announces that is has signed an agreement with VIH Aviation Group for four S-92A+™ upgrade kits. VIH Aviation Group Ltd. and its operating company Cougar Helicopters Inc. have been a leading S-92® helicopter customer in Canada since 2004 and now, the first S-92A+ kit customer. The S-92A+ upgrade… Read more »
Source: Lockheed Martin, 28-Apr-20
Total UK Limited has announced that it will be supplying free jet fuel to both the Essex & Herts Air Ambulance Trust (EHAAT) and the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) during the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure that both services are able to continue carrying out life-saving work. Jet fuel will be provided to the… Read more »
Source: Total UK, 24-Apr-20
The Vertical Flight Society is pleased to announce its 2020 Vertical Flight Foundation (VFF) scholarship recipients. Scholarships totaling $100,000 are being awarded again this year to 29 of the world’s most talented engineering students interested in vertical flight. “Since 1977, our Vertical Flight Foundation scholarships have helped inspire generations of students to pursue careers in… Read more »
Source: The Vertical Flight Society, 24-Apr-20
Summit Aviation, a Greenwich AeroGroup company, announced today it has hired Frank Reuter as its new Director of Maintenance, replacing John Bonnell who is retiring after 29 years with the company. A retired Master Sergeant with the United States Army, Mr. Reuter most recently served as the Vice President of Maintenance & Engineering and… Read more »
Source: Summit Aviation, 23-Apr-20
Air Covers Ltd, a leading specialist in the design of bespoke protective covers for the aerospace and marine sector, is proud to have won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade 2020. These Awards are the most prestigious award a UK company can receive. Her Majesty The Queen approves the winners, which recognises companies… Read more »
Source: Air Covers, 22-Apr-20
As medical industries across the country continue to take the brunt of the covid-19 virus, there’s one specific part of the industry that has been affected that you may not be thinking about. See Full Story.
Source: WTRF.com, 22-Apr-20
Everything is calm and quiet at the Buttonwillow Airport in northwest Kern County, California, as the Bell 525 Relentless moves one step closer to becoming the first certified-commercial fly-by-wire helicopter in the market. In the past month, the Bell team completed another stage of flight testing – acoustic signature testing. They conducted the tests at… Read more »
Source: Bell, 22-Apr-20
EDA has launched a first call for papers from defence industry, academia and research institutes on the topic of Integration of military air capabilities in a changing context of the civil aviation sector in the framework of EDA’s upcoming Single European Sky Workshops. The purpose of the workshop is to provide industry with a deeper insight into… Read more »
Source: EDA, 22-Apr-20
The crews of the 35 stations in Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein as well as the air ambulance service were alerted a total of 40,738 times in order to provide professional medical help as quickly as possible to seriously ill or injured people. Because: When a life is at stake, every minute counts. The entire fleet of… Read more »
Source: DRF Luftrettung, 22-Apr-20
[electronic translation] Since the start of the corona pandemic, Rega’s helicopter crews have flown a total of 74 COVID-19 patients. Most of them were moved from one hospital to another. Rega also provided support abroad: For example, French COVID-19 patients were flown from Alsace to German hospitals. In general, since the pandemic began, Rega has recorded significantly lower… Read more »
Source: Rega, 22-Apr-20
Global Medical Response, headquartered in Greenwood Village Colorado, has placed an order for two FRASCA Level 7 Helicopter Flight Training Devices (FTDs), which will support aviation training for two of its air medical operations. Guardian Flight will begin using the Airbus H125 FTD, and Med-Trans Corporation will start using the Bell 407GX FTD for both… Read more »
Source: FRASCA, 22-Apr-20
In Norway, Super Puma helicopter operator Lufttransport reacted fast to an urgent request from Norwegian Air Ambulance Services (Luftambulansetjenesten) to provide a solution to the challenge of transporting COVID-19 victims to hospital in the north of the country. Luftambulansetjenesten, like other such services, has turned to the EpiShuttle isolation and transportation system from EpiGuard of Oslo to carry patients to hospital… Read more »
Source: Airbus Helicopters, 22-Apr-20
Robinson Helicopter Company delivered three R44 Cadets and three R22s to Robinson dealer General Aviation Services of Hunan, China. This marks the first delivery of an R44 Cadet to China. All six helicopters were ordered on behalf of YiFei General Aviation Company which specializes in helicopter management, operation, and training. YiFei has been using Robinsons… Read more »
Source: Robinson, 22-Apr-20
William H. “Bill” Wells Jr., president and owner of Cascade Helicopters in Cashmere, Washington, died on Apr. 15, 2020, at the age of 86. Bill was born on Feb. 25, 1934, in Seattle, Washington. He joined the military in 1953 as an Alaska Communications System specialist in the US Army Signal Corps. In 1958, he… Read more »
Source: HAI, 22-Apr-20
Leonardo announced that the Health Care District of Palm Beach County, FL—a Federal Aviation Administration certificated air carrier in southern Florida also known as Trauma Hawk—has signed a contract to purchase two light-intermediate AW169 helicopters. Palm Beach County is the largest county by area in Florida with more than 2,300 square miles. The District maintains… Read more »
Source: Leonardo, 22-Apr-20
Committed to improving customers’ digital experience, Airbus Helicopters is now introducing a new web application for its technical request service, enhancing the mobility of this service. It is accessible through the new AirbusWorld customer platform. This user-friendly web application, running under all browsers and compatible with all systems (Android and iOS) and devices (smartphone and… Read more »
Source: Airbus Helicopters, 21-Apr-20
As hospitals in the region reach capacity treating Covid-19 patients, East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) will be doing more to support the NHS by providing critical care transfer teams to assist the East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST) in moving Covid-19 patients between hospitals. The air ambulance doctor and critical care paramedic teams have… Read more »
Source: Air Methods, 20-Apr-20
RBI Hawker recently received OEM approval for successfully completing the industry’s first leading edge abrasion strip replacement on the Leonardo AW139 main rotor blade at its facility in Dubai. The company is the only OEM authorized repair facility outside of Leonardo themselves to offer this critical repair. RBI Hawker supports Leonardo customers across the complete… Read more »
Source: RBI Hawker, 20-Apr-20
Elling B. Halvorson, founder and chairman of the board of Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters in Boulder City, Nevada, died Apr. 16, 2020, at the age of 88. With the opening of his helicopter tour company in 1965, he is credited with creating the site-specific helicopter tourism sector. Elling was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on… Read more »
Source: HAI, 20-Apr-20
Life Flight Network, the nation’s largest not-for-profit air medical transport service, today announced a new partnership with Montana Health CO-OP and Idaho’s Mountain Health CO-OP. The agreement will provide members across both states with Life Flight Network’s critical care transportation services at a predictable, in-network rate. “This partnership will significantly lower costs, improve care, and… Read more »
Source: Life Flight Network, 20-Apr-20
The Christ Hospital Health Network today announced that it will partner with Christ LifeFlight, a subsidiary of Air Methods, to add a new dedicated rotor wing helicopter for the Christ Hospital. The new base will support the care and transportation of critically ill and injured patients throughout the region. Along with the key medical personnel,… Read more »
Source: Air Methods, 20-Apr-20
Loss of tail rotor authority, and rolled onto its side on landing
20-Apr-20
The UK MAA has granted HeliOperations Part 145 approval for its brand new Base Maintenance and Storage Facility in Somerton near RNAS Yeovilton. The facility will be used for the storage and on-site maintenance of military registered air systems and components. HeliOperations will now transfer its Sea Kings and associated engineering stores and other equipment… Read more »
Source: HeliOperations, 19-Apr-20
The British Helicopter Association (BHA) has made a major achievement with the completion of a contract to facilitate freight and passenger transport by air in support of coronavirus response across the whole of the UK. The Crown Commercial Service (CCS) – the UK Government contract management organisation – has worked tirelessly in recent days to… Read more »
Source: HeliHub.com, 17-Apr-20
Friedrichshafen – Helicopters play an outstanding role in the current health crisis due to their special flight characteristics. They are not only important for the transfer of infectious and ventilated patients from hospital to hospital, but they also secure relevant infrastructure through monitoring flights. The outbreak of the coronavirus has triggered a global crisis that… Read more »
Source: European Rotors, 16-Apr-20
The monthly bulletin from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch has been released. This month’s issue covers the accident(s) of:- Guimbal Cabri G2 (G-CILR), aircraft fire due to electrical short circuit, Wycombe Air Park, 22 July 2019 Correction: Sikorsky S-61N (G-ATBJ), control restriction on takeoff, Marchwood, Hampshire, 1 February 2018
Source: AAIB, 15-Apr-20
As FBOs and fuel handlers face a myriad of challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, Avfuel Corporation’s taking steps to ensure it serves as a useful resource to ease operational difficulties during this time, including offering free training. With a mission to help make fueling operations safer by making training more accessible, Avfuel is waiving the… Read more »
Source: Avfuel, 15-Apr-20
Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus is expanding its aviation offerings to include an online bachelor’s degree geared for students who have previously earned aviation-related certificates, ratings, licensures or college credit. This spring, a Bachelor of Science in aeronautical technology with a professional aviation option has launched at Kansas State Polytechnic. The online program combines a… Read more »
Source: Kansas State University, 15-Apr-20
The Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS), representing the air medical transport industry submitted a letter this week to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar with an urgent request to rapidly distribute money to emergency air medical providers from the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund. In order to ensure the… Read more »
Source: AAMS, 15-Apr-20
HeliOffshore announced the appointment of Hank Williams and Jeremy Akel to the HeliOffshore Board. Gretchen Haskins will move from CEO of HeliOffshore to a new position on the board. Francois Lassale will be acting CEO of HeliOffshore from 1st May 2020. Bill Chiles, Chairman, said: “Both Hank and Jeremy have exceptional track records in the Industry… Read more »
Source: HeliOffshore, 15-Apr-20
The International Helicopter Safety Foundation (www.IHSF.aero) has compiled data from its fifth annual survey of civil helicopter operators located in key regions around the world in order to gain a broader understanding of where crucial safety initiatives are being implemented. IHSF received more than 1,900 responses to the survey from 112 different countries. Participation in… Read more »
Source: IHSF, 15-Apr-20
Spidertracks has been named as a 2020 finalist for the New Zealand Hi-Tech Awards “Company of the Year” award. The announcement was made to a record number of virtual watchers Tuesday 31st March 2020. Sean Tindale, our CTO reflects on the nomination; “It’s a great time to be at Spidertracks helping customers save lives through… Read more »
Source: Spidertracks, 15-Apr-20
Copilot window fell out at 1000 ft agl. Corporate part 91 operation
15-Apr-20
In connection with the proposed merger (the “Merger”) involving Era Group Inc. (“Era”) and Bristow Group Inc. (“Bristow”), on February 6, 2020, Era and Bristow each filed a premerger notification and report form under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended (the “HSR Act”) with the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice… Read more »
14-Apr-20
As of Friday 10th April, Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC) are supplying Specialist Paramedics in Critical Care to assist in transferring critically ill COVID-19 patients between hospitals in the region, supporting the NHS in the fight against the virus. Members of their crew will be joining part of a multi-disciplinary team carrying out inter-hospital… Read more »
Source: Great Western Air Ambulance Charity, 14-Apr-20
The Vertical Flight Society announced the winners of its prestigious Robert L. Lichten technical award. The overall winner will be recognized at the Grand Awards Banquet on Wednesday, October 7, 2020, during the Society’s 76th Annual Forum & Technology Display in Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA. Ms. Chloe Johnson of University of Texas at Austin was… Read more »
Source: The Vertical Flight Society, 14-Apr-20
Hillsborurgh County Sheriff helicopter suffered bird strike. No injury reported to 2 POB
12-Apr-20
Northern HeliCopter GmbH has won a contract to provide rescue services for the Riffgat and Alpha Ventus offshore wind farms in Germany. See Full Story.
Source: offshoreWIND.biz, 09-Apr-20
The Civil Air Ambulance (AMB) intensive care helicopter, which is primarily provided for the transport of COVID-19 patients, has been in use for a good week. Last week, the helicopter was the first in the DRF fleet to be equipped with an EpiShuttle and has already completed its first operation with the special insulating stretcher:… Read more »
Source: DRF Luftrettung, 09-Apr-20
Leonardo announced the closing of the acquisition of Kopter Group AG (Kopter) from Lynwood (Schweiz). The purchase price, on a cash and debt free basis, consists of a $185 million fixed component plus an earn-out mechanism linked to certain milestones over the life of the program, starting from 2022. The acquisition of Kopter allows Leonardo… Read more »
Source: Kopter, 09-Apr-20
New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) has awarded the operation and maintenance of their recently acquired 412 fleet, as part of an existing 10-year contract with Coulson Aviation PTY. Coulson Aviation PTY has also moved its Australian headquarters from Melbourne to Bankstown, securing a 1,114 sq m hanger facility. The new Australian home-base… Read more »
Source: Coulson Aviation, 09-Apr-20
FlightSafety International now provides the ground school portion of its recurrent training programs online through the instructor-led LiveLearning training system. “FlightSafety’s web-based and instructor-led recurrent ground school provides our customers with the benefits of classroom learning and the convenience of taking courses remotely,” said Steve Gross, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing. “FlightSafety worked with… Read more »
Source: FlightSafety, 09-Apr-20
Hard landing. No injury reported to 1 POB
09-Apr-20
A new air ambulance takes to the skies as Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) launches its second life-saving emergency response helicopter. The only charity of its type in Scotland has operated a single aircraft nationwide Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) since 2013 from its base at Perth Airport, saving and impacting on thousands of lives…. Read more »
Source: Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance, 08-Apr-20
Due to the current concern regarding the spread of the coronavirus disease (covid-19), recently renamed SARS-CoV-2, Airbus Helicopters would like to remind operators about recommendations and guidance related to the cleaning and disinfection of their helicopters. On 30 March 2020, Airbus Helicopters released revision 1 of its IN 3476-I-12 information notice, “SERVICING – Disinfection of… Read more »
Source: Airbus Helicopters, 08-Apr-20
Some lucky Albertans received a congratulatory call today informing them they had a grand prize-winning ticket in the 2020 STARS lottery. The draws were held in Calgary and witnessed by STARS and Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis officials in accordance with provincial regulations. “When STARS flies, you know it’s for the worst of the worst,”… Read more »
Source: STARS, 08-Apr-20
Offshore operator CHC has produced an adaption for their offshore AW139s in the Netherlands to provide a safety screen between the pilots and the passengers during the COVID19 pandemic. Quinten Hergaarden, Deputy Accountable Manager at CHC Helicopters Netherlands spoke with HeliHub.com to explain the project further. With the AW139 cabin reduced from 12 to 8 passengers (for… Read more »
Source: HeliHub.com, 08-Apr-20
The organisers of HeliRussia, reputedly the world’s second largest helicopter industry event, have announced today that the event will not be running on 21-24 May and has been postponed to the autumn. Here is an electronic translation of their statement:- Considering the adverse epidemiological situation and the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation… Read more »
Source: HeliRussia, 07-Apr-20
Leonardo is pleased to announce the company’s TH-119 Certification Team, led by Program Manager Enzo Galli, has won the Vertical Flight Society’s prestigious Harry T. Jensen Award. The Harry T. Jensen Award recognizes outstanding contribution to the improvement of reliability, maintainability, safety or logistics support through improved design or technical achievement. Leonardo’s TH-119 Certification Team,… Read more »
Source: Leonardo, 06-Apr-20
Japan’s largest Super Puma operator, Japan Coast Guard (JCG), has placed a new order of two H225 helicopters. This follow-on order brings JCG’s Super Puma fleet to 15, comprising two AS332s and 13 H225s. The new helicopters will be utilised for territorial coastal activities, security enforcement, as well as disaster relief missions in Japan. “We… Read more »
Source: Airbus Helicopters, 06-Apr-20
Tail rotor struck tree. No injury reported to 1 POB
06-Apr-20
A helicopter from the same era as the Apollo space craft did its most valuable work in Northland Before the Northland Rescue Helicopter chopper known as Helimed1 flew thousands of kilometres saving lives in New Zealand, she visited 41 countries on a 73,000 km circumnavigation of the world. The 40-year-old helicopter – an iconic Sikorsky… Read more »
Source: Northland Rescue Helicopter, 03-Apr-20
Recognizing the important work of British Columbia’s health care responders during the current COVID-19 crisis, Helijet has announced that it will provide seats at no cost between Vancouver and its Vancouver Island terminals in Victoria and Nanaimo for health care responders travelling on business. The initiative is aimed at medical personnel including doctors, nurses or… Read more »
Source: Helijet, 03-Apr-20
Launched in 2016 out of the Airbus innovation centre Acubed, Voom was created with the ambition to democratise access to the skies and transform how people move in urban environments. Over four years, it grew from a two-person project in Silicon Valley to 30+ employees, and operating in three of the most congested metropolitan areas… Read more »
Source: HeliHub.com, 02-Apr-20
The Vertical Flight Society has announced nine individuals and nine groups as the 2020 recipients of its prestigious 76th Annual Awards program. Since its establishment in 1944, VFS Awards have paid tribute to the world’s outstanding leaders of vertical flight in industry, government and academia, and served as a catalyst for stimulating technological advances. The… Read more »
Source: The Vertical Flight Society, 02-Apr-20
