heliops issue 40
DESCRIPTION
Sharp Eye In The Sky, Picking Up The Pieces in Pakistan, Humming Along.TRANSCRIPT
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I S S U E 40T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R T H E C I V I L H E L I C O P T E R I N D U S T R Y
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I N T E R N A T I O N A LI S S U E 40
PICKING UP THE PIECES
3824 58
ISSUE 40
C O N T E N T S
r E g U l a r f E a T U r E S
Sharp EyE IN ThE SkyLA-based Helinet is forging new territory
in US electronic newsgathering – pioneering
new technologies and capabilities in
helicopters across the country. 24
pICkINg Up pakISTaN’S pIECESFrancois Marais joins the aerial clean
up operation post Pakistan’s devastating
earthquake. 38
a-STar abOvE EvErESTDidier Delsalle shares his flying techniques
used to achieve his record-setting landing
on Everest’s summit. 50
jUST hUmmINg alONgHummingbird - a small but successful
ag operator cutting a big niche in a small
agricultural belt near San Diego. 58
cover shot by NEd dawSON
Helinet Aviation’s fully Hi Definition B2 AStar
chasing the news over the freeways of Los Angeles.
From the Editor 3
New Products and Services 5
Personal Profile – Bob Evans,
Port Harcourt, Nigeria 15
European Connection – Natural
Disasters’ First Responders 17
Legal Counsel – Risk Management 19
Flight Dynamics – FADEC – What is it? 21
Maintenance Update – Ins and Outs
of the Compressor Wash 23
Subscription page 33
The Last Word – Is It Time for
Performance Heliports? 64
50
3
Well, the light utility helicopter
decision has been announced! With this
LUH decision following the presidential
helicopter decision there can no longer
be any criticism levelled at the US for
being US-centric when it comes to buying
helicopters for government agencies.
Eurocopter must be a very happy company
now and rightly so – it won out against
some great competition! Parent company
EADS should be taking some solace in this
decision after the problems with its Airbus
subsidiary and its A380.
Sikorsky also has reason to be happy
as it will be providing the support
infrastructure for the
UH-145. Competitions
such as this make
for some strange
bedfellows; who would
have ever thought
archrivals Eurocopter
and Sikorsky would get
it on?
MD’s boss, Lynn
Tilton, has certainly
made her views about
the decision well
known – describing it as
an “outrageous decision
completely at odds with
supporting American
industry.” Some might
question Tilton’s view
that “the award of a major American
military contract to a foreign company
belies rationality when US companies
produce superior products for
better value.”
The challenge now is support, and
I think the industry is showing signs of
strain. Customers are demanding new
helicopters which operators can’t supply
because manufacturers’ production
lines are booked out years ahead. Used
helicopters are worth more than new
ones in some cases simply because they
are available. But even they are getting
rare. At the time of writing, one particular
operator searching for a Bell 212 could
only find one decent example in the
world! In a seemingly ridiculous twist, the
same operator had to buy a new AS350B3
as a parts ‘Christmas tree’ because it
was quicker than getting parts from
Eurocopter; two years for a new machine,
up to three years for parts! This problem
appears to be very much an ongoing issue
for the French manufacturer, so hopefully,
by the time the US Army starts receiving
its 145s, the support issues that seem to
dog Eurocopter will have been resolved.
In our last issue, we ran a feature
article on helicopter
emergency medical
services that questioned
some aspects of the way
helicopter emergency
medical services were
operated, and the
methods being used in
an attempt to lower the
accident rate. It certainly
stirred up a hornet’s
nest in some areas, and
while I may not agree
with all points of view
in that story, I do believe
it is important that we
canvas a range of ideas
that seek to improve the
safety of the industry.
I am a big believer in tools such as risk
management and night vision goggles,
and it seems to me that where those
tools have been used, there have been
noticeable improvements. The points that
Rick O’Neal raised, however, were truly
worthy of consideration and debate. If they
stirred up a hornet’s nest — well, good!
First it means that you are all reading the
magazine, and second, something good
usually results from spirited discussion.
Just don’t get personal.
So, once again, fly safe and keep up
the feedback! n
by mark ogden
PUBLISHerNeville (Ned) dawson
edITormark Ogden
dePUTy edITorrob Neil
US edITorSdustin blackaaron fitzgerald
Uk edITorSarah bowen
LegaL edITorrobert van de vuurst
eUroPean edITorandrew healey
TecHnoLogy edITorNick lappos
ITaLIan correSPondenTdamiano gualdoni
ScandInavIan correSPondenTrickard gilberg
ProJecT managerCathy horton
Proofreaderbarbara mcIntosh
deSIgngraphic design Services ltd
Pre-PreSSvision Through Communication
PrInTIngprint world
edITorIaL addreSSOceania group Intl pO box 37 978, parnell auckland, New Zealand phONE: + 64 21 757 747 faX: + 64 9 528 3172
WeBSITewww.heliopsmag.com
is published by Oceania group Intl.
Contents are copyright and may not be reproduced
without the written consent of the publisher. most
articles are commisioned but quality contributions
will be considered. whilst every care is taken
Oceania group Intl accept no responsibility for
submitted material. all views expressed in heliOps
are not necessarily those of Oceania group Intl.
f r O m T h E E d I T O r
Made in the USA
Competitions such
as this make for some
strange bedfellows;
who would
have ever thought
archrivals Eurocopter
and Sikorsky would
get it on?
AerospAce FiltrAtion systems, inc. 1-636-300-5200 fax 1-636-300-5205 www.AFsfilters.com Contact AFS for information on systems pending certification.
Protecting the engines of freedom.
Protecting the engines of the world.
If you need effective engine protection, you need AFS.AFS leads the industry with high-performance, engine inlet barrier filtration systems for
commercial and military propulsion systems. Our military systems are serving around the
globe and the results are impressive — increased capabilities and reduced operating costs.
The OH-58D Kiowa Warrior fleet has been accumulating significant operating hours in Iraq
under the harshest conditions, and their engines are reaching Time Between Overhaul limits.
A true testament to the value of AFS inlet barrier filters.
Wherever you find hard-working helicopters, you’ll find AFS systems. From the desert of
Iraq to the desert of Arizona, AFS systems are protecting engines, enhancing performance,
and delivering a range of benefits that help operators do what they do best.
AFS 1P ad HO.indd 1 1/9/06 1:29:56 PM
STayINg dry
Switlik has won a major
contract with the USCG to
provide the Aircrew Anti
Exposure Garment (AEG)
for its rescue aviators.
Switlik’s ‘U-Zip-It’ Aircrew
Dry Suit was the winner of
a three way competition
conducted over five months
at various Coast Guard
air stations. The U-Zip-It is
a breathable, fire resistant
dry suit, which provides
comfort and mobility for
its wearer along with a
high level of cold-water
immersion protection in case
of an emergency. A low-slung
zipper makes donning a lot
easier than standard
designs and articulating
elbow and knee patches
improve movement
significantly.
Switlik also won a USCG
contract to provide its
Inflatable Single Place Life
Raft (ISPLR) to its rescue
aircrew and swimmers. The
ISPLR has a fully reversible
buoyancy tube and canopy
system. Its low-slung floor
enhances seating comfort and
stability, while its pressure-
relieving U-shape design adds
functionality in high heat
flight operations.
N E w p r O d U C T S a N d S E r v I C E S
afS fOr 429AFS has been selected by Bell to provide a fully integrated
high-performance inlet barrier filter (IBF) system for the 429
as part of the FAA Type Certificated design.
According to AFS, its high-performance filters are more
efficient and deliver the best protection with the least loss
of performance, and at a lower weight when integrated into
the initial design, than are inertial separators in low-airflow
applications. The 429 program also benefits from a new
teaming arrangement between AFS and Donaldson Company,
which is developing an advanced filter to ultimately
introduce its dry-media filter technology on multiple rotary
wing platforms. The dry media simplifies service by using
compressed air or an environmentally friendly cleaning
solution and water; eliminating the time and attention
required to dry and re-oil filters.
aCrOhElIprO aS350 ShOrT ShafTAcrohelipro has received
approval from Eurocopter to
balance the AS350 Tail Rotor
Front Section Shaft (Short
Shaft) P/N 350A34-0150-03 per
AHGS Engineering Balancing
procedures. ACROHELIPRO is
the only shop approved by
Eurocopter to balance this
short shaft in North America.
afS CErTIfIEdAFS has received an STC
from Transport Canada for
an Inlet Barrier Filter (IBF)
system for the 206B. The
approval clears the way for
Canadian operators of 206Bs
to maximize engine protection
while reaping big performance
and maintenance benefits
from law enforcement and
combat-proven military
technology. The system also
may be used on the OH-58A
and C. The IBF system for
the 206B features flat filter
assemblies and an integral
bypass design. The filter
may be replaced via a quick
access door in just 15 minutes.
An integral maintenance
aid allows for on-condition
maintenance between
established cleaning intervals,
eliminating unnecessary
service.
faCIlITy OpENEdAn airborne rappelling demonstration from a 412 by the
South Australian Police STAR Force marked the official
opening of the Australian Helicopters facility at Adelaide
Airport, home of the Adelaide Bank Rescue Helicopter
service. Australian Helicopters says that the facility boasts an
emergency response capability unequalled in Australia with
up to the minute emergency rescue equipment and advanced
systems together in the one location. The fully integrated
facility has been designed to be completely self sufficient to
reduce response times by having its own fuel capacity and
on site crew quarters.
lyCOmINg CErTIfIEdLycoming has received EASA type certification for the IO-580-
B1A and is now able to provide a powerplant solution for the
European certified customer base. With the reliable direct
drive (no gear box reduction necessary), the purpose-built IO-
580-B1A has an excellent power to weight ratio. The engine is
rated at 315hp at 2700rpm, and has a 2000-hour TBO. The IO-
580-B1A engine is now the largest displacement six-cylinder
engine certified with EASA.
mdhelicopters.com
ANDY LOGAN Chief Technology Officer Inventor of NOTAR®
MD Helicopters, Inc.
American Pride Rising to New Heights. | phone 480.346.6344 | e-mail: [email protected]
“As the Chief Technology Officer at MD Helicopters, it’s not only my job to make sure we build exceptionally safe helicopters, it’s my passion. The same passion that drove me to create NOTAR®, a safer rotorless system that you’ll find only on MD Helicopters. Along with its added safety benefits, this anti-torque system is significantly quieter than the traditional tail rotor. In addition, all MD aircraft moving forward will be safer than ever with standard features like wire strikes, cockpit voice and video recorders, health and usage monitoring systems and terrain awareness warning systems. It’s a new day at MD and we want to share with you our passion for safer skies through technology.”
wINgSpEEd COmmUNICaTIONS Wingspeed has developed two low-cost XLLink System
models designed for fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.
With the new XLLink System Model L and Model H, fleet
operators now have access to a complete line of end-to-
end communication systems for advanced flight tracking,
two-way text messaging, voice calling, and a broad range of
Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System
(ACARS)-type data services. The Model L will retail for
approximately US$3,500 and offers tracking capabilities for
fleet operators. The Model L generates and sends messages
containing aircraft GPS information to Wingspeed’s ground-
based servers via the Iridium Satellite Network. Wingspeed
properly formats and routes data via a secure internet
connection to customers’ operation centres anywhere in
the world. The Model H also offers voice calling capability,
free-text messaging, and ACARS-type data services via the
Iridium Satellite Network. The Model H can utilize a hand-
held PDA or Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) in the cockpit to
turn the aircraft into a node on the network. The complete
Model H system (not including PDA or EFB) will retail for
approximately US$9,000 per aircraft.
mdhelicopters.com
ANDY LOGAN Chief Technology Officer Inventor of NOTAR®
MD Helicopters, Inc.
American Pride Rising to New Heights. | phone 480.346.6344 | e-mail: [email protected]
“As the Chief Technology Officer at MD Helicopters, it’s not only my job to make sure we build exceptionally safe helicopters, it’s my passion. The same passion that drove me to create NOTAR®, a safer rotorless system that you’ll find only on MD Helicopters. Along with its added safety benefits, this anti-torque system is significantly quieter than the traditional tail rotor. In addition, all MD aircraft moving forward will be safer than ever with standard features like wire strikes, cockpit voice and video recorders, health and usage monitoring systems and terrain awareness warning systems. It’s a new day at MD and we want to share with you our passion for safer skies through technology.”
N E w p r O d U C T S a N d S E r v I C E S
pICO by NamESELEX Sensors and Airborne
Systems has conducted
the successful first flight of
its latest lightweight radar
product known as PicoSAR.
Flying on a Twin Squirrel out
of Cumbernauld, in central
Scotland, the radar was able
to map various urban and
rural areas across the country.
PicoSAR was operated at
various altitudes, ranging from
3,000ft to 9,500ft. SELEX S&AS
has specifically developed
PicoSAR as a lightweight,
compact Active Electronically
Scanned Array radar for small
airborne platforms, such as
UAVs and helicopters. PicoSAR
is a Synthetic Aperture
Radar which provides high
resolution ground mapping
and ground moving target
indication in all weather
conditions. This radar builds
on existing technologies that
have been in development for
over 10 years. Although the
primary target for PicoSAR
is to meet the requirements
of the tactical UAV market,
this flight trial on the Twin
Squirrel helicopter highlights
the radar’s ability to provide
a sensor capability for
helicopters and fixed-wing
platforms.
When you need a replacement window for your helicopter, you need it now.
Your aircraft is sitting on the ground — not flying missions, not carrying
passengers, not moving things around. In short, it’s costing you money
and it’s not doing its job.
Our job at Tech-Tool Plastics is not only to design and build
the best windows for your helicopter, but to keep them
in stock. That means chances are, if you need one, we
have it on our shelf right this very minute. And that
means the sooner you call, the
sooner you’ll be back where you
need to be — flying.
We keep your needs in mind. (And in stock.)
Tech-Tool Plastics Inc., 7800 Skyline Park Drive, Fort Worth TX 76108 USA1-800-433-2210 1-817-246-4694 fax 1-817-246-7402 www.tech-tool.com
TT ad HO2.indd 3 11/16/05 9:44:02 AM
hIdEf IN UkCastle Air Charters has invested in a new high definition
HD Cineflex camera as UK demand for aerial photography
booms. Keith Thompson, Chief Pilot, said Castle Air, based in
Trebrown in Cornwall, had been commissioned to do work
for the third in the BBC Coast television series. Castle Air
filmed the initial Coast programme and the follow-up. “We
are filming this third series in high definition,” Thompson
added. “More and more people are asking for it.” Castle Air
is also filming in high definition for BSkyB on the National
Trust which looks after properties deemed to be worth
preserving in the national interest.
ENSTrOm gOES braZIlIaNEnstrom has brought Bringer on as a new member of its worldwide dealership network. Bringer was first established in the US in 1983, and has been operating in Brazil since 1989. Bringer has several offices throughout Brazil, and operates two 767-300F and a Twin engine Seneca in a variety of roles, along with a recently delivered Enstrom 480B to support the dealership. Bringer’s parent Company Overcom Aero Products, supplies aircraft parts throughout the Brazilian Territory. The Bringer’s sales office for the Enstrom product line is strategically situated in the heart of the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil. In addition, the company’s partnership with Helipark, Latin America’s largest specialized service center for helicopters, will offer premier maintenance and service on the Enstrom product line.
N E w p r O d U C T S a N d S E r v I C E S
EUrOCOpTEr ChOOSES SErvIgISTICSEurocopter selected
Servigistics to enhance
its global Service Parts
Management operations.
The Servigistics solution
is intended to provide
Eurocopter with global
visibility of service parts
providing advanced
intelligence into the
management of Performance
Based Logistics (PBL) and
Power by the Hour (PBH)
service contracts.
The company said that
after a lengthy and
rigorous evaluation
programme, it concluded
that the Servigistics
system had a strong European
infrastructure that could
handle high levels of
complex data.
ENvIrONmENTally frIENdly hUEySEnvironmental concerns have prompted CDF to modify its
entire fleet of Super Hueys – used for fire fighting operations
throughout California – by fitting Dart fuel-purge canisters to
collect unused fuel from shutdowns and false starts, which
can then be easily recovered in a controlled area.
CyClE COUNTErAKV’s newest cycle counter will allow all operators of
AS350B, BA, B1 & B2 helicopters to conform to the latest
cycle counting requirements for the Arriel 1. Standard Ng
Cycle Counters in the field can be upgraded to include Np
cycle counting. Field programming is available with the use
of the Ground Support Equipment and current users of the
field programming package will receive a new software CD
included with upgraded units. For operators of the
Arriel 1B engine installed in the AS350B and BA, AKV will
soon have available a retrofit kit to allow installation
of an Np tachometer generator and TSO’d dual tach indicator.
This will allow for monitoring of Np rpm by the pilot and
coupling of the Np signal to the new Cycle Counter. AKV
have also been busy in finalizing STC approval for LTS101.
Approval is planned for 3rd Qtr, 2006 and will include the
AS350D and Soloy AS350B2 conversion. Also in the works is
a new cycle counter for the 205 and UH1-H.
NIghT vISION fOr pOlICEPilots with the East Midlands
Air Support Unit are now
wearing NVGs, the first
police operation in the
UK to equip a whole crew
with NVGs that meet new
CAA regulations. The unit,
which provides aerial cover
with an EC135T1 for police
forces in Northamptonshire,
Warwickshire and
Leicestershire, has purchased
three sets of Fenns NG2000
night vision goggles. Its
internal lighting has been
converted to be compatible
with the eyewear. The aircraft
required significant alterations
to make sure that all internal
lighting, including the officers’
airwave terminals, were
compatible with the goggles
to prevent flaring.
LLoyd (Snake&ladd (Converted)-1 4/3/06 6:00 PM Page 1 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
11
S-61 UpgradE paCkagECarson and Sagem Avionics
are planning significant
upgrades to the S-61. The new
enhancements include new
composite main-rotor blades,
SAGEM cockpit displays and
PA 155 AFCS. Additionally,
two F201 AHRS will provide
aircraft attitude and heading
information to the cockpit
display and AFCS. The new
integrated glass cockpit
includes five ICDS-10 active
matrix liquid crystal displays.
The ICDS-10 displays, each
with a 10.4 inch viewing area
will include two primary
flight displays (PFD) and 3
multifunction displays (MFD).
The centrepiece of the new
upgrade program for the S-61
is the AFCS. This is the same
series AFCS certified in the
AS332 and was most recently
certified for retrofit on the
S-64 Air Crane. The AFCS is
a 3-axis AFCS with duplex
architecture consisting of two
AFCS computers and AHRS.
The duplex feature gives the
system a fail-passive and fail-
operational capability after
any first failure. The AFCS
provides for attitude retention
and automatic heading hold
in a hover. For cruise flight
modes the pilot can opt for
basic attitude retention or
choose to couple to heading
or GPS, and altitude or
airspeed for true ‘hands-off’
flight. The aircraft attitude
and heading information
for the S-61 will now be
transmitted to the AFCS
computers and PFDs via the
dual AHRS with added inputs
from the air data sensor, and
dual magnetometers. These
new digital, solid state units
allow for elimination of the
older and sometimes short-
lived spinning-mass vertical
and directional gyros and
their associated sensors.
N E w p r O d U C T S a N d S E r v I C E S
INTEgraTEd COCkpIT gETS OkayAir Methods have received
FAA Supplemental Type
Certification for its Sagem
Avionics Integrated Cockpit
Display System (ICDS) and
AP85 Autopilot System for
the 407. The package replaces
legacy electro-mechanical
instrumentation and spinning
mass gyroscopes with
new Sagem Avionics liquid
crystal displays and solid-
state electronic attitude &
heading sensors. These new
avionics should enhance the
situational awareness of the
pilot and greatly improve the
mean time between failure
– reducing operating cost
while improving performance
and dispatch rates. The first
aircraft equipped with this
system has been delivered to
the University of Utah AirMed
program.
hal gOES frENChEurocopter has entered into a global industrial cooperation partnership agreement with Bangalore-headquartered Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for joint production of the civilian/military Ecureuil and Fennec family of helicopters for the world market. Under the deal, HAL will supply the composite and metallic work packages, including the airframe for the two models for the world market.
darT INDART has received certification of the new TRI-BEAM Modular Float Skidtube from EASA for the Bell 205/212/412/AB412. The TRI-BEAM Float Compatible Skidtube is pre-drilled for compatibility with either the OEM Cylindrical Float design or the Apical Tri-Bag/Life Raft Float system claimed to be highly durable and easy to inspect due to its modular design and corrosion resistant features. Replaceability and cost reduction benefits are inherent in the modular construction. Because the three tube sections and split saddles are easily removable, all pieces can be changed without replacing the complete skid tube, and all tube segments are non-handed resulting in a significant reduction in replacement stock inventory. TRI-BEAM uses stainless steel hardware; blind threaded tube inserts to prevent moisture ingress, extensive use of corrosion prevention compounds on both interior and exterior surfaces, and other special measures to avoid galvanic corrosion.Dart has also received FAA certification for the Cargo Door Mounted Liferaft Kit for S-76/A/B/C which was developed by Apical Industries as an alternative to belly-mounted kits. The system is designed specifically to allow occupants to safely exit after an emergency water landing and enter one or both of the liferafts that deploy after landing. The liferafts are mounted to the interior of the door, preserving access to the baggage compartment. The kit comes with two replacement carbon fiber cargo doors, including integrated ten-man reversible liferafts, replacement hinges that connect to existing aircraft hardpoints and complete inflation system. With a 121 lb (55 kg) net weight increase, the system is significantly lighter than currently available systems while still meeting all applicable TSO-C70a requirements.
mOrE rOUTES fOr US hElICOpTErUS Helicopter has added two routes to their existing
scheduled service, providing Connecticut commuters a
shorter, hassle-free trip to and from Manhattan and JFK. With
an average flight time of 20 minutes to Manhattan and 10
minutes more to JFK, Connecticut commuters can avoid the
stress and unpredictability of traffic, road construction and
everyday commuting frustration. Originating at Connecticut’s
Bridgeport Sikorsky Airport (BDR), the routes includes direct
flights to/from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport (JRB) and
connecting service to/from JFK. The new service commences
Monday, June 26, 2006. Driving from Connecticut to
Manhattan or JFK can consume up to two and a half hours or
more of business travellers’ time during peak hour. The new
service routes will operate every business day and include a
morning and evening flight.
Honeywell LTS 101-600A3-A, 350FX1 Applicable to AS 350BA
Honeywell LTS 101-700D-2, 350FX2 Applicable to AS 350BA or AS 350B2
GenerationFX Engine Controls
GenerationFX VFR Electrical System200 AMP Electrical Generation
350FX1: 4,960 lbs IGW, 5,200 lbs EGW 350FX2: 4,960 lbs IGW, 5,700 lbs EGW
GenerationFX Digital InstrumentationGenerationFX Electro Luminescent LightingRe-designed Cabin Ergonomics
Our 350FX Series STC, based on the AS 350BA/B2 AStar, offers ease of maintenance, improved reliability and increased performance meaning... ...lower operating costs!Just a few reasons why our Honeywell powered 350FX Series STC, combined with our new GenerationFX product line will be valuable to you! Contact us for the complete picture
Honeywell Powered350FX Increased Cord TailrotorGenerationFX Tailboom Strake
Ph: (905) 643-7334Fx: (905) 643-7223
Heli-Ops_Heli-Lynx_2.1.indd 1 6/1/06 9:34:45 AM
13
600Aircraft.
1 millionHours.Do you have your strakes yet?
Scores of operators are reaping the benefits of NASA-patented technology tailboom strakes from BLR Aerospace. With more than 600 systems in use, operators are reaping benefits that range from improved payload (lift hundreds of pounds more) to unprecedented stability of flight. A proven technology with more than 1 million flight hours to date, BLR strakes are truly a revolution in technology and performance.
Don’t change your helicopter – change your performance. Do you have your strakes yet?
BLR AerospacePerformance Innovation
800.257.4847 US & Canada 425.353.6591 Internationalwww.BLRaerospace.com
BLR P2 ad HO.indd 2 4/5/06 1:28:35 PM
N E w p r O d U C T S a N d S E r v I C E S
mEggITT gETS rEal Meggitt has struck an agreement
with AeroMechanical Services
(AMS) that could revolutionise
the use of flight and engine data
by transmitting it in real time to
helicopter companies’ decision-
makers, and aircraft and engine-
owners with inclusive lease contracts.
According to Meggitt, they will be
able to control costs and manage
assets better – streamlining logistics
support, increasing efficiency and
improving safety using the early
trend and accurate usage data that
has been collected continuously
and autonomously in flight, just 20
seconds after the point of collection
and initial processing, transmission
to a ground station and further
processing into operationally-
useful information. The Meggitt-
AMS agreement involves the joint
marketing of the group’s industry-
leading, condition monitoring
systems with AMS’s on board
Automated Flight Information
Reporting System, an airborne
autonomous data collection and
reporting tool that covers condition
and operations, and a ground-based
processing and delivery system.
Meggitt has an exclusive licence
to use, market and integrate these
certified products with its specialist
fixed wing engine monitoring units
and helicopter HUMS.
Using on-board equipment that
weighs just 10 lbs, and the speedily
processed and transmitted data
from it, operators can perform many
tasks including tracking the aircraft
in which the equipment is installed
anywhere on the planet on an ASD
system, Google Earth or over the
web; telephoning pilots to discuss
engine status and reduce the
cost of an exceedence instantly;
generating Out, Off, On and In
reports quickly and accurately to
enable exact payment of crews and
precise scheduling of component
maintenance; and planning
maintenance in a continuum
using the engine trend reports
generated without pilot
intervention from the moment an
aircraft becomes airborne.
ShOppINg prECISElyPrecise Flight unveiled a more ‘precise way to shop’ at its recently launched www.preciseshop.com. Precise Flight says it plans to continue updating the website to reflect the company’s reach into the entire transportation industry. A feature of the website includes a dealer locator section, which allows customers to search for the dealer nearest them to order products after browsing technical information and selecting their products on the website.
P.O. Box 3689, Bristol, TN 37625
From bringing an older helicopter back into its prime to completing a new helicopter
to meet your specific demands, Edwards & Associates, Inc., is the authority
in all aspects of helicopter repair, refurbishing, completion and customization.
For more than 25 years, Edwards & Associates has been creating mission-specific
helicopters for a wide array of roles, including fire fighting, law enforcement, sea-land
rescue, emergency services and many more. Add to this our excellent reputation
for customer service, and you can turn to Edwards & Associates with confidence.
www.edwards-a ssoc.com • 800-251-7094 • 423-538-5111
Preservation.
It’s a cause you deem worthy of sticking
your neck out for.
To some, it’s a job. To others it’s a longing
to help restore the beauty that once was.
We can relate.
We do the same thing for helicopters.
Edwards & Assoc_HeliOpsMag.indd 1 7/19/06 2:58:50 PM
15
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Preservation.
It’s a cause you deem worthy of sticking
your neck out for.
To some, it’s a job. To others it’s a longing
to help restore the beauty that once was.
We can relate.
We do the same thing for helicopters.
Edwards & Assoc_HeliOpsMag.indd 1 7/19/06 2:58:50 PM
In whIch parts of the world have you flown?After the military I started flying in the North Sea and in Portugal with Bristow. I ended up as Chief Pilot on the S58T fleet, then onto a uranium survey contract in Iran. After Prakla pulled out of Iran at the start of the revolution, I was sent to Nigeria to replace a pilot whose wife had been murdered in their house. From there I went onto various other positions including a two-month offshore contract at Port Said, Egypt, and a Bell 212 contract based offshore on the Forties. I was sent up to the Brent soon after, and following a tragic accident on a night SAR mission in which several of my friends died, I ended up as one of the Chief Pilots on the flying shuttles and SAR. I then went onto the Bristow Flying Training School at Redhill as a commercial flying instructor, and was recruited into McAlpine Helicopters as CFI in 1989. I had an interesting year setting up some new police aviation units and air ambulance operations, along with the usual corporate and filming flying. When I returned to the Bristow Training School I was detached to a Bell 212 offshore-based operation in the Netherlands, and then to Warri, Nigeria as a training captain on the 355, 206 and 212. After some years I headed off to the Middle East for a short spell with Abu Dhabi Aviation flying a Bell 212 and 412 offshore. I had only been there for a short while when Schreiner offered me the best job in my flying career as a trainer, flying Dauphins on the Tchad-Cameroun pipeline project. It was fantastic seeing so much of the country and flying with the UN border commission along the full length of the Cameroun/Nigeria border. Upon leaving, I spent a brief, unhappy spell with a Nigerian company, before rejoining Aero Contractors (now owned by CHC), where I am now based, flying and training on the Dauphins and S76 again.
what do you fInd most satIsfyIng about your flyIng?The fact that after more than 40 years, I really look forward to every day and that I am still able to help out young pilots at the start of their careers.
how dId you start flyIng helIcopters?In 1965 my father saw an advertisement in the Sunday Times looking for helicopter pilots to join the Royal Marines. I had been planning to start a career in the Army, so I filled out the form and a few weeks later I started my military training. I trained with the Royal Navy and flew my first tour on the Wessex 5 on HMS Bulwark, then spent two years on exchange to the Royal Air Force flying the Wessex 2 after which I became, as far as I know, the first Royal Marine to fly on anti-submarine helicopters flying a Wasp on HMS Arethusa and HMS Ashanti. I then finished flying and served with the 42 Commando Royal Marines. Although I loved that, the thought of lots of staff courses and office jobs made me decide to quit and get into a full-time civil flying career.
how many hours do you have and on whIch types?I’ve got around 15,000 hours on Hiller 12E, Whirlwind 7, Wessex 2/5/60, Wasp, Bell 47, Bell 206, Bell 212, Bell 412EP, Sikorsky S76 B/C+, Sikorsky S58ET, Sikorsky S61, Robinson R22, Bolkow 105, Agusta 109E, AS350 B/B1/B2, AS355F/F1/F2, SA365C/C2/N/N1/N2/N3.
whIch Is your favorIte type?The AS350 because it’s powerful, maneuverable and you’re always intimately in control of it and the SA365N3 because it’s also powerful, agile and very smooth in the cruise. They’re both helicopters that you feel you’re flying and not just sitting back letting an autopilot do the work – yet they’re good general use machines.
what has been the hIghlIght of your career?Having had the opportunity to be involved in training, both ab-initio and advanced, and seeing many of the young people who I have had the pleasure of helping to get started in aviation, progress to greater things.
have you ever had any eye-openIng moments?A few – including a rather nasty engine fire when departing a ship in Egypt. Hopefully, I’ve learned from them along the way. Several (unsuccessful) hijack attempts have also made me think about more than just the landing when flying in the bush in Africa – hanging out of the open door of a helicopter which is taking off while armed men are racing towards you tends to concentrate the mind!
dId you ever face any challenges?Training is always a challenge, as even on a bad day you have to maintain good standards and make sure you give your best to those who are trying to learn from you. Being involved in training one always learns something from one’s students as well, and I’m sure I’ve learned far more than I’ve ever managed to pass on.
do you have any vIews of the helIcopter Industry In nIgerIa?Nigeria was the graveyard for ancient helicopters for many years and not enough was being done to help train national pilots. However, now both CHC and Bristow are modernizing their fleets and starting to train more national pilots. After many years of VFR-only flying, new equipment and acceptance of GPS as an approach aid should lead to proper helicopter IFR. The civil helicopter industry in Nigeria is probably the largest in Africa and if the CAA and government provide proper encouragement, it ought to be possible to make it as much a center for training as South Africa now is. A lot of people write Nigeria off. It’s a long way off yet, but standards are improving.
what advIce would you gIve to people tryIng to get Into the Industry?Persevere. If you know someone who is already employed by a company you’d like to work for and who is willing to give you a recommendation, try and enlist their help. If you can’t afford to pay for your own training, the military is still a great way to get in if you’re prepared to submit to the discipline and rigor of military life. Whatever you do, don’t do it for the money – there’s never been much, except for the lucky few! Do it because you love it, and use it as a fantastic opportunity to visit and live in other countries to broaden your horizons by experiencing different cultures. n
p e r s o n a l p r o f I l e
40 years of flying has taken
Bob Evans on an incredible
journey of helicopter
adventures and challenges
all over the world – from
Europe to the Middle East,
and Nigeria where he
now resides – flying and
training on the Dauphin
and Sikorsky S76.
Bob EvansPort Harcourt, Nigeria
Welcome to Great Britain
The Air Harrods Management service offers 24/7, 365-day operational support including the
provision of flight crew, maintenance planning, administration and regulatory compliance. A lease-
back option is available to offset operating costs by earning revenue through the sale of charter
hours. Having Air Harrods manage your helicopter assures you of total discretion and confidentiality.
If you prefer the luxury of charter the Air Harrods fleet offers the newest, fastest and most modern,
twin-engine turbine helicopters available today. Save time and travel in maximum safety and comfort
to any event in the UK in a luxuriously appointed helicopter and you can be assured of missing the
inevitable traffic congestion; arriving in the style you would expect as a Harrods customer.
Ten years of serviceCelebrating our tenth year ofManaging and Operating helicopters
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Helicopter ManagementFirst Avenue | London Stansted Airport
Essex | CM24 1QQ
T +44 (0) 1279 660 800
F +44 (0) 1279 660 880
W www.airharrods.com
Please quote reference AHMCH66 in any correspondence
Air Harrods HeliOps ad.qxd 1/6/06 4:26 PM Page 1
17
by andrew healey
natural dIsasters’ fIrst responders
two approaches – us and us
Two initiatives were
launched during June
– each with the aim of
improving the helicopter
community’s response to
natural disasters.
On One side of the Atlantic, HAI
launched its First Responder database.
Information on rotary-wing assets
around the country will be gathered and
made available to domestic agencies such
as FEMA, in the event of another ‘Katrina’
devastating a city like New Orleans.
Here in Europe, in the wake of last
October’s Pakistani earthquake, Belgian
heavy-lift specialist Skytech is going
into partnership with Russia’s state
emergency response ministry EMERCOM,
to offer charities and NGOs
(non-governmental organizations) a
more co-ordinated response.
HAI’s scheme (visit rotor.com for
background and to register) relies
on operators to input and, vitally, to
maintain details of individual airframes,
their role equipment and locations. When
a disaster occurs, HAI staff will comb the
database for helicopters situated within
range of its epicentre, and pass the
agencies’ contact details to the selected
operators.
Europe’s initiative, tentatively named
the European Emergency Aviation Center,
is on a smaller scale, Expected to be in
place by the end of the year, it is being
formed as a result of what EMERCOM
representative Vladimir Kuvshinov
says was a “piecemeal response” to
the earthquake. “Helicopters were
slow to arrive and, once there, were
not effectively deployed. Also, state
organizations such as EMERCOM suffer
from a lack of flexibility. The new center,
initially staffed by about 20 people, will
be designed to respond much more
quickly. We will also offer a project
management service.”
Based at Skytech’s headquarters
in central Belgium, the center will
have access to up to 60 Russian-built
helicopters, including the 20,000 kg
payload Mi-26, that are scattered
throughout the Federation waiting for
just such an event. That’s in addition to
Skytech’s own fleet of Mil and Kamov
airframes, plus a further Mi-8 MTV
to be contributed by EMERCOM. As with
First Responder, it will set up a web
presence and invite other European
teams with specialist equipment – such
as boats or infrared detectors – to register
their details.
Kuvshinov says that, once established,
e u r o p e a n c o n n e c t I o n
he envisages the center being able to
offer longer-term utility support to
disaster-hit regions. “As immediate relief
efforts are scaled down, infrastructure
such as roads and power supplies will
also need to be restored.”
Back in Alexandria VA, HAI President
Matt Zuccaro, told HeliOps that while
First Responder will initially only be able
to respond to domestic disasters, he
intends to roll it out in Canada and then
overseas. “The idea is that our people
will be able to enter a zip code, a lat/long
reference or even the name of a city and
get back a list of individual helicopter
resources within range.”
The key to the success of either
model will be its ability to identify
the best available assets and dispatch
them double-quick. Here, the European
contribution would appear to have an
advantage. It will be dealing with a
known quantity of crews with similar
levels of role-training in high-payload
aircraft. In other words, it will be
selective. It also identifies the need for
project management.
Although Katrina initiated a heroic
response from the men and women
involved, they were mostly flying
low-capacity helicopters to (and
occasionally beyond) their limits in
severely congested airspace. The potential
for accidents was very high. To what
extent will First Responder mitigate
that risk the next time? And how can
we be sure that the effort will be any
better co-ordinated?
The more of an unknown quantity
you are faced with in such a situation,
the better the management to deal
with it needs to be. As well as data on
helicopters and their role equipment,
fire-fighters and traffic controllers,
First Responder must carry details of
experienced managers who can liaise
with the customer and supplier on the
ground and make sure the appropriate
assets are dispatched and effectively
employed.
In fact, if we are to offer agencies
a turnkey service, these managers
should establish relations with the relief
organizations, so that they have a face to
turn to when the balloon next goes up
–as it surely will –and probably sooner
than we expect. n
Welcome to Great Britain
The Air Harrods Management service offers 24/7, 365-day operational support including the
provision of flight crew, maintenance planning, administration and regulatory compliance. A lease-
back option is available to offset operating costs by earning revenue through the sale of charter
hours. Having Air Harrods manage your helicopter assures you of total discretion and confidentiality.
If you prefer the luxury of charter the Air Harrods fleet offers the newest, fastest and most modern,
twin-engine turbine helicopters available today. Save time and travel in maximum safety and comfort
to any event in the UK in a luxuriously appointed helicopter and you can be assured of missing the
inevitable traffic congestion; arriving in the style you would expect as a Harrods customer.
Ten years of serviceCelebrating our tenth year ofManaging and Operating helicopters
Air HarrodsHelicopter Charter
Helicopter ManagementFirst Avenue | London Stansted Airport
Essex | CM24 1QQ
T +44 (0) 1279 660 800
F +44 (0) 1279 660 880
W www.airharrods.com
Please quote reference AHMCH66 in any correspondence
Air Harrods HeliOps ad.qxd 1/6/06 4:26 PM Page 1
eurocopter malaysia’s as330 puma descending
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tsunami hit summatra.
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Ad_Heliops.indd 1 12/14/05 2:23:27 PM
19
l e g a l c o u n s e lby robert van de vuurst
rIsk management – It Does pay to thInk ahead
and buying a big gob of insurance and
assuming that the carrier’s adjuster will
take care of everything from that point on.
Risk management is not engaging a lawyer
only after the process server has just left
your office and slapped the papers on your
desk. Those things are better known as,
damage control and trying to clean up the
mess. Proper risk management entails the
expenditure of time and money before an
accident occurs, so as to first lessen the
probability of an accident happening to start
with, and secondly, to lessen the financial
impact of a claim in the event that an
accident does occur.
Let’s take a look at a few simple steps
that you should take to manage your risk
regardless of the size of your operation:
1. Create a Risk Management Committee.
A lot of companies have in-house
Directors of Risk Management, and if
you have one that’s a good start. But one
other thing that I highly recommend to
my clients is to have a Risk Management
Committee, of which at a minimum, the
President, Human Resources Director,
and all other major department heads
should be members. In addition, make
your attorney a member as well. If you
don’t have a competent attorney who’s
familiar with your business and the
aviation world, then get one. Remember
what I said in the last issue about the
cost difference between preventive and
remedial law? It holds true here as well –
the fees that you pay an attorney to meet
with you for a few hours every couple of
months pale in comparison to what
you’ll pay him after the papers are
slapped on your desk. Meet regularly (at
least once a quarter) – yearly or ‘semi-
annually’ is just not often enough to
keep everyone on the same page, and as
we all know, our regulatory environment
changes quickly as well.
And here’s another benefit to keeping
an attorney involved — a little thing
that you’re probably familiar with called
‘attorney/client privilege.’ If you get sued,
then everything that your committee
did (or discussed and then maybe didn’t
do) may be fair game for a plaintiff’s
attorney wanting to put it in front of a
jury. If your attorney is involved though,
then you can make a good argument that
the whole process involved privileged
communications that are exempt from
discovery. That’s not a bad side-benefit by
anyone’s standards.
2. Insurance review. At least yearly sit
down with your broker and make sure
that your coverage is adequate for your
current and anticipated business, and
that you have the right type of coverage
to start with. You don’t want to find out
after you’ve been sued that your product
liability coverage doesn’t protect you
against a patent claim, or for trademark
infringement because you put the wrong
logo on the box. Some carriers also offer
free risk audit services, and I’ve seen
a few that give premium discounts for
insureds that participate.
3. Documentation updates. Everyone
knows what an Emergency Response
Plan is. Review it regularly and make
the necessary updates. Then go one
step further and practice it. Create some
kind of accident scenario and run an
unannounced drill in the office one
day, with mock press conferences and
everything else. You’ll be surprised what
you’ll learn about people’s capabilities (or
lack thereof) even in a ‘pretend’ situation
— which will be a great help to you, if
and when the fur flies for real. You can
also review and update your employee
handbooks and document retention
policies, after which you’ll be assured
that the information you need will be
current and, most importantly, accessible
at short notice.
As you’re probably seeing now, if your
risk management program is run the right
way, you’ll not only lessen the chance of
an accident, but also lessen the financial
impact on your company if one does occur
by making the claim less attractive. It’s a lot
harder for a plaintiff to make a case against a
defendant able to clearly show that it ‘had its
act together.’
I read an article recently about risk
management that made of lot of sense to me
when it cited Pareto’s Principle (sometimes
known as the ‘80/20 rule’) as it applied to
risk management: Pareto’s Principle basically
states that 20% of your efforts will create 80%
of your results, but you will have to expend
the remaining 80% of your efforts to obtain
the last 20% of the possible results. Wouldn’t
you rather spend the 20% now to have an
80% chance of not getting sued? Of course
you would! n
* The discussions in this column are the opinion of the
writer only, and may not be relied upon as legal advice
without the expressed written permission of the author.
Nobody wants to be
sued – ever! Lawsuits
are a waste of time,
money, and emotional
energy. Putting aside the
inevitable distractions
and productivity losses, a
big lawsuit can end your
company’s very existence
if not handled correctly.
With that in mind, one of the things
that has most amazed me in my 20 years of
practicing law is the number of people who
don’t do a thing to lessen their risk of getting
sued and instead take the, ‘it won’t happen
to me’ or the ‘my insurance company will
take care of it’ attitude with regard to claim
exposure. That’s where risk management
comes in.
To understand risk management, it
sometimes helps to understand what risk
management is not, rather than what it
is. Risk management is not just going out
21
fadec - what Is It?
f l I g h t d y n a m I c s
FaDeC is a computer and electronic valve assembly that replaces the hydro-mechanical or hydro-pneumatic fuel control/governor on turbine engines. The old mechanical units use small accumulators, bell cranks, and watch-work mechanisms to meter the fuel that runs the engine. Along the way, they control the gas producer rpm and govern the rotor speed – neither of which is a trivial task. FADEC is the marriage of a pair of
powerful computers (for redundancy) and an electronic valve that does much more. To the designer, FADEC is well worth its complexity.
Let’s look at some of the tasks as they are done mechanically, compared to how FADEC does them:
gas producer acceleratIon and stall control
The fuel control meters the amount of fuel entering the engine in response to power demands. Too much fuel, and the engine can stall or over-temp; too little, and the engine is slow to respond, allowing rotor rpm to drop alarmingly. Since mechanical fuel controls use a simple relationship to limit fuel flow when acceleration is demanded, they are generally much slower to respond to power demands, and they produce more rpm change when the collective is raised rapidly. The fuel is generally restricted to a ‘lowest common denominator’ rate since complex changes in fuel metering are beyond the mechanism’s capability. The conservative approach is necessary because too much fuel can allow an engine to accelerate too fast and make it stall (usually experienced as a rumble or loud pop), which can damage it catastrophically. On ‘inexpensive’ turbines (are they like ‘inexpensive diamonds?’) the control usually imposes a conservative maximum fuel flow, limited by the worst case, making the engine much slower to accelerate than its potential maximum rate.
With sophisticated mechanical controls, a calculation of fuel flow and compressor discharge pressure is made with bellows, so that greater fuel flow is allowed when the compressor is going faster, thus tailoring the flow more exactly and allowing faster acceleration. FADEC allows an engine to respond much more quickly to pilot demands. With FADEC, the exact compressor speed, atmospheric conditions and temperatures are continuously measured by the computer, which then allows fuel to be metered at near optimal values, providing the engine with the maximum amount of fuel it can handle. This allows its acceleration to be as rapid as possible under the conditions. Put simply, the basic governing provided by FADEC is more precise and more rapid than a typical mechanical control.
lImIt protectIon and tImIngMechanical limiters are generally just
simple speed governors (the basic Watt
flyweight governor-limiter) so that the compressor speed is protected at one set of atmospherics, and the rest is up for grabs. Typically, temperature is not limited, although some mechanical controls have an electronic package attached that does some limiting work. For mechanical controls, the pilot is the limiter – plain and simple! This makes for more work, and results in more over-torques and over-temps when things get rough. FADEC incorporates fairly sophisticated limiters that account for varying atmospheric conditions and temperatures. Pilots can actually use the limiter as a way to reduce workload, since pulling the collective up against it to get a rotor drop of one or two percent is an easy way to ensure that the power is where it should be. Limiters also can trigger displays that tell a pilot how much time has been spent in the limit zone, with a countdown clock shown to help plan the next step in the procedure. On Comanche, the engine power limiter was tied to the radar altitude and the airspeed, so that the engine was not limited to normal power while the aircraft was in the ‘dead man’s zone’. In other words, the FADEC was smart enough to know when it was time to sacrifice the engine to protect the crew if necessary!
Another field where mechanical controls are outclassed by FADEC is in the calculation and display of power assurance and health monitoring values. FADECs have lots of computing power, and can continuously calculate power margins and engine health. While this has been relegated to the HUMS in some helicopters, surely it makes sense to perform the calculation as close to home as possible. One type of display I have flown, in the Comanche, actually showed the maximum power available on a specific engine, alongside the power needed to hover OGE in the prevailing conditions. The situational awareness provided by this kind of intelligence may well avoid some of the harsh lessons about hot/high operations that every experienced pilot otherwise inevitably learns the hard way.
One particularly good reason for having FADEC on every turbine helicopter is almost too embarrassing to mention – virtually every modern car has it! (Their electronic fuel injection systems have many of the features I mention above). It would be nice if for once helicopters were technically ahead of automobiles! n
Full Authority Digital
Electronic Control
(FADEC) - What benefits
does it offer over older,
mechanical controls?
by nick lappos
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23
wash once the combustion casing is cool enough to place a hand on it without discomfort.
z Use clean, potable, demineralized water only — contaminated water can cause more issues than you are attempting to solve! On a trip to a less-advanced country in the late ’90s, I noticed heavy green deposit on all the hotel taps, so I was not surprised to hear that the local Bell 212 was grounded with engine problems. You guessed it... the engines were being washed with local tap water!
z If it is recommended that the PC line be capped, there is a reason — it is because the OEM does not want the contaminants being washed through the air circuits of the fuel control system.
z Follow the Ng/N1 speed limits vs fluid flow-rate recommendations, as axial compressors can be easily damaged — and always use the battery cart where available (if the OEM allows an ‘engine-running’ rinse this is very important).
z Close off the cabin heat valves – there’s no point filling the cabin with water!
z If advised to block off the bleed-valve port it usually means that the OEM wants the wash purged through the engine and does not want the rinse escaping prematurely.
z If an engine drying run is specified to follow the wash, it’s for a good reason — the OEM doesn’t want water to stay trapped in an area that could contribute to corrosion following your rinse procedure.
z Some manufacturers recommend preservation of the air path after a drying run. What you do here depends greatly on the length of time till next flight, your geographical location and/or your environment.
compressor recovery wash All compressors get dirty to a greater
or lesser degree; axial compressors are more prone to dirt build-up on the stators. In the case of the Allison 250 series-1 or -2 engines, this is particularly true of the fifth stage stator.
It is better to clean a compressor regularly in order to prevent heavy dirt build-up.
How dirty do they get? That can depend on many factors. In addition to the operating environment and geographical location, it can also be affected by things such as faulty engine or transmission oil seals that permit oil to be drawn into the air path.
m a I n t e n a n c e u p d at e
It wIll all come out In the wash...
There are a few additional rules to be followed for a compressor recovery wash:
z Use a recommended cleaning fluid that has been tested by the OEM and found to be fully compatible with the entire engine system.
z Use the correct ratio of fluid to water (demineralized water!)
z Follow the soak time recommendations – these are important if the fluid is to do its job.
z A water wash may be required to rinse the engine fully afterwards.
z Make sure the burner/combustion-case drain-valve is doing its job, because if it is not, fluid left for an extended period can allow dirt to settle and solidify – locking up the compressor.
With all these things in mind, remember that you (whether pilot or engineer), play an important role in maximizing the life of compressor and engine.
As a rule, the consequences of poor or non-existent compressor washing/rinsing procedures will probably not manifest themselves in the first 100 hours, but will certainly do so after 500 or 1,000 flight hours — by which time it may be too late.
“Your mission, Jim, should you decide to accept it” is to monitor the gradual increase in TOT/T4/TIT during your engine’s overhaul period, either by power assurance checks, or electronic means, and to determine what cleaning interval suits your operation, and then ensure that it is properly carried out. n
Ask five different engineers
and five different pilots
about how to carry out a
compressor wash and you’ll
probably get ten different
answers ranging from the
procedure described in the
maintenance manual to
something ‘slightly less’
than that.
COmpressOr Washing of gas turbine engines is an important task that if not carried out, or if carried out incorrectly, can have a drastic detrimental effect on the life of an engine.
The name ‘compressor wash’ is itself misleading. For a start, as the compressor is only the first port of call in the wash procedure, the components downstream also need some tender loving care after being worked hard all day by the pilot and the environment.
It’s timely here to revisit the reasons for compressor ‘wash’ as the word ‘wash’ can have many meanings.
rInse or de-salInatIon washThis is carried out to rinse away any
corrosive products, like salts, that may be in the air path. Some of you may already be thinking, “Not me – I’m 100 miles inland!” Unfortunately, salt is not the only contaminant to affect turbine engines. Where and how different aircraft operate may be unique and there may be any number of chemical or particulate contaminants in the air that may contribute to corrosion, including some volcanic or industrial dusts which form acids when mixed with moisture.
The rules are simple; follow the engine manufacturer’s recommendations!
z As a rule of thumb an engine can have a compressor rinse/de-salination
by russell Goulden
C O V E R F E A T U R E
story by mark ogden PHotos by ned dawson
As high-definition television (HDTV) really begins to takeoff, LA-
based Helinet is forging new territory in US electronic news gathering
— pioneering new technologies and capabilities in helicopters.
26
HElinET’s HEliCOpTERs are leading
the way in employing the new technology
of high definition video in the US
television network system. Through its
subsidiaries, Cineflex (a specialist in
electro-mechanical control systems) and
Geneva Aviation (systems engineering),
Helinet has developed a unique digital
system called HiDef that has recently
been introduced to New Yorkers through
one of the local FOX stations.
Although Helinet is a general charter
company, it has specialized in developing
a significant electronic news gathering
(ENG) capability. Through new contracts
and acquisitions, the company currently
operates over 50 ENG helicopters with
well over a hundred pilots and camera
operators across the continental USA.
Helinet is moving towards an all-AS 350
fleet for several reasons; commonality,
capability, power, cabin room. According
to David Calvert-Jones (‘CJ’), the Chief
Executive Officer of the Helinet Group of
Companies. “We think the B2 is the best
platform for ENG in that it can better
house the equipment while giving the
cameraman the ability to move around.
top left: WNyW’s airborne reporter, Kai
simonsen, helps to bring the cutting edge
technology of skyfox HD into Ny Metro
living rooms every morning.
above and above right: skyfox HD
‘cruises for news’ against the backdrop
of the NyC skyline.
27
We are using a B3 in the Denver market
because of the hot and high conditions
there,” he explains. “Advantages of
standardizing the fleet include lower
overheads in parts and mechanics, while
giving us improved negotiating power.
The Eurocopter rep has really helped
and he tries to make sure everything is
done right.”
According to CJ, the US television
networks are required to transition to
digital transmission within the next five
years which places the Helinet group in
a prime position as a technical leader
in the US television market with the
Cineflex V14 HD camera and the Geneva
HD integrations. As well as the higher
quality of image and sound that high
definition provides, there is a much
higher bandwidth available for a fully
digital system.
More DetailThe earliest example of high
definition technology dates back to 1964
when Japanese broadcasting company
NHK began producing prototypes, and
within 20 years, had an analogue high
definition capability suitable for program
production. Around the same time in the
US, local television company KCTS was
also experimenting with the format.
As with most new technology,
especially in those days, the system
tended to be clunky. Because early high
definition was initially analogue, the
cameras and associated equipment used
to make programs were cumbersome
and heavy, and they required a lot of
power and a lot of cable to work. When
digital technology was first introduced,
it was not as sophisticated as it is now,
but with the groundwork done, once
electronics technology caught up with the
concept, the format was able to reach its
current standard.
High definition has a much higher
level of detail — from two to five times
more than standard broadcast quality
video. Instead of using 480 lines of
horizontal resolution (standard video),
high definition uses a minimum 720
lines. The 720 lines appear all at once on
the screen, unlike standard video’s use
of 480 lines ‘interlaced’ (that is, half the
lines appear each 1/60th of a second with
the two halves combining every 1/30th of
a second). The appearance of all lines at
once is described as a progressive picture.
The higher resolutions can be either
interlaced or progressive, depending
on the television monitor and the high
definition player. In any case, high
definition provides a significantly greater
amount of detail and clarity of image
and allows images to be enlarged far
beyond the level possible with standard
television without becoming ‘blurred’.
top: a state-of-the-art eNG integration
by Geneva aviation allows pilot, camera
operator and ‘talent’ superior flexibility
in a demanding eNG operating
environment.
above: los angeles’ KabC HD helicopter
reporting in full resolution Hi Definition
over the busy 101 Freeway.
The greater bandwidth of the current
digital technology also offers very high
quality audio capability, so it is being
used more in the cable, satellite and
broadcasting industries where there is
growing public demand for such content.
JT Alpaugh, Helinet’s Vice President,
Service and Support, explains that HDTV
was originally developed as a world
standard intended to do away with such
formats as NTSC and PAL. The immediate
advantage of HDTV is the increased
resolution – standard definition NTSC TV
has 525 lines of resolution compared to
HDTV which has 1,125 lines containing
over two million pixels of video
information presented in a widescreen
(16:9) format similar to a movie theatre
screen. The bandwidth needed to
transmit HDTV can actually be less than
that required for standard television
by utilizing compression technology
and is not an issue in the United States,
according to Alpaugh. “Most television
stations have already constructed
and are utilizing digital transmitting
antennas alongside analogue equipment.
The digital transmitters are currently
being used to broadcast each network’s
standard and high definition content.”
The US Government made it
mandatory for all television stations
to use exclusively digital transmitters
by February 2009. Initially a Catch-22
situation looked likely to complicate
matters in that a lack of high definition
programming led to consumer reluctance
to buy HD television sets — while
broadcasters were unwilling to spend
money on producing HD content because
televisions were not selling. However,
Alpaugh says that over the past three
simonsen about to ‘go live’ over a breaking news story in Midtown Manhattan. Multiple HD video sources that can be routed to any of the onboard monitors, along with Cineflex’s user-friendly laptop controller, make skyfox HD’s cockpit one of the most flexible in airborne newsgathering.
➤
Rolls-Royce is pleased to introduce the new Model 250 Full-
service Integrated Rolls-Royce Support Team (FIRST) network.
Developed to ensure that the 4,500 operators of Model 250
powered helicopters and light aircraft around the world receive
The Rolls-Royce Model 250 FIRST network. Your winning hand for Model 250 support.
Facilities (AMOF) and four independently owned Authorized Repair
Facilities (ARF). This combination of Rolls-Royce owned facilities and
industry-recognized service partners reaffirms our commitment to
offering our operators a freedom of choice in authorized engine
the highest levels of support, the Model 250 FIRST network brings
together the expertise of three Rolls-Royce Service Centers (RRSC),
thirteen independently-owned Authorized Maintenance Centers
(AMC), four independently-owned Authorized Military Overhaul
support, while ensuring the highest levels of quality service. For
more details, visit our website at www.rolls-royce.com or contact
us via [email protected].
Trusted to deliver excellence.
GTP 8503_Heli-Ops_11/05/2004
www.rolls-royce.com
GTP_8503_HO_11042005.indd 1 11/4/2005 3:30:40 PM
years this Catch 22 has been broken with
HD television sales sky-rocketing in the
US and HD programming on broadcast,
cable and satellite providers growing by
the day.
airborNeCJ of Helinet says that FOX5 in
New York did not initially ask for
HiDef but during the contract renewal
process Helinet offered to configure the
helicopter, camera and system so that
when FOX was ready to go with HDTV,
the helicopter would also be ready. New
network management wanting to make
a ‘point of difference’ in the market,
decided to go with high definition
and use the helicopter’s then-unique
capability. To get up-and-running quickly,
FOX asked to borrow Helinet’s portable
receiver equipment — something
Helinet was happy to do. “We were able
to get them up in a couple of days,”
comments CJ, “and they were pretty
happy with that.”
Al Shjarback, VP Engineering and
Operations for WNYW Fox NY says, “Our
conversion to HD for the helicopter was
facilitated by the need to replace our
Helinet provides total Hi Definition
coverage for the market leader in
los angeles, KabC.
31
current ship. Once that decision was
made HD was not only a logical move but
also an easy one. All of our equipment in
the new ship was designed, purchased
and installed specifically to serve us
in HD with a fallback mode to SD if
required.”
Cineflex developed the equipment
and Geneva installed it in the helicopter.
The system, including a turret (which
produces negligible additional drag) and
camera, auxiliary control-unit, control
console and cabling, weighs in at about
108 lb (50 kg). Over 50 of these systems
are currently deployed throughout the
world with television news stations,
federal, state and local law-enforcement
agencies and homeland security, live
sporting event providers, and motion
picture and television production
companies.
Enhancing the quality of the Sony
HDC-950 or F950 film-grade video camera,
the five-axis gyro-stabilized Cineflex
turret is about the lightest on the market.
It holds an image rock-steady even at the
camera’s longest lens setting of 84x at
1,140 mm with the capability of
reading a licence plate from thousands
of feet, while a remote control permits
line-of-sight remote use of the camera
from as far away as 60 miles. The
turret and camera, which weigh in at just
67 lb (30 kg), can be panned continuously
through 360°, tilted 25° upwards and
140° down with a position resolution of
just .001°.
The Cineflex auxiliary box unit
which houses the camera body, power
infrastructure, and video routing
connections, is usually stowed in the
side luggage lockers while the rear locker
is usually kept free for cargo. Unlike
other helicopter broadcast installations
where the equipment is housed in cabin-
mounted racks that eliminate two seating
positions, this installation keeps four
cabin seats fully useable and minimizes
intrusions.
A recording facility incorporating
the Sony HD Cam tape is also included
– everything that is transmitted via
microwave link to ground stations is
also recorded to tape, as tape retains
a small edge in quality over broadcast
information. Another quality noted by
CJ was the camera’s significant night
capability. “There’s just more information
Rolls-Royce is pleased to introduce the new Model 250 Full-
service Integrated Rolls-Royce Support Team (FIRST) network.
Developed to ensure that the 4,500 operators of Model 250
powered helicopters and light aircraft around the world receive
The Rolls-Royce Model 250 FIRST network. Your winning hand for Model 250 support.
Facilities (AMOF) and four independently owned Authorized Repair
Facilities (ARF). This combination of Rolls-Royce owned facilities and
industry-recognized service partners reaffirms our commitment to
offering our operators a freedom of choice in authorized engine
the highest levels of support, the Model 250 FIRST network brings
together the expertise of three Rolls-Royce Service Centers (RRSC),
thirteen independently-owned Authorized Maintenance Centers
(AMC), four independently-owned Authorized Military Overhaul
support, while ensuring the highest levels of quality service. For
more details, visit our website at www.rolls-royce.com or contact
us via [email protected].
Trusted to deliver excellence.
GTP 8503_Heli-Ops_11/05/2004
www.rolls-royce.com
GTP_8503_HO_11042005.indd 1 11/4/2005 3:30:40 PM
➤
A remote control permits
line-of-sight remote use
of the camera from as far
away as 60 miles.
and greater depth of field so clarity and
detail at night is incredible,” he says.
outFoxiNG tHe otHersThe combination of this equipment
with the AS 350 B2 has given FOX5 a
significant edge over its competitors. It
was probably the first all-digital HiDef-
capable helicopter in the world. The
helicopter has no need to be below a
thousand feet when covering a story,
and indeed can ‘stand-off’ at significant
above left: Helinet offers total Hi
Definition eNG systems through
its Cineflex Camera systems and
Geneva aviation integrations. shown
here is the tV azteca 407 for the
demanding and populous Mexico
City market.
above right: the Cineflex laptop
controller puts the camera’s many
functions at your fingertips and its
ergonomic and intuitive design make
it comfortable and easy to use.
Potential exists for
mayhem with this
number of helicopters
in one area.
➤
T H E M A G A Z I N E F O R T H E C I V I L H E L I C O P T E R I N D U S T R Y
AU
GU
ST
2
00
6
I N T E R N A T I O N A LI S S U E 40
Australia & Pacific Islands $75 NZD $140 NZD
New Zealand $70 NZD $130 NZD
United States & Canada $85 NZD $160 NZD
UK, Europe & Rest of World $95 NZD $180 NZD
subsCriPtioNs 1 year (8 issues) 2 years (16 issues)
The first word on new products, new deliveries and happenings in the civil helicopter industry. AIRMAILED TO YOUR DOOR
AUSSIE OPERATOR LEADING THE WAY
IN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
AUSSIE OPERATOR LEADING THE WAY
IN ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY
We’re making everything.
Except excuses.
Turning everything around.
mdhelicopters.comheritageaviationltd.com
Under t he A erospace Umbrella managed by The Patriarch F unds
MD Helicopters is on a mission: To turn the helicopter industry around. Mediocrity will no longer be accepted…and failure is not an option. Late deliveries will no longer be the norm; spare parts genuine and easy to find. Through vertical integration and acquisition of manufacturing facilities worldwide, we are taking responsibility for our supply chain. Our company and its supply chain are being fortified with the same intensity and commitment with which we build our helicopters…we are taking responsibility for every aspect of our operations so that we can be responsive and responsible to our customers.
Winston Churchill once said, “The price of greatness is responsibility.”Turning that around, only through responsibility, can greatness be achieved. We offer an exceptional product. NOTar® technology makes our helicopters among the safest and most quiet in the sky. Our new safety features are meant to place MD among the industry leaders – wire cutters, terrain avoidance systems, HUMS cockpit video and audio recorders with our training programs, places safety at the top of the MD priority list. Our mission is to bring evolution and innovation to the world and to deliver it on time – to keep aircraft in the air and operators safe of flight.
35
distances and operate at higher altitudes,
staying out of the avoid-curve and
minimizing ground noise without losing
any of the tightness of an image. Even
if law enforcement agencies restrict
airspace in the immediate vicinity of an
occurrence, the FOX helicopter can still
‘dig in’ with the camera and gain news-
breaking high-resolution images.
Everything in the HiDef equipment
is software-controlled including the
capability to shift between frequencies
(FOX5 uses two frequencies). The
importance of live news is evident
from the location of FOX’s numerous
transmitters and receivers throughout the
city, but the helicopter can also be used
as a relay ship — a sort of giant antenna
in the sky — even further expanding the
station’s ability to receive and send news.
Live news is an important aspect of
the US news scene and there are at least
five ENG helicopters in New York City,
where, according to CJ, traffic reporting
is an essential role for them. While the
potential exists for mayhem with this
number of helicopters in one area, CJ says
that despite there being no procedure
or agreement amongst them it all works
well. He says that it is generally a ‘first-
in-best-dressed’ affair and operators work
on the basis that no one interferes with
whatever is happening on the ground.
The FOX5 helicopter flies between
1,500 to 1,800 hours a year, 30 to
40 percent of which is flown at night.
As well as the turret camera, the
helicopter has another external camera
mounted on the horizontal stabilizer
looking forward, and two internal
cameras to capture the on-air ‘talent’.
Although the helicopter has the capability
to also carry a reporter, many pilots
have so much experience that they are
becoming the ‘talent’.
The pilots get to know the areas well
and although each of the helicopters
carries GPS, many incorporating
moving map displays, CJ says that pilots
often carry their own GPS units with
personalized special reference points
logged. New pilots will often fly with the
more experienced pilots until they get
a good grasp of the operations and the
areas in which they are working. The
experience of pilots working in Helinet’s
ENG operations ranges from 2,500 hours
to as many as 20,000 hours.
The ENG work is a day and night
VFR operation and while there is often
skyfox HD traverses the streets of upper Manhattan in search of its next big story.
We’re making everything.
Except excuses.
Turning everything around.
mdhelicopters.comheritageaviationltd.com
Under t he A erospace Umbrella managed by The Patriarch F unds
MD Helicopters is on a mission: To turn the helicopter industry around. Mediocrity will no longer be accepted…and failure is not an option. Late deliveries will no longer be the norm; spare parts genuine and easy to find. Through vertical integration and acquisition of manufacturing facilities worldwide, we are taking responsibility for our supply chain. Our company and its supply chain are being fortified with the same intensity and commitment with which we build our helicopters…we are taking responsibility for every aspect of our operations so that we can be responsive and responsible to our customers.
Winston Churchill once said, “The price of greatness is responsibility.”Turning that around, only through responsibility, can greatness be achieved. We offer an exceptional product. NOTar® technology makes our helicopters among the safest and most quiet in the sky. Our new safety features are meant to place MD among the industry leaders – wire cutters, terrain avoidance systems, HUMS cockpit video and audio recorders with our training programs, places safety at the top of the MD priority list. Our mission is to bring evolution and innovation to the world and to deliver it on time – to keep aircraft in the air and operators safe of flight.
Even if law enforcement
agencies restrict
airspace in the
immediate vicinity of
an occurrence, the FOX
helicopter can still
‘dig in’ with the camera
and gain news-breaking
high-resolution images.➤
36
pressure from stations to fly in unsuitable
conditions, CJ realizes that this is to be
expected as the station people are not
aviation-qualified and he expects the
pilots to be prepared to say ‘no’ when the
conditions aren’t right.
exPaNsioNThe technology has not gone
unnoticed by law enforcement or the
US military but while its potential for
police work, homeland security and
remote reconnaissance is significant, the
revolution is in ENG where the helicopter
is complemented by high definition and a
versatile turret.
There is no question that the
networks appreciate what HD can do
for their service. WNYW’s Al Shjarback
says that most broadcasters are only just
beginning to scratch the surface of what
they can do with HD and says that it
offers viewers an experience that rivals a
seat alongside the pilot!
Alpaugh sums up this way, “The
stability of the gimbal and resolution
of the high definition camera enables
news aircraft to provide stunningly
detailed live images while standing
off at greater distances and higher
altitudes. This provides greater safety
margins for aircrews and becomes a less
intrusive distraction for noise-sensitive
citizens, law enforcement officers and
fire fighters on the ground. It provides
viewers at home with the most detailed
imaging of breaking news ever available.
In the US, those television stations that
utilize helicopters to provide timely
breaking news to their viewers can now
provide imaging such as they have never
experienced before.” n
Most broadcasters are
only just beginning to
scratch the surface
of what they can do
with HD and says that
it offers viewers an
experience that rivals a
seat alongside the pilot!
above left: even in amongst
the many tall skyscrapers of the
Manhattan skyline the site of the
World trade Center is clearly visible.
a new monument is to be built
on this site in remembrance to the
many thousands who lost their lives
on september 11th.
above right: skyfox HD circles lady
liberty during the morning news.
Somelike it
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Make the right choice. Choose Isolair Helicopter Systems today!
www.isolairinc.com - [email protected] Helicopter Systems • 1620 N.W. Perimeter Way • Troutdale, Oregon 97060
Phone: 503-492-2105 • Fax: 503-492-2756
Picking up Pieces
PHOTOS by François Marais, MsF staFF and naturelink crew MeMbers
When an earthquake in Pakistan killed more than 100,000
people, disrupted a million more, and left massive
destruction in its wake, South African company, Naturelink,
was among those whose helicopters were there to help save
lives – moving people, equipment and material. FRANÇOIS
MARAIS, a professional aeroplane and helicopter pilot with
more than 15,000 hours and 30 years’ flying experience
joins Naturelink’s clean-up operation for seven weeks
during February and March this year. He tells his story.
40
At 8.50 Am on 8 October 2005,
a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck
Pakistan, India and Afghanistan. The
quake’s epicentre was located near
Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani-
administered Kashmir, approximately 60
miles northeast of Islamabad. In addition
to killing an estimated 100,000 people,
the quake left a further million homeless
and ill-prepared for the coming winter,
and as late as March when I left Pakistan,
the region was still experiencing
worrying aftershocks.
Balakot, Manshera, Muzaffarabad
and the surrounding areas within a
60 nautical mile radius were virtually
flattened by this destructive earthquake.
The areas most seriously affected
were around the Gheelum and Neelum
Valleys, north and east of Muzaffarabad.
Following the quake, the Pakistan
Government, realizing the magnitude
of the disaster, immediately called
upon the world to assist in its massive
relief operation and within a week, the
Pakistani Military (PAKMIL) had deployed
almost its entire air capability to the
disaster zone. Its helicopters included
Pumas, Lamas, Allouette IIIs Hueys, Bell
412s, Mi-8s and Mi-17s.
FOrceS MuSTerThe United States were the first
foreign forces to arrive. Their initial
top leFt: The Muzaffarabad Hotel reduced to rubble by the earthquake
top right: Mi 26 departing Muzaffarabad Airport with 10 tonnes of food for the village
of batangi in the Gheelum Valley.
above leFt: Mi 26 parked overnight at the Muzaffarabad airport, later named
‘Stonewall’ when the American Army took control of the ATc there.
above right: A Mi 8 beonging to Heli ukraine being replenished with food supplies
at the Neelum Stadium in Muzaffarabad.
41
contingent comprised eight helicopters,
but almost overnight this became 21
Chinooks, two UH-60s, and one
CH-53 from ‘Task Force Griffin’ based
in Afghanistan. Three British CH-47s
followed 11 days later. Within days,
every conceivable open space, cricket
pitch, soccer and other sporting field was
converted into a landing zone for the
fleet of helicopters – approximately 100 of
them that swarmed around Muzaffarabad
Airport and surrounding areas. Mi-26s,
Mi-17s, Mi-8s, Kamovs, Blackhawks,
Chinooks, Hueys and Pumas – these
were just a few of the types whose only
purpose was to help those devastated by
the earthquake.
It was inevitable in such rugged
and mountainous terrain that the air
operation by global aid agencies and
aviation companies was huge. PAKMIL
set up a control center at the Chaklala Air
Force Base in Islamabad, and controlled
and monitored all the helicopters working
for the various agencies. PAKMIL provided
logistics and safety pilots to accompany
the aid helicopters to ensure that their
pilots did not cross the ‘line of control’ –
the delineation of the disputed area with
India. PAKMIL’s pilots did not command
any of the helicopters, but flew along in
the cockpits to provide area information
and to ensure that their crews strictly
followed its procedures.
Aid helicopters were prohibited from
operating after dark. Each helicopter
was assigned a specific squawk code
so that its movements could be tracked
by PAKMIL at all times, and an ATC
and radar base was set up at Murree 25
miles northeast of Islamabad to assist
Islamabad Airport and Chaklala Air Force
Base to monitor helicopter movements
in the area.
ciViliANS MuSTerIn the second week after the
earthquake, International Relief
Organizations such as the UN,
International Red Cross, Medicines
Sans Frontiers and many others began
supplying helicopters. The Red Cross
brought two Pumas from Starlight
Helicopters in South Africa, Mi-8s from
Turkey, Russia, and the Ukraine, and Air
Serve brought in our two AS 350s from
Naturelink. There were also a couple of
Mi-26s from Russia, Super Pumas and an
MD Explorer from Luxembourg, and the
Agha Khan Foundation provided three
Within days, every
conceivable open
space, cricket pitch,
soccer and other
sporting field was
converted into a
landing zone for the
fleet of helicopters
Naturelink’s AS 350 bA parked at the village of badnara.
42
of its Agusta 139s, while the Canadians
provided one Kamov and the Russians
two more.
NATureliNkNaturelink, which began as a family-
owned, private, aeroplane charter
business is now one of Africa’s fastest
growing aeroplane service providers to
Air Serve International. It mostly provides
Caravans, King Airs, Beech 1900s, PC12s,
and lately a fleet of Embraer 120s to
Air Serve International’s operations
throughout Africa and the Middle East.
When Air Serve needed helicopters in
Indonesia to cope with the tsunami
disaster, it contracted Naturelink
to provide them. Initially using
subcontractors to provide helicopters,
Naturelink eventually bought its own
AS 350BA. SAFAIR and Imperial Bank
now have stakes in the company, which
is part of the Imperial Group/SAFAIR/
NAC organization, and Chris Briers, who
founded Naturelink, remains its CEO.
When the earthquake struck,
Naturelink was just wrapping up its
tsunami relief activities in Indonesia
after nine months of operation. Air Serve
International – a non-profit organization
that provides air transportation
exclusively to the humanitarian relief
top leFt: luftwaffe parked on the lZ
at the village of chamba.
Middle leFt: residents of chamba sitting
on the roof of their house made of
wooden poles, grass and clay.
bottoM leFt: remains of the four
story St Mary’s Secondary School
in Muzafarrabad.
top right: The luftwaffe approaching
the lZ at the village of chamba
bottoM right: Pakistan Army lama
refueling from drums
at the Neelum Stadium.
43
community, contracted Naturelink to
assist in Pakistan. Naturelink’s two AS
350 Squirrel helicopters were immediately
dispatched to Islamabad – where Air
Serve was well placed to task and
coordinate relief flights from the office it
has maintained there since 2002.
Our helicopters were tasked to
perform duties for the international
NGO (non-governmental organization)
‘Medicins Sans Frontiers’ (MSF). MSF is a
humanitarian aid organization providing
emergency medical aid in more than 80
countries. Working with MSF-Holland out
of Muzaffarabad, we flew medical teams
to relief camps and isolated villages and
also provided medevac flights for victims
in need of more intensive care. Patients
included pregnant women needing to
give birth and sick children from remote
areas, many of whom were suffering
from gastroenteritis (stomach ailments)
caused by contaminated water. We flew
a lot of people to hospitals at Bagh and
Muzaffarabad, and sometimes also to
Islamabad. The patients varied from
premature babies to cardiac victims, to
those suffering from dehydration, stress,
and a whole range of general ailments
— we definitely saved a few lives!
The assistance effort was complicated
by the mountainous terrain, cold
temperatures of -10 to -20°C during the
initial stages, and damaged or collapsed
infrastructure, so the helicopters
were also used to sling-load nearly all
of the much-needed medical supplies
into the area. The work also involved high
altitude operations in the mountains to
as high as 12,000 ft AMSL in some
areas where surviving earthquake victims
had to survive the extreme climatic
conditions of the Kashmiri Mountain
territory.
The big helicopters like the Mi-26s,
Mi-17s, Mi-8s, Kamovs and Pumas carried
top leFt: The two Naturelink AS 350s
parked at the Neelum Stadium during
December 2005 with blade covers on to
prevent the packing of ice on the blades
top right: collapsed house on the
outskirts of Muzaffarabad.
above leFt: Naturelink’s AS 350bA
parked on the lZ at banda kathandi.
above centre: Pakistani doctor
preparing a bed for a patient to be air
lifted from the village of charia.
above right: Pilot rowan Miles
approaching Muzaffarabad from the
south west.
You can count on K-MAX.Many missions require efficient heavy lifting. One helicopter does it better than the rest. Conceived and designed to perform repetitive external lifting, the K-MAX excels, lifting 6,000 pounds while delivering unmatched performance and reliability. What’s more, K-MAX has the highest availability rate and the lowest maintenance man-hour per flight hour of any helicopter in its class.
A fleet of hard-working K-MAX helicopters will be ready to respond to the most difficult missions — from delivering supplies to clearing debris or rebuilding — any where, any time. You can count on it.
Kaman Aerospace · Connecticut USA · 1-860-243-7006 · [email protected]
Kaman 1P ad HO.indd 3 2/17/06 12:38:01 PM
You can count on K-MAX.Many missions require efficient heavy lifting. One helicopter does it better than the rest. Conceived and designed to perform repetitive external lifting, the K-MAX excels, lifting 6,000 pounds while delivering unmatched performance and reliability. What’s more, K-MAX has the highest availability rate and the lowest maintenance man-hour per flight hour of any helicopter in its class.
A fleet of hard-working K-MAX helicopters will be ready to respond to the most difficult missions — from delivering supplies to clearing debris or rebuilding — any where, any time. You can count on it.
Kaman Aerospace · Connecticut USA · 1-860-243-7006 · [email protected]
Kaman 1P ad HO.indd 3 2/17/06 12:38:01 PM
mostly food supplies, tents, blankets, and
building materials. The bigger helicopters
carried loads varying from 900 kg to as
much as 15 tonnes on the Mi-26s, mostly
using long-lines – from 30-meter to
50-meter strops depending on the altitude
and terrain. Most of the sling work was
done below 8,000 ft. Our Naturelink
Squirrels only lifted light loads – up to
300 kg – mainly consisting of medicines
and water- purifying equipment and the
like. In some places, mountain ranges
had to be crossed at 12,000 ft (to avoid
crossing the line of control) to reach
locations lower down in valleys. Wind was
sometimes a factor, as was bad visibility
in low cloud and haze and we occasionally
encountered snow on our steep descents
into the valleys.
In the remote mountainous terrain,
we often landed on snow-covered landing
zones, however whiteout was never a
problem for us, and we wore sunglasses to
deal with the glare. Both of Naturelink’s
helicopters were equipped with snow skids
and we never experienced problems with
landing on snow, which in most cases was
reasonably hard.
The Neelum Stadium at Muzaffarabad was the parking grounds for many of the fleet of 100-odd helicopters that swarmed around Muzaffarabad at the height of the relief operation.
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The South African flight and
maintenance crews, who were rotated on
a six-weekly basis, initially stayed in
tents in Muzaffarabad, but also had the
use of a properly equipped house. They
were subsequently moved to a
5-star guesthouse in Islamabad, and later
still, in March 2006, moved back into a
furnished house in Muzaffarabad closer
to operations. No one really got sick and
although a stomach bug struck me shortly
after my arrival, the food was good, as was
(generally) the accommodation.
Naturelink’s support base for its
helicopters included a full-time engineer.
Since the company’s arrival in November
2005, each of its helicopters flew a
minimum of 60 hours a month, and
sometimes as many as 80 hours. The
helicopters exceeded all expectations,
both in performance and reliability; we
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above leFt: Pilot ryan Hogan finds a
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maintenance costs were very low with
nothing more than the usual 100-hourly
inspections required.
DePArTureSadly, with the re-organization of
‘service protocol’ by the Pakistan Military,
Naturelink’s contract officially ended on
5 May 2006. After nearly seven months
of continuous service to the residents in
the quake-ravaged region, the company’s
Squirrels, were on their way home, neatly
packed up with their main and tail rotor
blades removed into the back of an IL 76.
This operation once again proved
to the world the cardinal importance of
helicopters – able to be deployed at short
notice to provide life-giving support in
inhospitable conditions and inaccessible
terrain. Long live the helicopter! n
young children of charia
fascinated by the helicopter
activity at their village.
Since the company’s
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story by Andrew HeAley photos courtesy of eurocopter
In May this year, Didier Delsalle received the Igor Sikorsky International
Trophy at the American Helicopter Society’s symposium in Arizona. It
was the latest of several awards celebrating the test pilot’s record-setting
landing on the summit of Mt Everest, and it came a full year after the
successful flight. Since then, a whole raft of articles have praised Delsalle’s
success, but none have closely examined the flying techniques that he
utilized in order to make his ultimate sloping-ground landing at 29,035 ft
(8,850 m). HeliOps speaks to Delsalle and discusses his flight in detail.
52
It’s quIte a story. On 14 May 2005,
Delsalle – one of an eleven-man
Eurocopter team based at Lukla airport,
roughly 26 nautical miles from Everest at
an altitude of 2,850 m (9,400 ft), carried
out a walk-round of his ‘standard’
AS 350B3 Squirrel. Stripped of spare
seats and main-rotor vibration dampers,
the helicopter had an empty weight of a
mere 1,100 kg – compared with 1,232 kg
in standard configuration. Delsalle, with
his oxygen equipment, added 80 kg, while
105 kg of fuel took the all-up weight to
1,285 kg – nearly 1,000 kg below MAUW.
At 29,000 ft, the fuel consumption at
maximum continuous power would be
85 kg/hour, however endurance was
determined by the amount of oxygen
Delsalle could carry rather than possible
fuel load.
Certified to operate in temperatures
as low as -40°C, the B3 Ecureuil (A-Star)
required no specific fluids, additives or
other changes, and during flight tests
in France, Delsalle had climbed to
33,500 ft with an OAT of -58°C in the
same configuration without any problem.
(Such low temperatures might cause
start-up problems but not when in flight).
In the event, the actual temperatures
encountered at Everest’s summit varied
between -30 and -36°C.
It took Delsalle 15 minutes to reach
the summit altitude through a series of
top left: Delsalle, with his oxygen equipment, added 80 kg, while 105 kg of fuel took the all-up weight to 1,285 kg – nearly 1,000 kg
below MAuW
rigHt: It took 15 minutes to reach the summit altitude through a series of spiral climbs.
Above: festooned with bunting after a successful flight
53
spiral climbs. A series of ‘time-to-climb’
records set during earlier flight tests
in France had given him a good idea of
how long it would take. Once at altitude,
Delsalle put his plan into action. “I had
decided to approach the summit along
the south-east ridge, thus keeping me on
the upwind side of the mountain with
a chance of avoiding the most powerful
gusts, and keeping me away from the
powerful downdrafts on its lee-side
which, even though it was early morning,
posed a real risk,” he recalls. “I also had
to remain clear of Chinese airspace.
The border straddled the peak so I was
literally flying along the line, which
meant the wind on the approach was
roughly 60 degrees to the left of the nose.
This offered a useful escape route –
in case of engine or power problems,
I would bank hard to the left to keep out
of the mountain rocks and remain in
an updraft.”
To keep the power as constant as
possible, Delsalle made a shallow, nearly
flat approach avoiding large collective
movements which would have challenged
the capabilities of the engine governor.
As the component was not specifically
designed for such altitudes, it lacked
the performance and response time
that was available within the normal
flight envelope. “I began the approach
at 45 knots, gently reducing speed as I
approached the summit. About 30 meters
out, I established an out-of-ground-effect
hover to check the power which was OK,
so I continued towards the peak. I had
been worried about running out of power
for months, but this day and the next day
when we did it again I discovered that the
prevailing conditions allowed me plenty
of power. “This was the biggest surprise.
The previous day, strong updrafts had
made it impossible to maintain altitude.
Indeed I was climbing at between 500
to 1,000 ft a minute without using any
collective at all. I was in autorotation and
nearly over-speeding the rotor!”
“Getting closer to the summit, I
encountered a more powerful updraft and
I had to reduce power to keep the aircraft
on track. Torque was oscillating between
zero and 45 percent – definitely not a
comfort zone! On the summit, I would
pull between 15 and 20 percent. While
still over-flying the ridge, I was able to
maintain vertical references up to a few
meters out. Then when I lost sight of it
in the main cockpit window, I looked out
“I also had to remain
clear of Chinese
airspace. The border
straddled the peak so
I was literally flying
along the line, with the
wind 60 degrees to the
left of the nose.”
A formal send-off for Delsalle and his team
54
of the left chin window to try and find at
least some lateral references. As I touched
down on the forward part of the skids
I had no precise idea of where exactly
I was – my only cue was the sensation
of touching down. A big concern at this
moment was that I didn’t know if I was
touching snow lying over rocks or hard
snow on top of ... nothing. If it had been
just an ice shelf ready to break under my
weight, I would have been in real trouble,
especially with hardly any pitch applied!
Fortunately it was rock underneath.”
With no space for Delsalle to land
completely, the only way to fulfil the
FAI’s requirements was to try to maintain
contact between the skid and the rock
for more than two minutes. His main
problem was severe turbulence – in
around 65 knots of wind coupled with
reduced power that offered minimal
control authority. “I tried to ‘bury’ the
skid tips as deep as possible into the
snow. This would have stabilized me but
the snow was too thin and icy to do that.
So I had to ‘fly’ the helicopter all the time
while on the ground, with quite large
cyclic pitch inputs due to the turbulence
and unstable wind direction.”
“I managed to keep the helicopter
there for three minutes and 50 seconds.
Occasionally, through the lower-left
chin window, I could see an abandoned
orange oxygen bottle that I could use
as a lateral reference, but this was not
visible most of the time. All I could do
was try to maintain visual reference to
other peaks around Everest and stay in
contact with the ground. Despite this, I
never felt disoriented or uncomfortable.
My biggest challenge during the approach
had been to avoid focusing too much on
top left: powerful up and downdrafts
were a constant factor.
rigHt: the b3 was stripped to have an
empty weight of 1,100 kg – compared
with 1,232 kg in standard configuration.
Above: endurance was determined by the
amount of oxygen Delsalle could carry
rather than possible fuel load.
55
the realization of what I was doing, and
instead concentrate on the flying and
on the helicopter’s vibrations, noise and
power limits. For take-off, I just pulled
slightly on the collective and leapt into
the air using less than 50 percent torque!
I then followed the north-west ridge and
turned left while building speed, exactly
over the border line.”
The B3 is a powerful helicopter and
needs a strong tail rotor to cope with its
power. On neither of the two days that
he landed atop Everest did Delsalle reach
the limit of the B3’s tail rotor authority,
even with the wind blowing at 65 knots
from 60 degrees left of the nose. He did
not use any more than 80 to 85 percent of
full pedal travel throughout the approach,
landing and take-off. “After taking-off I
tried to orbit above the summit to take
Above left: the eurocopter team celebrates.
Above rigHt: salud Didier!
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56
in the sights, but it wasn’t possible,” says
Delsalle. “Each time I had to counteract
the downdrafts with maximum power
to increase ground speed. IAS was
60 knots with no ground speed, 1,000 ft
per minute rate-of-descent down the
mountain with maximum power applied;
this was absolutely the most challenging
moment. I thought of it as the mountain
warning me that it was much stronger
than me and that while I may have
succeeded this time I shouldn’t push my
luck! I descended slowly, both to protect
my ears and to appreciate the incredible
landscape and I landed back in Lukla with
70kg of fuel.”
The next day, to prove it wasn’t a
fluke, Delsalle went back in even more
turbulent conditions, but as the wind
direction was nearly the same, he used
the same procedure to reach the peak.
It took him four attempts before he was
able to keep the helicopter on the summit
for longer than two minutes.
So what did it all achieve? The
landings may have been the ‘cherry
on the cake’ for Eurocopter’s flight test
program but they were not its main
goal. Together with the earlier flights
in France, Delsalle’s exploits helped
the team find out more about how a
rotor behaves at altitude; its handling
qualities and control response. They
were subsequently able to develop better
mathematical models for engines using
high power settings, as well as improving
engine fuel-flow characteristics.
The team now knows it is possible
to design a rescue helicopter that
can operate at up to 8,000 m – even if
some climbers might not like the idea.
However, weather and wind conditions
will always be the determining factors
in such high-altitude rescues which
will remain exceptional achievements
even with the most powerful helicopters
–“and climbers can be reassured about
one thing,” says Delsalle, – “Everest is
no place for heli-skiing or flight-seeing
tours!” n
Delsalle’s feat helped eurocopter find out more about how a rotor behaves at altitude.
story and photos by ned dawson
Just
In a world where becoming bigger seems to be the
only way to commercially survive, Hummingbird is
a small company that has carved out a niche in a
small agricultural belt near San Diego.
Hummingalong
BoB Hoag is a Vietnam veteran who
had 3,000 hours when he left the Army
in 1973 and now with 18,000 hours under
his belt, he is one of only two agricultural
operators still working within an area
spanning the 150 miles south of Los
Angeles, including Central and Northern
San Diego, and Southern Riverside
Counties.
He and two partners started
Hummingbird Inc in 1977 after he had
spent a couple of years working in a
company that according to him, had
poor maintenance standards. He also
wanted to go back to flying turbines.
Hummingbird started with a C-18
– powered Hughes 500C purchased from
the San Bernardino Country Sheriff when
the department changed its fleet to the
500D model. Hoag’s machine – number
five off the production line – got the
business going, and in 1984 and 1986
he bought out his two partners to make
Hummingbird his company.
In 1993, Hoag switched to a Bell
206A that he imported from Europe – a
corporate machine with just 4,700 hours
total time, which, as Hoag put it, “had
never been worked in its life.” Hoag
fitted a spray system and installed a
C-20B engine to the machine which has
now flown over 8,000 hours. In order
59
the spray booms are mounted forward to ensure maximum penetration to the crop by the rotor downwash.
hoag has found the bell 206b to be the ideal machine for ag flying.
60
to keep costs down and to ensure it is
done to his standard, Hoag does his own
maintenance, except for engine overhauls
which are done by a company called
HEROES (Helicopter Engine Overhaul
Repair Service).
“It (the 206) has been a great machine
– very reliable – and I like the way Bell
looks after its customers,” says Hoag.
“Whether it is their support people in
Canada or the tech rep in Arizona, they
always come straight back to you and this
is the strongest point for Bell. I’m just a
little operator with only one machine but
it’s really important to be taken care of.”
One of Hoag’s reasons for changing
to the Bell was that its hydraulics made
all the difference in lessening the pilot’s
flying workload. “The 500 was more fun
to fly,” he says, “but the JetRanger is
easier. Five or six hours flying in the Bell
does not hurt me, but I was a lot more
tired after flying the Hughes for that
many hours a day.”
EfficiEncyHummingbird has outlasted seven
other companies but Hoag has no interest
in making it any bigger. He likes the fact
that Hummingbird is small and believes
its small size is probably the reason he
has managed to survive the increasing
urbanization of the once thriving
agricultural area of California.
He thinks another reason why there
are fewer operators is that today’s
helicopters are more capable; faster, and
with greater capacity, meaning fewer
helicopters are required to look after an
area. He believes that to keep costs down
and remain attractive to the industry,
operators must continually look for ways
to be more efficient.
With only, at best, five or six hours
available each day to fly, in order to avoid
wind adversely affecting drift, Hoag has
to minimize ground time to maximize his
time in the air. By utilizing two support
trucks he can fly directly from one job
to the next where the second truck will
already be waiting for him.
sprayingHummingbird’s entire operation
is based around agricultural support,
whether it be spraying crops such as
avocados, lavaciding for mosquito control,
heli-torching or even Bambi-bucketing.
Mosquito control has become more
prominent in recent times because of
concerns over the West Nile Virus.
His spray seasons are usually
top left: the truck doubles as mobile spray rig as well as refuelling bowser – ensuring
maximum time can be spent on the job site.
right: in some areas airspeed is kept slow so the spray can penetrate through any
canopy and into the crop.
above: hoag (right) has been providing a much-needed service to farmers of san
diego county for many years.
61
summer and fall, with the length of
each flying day determined by wind and
temperature. Flying 600 to 700 hours a
year, Hoag can fly as many as six hours
in a day or as little as half an hour.
Beginning at dawn, he will typically fly
until around 11 am when the wind and/
or temperature usually stops the work
– however it also depends on the crop
and the spray material. With a light spray
density, the wind limit is usually 10 to
15 knots, whereas with a heavier spray
density of around 100 gallons an acre,
or when spraying a larger grove, he can
accept a slightly higher wind because
spray will not spread beyond the grove
or onto surrounding houses. If there is oil
in the spray, then he has to be mindful
of temperature because in ambient
temperatures over 90° F, the crops can
burn. Furthermore, convection currents
and heat rising from the ground can also
lift chemical off the crops so the spraying
must be done in fairly cool conditions.
Although Hummingbird’s work is
year-round, it declines in the off-season
and Hoag’s main job is spraying avocados
during their in-season. Avocados need
a lot of nutrients and delivery by air is
apparently far more effective than
tilling nutrients into the soil. “It is a lot
more efficient to deliver 10 lbs of nitrogen
by air than 500 lbs on the ground,”
explains Hoag.
Avocados require good drainage.
Consequently, Hoag usually has to
contend with spraying crops on hillsides
with slopes of up to 45 degrees. “It
depends on the slope and wind direction
as to how I spray an area; whether I work
up, across or down, although I prefer
not to fly downhill if possible as it ends
up getting spray through the main and
tail rotors.” The helicopter is rinsed off
regularly to prevent any build-up of
chemical and to prevent corrosion.
Although other companies make
extensive use of GPS, Hummingbird
does not use it at all. “I only work in this
area and have done so for 30 years,” he
explains. “I can see where I’m going, the
groves are comparatively small and I’m
not sure GPS works that well around the
hills anyway.”
WirEs and driftWires as always are a problem, but
after two wire strikes early in his career
Hoag has become far more aware of them.
“I put those down to inexperience and
fatigue,” he says. “They were a long time
ago and I’m pretty confident that I’ll see
wires now because they are the primary
thing I look for.” Even if he has recently
sprayed a particular grove, he will go
back and inspect it before starting to
spray it the next time in case the power
company may have put up a new wire.
He also ensures that he is not overly
fatigued, and that he eats carefully and
drinks plenty of water.
Other than wires, the main
consideration these days is ‘drift’. Drift
is where the spray goes after it leaves
the helicopter – something that in
today’s environment, pilots have to be
very careful to control if they are to avoid
complaints from neighbours and risk
losing their State or County spraying
approval. Hoag says unfounded complaints
from people with no real knowledge are all
too common. Because all complaints have
to be investigated, the County Agricultural
Officers are frequently watching Hoag at
work – something that doesn’t concern
him as he realizes they have a job to do
and he knows that the care he takes in his
work means any complaints are inevitably
found to be groundless. “We can’t afford to
have any violations,” he says.
The JetRanger is equipped with Isolair
tanks and a boom installed across the
front of the skid toes to keep the spray
as close to the crop as possible while the
helicopter is flown almost at crop top level
– all done to minimize spray drift. This is
also why the boom only extends to 75 to
90 percent of the main-rotor diameter as it
minimizes ‘swirl’ and gets the spray down
into and under the crop, while reducing
the chance of drift. The urbanization of
San Diego’s agricultural areas means that,
above left & right: the paint scheme on hoag’s bell 206b has a lot of personal meaning as well as being a tribute to his time spent in Vietnam.
depending on the wind, the helicopter
could be operating as close as 50 ft from
houses. “It didn’t used to be that way,”
says Hoag. “They’ve put so many houses
here, there’s not much agriculture left!”
trucking onHummingbird uses two trucks to
support its operations. With some jobs
taking as little as 20 minutes, and with
the window of opportunity for flying so
narrow, it is important that the helicopter
can transit from job to job with no
hold-ups or down-time. The trucks are
positioned as close to jobs as possible to
minimize turn-around times. Hoag can
land on the truck, be refuelled and top-off
the spray tanks in less than five minutes.
Although his fuel tank can carry far more,
in order to maximize the chemical load,
Hoag usually carries no more than 25
gallons, which gives him 20 to 30 minutes
of flying time before refuelling.
The chemicals can be mixed on
the trucks with the water from their
2,000-gallon tanks. By mixing up to
700 gallons at a time, the truck’s tanks
are able to provide up to six or seven
loads, depending on the type of spray.
Hoag has two ground personnel
sprays used these days are fairly mild and
organically based – organophosphates and
the like are almost gone.
thE bEst bitsHoag likes being his own boss and he
likes the farmers he works with. “They
are the best people – down-to-earth and
honest. If they can’t pay, they call. No BS
about the cheque being in the mail!” He
also likes the flying, being able to walk to
work and working outside all the time. “I
couldn’t imagine being stuck at a desk.”
One thing that really annoys Hoag
is the perception some people have
of spraying. “A lot more people have
lived because we have pesticides and
herbicides. They save crops so that people
can eat! Most of the people complaining
about pesticides have no idea what they
are talking about.” However, he accepts
that the rhetoric is not so bad these days
and that people are coming to realize the
necessity of pesticides and the like.
Hoag’s company has stayed small and
as a result has been able to adapt quickly
to changing regulatory, urban and political
environments. Hummingbird is proof that
sometimes staying small is essential for
survival. n
otherwise known as loaders. One of them
has been with him for 25 years and the
other 16 years. “The guys are paid year-
round, even during the three months
when we don’t do much,” explains Hoag.
“When we’re working though, we work
solid. No lunch or toilet breaks. They
can grab something to eat between
landings and I grab something during the
turnaround.” The loaders wear coveralls,
gloves, and eye and ear protection
while working with the helicopter and
chemicals. Hoag keeps gloves in the
aircraft for when he helps out. “Used
properly, the chemicals are safe and
effective,” he insists. “You just have to
treat them with respect.” In any event, the
“The guys are paid
year-round, even during
the three months when
we don’t do much.”
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64
is it timE for pErformancE hEliports?
t h E l a s t W o r d
fleets allowing for even better helicopter operations.
Let me take the gloves off. I have 2,500 hours in the Black Hawk – a helicopter with NO HV limitation below 4,000 ft altitude. In other words, even should it lose an engine, it can take off or land vertically — yet it cannot land at a heliport unless that heliport has clearance planes of 8:1. This means that even a powerful helicopter must be operated as if it was a tired old piston machine. I have seen the flight manual of the AW-139, and it shows no HV limitation below 5,000 ft – so there are at least two helos that can serve as guinea pigs for an idea I would like to see introduced.
My proposal would be to introduce three classes of heliport, with three different approach/departure planes; let us call them Class-I, -II and -III heliports.
Class-III heliports would be the same as we have today with flat 8:1 approach planes. While these do not fit into urban landscapes very well, they could be used by all helos and tilt rotors.
For more congested sites, i.e. hospital heliports that might be bound by obstructions such as light poles or even the hospital rooftops themselves, let us define Class-II heliports as being those with approach planes of 4:1; this classification could be clearly marked on charts and documents. No Class-III helicopters could operate from Class-II heliports, which could only be used by those helicopters and tilt rotors which had a demonstrated adequate climb performance (including after engine failure) that would match or exceed the 4:1 slope requirement. Class-II heliports would fit into many more urban and hospital landscapes, of course.
The real prize would be Class-I heliports, with approach slopes of 2:1, which would allow them to be tucked into tight places where only high-performance aircraft could use them. Although the level of performance that Class-I heliports would require would be very high, the payoff would be in being able to build heliports where none can be built today – this would create an incentive to build helicopters able do this kind of work.
With performance-class heliports, we would match the approach planes of heliports with the capabilities of helicopters able to use them. It is hardly a novel concept – especially when Part-91.103 already states, “Each pilot in command shall, before beginning a flight, become familiar with all available information concerning that flight. This information must include... for any flight, runway lengths at airports of intended use...”
Since the FARs already require us to calculate the performance for runways, and Cat-A JAR Ops III requires us to calculate the clear areas for the takeoff and landing, it is not a stretch to ask for the ability to use this information to create better heliports, matched to the terrain into which they are placed. This performance-class heliport system would allow us to operate from heliports that could be situated where none can be now, but at comparable levels of performance assurance. We could make better use of urban terrain, bring helicopters and tilt rotors closer to users, and give incentive to improve the performance and safety of our operations by fostering better flight performance and engine failure accountability. n
Having heliports in
populated areas makes
sound business sense
for our industry, so why
not design heliports like
airports – where aircraft
performance determines
whether a given type
can use a particular
airport?
by nick lappos
Placing a heliport in a crowded urban environment is a difficult proposition, as ICAO and FAA/CAA/JAA rules require approach and departure clearance planes that are really quite flat – typically no steeper than about 8:1. This means that no heliport can be situated within 1,000 m of an 80 m tall building! (The USS Nimitz, at 1,000 ft long, is home to 100 jet aircraft, yet it does not meet the FAA heliport requirements for obstruction clearance!) The rule makers justify such flat clearance planes by pointing out that some helicopters cannot climb more steeply than this, especially when loaded. However, this ‘justification’ is only valid for the poorest performing helicopters upon which all others are unfairly judged.
It does not make sense to penalize all helicopters based on the poor climb performance of a few. Surely those operators utilizing more powerful helicopters should be able to reap the benefit of their extra capability and justify their expense. If powerful (more expensive) helicopters were legally able to operate from confined areas, it may well end up becoming economically viable for more operators to upgrade