4-Nov-2011Source: Flightglobal
France will perform at-sea trials with an unmanned Boeing H-6U Little Bird helicopter next year using a developmental automatic landing system. (see full story)... Read more
21-Oct-2011Source: Turbomeca
Marc Ventre, Deputy Chief Operating Officer of Safran group and Dominique Braye, President of the Camy urban community (urban community of Mantes en Yvelines), today Opened the new Turbomeca Buchelay Mantes-site (near Paris) in the presence of Olivier Andriès Turbomeca and Chief Executive Officer Paul Martinez, Mayor of Buchelay and Vice-President of Camy. This site... Read more
28-Sep-2011Source: AgustaWestland
AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce that Société FCL of France has taken delivery of a GrandNew light twin engine helicopter. The helicopter was handed over at a ceremony held at AgustaWestland’s Vergiate facility in Italy on 23rd September. The helicopter will be used for private and charter services from its base in... Read more
21-Sep-2011Source: HeliHub.com
French union CFDT has raised at complaint with the French Government over Eurocopter’s move to open a centralised service centre in Ireland – as we reported on 15th August. Previously, each Eurocopter entity throughout the world had its own technical assistance structure. EIS (“Eurocopter International Services “) will centralize the management of this – from... Read more
14-Sep-2011
Tail rotor struck a cable while on a reconaissance flight. Two occupants thrown clear of the helicopter and two trapped inside. Piloting the helicopter was Jacques Fouque, an experienced pilot and mountain guide, the engineering director of the Emosson dam Regis Desmus, Jean-Marc Mermillod, from IG3M a company specialising in lifts and cable work and... Read more
9-Sep-2011Source: HeliHub.com
New Vietnamese operator Vinacopter will start operations by the end of October in what is believed to be the country’s first private helicopter service. Despite the claims of other companies to be the first in the air, it appears that others have been non-starters. Vinacopter is working with Vietnam Air Service Company (VASCO) under Vietnam... Read more
31-Aug-2011Source: DCI
Hélidax, the first public-private partnership (PPP) launched by the French Ministry of Defense in 2008, exceeded last June 20 000 flight hours on EC120 Colibri aircraft. A subsidiary of DCI and INAER, Helidax achieved this performance in less of 13 months of operation and trained two batches of trainees for the armed forces. Helidax’s example brought... Read more
28-Jul-2011Source: Eurocopter
The sea pilots of Dunkirk’s Grand Port Maritime will benefit from the reliability and safety of Eurocopter’s EC135 when the twin-engine helicopter enters service at one of France’s busiest port facilities. With the EC135’s selection, Eurocopter’s extensive experience in maritime support services has been recognized by the sea pilots of Dunkirk, who guide some 5,800... Read more
12-Jul-2011Source: Eurocopter
Hélidax, owned by DCI and INAER, has announced that it has passed the 20,000 flight hour mark with its fleet of Eurocopter EC120 Colibri aircraft—in under 13 months of operations. Hélidax was the first public-private partnership (PPP) to be launched by the French Ministry of Defense. Since May 2010, Hélidax has trained two graduated students,... Read more
11-Jul-2011
Pilot Kevin Mullarkey, age 67, an Irishman now resident in Kuwait. Passenger was Gerard David, age 70, a member of the Meribel Flying Club, were involved in a crash which resulted in the helicopter catching on fire and severely burning both men.... Read more
9-Jul-2011
52 year old pilot from Belgium, and 37 year old passenger was Italian but lived in Belgium for many years. Both killed... Read more
6-Jul-2011Source: HeliHub.com
The first Robinson R66 Turbine has arrived in France with dealer Rectimo Aviation at Chambery. In the same way as the initial deliveries with British dealers Sloane Helicopters and Heliair, Rectimo are operating their R66 on the FAA register as EASA certification is not currently expected before Septber 2011. Rectimo has taken delivery of serial... Read more
29-Jun-2011Source: DGA
The Directorate General for Armaments (DGA) has delivered the first helicopter Panther “standard 2” to the Navy May 31, 2011. The entire fleet of the Navy Panther, 16 helicopters, will be the standards of this new standard by 2016. This new version improves the interoperability of NATO helicopter through the integration of data link L11.... Read more
27-Jun-2011Source: DCI
Since the signature of the contract with the Qatar Ministry of Defense two years ago, DCI was in charge of executing major overhaul on 11 Gazelle helicopters. Generally speaking, a major overhaul operation is carried out every 12 years or after 4,000 flight hours and consists of complex and demanding preventive maintenance that guarantees flight... Read more
27-Jun-2011Source: Turbomeca
At the International Paris Air Show, Olivier Andries, Chairman and CEO of Turbomeca (Safran group) and Régis Magnac, Director of RTE, company in charge of the Electricity Transmission Network (TEN), are celebrating 250.000 flight hours for Turbomeca engines Used in aerial work helicopter for surveillance and maintenance of the French Electricity transmission network (high and... Read more
24-Jun-2011Source: Eurocopter
Héli-Union is extending its long-standing relationship with Eurocopter by ordering four EC175 for offshore oil and gas missions, continuing this worldwide helicopter operator’s tradition in pioneering the introduction of highly capable new-generation rotary-wing aircraft. The contract signature was officially announced today during Héli-Union’s 50-year anniversary celebration, which was held at its Toussus-le-Noble maintenance center near... Read more
23-Jun-2011Source: HeliHub.com
On June 16, 2011, the French Navy’s 34F squadron celebrated its 100,000 flight hours on Alouette III and Lynx at Lanvéoc-Poulmic base. Present were pilots, crew members, technicians, past and present – to celebrate this important event with nearly 13,000 flight hours performed on Alouette III and 87,000 on Lynx . Vice Admiral Olivier de... Read more
21-Jun-2011Source: Sikorsky
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. announced today the delivery of two S-76C++™ helicopters to Heli-Union for use in offshore oil missions. Sikorsky is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX). The contract for these aircraft was signed in November 2010. With this delivery, Heli-Union now has eight S-76C++ helicopters operating internationally. “We are proud that Heli-Union continues... Read more
17-Jun-2011Source: Eurocopter
The new Eurocopter Global Logistics facility was inaugurated today in southern France, marking a major milestone in the evolution of Eurocopter’s global integrated support network for customers and also providing improved internal logistics for the company’s production and industrial activities. Eurocopter Global Logistics is the cornerstone of Eurocopter’s worldwide logistics distribution system, which includes platforms... Read more
11-Jun-2011
Tourist flight. Pilot claimed to have been caught in a wind vortex. Helicopter Destroyed... Read more
9-Jun-2011
Instructional flight, takeoff without hydraulic assistance, ended up on its side... Read more
1-Jun-2011
22S Squadron, based at Lanvéoc Poulmic, recently celebrated 22 S 150,000 flight hours on their Alouette III helicopters. More than 200 pilots, crew and engineers were on hand to participate in the event. [French Navy photo]... Read more
16-May-2011Source: Château Hermitage de Combas
Château Hermitage de Combas, a 19th century estate situated between Béziers and Montpellier welcomes guests to the enchanting setting of Languedoc-Roussillon. Since May 2011, Alexandre Rech, the owner, has been able to offer the option of arriving directly at the château by helicopter—a helipad has been set up right in the heart of the estate.... Read more
11-May-2011
Precautionary landing in field after engine problems... Read more
29-Apr-2011
Two fatalies – Jean-Michel Mazet, a dentist in Margate (Gard) and Jean-Louis Durant, a Narbonne, an instructor pilot in Pezenas... Read more
25-Apr-2011Source: United Solar
United Solar, a leading global manufacturer of lightweight, flexible thin-film solar modules and a wholly owned subsidiary of Energy Conversion Devices (Nasdaq:ENER), announced the completion of a 1.1 megawatt (MW) solar power system on the rooftop of a logistics center in Marignane, France. The facility will be used by Eurocopter, a subsidiary of EADS, a... Read more
13-Apr-2011Source: EADS
The European aerospace and defence Group EADS further fostered its position as top employer by recently having been awarded in all its four European home countries. While the Group and its Divisions received the “Randstad†award in Germany, France, and Spain, the research institutes “trendence†and “Universum†ranked EADS as most preferred employer for engineers... Read more
31-Mar-2011Source: Eurocopter
On March 25, 2011, EADS and its subsidiary Eurocopter Group officially received the backing of the French authorities for their joint project to transfer some activities from Eurocopter’s La Courneuve plant, together with a part of EADS’ Suresnes-based research and development activities, to the city of Dugny. The two groups will lead the way for... Read more
4-Mar-2011Source: HeliHub.com
Information is still coming in on an accident involving a French military Eurocopter AS532 Cougar helicopter. Shortly after take-off, a crew member noticed the door was not correctly closed and went to adjust it. In the process of this manouevre, he was sucked out of the aircraft. A second crew member went to help and... Read more
2-Mar-2011
Shortly after take off from the military base of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Salanque, a door of the aircraft opened. One occupant tried to secure it, but appears to have dragged out by suction, falling into the waters of a pond. A second crew member went to assist and was also sucked out. One later died in the hospital... Read more
25-Feb-2011Source: DCI
DCI announces that a new outsourcing contract has been granted, following the outsourcing contract on the fleet of helicopters from the French Army’s light aviation school in Dax. A call for tenders was launched concerning the outsourcing of in-service support related to French civil defense and gendarmerie EC 145 helicopters. This outsourcing concerns 51 helicopters... Read more
9-Feb-2011Source: Thales
Bangalore, India, February 9, 2011 – Thales today announced that together with the Tiger and Huey UH-1Y helicopters, its TopOwl® Helmet Mounted Sight & Display system (HMSD) has been deployed with the French and US Forces in Afghanistan, to provide high levels of night vision performance and targeting capabilities for helicopter pilots. TopOwl® is already... Read more
27-Jan-2011Source: Dalje
Russia and France have agreed to build four helicopter carriers for the Russian Navy, European media reports say... Read more
19-Dec-2010Source: Eurocopter
Marignane, France, December 17, The first pre-serial Tiger HAD (fire support and destruction) for France made its maiden flight from Eurocopter’s Marignane, France facility. It marks an important step towards the Block I initial qualification of the Tiger HAD, which is one of four versions in Eurocopter’s multi-role Tiger combat helicopter family. During the next... Read more
19-Dec-2010Source: Eurocopter
Marignane, France, 17 December The first NH90 in the tactical transport helicopter configuration for France made its maiden flight today at Eurocopter’s Marignane, France facility. During a one-hour mission, the NH 90 TTH carried out dynamic systems checks followed by handling qualities evaluations and initial avionics tests, followed by the rotary-wing aircraft’s departure to the... Read more
9-Dec-2010
R22 crashed in a steep sided valley while en route from Sospel to Avignon. French press named the deceased as Martin Rutty and Simon Lichtenstein... Read more
7-Dec-2010
The helicopter had been chartered by the General Council of Alpes-Maritimes. On board was the pilot, a geologist from the General Council and an employee of the company “Heaven Climber”, specializing in work in steep areas.... Read more
27-Oct-2010Source: Tops from the T-List
If you’ve got the means to arrive in style then who wants a long and tedious journey to get there anyway?... Read more
26-Oct-2010Source: HeliHub.com
Through 2010, HeliHub.com has become known for its range of official register updates, where we list new helicopter registrations, cancellations, changes of owner etc for a range of countries – Australia, Austria, Ireland, Japan, Norway, New Zealand, South Africa, Switzerland and UK. We are now very pleased to report that, in association with AMCAR, we... Read more
24-Oct-2010Source: AMCAR
This news item is part of the HeliHub.com “Register Updates†series, listing helicopters which have been added to a particular national register, removed from it or the listed owner has changed. Our coverage represents the majority of registration and owner changes within the global civilian helicopter fleet. Most updates are weekly or monthly, although some... Read more
12-Oct-2010
Heavy landing on training flight... Read more
10-Oct-2010Source: Shephard Group
HeliPortugal, SAF Helicopters of France, Santay Air of Turkey and Brazilian operator HeliBarra have joined forces to grab greater global attention in the markets they serve and get the benefit of economies of scale enjoyed by their larger competitors... Read more
10-Oct-2010Source: Eurocopter
The delivery of the 36th EC120 is an important milestone in innovative public-private partnership program, the French armed forces, modern, cost helicopter for training purposes, provides the. In the presence of Joseph Saporito, Executive Vice President Commercial Helicopters, and Jean-Louis Rotrubin, President & Chief Executive Manager of DCI and Helidax, the company took Helidax today... Read more
29-Sep-2010Source: AgustaWestland
AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica Company, is pleased to announce that the first two GrandNew light twin helicopters for France and the Principality of Monaco have been delivered to their respective owners. The announcement of the deliveries was performed during an official event held by AgustaWestland and Monacair, an affiliated company of SkyGroup, in Monaco today. An... Read more
23-Sep-2010Source: Turbomeca
The Turbomeca (Safran Group) Arriel turbo-shaft engine 1E2 Has logged flight hours on the 200.000 Civil Security’s EC 145 twin-engine helicopters. The turbo-shaft engine’s good behavior HAD Contributed to the success of the rescue missions Performed by the rescuers. The first 34 of the EC 145 helicopters Arrived at the Civil Security Helicopter Group on... Read more
22-Sep-2010
Gazelle from 5RHC was involved in low level training, and crashed in an open field.... Read more
18-Sep-2010Source: Shephard
Commander Guillaume Guitard of the French Fleet Air Arm’s test unit at Hyeres, said crew transition from the EC225 to the NH90 was ‘less steep than it would have been if they had to transition from the Super Frelon’.... Read more
6-Sep-2010Source: Ya Libnan
France is aware that Israel has “protested” about the French decision [to deliver such weapons to Lebanon] and that Washington raised “serious questions” about the arms deal.... Read more
2-Sep-2010
Heli-Challenge relaunches the flight school department of what was known as Ixair before it ceased operations. They operate Cabri G2 helicopters... Read more
31-Aug-2010Source: RIA Novosti
A French helicopter pilot who made an emergency landing in the Far Eastern Chukotka Peninsula in early August was fined $100 on Monday for violating the Russian border.... Read more
5-Aug-2010Source: DGA
France’s Directorate General for Armaments (DGA) has announed that the second of two EC225 helicotpers was delivered on July 23 to their Navy’s. These aircraft were ordered in December 2009 to replace recently retired Super Frelon helicopters. They will be implemented from the naval aviation base at Lanvéoc (Finistère) for marine safety duties including SAR.... Read more
5-Jul-2010Source: Aviaxess
With bases already in Toulon, Saint Tropez and Le Bourget airports, Aviaxess Helicopter & Jet, the European business aviation company, now has a presence in Moscow. Frédéric Aguettant, Aviaxess’ president, and Charles Hergott, president of Allied Aviation, have signed a cooperation agreement for developing business airplane and helicopter transport in Russia. An Aviaxess agency is... Read more
5-Jul-2010Source: Aviaxess
An AS 350 B2+ joins the helicopter fleet A new aircraft has joined the Aviaxess fleet: an Ecureuil AS 350 B2+, based in Saint Tropez and marketed by the Toulon Aviaxess office. This latest-generation aircraft has a modern cabin enabling 5 passengers to travel in unrivalled comfort. A high-end fully-equipped model, it is fitted with... Read more
23-Jun-2010Source: Mere et Marine
A Caiman is an genus within the Alligator species... Read more
3-Jun-2010Source: Le Parisien
Funding decision affects SAMU 02 in the Aisne departement and SAMU 80 in Somme.... Read more
3-Jun-2010Source: NH Industries
NHIndustries is pleased to announce the delivery occurred on May 5th of the first NH90 NFH helicopter to the French Navy. The French Forces have up to now ordered 27 NH90 NFH as well as 34 TTH to be followed by a subsequent optional batch of 34 TTH aircraft; this event marks the first delivery... Read more
26-May-2010Source: Le Progres
Situation follows investigation into a fatal accident as reported in HeliHub.com – 20-Jun-09 F-GTRF Eurocopter AS350B2 Mount Cordon, France... Read more
4-May-2010Source: AgustaWestland
AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce that Sky Maintenance Services (SMS) of France has been appointed an authorized Service Centre for the A109 series, AW109 Power, Grand and GrandNew light twin models. The Service Centre, based in Le Castellet in southern France, will feature a brand new hangar providing maintenance and repair services... Read more
3-May-2010Source: DGA
The Directorate General for Armaments (DGA) have delivered the first of two EC225 helicopters to the French Navy, ordered in December 2009 for maritime safety tasks. The ceremony was held on April 22 at the naval aviation base at Lanvéoc (Finistère). The second EC225 to be delivered in June. Both aircraft will replace the Super... Read more
3-May-2010Source: DGA
The Directorate General for Armaments (DGA) has approved Friday, April 23, 2010 the first NH90 NFH version for the Navy. It will soon be delivered to the Naval Aviation begins a campaign of operational experiments to lead to operational fielding expected in late 2011. The DGA has ordered 27 NFH 13 in support version and... Read more
30-Apr-2010Source: Ouest-France
The last four aircraft serving with 32 Flotille at Lanv̩oc-Poulmic will be withdrawn from service today Р30th April 2010... Read more
27-Apr-2010Source: Eurocopter
Marignane, 27 April 2010 In answer to the economical crisis and the evolution of the helicopter market, Eurocopter has decided to accelerate its SHAPE improvement program. The company intends to invest between 2010 and 2014 more than 1.3 Billion € in self-funded Research & Development, after having doubled its annual self-funded research and development budget... Read more
22-Mar-2010Source: Mer et Marine
Flying from bases at Le Touquet, Cherbourg, Lanvéoc-Poulmic and La Rochelle Hyères, the 35F unit flew 529 operational missions in 2009, flying 750 hours and rescuing 196 people... Read more
13-Mar-2010Source: La Tribune
The French operator wants to develop the transportation of tourists – passenger transportation only accounts for only 5% to 8% of current activity.... Read more
13-Feb-2010Source: Mer et Maritime
A new building to ensure the future support of the NH90 helicopters Navy is being built on naval aviation base at Lanvéoc-Poulmic... Read more
25-Jan-2010Source: Financiarul
Ambassador of France in Bucharest Henri Paul, and Ambassador of Germany Andreas von Mettenheim on Friday visited the Eurocopter Group Romania on the IAR Ghimbav platform in the county of Braso... Read more
