The Polish ministry of defense announced the winners of two long-running competitions for transport helicopters and air defense missiles yesterday. The Airbus Helicopters H225M Caracal (previously designated EC725) has been “pre-selected” for the helicopter requirement. The Raytheon Patriot surface-to-air missile system has been chosen over the MBDA/Thales Aster 30 system.

The helicopter decision will be a blow to Sikorsky, which was the first Western rotary-wing manufacturer to invest in the Polish aerospace industry. The S-70 is being license-produced by PZL Mielec. But a statement from the Polish ministry of defense explained that the S-70 had not been chosen for formal and technical reasons, including the mission system. Also, the proposed delivery schedule was too long. Sikorsky said it is “extremely disappointed.” The third bidder was AgustaWestland, with PZLŚwidnik, offering the AW149.

An Airbus Helicopters spokesman said the Caracal probably best meets some key criteria such as being combat-proven and offering a single platform. Heli Invest, Airbus' partner in the Polish contract, will play a role in the local production of the aircraft. So far, it has been Airbus Helicopters' distributor and maintenance service provider for civil products. A final assembly line is to be built in Lodz, where Airbus Helicopers had recently inaugurated a research and development center. The first copies of the Polish Caracals will be built at Airbus' factory in Marignane, France, where Polish workers will be trained. Engine maker Turbomeca will also set up a final assembly line in Poland for the Makila turboshaft.

The Airbus spokesman would not comment on the reported value of the Airbus bid: €2.3 billion ($2.5 billion). However, a contract will not be signed until after Poland has conducted a full technical evaluation and flight test of the H225M in May-June. Deliveries will start in 2017.

According to the requirement released in March 2013, the acquisition program targets the replacement of the Mil Mi-17/Mi-8 TTH for the country's land forces and the Mi-14 for the navy. For the tactical transport (land) role, 36 helicopters are required, in addition to eight for the naval missions and 26 for combat search and rescue and medevac (including eight for the special forces). However, the Polish ministry of defense said yesterday that 50 Mi-17s would now be retained and indicated that the final contract will be for 50 H225Ms.

All are now eagerly waiting for Poland to formally issue a tender for 25 to 30 attack helicopters, following a recent request for information (RFI). Yesterday’s statement promised a quick process for this acquisition.

Eight batteries of Patriot missiles are to be acquired, via the U.S. Foreign Military Sales (FMS) process. The first two will arrive within three years of contract signature, with the balance by 2025. The Polish ministry of defense said choosing the Patriot carries less technical risk; the missileis already in service with more than 10 countries. The ministry will negotiate offsets and technical transfer to Polish industry as part of the deal.

Airbus Helicopters received European Aviation Safety Agency approval for a new EC145 utility variant. The approval covers single-pilot day/night operations in VFR conditions. U.S.FAA approval is expected to follow by mid-year.

Formerly known as the EC145e, the twin-engine utility EC145 is fitted with a standardized interior and equipment list designed for utility missions, along with a 146 kg (322 pound) payload increase. Airbus Helicopters reduced weight of the EC145 by removing the automatic flight control system and replacing conventional cockpit instruments with dual electronic flight displays in the Garmin G500H avionics suite.

The helicopter can be adapted for missions ranging from passenger transport and aerial firefighting to airlifts with both internal and external loads. The No. 1 EC145, which first flew in August 2013, confirmed capabilities conducting missions such as firefighting demonstrations in Spain. In addition to accommodating multi missions for utility and commercial operators, the basic cabin layout can keep costs down and reduce delivery times, said Airbus Helicopters H145 program head Manfred Merk. 

Helicopter EMS, air-tour and modification company Air Methods has appointed Gregg Lundberg as the new president of its Blue Hawaiian Helicopters subsidiary, replacing company founders David and Patricia Chevalier, who will remain in unspecified “advisory roles.” David Chevalier served as chairman of the Helicopter Association International (HAI) from 2010 to 2011. The Chevaliers founded Blue Hawaiian in 1985 and built it into the islands’ largest air-tour company, with 25 helicopters and 200,000 passengers annually.

Air Methods purchased Blue Hawaiian in December 2013 for $66 million after buying Las Vegas-based Sundance Helicopters, another air-tour provider, for $44 million in 2012. Air Methods’ revenues from air tourism were $115 million in 2014, with Blue Hawaiian accounting for $56.3 million of this amount. Air tourism accounts for roughly 11 percent of Air Methods’ total company revenues, with the company’s market share representing more than 20 percent of the annual $500 million domestic heli-tour business.

Lundberg joins Blue Hawaiian after serving as general manager of the 759-room Westin Maui Resort & Spa in Kaanapali. 

Confronted with a requirement for a second crewmember, the helicopter EMS industry in France continues to search for a solution. The national civil aviation authority (the DGAC) is willing to be flexible, but the prospects of the EASA granting exemptions are uncertain. Meanwhile, an innovative technical solution for safer flight paths is emerging.

The final deadline for the addition of a second crewmember was October 8 last year, and for the two years before that France had opted out of compliance. A number of operators remain reluctant to add a so-called technical crewmember, noted Maxime Coffin, head of the DGAC’s general aviation and helicopter mission. Operators cited cost as the main impediment, and the road to compliance was made rockier, according to Coffin, by pilot unions, which advocated that the second crewmember be a pilot.

“Last summer, the situation was at a complete standstill. It was clearly impossible to comply with the rule in October and we could not even request a postponement, as we could not suggest an alternative date,” Coffin said. The DGAC proceeded with a temporary exemption for five operators. EASA rules allow such an exemption for operational, urgent reasons, Coffin explained. He expressed relative confidence that the EASA would approve it through December 31.

Justifying the temporary exemption, the DGAC claims operators would be put out of business if they had to hire more crewmembers now. It asserts the industry’s safety record and use of proven alternative means of compliance ensure an equivalent level of safety. For example, some operators have performed extensive reconnaissance flights to neighboring soccer playing fields and all the places from which they are likely to embark a patient. Others, Coffin said, enlist the help of firemen to identify obstacles.

Asserting a National Prerogative

However, observers say these alternatives are unlikely to be accepted for a permanent exemption. The DGAC is therefore considering following the Swiss example. Switzerland’s national authority, the OFAC, determined that flying a victim from the mountains to a hospital is part of search-and-rescue (a Swiss state prerogative); as a result, Swiss operators can use single-engine helicopters in some cases where European rules call for twins.

Although the European Commission might reject such a tactic, France could declare that HEMS flights are a state prerogative and thus eliminate the requirement for the second crewmember. Coffin deems this approach–albeit radical–the most likely to succeed. “The Commission has not challenged Switzerland’s stance,” he added.

The association that represents physicians who use EMS helicopters (AFHSH) recently floated an idea: use medical personnel with proper training as the second crewmembers. The DGAC confirmed this would abide by EASA rules, and some operators endorsed the approach. But the AFHSH fell short of persuading all operators, and a pilot union cried foul.

A major counter-argument against those who criticize the new rule is NHV’s successful operation. That Belgium-based company has been operating for years in France (at several hospitals in the north of the country), with a second HEMS crewmember. A source familiar with various operator structures told AIN that NHV invested heavily in crew training and hiring. The goal was to be able to operate in different European countries, including those that enforce the second-crewmember rule. The source acknowledged that NHV is perhaps a more diversified company, with deeper pockets than most French operators. NHV declined to comment.

Could French operators learn lessons from other countries? Airbus Helicopters marketing v-p Régis Magnac reminded that business models vary from country to country. For example, a U.S. operator will receive different payments for picking up a victim, depending on whether and how the patient is insured (Medicare, Medicaid and so on). In the UK, charity organizations fund a large part of HEMS operations. In fact, 14 percent of the helicopters are operated by charities holding their own air operator certificate.

Airbus Helicopters has compiled its own global statistics about EMS helicopter equipment per million inhabitants. Although France is one of the wealthiest countries on the planet, it–like most Western European countries–falls only in the “medium” category (between 0.5 and 2.9 helicopter per million inhabitants). In France, HEMS pilots much less per year than pilots in other countries.

Nicolas Letellier, AFHSH president, complained about red tape in general. A hospital helipad is under threat of closure, he said, because a street lamp is “piercing” the published glideslope. “Yet everybody can see EMS helicopters flying every day at 150 feet above the obstacle,” he objected. Meanwhile, those patients who live far from well equipped medical centers are too often driven there (as opposed to flown) because the French administration is impeding the development of HEMS, he added.

Finding Safer Flight Paths

Inaer France, one of the country’s major HEMS operators, is involved in the P4F (path for flight) project, aiming to develop a tablet app for safer, up-to-date flight paths. The idea is to download real-time information from various sources, providing the pilot with an optimized route. Specialist CGX Aero is leading the effort, which is financially supported by investment fund BPI France and local authorities.

The app will merge data from servers specializing in terrain, obstacles, aeronautical information (airspace, notams and so on) and weather. The software program will suggest the fastest route from A to B, in safe conditions, Loïc Giroud, the head of the project, told AIN. The pilot may use the app on the ground to plan the mission. When flying back to the base, updated information may enable a diversion to pick up a patient not on the original plan. At the least, the hospital will be quickly aware that for some reason the helicopter can’t do the job.

For communications, P4F will use a combination of Wi-Fi, cellphone networks and satellite. Giroud believes potential electromagnetic interference is virtually solved, thanks to work already done on fixed-wing aircraft.

CGX Aero is planning full-scale flight-tests next year after gradual trials. Participants see P4F as a proof-of-concept and have no plan for developing a product yet, Giroud said. Nevertheless, they are well aware applications may be found for other kinds of helicopter operation.

A Coast Guard HH-65 crew from Air Station Traverse City, Mich., used their helicopter’s rotor downwash to clear and break up ice shelves stranding a small fishing boat on Lake Michigan on April 11. The 16-foot boat became stranded in ice floes that pushed it away from shore. It took the HH-65, hovering at 50 feet, about 45 minutes to clear a path back to shore for the boaters.

The Australian Helicopter Industry Association (AHIA) is warning pilots about the dangers of shortening days in autumn. During this period, the cattle mustering industry gets requests for flights at night, the AHIA said, and numerous mustering pilots have died trying their luck in the dark. “It is easy to miscalculate the available daylight and yield to the temptation to fly back to base after dark,” the association pointed out.

North Sea oil-and-gas firms have committed to fund a search-and-rescue (SAR) helicopter service, supplementing national SAR cover for parts of the Central North Sea. The SAR helicopter and the dedicated back-up aircraft will be operated by Bond Offshore Helicopters at Aberdeen International Airport and cover a radius of approximately 160 nm. The participating companies have awarded Bond Offshore Helicopters a five-year contract valued at £60 million ($88 million). “The industry will ensure we can respond within our two-hour criteria,” said Robert Paterson, health, safety and employment issues director at Oil & Gas UK. The launch of a new UK-wide SAR service by the Department for Transport in April coincides with decommissioning plans for the BP Miller platform, where another SAR helicopter was based.

Bell Helicopter’s new 525 Relentless super-medium twin will fly“very soon,” even as the company grapples with continuing military and commercial market softness and is “adjusting production levels and taking additional cost actions to maintain margins,” Scott Donnelly, chairman and CEO of parent company Textron, said today. Those adjustments include continuing layoffs, and Bell expects one-time charges of $40 to $50 million.

During the quarterly call with analysts this morning, Donnelly revealed that Bell’s revenue declined by $60 million year-over-year, attributable mainly to declining deliveries of the company’s bread-and-butter V-22 tiltrotor to the U.S. military, and “continuing softness” in the medium sector of the commercial market.

The company delivered 35 commercial helicopters in the first quarter versus 34 in the same period last year. Notably, it did not ship any Bell 412s in the quarter, Donnelly said. On the military side, Bell delivered six V-22s and four H-1s in the first three months, compared with eight V-22s and five H-1s a year ago. Bell’s order backlog dropped to $5.3 billion, a decline of $237 million from the end of the fourth quarter.

The EASA approved an increased maximum gross weight (IGW) of 6,770 pounds, up from 6,500 pounds, for the MD 900/902 Explorer light twin helicopter, MD Helicopters announced this week. This FAA approved the weight increase in March 2013.

The $6 million Explorer has been in production since 1994 and features the Notar anti-torque system. This latest IGW for the Explorer gives it carrying capabilities close to those of the Bell 429, a newer helicopter with a 7,000-pound mtow that has recently made significant inroads in the European market. Europe is also a key market for the Explorer—with more than half the fleet based there, mostly flying police and air ambulance duties—so the company is fighting to maintain market share in the region.

The IGW for the Explorer comes just two months after the UK National Police Air Service announced plans for the disposal of several of the type in its fleet. MD hopes the IGW, coupled with a new glass cockpit, will add to the Explorer’s market appeal.

The International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST) last week published seven important safety tips that boil down to avoid complacency at all costs. First, the group advises, pilots should use pre-departure checklists that include complete weather and fuel information, details about the helicopter’s equipment, performance and the task at hand, including a list of required operational documents. They should use the IMSAFE checklist to assess fitness to fly. Next, they should conduct a solid personal risk assessment before takeoff to be sure the risks of the flight don’t outweigh the benefits.

Avoiding fog and convective weather sounds like common sense, but the team points out that the FAA and NTSB investigate scores of accidents in which the pilot pressed on into questionable weather. To avoid wires, trees and other obstacles, don’t fly below 1,000 feet above the ground. If missions demand flight below this, operate with wire-strike protection systems.

The team reminds pilots to review the aircraft’s emergency procedures manual. Finally, follow the rotorcraft flight manual’s normal procedures, file a flight plan and conduct a thorough preflight briefing for everyone on board, IHST said.

Chicago’s first dedicated rotorcraft landing area–Vertiport Chicago–officially opened April 30 on the city’s Near West Side. Nearly a decade in the making, Vertiport Chicago represents the first viable alternative for helicopters to Midway or O’Hare airports since Meigs Field was bulldozed in 2003. The private facility offers a landing area for corporate helicopters, executive charters, sightseeing, emergency medical response traffic and police and fire department aircraft.

Vertiport Chicago sits at the southern edge of the Illinois Medical District, home to four major area hospitals within a five-minute drive. EMS helicopters will always receive operational priority at the new facility. In fact, the property is leased from the Illinois Medical District, a group that will share in a percentage of the revenue the facility collects. The new landing area is also a 10-minute drive to Chicago’s downtown and a 10- to 15-minute flight from Chicagoland’s reliever airports, DuPage, Chicago Executive, Gary, Aurora and Waukegan.

The Vertiport’s 10-acre layout provides an 11,700-sq-ft terminal with VIP entrance and private amenities for corporate users, as well as a 30,000-sq-ft hangar with 25-foot-high doors. Fuel is also available. Vertiport Chicago offers a single landing pad with eight parking spots. The facility cost approximately $11 million, all gathered through private financing.

The Vertiport is the brainchild of president Mike Conklin, a former Marine One helicopter pilot who is now the president of the company. He had the idea for the project in 2006 when there were far more helicopters in the area than there are today. His initial research showed 88 helicopters registered within approximately 50 miles of Chicago. Today that number hovers closer to 25. The hope, of course, is that the near-downtown landing area will stimulate rotorcraft operations in the area. Conklin also hopes the facility will also one day be home to tiltrotors as well.

Vertiport Chicago is neatly sandwiched between O’Hare’s airspace to the north and Midway’s on the south, which means access in visual conditions doesn’t require any ATC contact if pilots remain below 1,900 feet. To maintain a high level of safety, the Vertiport requires users to prove they have at least 1,000 hours of flight time.

The Vertiport opened with one anchor customer already in place, DHL, making Chicago the fourth major city where the document carrier operates helicopters. New York, Los Angles and London are the others. DHL regional manager Karsten Aufgebauer told the opening-day audience that using the Vertiport means avoiding increasingly dense road traffic at most hours of the business day, a move he believes will reduce document transportation time from O’Hare International airport to downtown to 12 minutes from the current two hours. Conklin expects the number of daily operations from DHL to grow significantly over the next five years.

Details about landing procedures and rates are available via e-mail or at vertiportchicago.com. At press time, the FAA had not yet assigned a location identifier for the facility.

Airbus Helicopters received EASA Part 29 certification in late April for the EC145 light twin, the new name of a utility, lower-cost version formerly referred to as the EC145e. More basic than the H145 (which features a Fenestron tail rotor and upgraded Turbomeca engines), the EC145 can carry an additional 322 pounds of payload compared with the previous utility variant of the same helicopter.

The EC145 incorporates a Garmin G500H avionics suite. One primary flight display and one multifunction display are situated in front of the pilot, while two more LCDs for aircraft parameter display and a touchscreen interface for the FMS are located to his left. Use of the G500H–usually found on smaller helicopters–frees up a large part of the left windshield, improving cockpit visibility. No automatic flight control system is available.

The EC145 is approved for single-pilot, day and night operation in visual flight rules (VFR). IFR operations are prohibited. The EC145 is designed with a basic standard interior for utility missions, from passenger transport (the standard layout seats eight) and fire-fighting to airlift missions, with both internal and external loads.

The EC145 first flew in August 2013. FAA certification is expected this summer. “It will be available with reduced delivery times,” said Manfred Merk, head of the H145 program at Airbus Helicopters. Certification was originally scheduled for last year.

Kuka Systems Aerospace has received the American Helicopter Society International's supplier excellence award for a new palletized assembly process it developed in conjunction with Bell Helicopter for the 525 Relentless medium twin. The process uses a major fixture that moves along the different assembly stations, with tooling added or removed from the fixture at each station as required.

Traditional assembly uses multiple dedicated fixtures for individual components as they are added to the progressive aircraft buildup. Kuka noted that employing multiple fixtures can produce tolerance and variation issues, requiring ad hoc adjustments to force out-of-contour or misaligned components into place.

Kuka maintains that the palletized assembly method improves overall quality by promoting specialization and repeatability, thereby yielding more precision and less variability. “The mating of components and ultimately entire sections is simplified. Everything tends to fit the first time. The result is a smoother, faster flow, with more efficient use of manpower,” the company said. Bell still expects to fly the 525 before the end of next month.

The NTSB will offer a Helicopter Accident Investigation Course from June 15 to 19 at its training center in Ashburn, Va. The course is a comprehensive overview of the procedures, methods used and the skills required in all aspects of helicopter accident investigation.

NTSB investigators will present examples from recent investigations to demonstrate particular aspects of the process. U.S. Army National Guard instructors will provide raining on helicopter aerodynamics, operations and investigations. The course provides an opportunity to practice investigative skills through hands-on examination of both helicopter wreckage and an intact UH-1 Iroquois.

Sikorsky Aircraft is making parts for an autonomous flight kit arising from its Matrix research program. The manufacturer plans to fly the kit on a UH-60A Black Hawk late next year to demonstrate its potential as an optionally piloted vehicle (OPV).

In July 2013, Sikorsky started flight tests of an autonomy system consisting of fly-by-wire flight controls and multiple situational awareness sensors on its Sikorsky Autonomous Research Aircraft (Sara), an S-76. Last year, it demonstrated an optionally piloted UH-60M Black Hawk that it was using for an M-model upgrade, a fly-by-wire version the U.S. Army chose not to order. Sikorsky is also working with Carnegie Mellon University to demonstrate the capability of an optionally piloted UH-60MU to deliver an unmanned ground vehicle as an external load in a project sponsored by the Army’s Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center.

Igor Cherepinsky, Sikorsky chief engineer of autonomy, said the manufacturer is moving the autonomy system developed on the S-76 Sara testbed to a UH-60A Black Hawk it acquired last year to demonstrate “a true, kittable” production version of the system. “We’re building up the next generation of Black Hawk fly-by-wire and autonomy,” said Cherepinsky, who spoke with AIN during the recent Unmanned Systems 2015 conference in Atlanta. “We’ll show the world what the kit looks like and show the missions where you have operators in front, in the cabin or on the ground.”

The program has entered the critical design review phase “and we’re starting to make parts,” Cherepinsky said. Sikorsky expects to fly the modified helicopter late next year.

Sikorsky continues to use the S-76 Sara testbed to verify simulation results, and as of this month had flown the helicopter some 78 hours in autonomous mode with a safety pilot aboard. The manufacturer has finished doing basic obstacle-avoidance research and is moving toward a more obstacle-rich environment to test the helicopter, Cherepinsky said.

At the Unmanned Systems conference, Sikorsky displayed a UH-60M Black Hawk with Matrix markings to demonstrate the scale of what is possible. Ultimately the manufacturer wants to interest the Army in an optionally piloted, multi-mission helicopter, whether it be a Black Hawk or some other platform, as the Matrix system is “platform agnostic,” Cherepinsky emphasized.

“We really want to have a dialogue with the Department of Defense about OPVs,” he said. “Our view on the world is we are trying not to go to either extreme,” with manned or unmanned aircraft. “Our view is that it’s a whole spectrum. There are plenty of missions where you want a pilot or at least an operator on board an aircraft. Matrix enables that operator to control the vehicle a lot more easily; it’s much easier to fly.”

Helicopter services company Erickson posted a net loss of $75 million for the first quarter of the year. The company attributed the unusually hefty loss in large part to a one-time impairment-of-goodwill charge of $49.8 million and an additional $7.1 million charge on fleet aircraft available for sale. In the same period a year ago the company posted a loss of $7.6 million. While the first-quarter results exceeded company guidance, new president Jeff Roberts said Erickson “cannot be satisfied” with it.

“We continue to focus on the need to increase our revenue, improve our cost structure and drive significant, sustainable free cash flow. We are taking strategic actions and making investments in our business to improve results,” Roberts said.

Quarterly revenue was $66.2 million, a decline of $8 million, or 10.8 percent, from the prior year. While the company’s manufacturing and MRO businesses continued to grow, with revenue climbing to $7 million from $2.7 million during the prior-year period, revenue from government and commercial helicopter contracts continued to fall, to $62.8 million from $67.8 million a year ago. Erickson ascribed the reduction in government revenue in large part to a scaleback in the company’s operations in Afghanistan.

Erickson reduced capital spending to $5.7 million compared with $17.5 million in the prior-year period. As of March 31 this year, it had $103.9 million drawn on its revolving credit facility (excluding the letters of credit) and $2.9 million in cash on its balance sheet.

Bell Helicopter (Booth U029) and AgustaWestland (Booth S141) are the only rotorcraft manufacturers exhibiting here this year. Both are stressing the importance of the European market, despite its slow dynamics.

Bell is showcasing a Bell 429 with a VVIP interior designed by Italy-based Mecaer Aviation Group. Mecaer has developed the I-FEEL (In-Flight Entertainment Enhanced Lounge) cabin system to “provide a fully customized interactive touchscreen-based entertainment and cabin management system consisting of audio, video, moving maps, laptop, camera and cabin functions.” The VVIP interior Mecaer and Bell first exhibited last year will be available through an EASASTC.

Bell is expanding its cabin equipment, offering satellite communications, USB plugs, lighting controls, smart, dimmable windows etc. for its entire product range. With the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X, “We start at the lower end and we attract a lot of corporate/VIP customers,” Chuck Evans, director of marketing and sales, told AIN. The 407GXP, introduced at Heli-Expo 2015 in March, features a more powerful engine and an avionics upgrade for better pilot awareness. “More appealing paint schemes and the club seating layout are appealing to these customers,” Evans said.

At the other end of the gamut, Bell engineers have designed interiors for the Bell 525 Relentless heavy twin. “It has generated more interest than expected for VIP/corporate applications; the sky is the limit. It opens up a lot of possibilities for extremely high-net-worth individuals,” Evans noted.

Meanwhile, AgustaWestland is displaying the GrandNew light twin, the AW169 superlight twin and the AW139 medium twin. Well ahead of certification, the AW169 has already logged more than 150 orders (including options and framework contracts), many of them for corporate transport purposes, Emilio Dalmasso, AgustaWestland senior v-p commercial business unit, told AIN.

AgustaWestland has developed dedicated entertainment systems. “These would include, for example, iPad wireless control, lighting control, in-flight information and special audio/video devices,” Dalmasso said. The company has opened a specialized design center at its Vergiate factory.

Last year, AgustaWestland showcased an AW169 interior by design studio Lanzavecchia and Wei. “It allowed us to assess a new way to meet evolving customization needs, joining forces with designers well established in fields other than aeronautics,” Dalmasso said. Some components are now being engineered, such as variable lighting customized to the mission profile.

The manufacturer is also investing in customer support. “Delivery schedule adherence on urgent orders has increased to 75 percent and we aim at reaching 90 percent by year-end,” Dalmasso said. All high-rotation parts are delivered in 12 days, and this will be cut to six days during 2015, he said. “We’ve reached a 25 percent reduction of lead time for major inspections,” Dalmasso added.

He also emphasized the AW609 tiltrotor must be taken into account for a longer-term projection of “how we see the future of passenger transport.”

Last year, Bell delivered 10 helicopters in corporate/VIP configurations in Europe, the global total being around 60. This is higher than the number AgustaWestland quoted–approximately 40 helicopters. Nevertheless, the latter company believes it holds a 65 percent market share in the multiengine segment.

Specifically talking about Europe, AgustaWestland’s Dalmasso said the corporate market is “still not so dynamic, with some exceptions, and is undergoing different trends.” In his view, countries such as the UK have “started recovering” with a steadily expanding role for rotorcraft.

Other traditional markets are “basically stable,” particularly in southern Europe. Eastern Europe shows some potential with steady growth. “However, although the European market is not that active at this stage, no one can underestimate its relevance, and it still is a reference point for us. It is extremely important with respect to regulations and safety standards, and it’s a benchmark for other markets across the globe,” Dalmasso concluded.

Bell’s Evans essentially echoed his counterpart. “So far the helicopter industry is off to another slow start and Europe has been hit even harder,” he said. He referred to the corporate/VIP market in Russia and the CIS, which has slowed down. But all this does not change Bell’s commitment to the European market, he emphasized.

The first Bell 429 full-flight simulator is to be installed in Valencia, Spain, through cooperation between Bell Helicopter and TRU Simulation+Training (both Textron companies). It will be the initial platform in a newly created Bell Helicopter training center, itself housed at the Textron Aviation Service Center in Valencia. The simulator is scheduled to be operational in 2016. Europe has accounted for about one quarter of the 429’s sales so far.

The Bell 429 helicopter on display here at EBACE this week (Booth U029) features the new MAGnificent luxury interior developed by Mecaer Aviation Group. The completions package for the light twin is intended to offer a new level of comfort and functionality for passengers in the cabin.

One of the main breakthroughs is Mecaer’s Silens technology for reducing interior cabin noise. This is based on a capsule installed between the airframe and cabin interior that is only attached via the floor and forward and aft bulkheads. By avoiding contact with the ceiling, less noise gets into the cabin from the 429’s engines.

“It means that passengers can comfortably have conversations in the cabin and enjoy movies and music without having to use headsets,” Grayson Barrows, Mecaer’s director of marketing and sales, told AIN. The company has applied the Silens technology to several rotorcraft models and may seek to introduce it for fixed wing aircraft too.

Also new from Mecaer is its I-Feel (Inflight Entertainment Enhanced Lounge), which allows passengers to get online and control entertainment and other cabin systems from their personal electronic devices. These include the electro-chromic windows that can be adjusted to avoid glare from sunlight and the environmental control systems. The dual-pane windows also reduce noise in the cabin and ensure passenger privacy.

The cabin interiors were developed by Mecaer’s design studio in Rome. It will be optional equipment for the Bell 429, available through a supplementary type certificate.

There are now around 50 Bell 429s based in Europe. In addition to the VIP configuration, the helicopter can also be used for a variety of emergency medical and parapublic applications.

“Despite the debt crisis and the challenging environment the industry currently faces, Europe remains the first world’s largest economic region,” said Patrick Moulay, Bell’s global sales and marketing vice president. “There is a large market across all our mission segments, the largest section of our installed fleet in the continent being the corporate/VIP segments.”

The FAA this week published a new airworthiness directive (2015-SW-014-AD) governing the inspection intervals to check for cracks on the main rotor spindles of piston-and turbine-powered Enstrom helicopters, effective June 2. The FAA is shortening the mandated initial inspection interval to 1,500 hours time-in-service (TIS) from the previous requirement of 5,000 hours it imposed on an emergency basis in February (2015-04-51) following the fatal crash of an Enstrom 280FX in Erie, Colo., on January 26. A preliminary investigation indicated that a spindle crack at the last thread of the retention nut threads caused the main rotor to separate from that helicopter.

The emergency AD required magnetic particle inspections (MPI) on spindles with more than 5,000 hours and that the results be reported back to the FAA. Twenty percent of the spindles inspected had evidence of cracks, including those with less than 5,000 hours TIS, prompting the FAA to revise the AD and impose the 1,500-hour limit and order that the MPI be conducted before further flight. The FAA estimates the AD will affect 323 helicopters in the U.S., with inspections costing $1,318 and spindle replacement another $8,164 per helicopter. 

Turkish operator Saran Aviation has become the European launch customer for Bell Helicopter’s 407GXP single. The aircraft will be outfitted for corporate and VIP charter missions.

Bell launched the 407GXP at the HeliExpo show in March. It gives customers an additional 50 pounds of payload and, thanks to its Rolls-Royce M250 turboshaft engine improved fuel efficiency and hot and high performance. The cockpit includes new features such as an improved hover performance calculator system. The transmission has a time-between-overhaul extension of 500 hours, reducing maintenance costs.

“We are thrilled to be the first customer in Europe to purchase a Bell 407GXP and spearhead the region with some of the most advanced technology on the market,” said Jakub Hoda, Saran Aviation’s vice president and managing director of European sales. “This aircraft will provide us effective transport in the environments we often experience around Istanbul.”