The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has announced changes to the regulation of permit to fly ex-military aircraft. Following a number of incidents and accidents involving ex-military aircraft over recent years, the CAA is taking steps to clarify the purposes for which ex-military aircraft can be operated. The CAA is therefore acting to remind the… Read more »
As part of the UK Government’s drastic cost cutting, the proposed 25-year S92 contract was set aside. AgustaWestland are proposing a life-extension to the current fleet as a cheaper option.
Members of 829 Naval Air Squadron based at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose took part in exercises and training with the French Navy in Toulon recently. Also known as the “Kingfishersâ€, 829 Squadron usually provides Merlin helicopters for operations from Type 23 Frigates, such as HMS Sutherland, HMS Westminster, HMS Richmond and for ships of… Read more »
Humberside Police Authority’s MD Explorer has just returned to service after a 10,000 hour inspection conducted by Police Aviation Services Ltd (PAS) in Gloucestershire UK. The helicopter is one of the busiest MD 902 Explorers in service and is now the second to have achieved the 10,000 hour milestone. PAS undertook a major role equipment… Read more »
A man has been arrested after a laser pointer was shone at West Yorkshire Police’s helicopter in the early hours of this morning. At just after midnight a laser was shone at the helicopter when it was flying over Leeds. The address was identified using specialist equipment on board the vehicle and the helicopter directed… Read more »
The heliport at Southwell Business Park is being used for the 2010 Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta at Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy. It will also open during the summer seasons of 2011 and 2012.
Noise protestors at Land’s End Aerodrome raise concerns. Operator British International says there will be more concerns over tourism if they can’t operate a service from Cornwall to the Isles of Scilly. {Photo shows the current arrangement at Penzance HP]
Tickets went on sale this week for a special one night only event to celebrate 100 years of aviation heritage in the South West. As part of the BAC 100 Celebrations marking the 100th Anniversary of the birth of the aviation industry in the West of England, The Helicopter Museum is hosting a Period Hangar… Read more »
Police today put on display a new £7 million helicopter which will be used to strengthen the fight against crime in Northern Ireland and to make communities safer. The Eurocopter EC 145 is a larger, more modern version of the existing PSNI helicopter, an EC 135. The new twin-engine aircraft can carry up to 10… Read more »
Currently Hampshire’s air ambulance has to land on a council playing field two miles away in Lordshill, with patients then taken by ambulance to the site. The new helipad will be built on the top of an existing car park at the Hospital
PremiAir was delighted to receive a visit from Sikorsky President Jeffrey Pino to the company’s Blackbushe Airport, Surrey, helicopter maintenance base during Farnborough Airshow week. Mr. Pino, who is a retired U.S. Army Master Aviator and is type-rated on several Sikorsky aircraft including the S-76®, took time out from his busy show schedule to visit… Read more »
His Royal Highness Prince Charles presented Afghan service medals this week to members of 1st Regiment Army Air Corps (1 Regt AAC) who have recently been operating Lynx helicopters over Helmand. The Prince of Wales, who is the Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps, visited 1 Regt AAC at their base in Germany. The Prince… Read more »
After several weeks providing support to troops on the ground in Helmand province, the Merlin helicopter crews from 28 (Army Cooperation) Squadron’s B Flight, based at RAF Benson in Oxfordshire, are coming home. B Flight arrived at Bastion Airfield in late May 2010. Following multiple detachments in Iraq over the past five years, this was… Read more »
Having run the event for 20 years on the seafront at Weston-super-Mare, organisers are facing higher costs. Additinally, both North Somerset Council (on which event director Elfan ap Rees is a councillor) and the local Weston Parish Council have withdrawn their sponsorship.
Army helicopter pilots, ground crew and technicians who have served in Afghanistan were presented with campaign medals by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales yesterday. 3 Regiment Army Air Corps (3 AAC), based at Wattisham Flying Station, Suffolk, was also awarded the Honorary Freedom of St Edmundsbury, at the presentation in Bury St Edmunds…. Read more »
In partnership with Ham Polo Club we are very pleased to announce that we can offer Helicopter Landings at Ham Polo Club in Richmond with immediate effect. Only 8 miles from Hyde Park Corner and with great road and river links to Westminster and The City, Ham is very well positioned for all of your… Read more »
Bond Aviation Group, Britain’s fastest growing privately owned helicopter service provider, has unveiled a new £1 million Design and Completions Department at its UK headquarters
The proposed South East Air Support Unit would bring together an MD Explorer from Shoreham and an EC135 from Odiham. Note, neither operate the AS355 featured in the BBC story!
John M. Belcher, Chairman and CEO of ARINC Incorporated, today announced the creation of a new International Division to lead the company’s operations in Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The International Division will be based in the United Kingdom, and will also include ARINC’s Airport Technology Center. In addition to managing most of… Read more »
Royal Navy Sea King helicopter pilots and their crews from the Commando Helicopter Force (CHF) have been training for their deployment to Afghanistan in the Californian desert. The pilots and aircrew from 845 and 846 Naval Air Squadrons have been undergoing environmental qualification training at the Naval Air Facility El Centro, just north of the… Read more »
British operator Tiger Helicopters are to lease two AB206 JetRangers from Castle Air. The lease commences 1st October 2010 for an initial period of two years, with each JetRanger expected to fly 1,000 hours during that time on an intensive training contract. Tiger are providing ab initio training for Algerian military pilots who will then… Read more »
HMS Ocean is currently participating in Exercise Kearsarge – a US led exercise being conducted off the coast of North Carolina, in support of the deployment training package for the United States Navy’s Amphibious Ready Group. As a result, the Royal Navy’s largest helicopter carrier has been operating with some of the US Marine Corp’s… Read more »
One of the most well-known and long-running onshore operators in the UK, Alan Mann Helicopters, has had its operating licence withdrawn by the CAA. In a published announcement in their “Official Record Series 2” document, issue 1961 dated 20th July 2010, it confirms in a terse and formal statement “Alan Mann Helicopters Limited – This… Read more »
International HeliDays 2010 will launch this year at midday on Friday 23rd July with a demonstration of helicopter in flight refuelling by the US Air Force over the bay at Weston-super-Mare. Following the demonstration the USAF Pave Hawk search and rescue helicopter will land on the Beach Lawns where it will be on static display… Read more »
Bristow Helicopters has named its new director who will drive forward the company’s European growth plans. Mike Imlach, who was previously Director of Bristow’s Nigerian Business Unit, has been appointed as the Director of European Operations. He will oversee all commercial and operational aspects of the company’s activities in the UK, Norway and Holland. Mike,… Read more »
AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica Company, is pleased to announce that Sloane Helicopters Ltd has signed a contract for ten additional helicopters comprising AW109 Power and GrandNew light twin engine models. This latest order extends to 2012 the multi-year multi-aircraft contract and distribution agreement signed in February 2006. This purchase marks the entrance of the GrandNew light… Read more »
The military equivalent of an iPad for pilots’ mission planning will be among the features included in the avionics upgrade of 46 Royal Air Force Chinooks to the Mk.4 standard, said Peter Hitchcock, Avionics VP at Thales UK
The monthly bulletin from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch has been released. This month’s issue does not refer to any helicopters and this update is included in HeliHub.com for completeness.
On July 19, a brand new EC135 P2i was handed over to Assistant Chief Constable of West Midlands Police, Sharon Rowe, on the EADS/Eurocopter booth No. G12 in Hall 4 at the Farnborough International Air Show. The order for this aircraft had been placed in September 2009. Markus Steinke, Managing Director of Eurocopter UK Ltd.,… Read more »
The ultra modern new passenger terminal at The London Heliport in Battersea is now officially open for business – ahead of the Farnborough Air Show next week (July 19th to 25th), when many of the senior executives from the world’s leading aerospace companies will be using the heliport en route to and from the show…. Read more »
Eurocopter and its Eurocopter UK Ltd. subsidiary are represented on the Farnborough exhibit stand of parent company EADS (Booth G12, Hall 4), where an EC135 for the West Midlands Police is to be officially handed over to the customer on July 19. Today, Eurocopter products are vital for the functioning of the United Kingdom, with… Read more »
PremiAir, the award-winning UK based aviation services company, announces today (6th July) a significant step in its continued growth in business aviation. PremiAir has taken over the management of a fleet of LearJet private jets and in addition has acquired a new private jet operating and maintenance base at London’s Biggin Hill airport. This move… Read more »
A man who shone a high-powered lamp at a police helicopter could face prison. Michael Kevin Renney was accused of twice shining the light into the skies, hitting the cockpit of the Cleveland Police aircraft.
Commercial pilot Daren Elarmo, 40, who also uses the surname Jones, is accused of kidnapping two teenage boys for sex. Police say the pilot may now be living in Spain
The monthly bulletin from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch has been released. This month’s issue does not refer to any helicopters and this update is included in HeliHub.com for completeness.
Yesterday, CHC added a second Sikorsky S92 to their Aberdeen-based North Sea fleet. Registered G-CHCS, and the 125th S92 off the production line, it joins sister ship G-CHCK which has been active supporting British offshore oil installations since spring 2006. CHC has other S92s in the North Sea operating from Stavangar in support of the… Read more »
An air ambulance expert has been named the new chairman of the Wiltshire Air Ambulance Appeal. David Philpott, 52, the founding chairman of the Association of Air Ambulances, takes up his post today, 1st July.
The Thames Valley & Chiltern Air Ambulance (TVACAA) will be able to save more lives from July after the announcement that its current daily operational flight time will rise from 10 to 12 hours a day. Cost, flight regulations and the inability to fly in the hours of darkness are all factors influencing the deployment… Read more »
A man who admitted shining a laser pen into the eyes of a police helicopter pilot 2,000 ft over Derry forcing him to take evasive action has been put on probabtion for 18 months
After some demo flights last week in the Swiss towns of Samedan and Sion, Bell’s 429 demonstrator flew via Baden-Baden in Germany en route to the UK. Registered C-FTNB, the helicopter is now based at Blackbushe for a few weeks at Premiair Aviation’s hangar. Today it visits Oxford, although we are not yet aware of… Read more »
The 16-year-old, from Cheltenham, was arrested in Crabtree Place at 2.45am on Tuesday on suspicion of shining a light at an aircraft so as to dazzle or distract a pilot. He was given a formal reprimand after admitting the offence.
Source:
Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard, 29-Jun-10
Police leaders reacted with fury yesterday after a teenager who aimed a laser pen at a police helicopter escaped with a £500 fine. Call centre worker Anthony Boyle, 19, had been warned he faced jail for the potentially lethal stunt.
Britain’s new government puts the 25-year SAR privatisation proposal on hold as part of massive spending cut program to get budget deficit under control.
Less than five weeks after acquiring Coventry Airport, Sir Peter Rigby’s aviation group, Patriot Aerospace, has signed a £4million contract with Serco for air traffic services. The objective is to get Coventry Airport fully operational as quickly as possible and provide the highest levels of air traffic services with full radar and instrumental approaches. Sir… Read more »
A Chinook pilot from RAF Odiham was presented with a Distinguished Flying Cross for his ‘superior flying skills’ in Afghanistan at a prestigious ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Friday 4 June 2010. Flight Lieutenant Marc Heal, aged 29, was amongst personnel from various stations across the UK to be honoured in the Armed Forces Operational… Read more »
HeliHub.com notes that an N2 Dauphin in the UK has been registered G-NHAB, the consecutive out-of-sequence registration to Dauphin G-NHAA operated by Great North Air Ambulance. This is in line with a story we ran in late March, where the UK EMS operator stated that they G-NHAA was the first of two to be supplied… Read more »
Andy Fishwick, an apprentice helicopter maintenance engineer with PremiAir, the UK’s largest helicopter charter and management company, has been named South East Advanced Apprentice of the Year winner 2010 by the Learning Skills Council. The awards celebrate excellence in vocational education across the south-east region and acknowledge the outstanding achievements of individuals at every stage… Read more »
A vital emergency helicopter is flying that little bit higher after airport bosses slashed its landing fees. (HeliHub.com Editor note – we believe they are still the only UK air ambulance to pay landing fees!)
Great North Air Ambulance, which sent two AS365s, confirmed that police at Whitehaven requested them to wait on the ground. When aircraft were permitted to fly to three of the shooting scenes, the injured victims had already been driven to hospital by, it is believed, members of the public.
[The following press release from Bond supplements HeliHub’s own story regarding the delivery of these two 365s] The latest additions to Bond Offshore Helicopters’ fleet of aircraft have entered service on behalf of new client, Perenco (UK) Ltd, in the UK sector of the southern North Sea. Crew change flights with two AS365N3 Dauphin aircraft… Read more »
212 Flight from 815 Naval Air Squadron, based at RNAS Yeovilton, is normally associated with the Ice Patrol Ship HMS Endurance, but for the last two months the crew and two Mark 3 Lynx Maritime Attack helicopters have been embarked in HMS Ark Royal, conducting the Helicopter Delivery Service (HDS) in addition to planned attack… Read more »
Medical Aviation Services Ltd, a Specialist Aviation Services Group Company, is pleased announce the delivery of its latest MD 902 Explorer to Essex and Herts Air Ambulance Trust. As helicopter provider and licensed operator, MAS will also supply the pilots who will help the Trust’s clinical staff provide their vital skills throughout the county. The… Read more »
The Hawarden-based helicopter, which operated at the same altitude as the plane of about 1,000-1,500ft, resulted in a noise level of about 84 decibels compared with 85-90 decibels for a lawnmower, 80 decibels for a refuse truck and 100 decibels for a train
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has approved a request from the Ministry of Defence to establish additional segregated airspace for the use of Unmanned Aircraft operating from the Wiltshire aerodromes of Upavon and Boscombe Down. The new segregated airspace, designated as Danger Areas by the CAA, will be connected to the existing Salisbury Plain… Read more »
PremiAir, the UK’s largest helicopter charter and management company, has become a member of Avinode, the leading b2b platform to buy and sell charter flights. The relationship follows Avinode’s recent decision to extend its web technology to helicopters and enable charter broker users to search availability between chosen helipads, or any location where helicopters are… Read more »
Vector Aerospace Corporation (Vector – www.vectoraerospace.com), one of the world’s leading independent providers of aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services is pleased to announce that Vector Aerospace Engines Services-United Kingdom has been awarded the EASA Part 145 approval rating for all variants of the Rolls Royce (RR) 250 model engine. The Rolls Royce 250… Read more »
As part of the European Defence Agency’s Helicopter Training Programme (HTP), Spain will host a Multinational Helicopter Exercise in June 2010. The Exercise is the largest of its kind so far, with more than 32 helicopters and 500 people attending from 9 nations and yet takes place less than a year after the Ministerial endorsement… Read more »
In the last few days, Bond Offshore Helicopters have registered two new AS365N3 Dauphins, G-REDG (serial 6907) and G-REDH (6911). The former was first registered in the UK on Thursday 27th and delivered into the UK the following day. The latter was (most unusually) first registered on a UK public holiday yesterda, and the HeliHub.com… Read more »
The new Defence Secretary Liam Fox told the Commons an independent review of the evidence surrounding the crash had been promised when the Conservative Party were in opposition.
Deputy Chief Constable Craig Denholm said the Surrey helicopter cost nearly £2m a year to keep in the air. “We are completely committed to continuing air support in Surrey,” he said. “But I am not saying we will retain a single helicopter for Surrey.” [HeliHub.com Editor Note: The accompanying BBC story wrongly features an AS355]
Health officials say the much-vaunted site will help save lives as casualties are flown in to a dedicated area as close as possible to the Gilbert Bain Hospital.
In the mist and drizzle of a shrouded West Coast of Scotland the Royal Navy’s helicopter search and rescue duty crew of HMS Gannet have had their busiest 24-hour period of the year so far with no less than five call-outs. Going on call at 0900hrs on the morning of Wednesday 19 May, the crew… Read more »
The Black cats kicked off their season for 2010 at the Duxford Spring Air Show in Cambridgeshire. As this was the first event of the season, hopes were high that the weather would hold and the display would flow. Luckily both did! The crowds had already gathered to see the various visitors turn up on… Read more »
A new helipad has opened at Musgrove Park hospital in Taunton allowing paramedics to respond more quickly to incidents in isolated areas. The area is served by an EC135 from Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance
Upgraded Army Lynx Mk9A helicopters have arrived for use in Afghanistan after being shipped from the UK, and are already being put to good use. The Lynx Mk9As, with their increased fire power, more powerful engines, and the ability to operate all year in the harsh ‘hot and high’ Afghan environment, have increased the total… Read more »
Devon Air Ambulance is celebrating flying its 16,000th mission across the county. The rescue helicopter was called to Broadwoodkelly at about 1120 BST on Saturday to rescue a lady who had fallen and required hospital treatment.
