The True Blue Power TB17 (17 amp-hour) lithium-ion engine-start battery will power the new Bell 505 Jet Ranger X.

The TB17 battery utilizes proprietary nanophosphate lithium-ion cell chemistry. It weighs less than 16 pounds, offers a 45 percent weight savings, increased payload and 60 to 90 percent reduced maintenance costs compared to lead-acid and nickel-cadmium alternatives. The battery system is designed with several layers of protection and communicates real-time battery status to the pilot.

“The advanced technology on the Bell 505–especially its innovative Turbomeca Arrius 2R engine–relies on a high-power, low-maintenance battery that is ideal for rugged environments. This includes extreme low and high-temperature conditions,” said True Blue Power division manager Rick Slater. “Our lithium-ion battery delivers that and more.”

Here at Heli-Expo 2016 Bell Helicopter announced several recent deliveries and orders that took place last month.

The Fort Worth-based helicopter OEM delivered the first Bell 412EPI with an advanced flight deck and glass cockpit to the government of Uttar Pradesh in India.

Also for India, Bell announced the first purchase of a Bell407GXP, by Premair, an air charter/management company. The helicopter will be fitted for corporate and VIP transport.

At the Singapore Air Show, Bell’s leadership team signed an agreement for the purchase of a Bell 407GXP to be delivered to Simrik Air Nepal. The helicopter will be the first of the model in Nepal and will be outfitted for multi-mission capabilities, including travel and tourism.

Genesys Aerosystems and Aspen Avionics have agreed to work together on a supplemental type certificate (STC) for use of Aspen’s EFD Evolution Pro 1000H glass display as the primary attitude source for the Genesys HeliSAS helicopter stability augmentation system. The Aspen 1000H is equipped with an integral air data computer and attitude heading reference system (ADAHRS) and has been optimized for helicopter usage.

“This give helicopter operators the ability to eliminate problem-prone mechanical gyros with a long-lasting solid-state unit,” said Genesys director of sales and marketing Jamie Luster. “Both the Aspen Evolution Pro 1000H and the HeliSAS are already STC’d for installation on a wide array of helicopters, so what we’re doing now is obtaining the approvals to integrate the two together.”

Genesys is expecting an STC for the HeliSAS/Aspen package on the Robinson R44 shortly, followed by the Bell 206, then additional helicopters. Genesys already uses its own remote ADAHRS with Garmin’s G500 for an approved data source, as well as another system.

Global aerospace and defense contractor AAR Airlift (Booth 2604) has launched a rotorcraft services business division to provide aftermarket support for helicopter operators including parts sales, engineering and total lifecycle support programs.

Known for its ability to operate and maintain helicopters in less-than-optimal locations around the world, AAR Airlift’s rotorcraft services will leverage that in-house expertise, along with the company’s MRO capabilities, global supply chain network and modification skills, to offer similar services to outside customers, according to the Illinois-based company, which has owned and operated its own fleet of fixed-and rotary-wing aircraft for more than a decade. In locations as demanding as Afghanistan and Africa, AAR has performed missions with a fleet that includes the Sikorsky S-92 and S-61N, the Bell 214ST and 412, Airbus Helicopters 330J Puma and Finmeccanica AW189. AAR through its Airinmar subsidiary also manages component repair for CHC Helicopter’s fleet of more than 200 aircraft.

Airbus Helicopters is partnering with Thales (Booth 11560) and Helisim to develop a Level D full flight simulator (FFS) for the new H160 medium twin. The first H160FFS will be installed at Helisim in Marignane, France, with additional simulators added worldwide as needed, according to Bernard Fujarski, head of the H160 program for Airbus Helicopters. The H160FFS will be based on the Thales Reality H series.

Separately, Thales announced the opening in January of its Reality H-based Level D simulator for the Airbus H225 at its training center in Stavanger, Norway, for its launch customers, Blueway Norway and Denmark’s Dancopter. The H225 simulator is equipped with the Hexaline all-electric motion system and the ThalesView visual system. The training in Stavanger, for the first time, includes integrated search-and-rescue training.

Making its debut as a Lockheed Martin company at this year’s Heli-Expo, Sikorsky is looking to re-energize its business, as it aims to leverage the newfound synergies realized in its recent merger. “We at Lockheed Martin have been looking at how do we grow in this really complicated world,” said Sikorsky Aircraft president Dan Schultz, who is attending his first commercial helicopter show. He was tapped to lead the company after the completion of the rotorcraft manufacturer’s purchase last November. “We are 100 percent committed to the commercial helicopter market.”

In his media address Tuesday morning, Schultz, previously vice president of Lockheed Martin’s ship and aviation systems business line and a former U.S. Marine Corps helicopter pilot, noted the two companies were not exactly strangers to each other at the time of purchase, having collaborated on several projects in the past, including the SH-60 Seahawk and the VH-92 presidential helicopter.

He pointed to areas such as automation, automated logistics and geo-synchronized satellite data as areas where the two manufacturers’ abilities will meet. “We’re bringing technology to this area where we have not had OEM capability for helicopters in the past.”

Addressing the major issue currently impacting the industry Dana Fiatarone, Sikorsky’s vice president of commercial systems and services, noted, “I will tell you the oil-and-gas market is down. That’s not a secret; Sikorsky was impacted by that not unlike the rest of the OEMs.” Despite that downturn, Sikorsky announced here at the show that it has received an order for five S-76Ds and two S-92s from Thai Aviation Services to renew its fleet of offshore transports.

While the rotorcraft manufacturer’s deliveries were down more than 50 percent in 2015 compared with the previous year, Fiatarone recalled the last occasion such a downturn occurred, as well as the swift recovery the industry experienced. “I would love to tell you that’s going to happen again this time, but I don’t know,” he told the audience. “What we want do in the interim is make certain that we create a level of flexibility so that when the market does rebound we have the capacity to support our customer requirements as they come in.”

In the meantime, Sikorsky is looking to increase its footprint in other segments.

“We can’t forget that there are customers out there as well,” said Fiatarone, “so we have dedicated sales teams out there looking at search-and-rescue opportunities, emergency medical services opportunities and VIP opportunities, and we think we have two terrific products in the S-76D and the S-92 in particular to meet those needs.”

Looking ahead, Sikorsky has already had discussions with its new ownership regarding the expansion of the company’s product line, “whether that’s a medium aircraft, a lighter aircraft or significant upgrades to our existing portfolio,” Fiatarone stated.

Among the milestones the company expects to achieve this year is one million flight hours in its S-92 fleet (in operation since 2004) and the 10,000-flight-hour mark by the S-76D (entered service in 2014). In the more than three decades since its introduction, the S-76 family has logged more than 7 million flight hours.

This week HAI announced the first four helicopter operators to be certified under its newly launched accreditation program of safety (APS), an audit-based system that focuses on mission-specific standards. Introduced at the beginning of the year, the voluntary program is derived from the International Business Aviation Council’s (IBAC) widely accepted International Standard for Business Aviation Operators (IS-BAO); HAI partnered with IBAC to modify the standard, to tailor it specifically to helicopter operations.

The new HAI-APS is available only to HAI members who are currently IS-BAO certified or will be simultaneously pursuing both certifications, as IS-BAO registration is a requisite for the new HAI standard. While most regulations are designed to meet the minimum standards of safety, the new program will allow operators to achieve and promote a higher degree of safety, according to HAI.

The association is offering the program–scalable for any size operation–as a benefit for members, so cost is limited to basically administration costs by the association to make it affordable for even the smallest operators. “[It’s] not a revenue mechanism for HAI. We’re doing the whole thing for cost,” noted HAI president and CEO Matt Zuccaro, adding that small operators with five or fewer helicopters account for about 75 percent of his organization’s membership.

“One thing that we wanted to do when we designed this program [was] to bring an accreditation and SMS safety program to the smallest operators out there,” said Dennis Pratte, HAI’s director of safety, noting that HAI charges just $250 for its portion of the standard. Additional initial costs include the IS-BAO manuals ($1,200) and certification ($750) plus the audit fees. For a small operation the total cost will be less than $2,000 a year for accreditation. Fees are fixed for medium and large operators as well. Unlike IBAC, HAI will assign an auditor, based upon the needs of the operator. Provided prospective candidates conduct a fair amount of preparation, the HAI portion of the audit can be conducted on site in one day, said Pratte, noting that HAI will provide mentoring and review the standards compliance with operators to help them prepare for the audit.

The four initial operators recognized include Paradise Helicopters (air tours), Brainerd Helicopters (DBA Firehawk Helicopters, external-load/heavy-lift), Papillon Helicopters (air tour), and Life Flight Network (helicopter air ambulance). Another 10 certifications are currently in progress. Provided all the standards are requested and audited at the same time, the $250 fee will cover multiple mission standards for multi-use operators if they meet the audit requirements.
 

Stephan/H (Booth 12440) of Montreal is debuting its new fire-resistant version of its Rotor flight suit, designed for both helicopter and fixed-wing pilots, at Heli-Expo 2016.

Like the original Rotor flight suit, which is not fire resistant, the Rotor Fire Resistant flight suit features flexible shoulder, elbow, knee and back inserts. The suits have a 100-percent cotton lining for additional comfort and the pockets are mesh-lined. The fire-resistant fabric is a mix of 93 percent Nomex, 5 percent Kevlar and 2 percent P140. Because it is woven into the fabric, the Nomex fire-resistant protection is not diminished by washing or bleach.

Both the Rotor (non-fire-resistant) and Rotor Fire Resistant flight suits are available as two-piece suits. The Rotor is offered in six colors and the Rotor Fire Resistant in six. Stephan/H also offers a two-piece Rotor Medic flight suit (non-fire-resistant) with special features. It is available in the same six colors as the Rotor suit. All the suits may be customized for an additional cost.

Stephan/H is offering the Rotor Fire Resistant suit for $395, a 20-percent discount off list price, for suits ordered before March 31, 15 percent off if ordered before April 30 and 10 percent off if ordered before May 31.

Stephan/H (Booth 12440) of Montreal is debuting its new fire-resistant version of its Rotor flight suit, designed for both helicopter and fixed-wing pilots, at Heli-Expo 2016.

Like the original Rotor flight suit, which is not fire resistant, the Rotor Fire Resistant flight suit features flexible shoulder, elbow, knee and back inserts. The suits have a 100-percent cotton lining for additional comfort and the pockets are mesh-lined. The fire-resistant fabric is a mix of 93 percent Nomex, 5 percent Kevlar and 2 percent P140. Because it is woven into the fabric, the Nomex fire-resistant protection is not diminished by washing or bleach.

Both the Rotor (non-fire-resistant) and Rotor Fire Resistant flight suits are available as two-piece suits. The Rotor is offered in six colors and the Rotor Fire Resistant in six. Stephan/H also offers a two-piece Rotor Medic flight suit (non-fire-resistant) with special features. It is available in the same six colors as the Rotor suit. All the suits may be customized for an additional cost.

Stephan/H is offering the Rotor Fire Resistant suit for $395, a 20-percent discount off list price, for suits ordered before March 31, 15 percent off if ordered before April 30 and 10 percent off if ordered before May 31.

CAE (Booth 8133) has entered into a conditional agreement to acquire Lockheed Martin’s Commercial Flight Training (LMCFT) business. LMCFT makes a variety of simulators, lately for Airbus and Boeing aircraft. “We look forward to servicing an expanded customer installed base with this relatively small bolt-on acquisition and view positively the opportunity to pick up certain useful assets and to create synergies with our existing business,” said Marc Parent, president and CEO of CAE. CAE has 160 sites and training locations in 35 countries and the world’s largest installed base of flight simulators.

Aviation Specialties Unlimited (ASU, Booth 2000) announced that Canada’s Adele Dobler is this year’s Whirly-Girls scholarship recipient. This scholarship will give Dobler, from Victoria, British Columbia, the opportunity to gain critical training to further her career as a pilot. This is the sixth year that ASU has sponsored a Whirly-Girls scholarship.

Dobler, who previously won the Whirly-Girls advanced mountain training course in 2013, has been a civil pilot since 2009. After training on the R22 at Coast Helicopter College, she moved to northern Alberta to work as a thermographer. She then moved back to British Columbia to take a job with HeliJet International.

“Supporting women in the aviation business is something ASU is very passionate about,” stated co-owner and CFO Chris Atwood. “Sponsoring this scholarship provides educational opportunities each year for women in our industry. This is one way ASU liked to invest in the future.”

Data communications and analytics provider Guardian Mobility (Booth 7532) has named Mid-Canada Mod Center (MC2) as an authorized dealer, which will allow the Canadian company to offer Guardian Mobility’s satellite-based aircraft tracking and business intelligence solutions, including flight data monitoring.

“This product line provides an excellent value to aircraft fleet operators worldwide, and we see demand for such technology on the rise,” noted MC2 vice president Bill Arsenault. “As and where needed we will work with GMI to develop market-first STCs that incorporate their technology in useful, demand-driven mods.”

“We are excited to be working with the MC2 team of professionals,” said Guardian Mobility COO Stephane Momy. “They have a stellar reputation that has been built over the years by providing the best service and support to their global aviation customers.”

Spidertracks (Booth 12139) is introducing four new features to its aircraft tracking software with a view to providing operators with more useful data to help them to improve the way they do business. The new benefits include enhanced safety management capabilities, some basic flight data monitoring, operational messaging and the tools to help operators make better use of their resources.

Spidertxt 2 is a new two-way operational messaging system that operates through a smartphone to the Spidertracks platform. What is new with this feature is that customers can bundle messages in advance and reduce costs by more than 87 percent. The feature works with iOS and Android devices, and global coverage is available through the Iridium satellite network.

The Virtual FDR feature is a flight data monitoring add-on for Spider 6 and 7 systems that captures data on nine axes (three-axis gyro, accelerometer and compass) at 1-Hz sampling rates. The operator can transfer the data from the Spider system to a cloud-based platform.

The new Scheduling unit allows operators to schedule aircraft in advance, assign flight information and other data about a mission. The fourth new feature is Aircraft Tracking as a Service, which is intended for operators logging high numbers of hours.

“As real-time tracking becomes more of a requirement in everyday flying operations around the world, there needs to be more value from providers than just showing where an aircraft is on the map,” commented Spidertracks CEO Dave Blackwell. “We want our users to know how an aircraft is flying when they can’t see it, and we want them to have access to the information they need, like OOOI-type operational messages and upcoming bookings for the aircraft and crew, information that businesses can then use to increase their fleet’s utilization and prevent unnecessary maintenance and repairs.”

Rockwell Collins’s avionics suites for helicopters will see extensive service over the Gulf of Mexico in a pair of Finmeccanica AW189s that recently entered the fleet of U.S. operator Era Group. Already proven in the European offshore market, the AW189 makes its debut in the Americas supported by Rockwell Collins large-format MFD-2810 displays and its HeliSure HTAWS terrain awareness systems and HSVS synthetic vision capability. The AW189 also features the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 suite of communications and navigation radios and optional TCASII collision avoidance system.

The multi-role AW189 features a 16-seat passenger cabin and what Rockwell Collins describes as the latest in advanced situational awareness technologies to reduce crew workload, optimize mission effectiveness and enhance safety.

Southeast Aerospace (Booth 801) has delivered 22 of 30 heavily modified Bell 407GX helicopters ordered by an undisclosed military customer from outside the U.S. The aircraft, which will be designated as the NSA407MRH, are to be used in a light attack and armed reconnaissance role and will be supplied to the end user by NorthStar Aviation.

Florida-based Southeast Aerospace has refitted the 407s with an extensive package of upgrades including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment, as well as mission and communications systems. Items fitted include digital audio/ICS, UHF/VHF/satcom, IFF transponder, electronic standby instrument, Iridium tracker, radio altimeter, stores and mission management systems, EO/IR sensors and video downlinks, Tacan, NVIS modifications, composite doors and emergency locator transmitter.

Since 2010 Universal Helicopters Inc. (UHI, Booth 4451) has provided helicopter flight training to 150 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) students at the university’s Prescott, Ariz. campus. At Heli-Expo 2016 on Tuesday, Frank Ayers, ERAU chancellor, and Gordan Jiroux, UHI president and CEO, signed an agreement to extend their partnership for an unspecified number of years.

ERAU’s academic curriculum, developed to prepare students for a career in the helicopter industry, includes aviation safety, environmental operations, crew resource management, flight management, flight planning and advanced helicopter operations. UHI’s flight training program takes students from zero time to certified flight instructor.

Jiroux said ERAU, because of its agreement with UHI, is the only university in the U.S. that offers a curriculum that provides a graduate with a four-year college degree in aeronautics and the ratings and flight time needed to pursue employment as a helicopter pilot.

In addition, military veterans who qualify for the post-9/11 “Yellow Ribbon” GI Bill program, can receive Veterans Administration benefits to attend ERAU and take flight training at UHI.

Bell Helicopter has appointed Able Engineering & Component Services as an approved service center. The appointment, announced here at Heli-Expo 2016, covers work on dynamic components through the drivechain of Bell’s aircraft, including the main transmission case assembly, the swashplate assemblies, main rotor hub and tailrotor.

Under the agreement, Able will be a principle support provider for dynamic components on the Bell 429. This will cover all warranty work and scheduled maintenance.

In January, Bell parent group Textron Aviation acquired Able Engineering and its Able Aerospace sister company. Able (Booth 209) provides component repairs and exchanges and replacement parts for around 2,000 commercial rotorcraft and fixed-wing aircraft customers around the world.

“We are very excited about joining the Textron enterprise and the benefits it will bring to our customers,” commented Lee Benson, CEO of Able Engineering & Component Services. “We’ve been working very closely together over the past year to ensure the acquisition by Textron is beneficial to all our stakeholders, and are proud to see our efforts come to fruition.”

Able will continue to provide overhaul and repair support for other aircraft manufacturers, including Finmeccanica Helicopter Division (formerly AgustaWestland), Sikorsky and Airbus Helicopters (for which it is also an approved service center). In some instances, Able supports operators that are doing some of their own repairs. In cases where older parts are not economical to repair or there is no solid supply chain, it manufactures some items itself.

“We’ve expanded our maintenance capability to cover entire helicopters, not just components, so this will include routine inspections, avionics, structural repairs, painting and completions,” Benson explained. “Our pricing has always been very competitive, we have some of the largest parts exchange inventories and we always take time to understand the customer’s perspective and needs. Our mission is to safely reduce aircraft operating costs.”

U.S. Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) will provide the welcome address for the Aerial Firefighting conference, to be held March 22 and 23 in Sacramento, Calif. McCain will address aerial firefighters via a video link. They will also hear from the following industry leaders: U.S. Forest Service assistant aviation services director Art Hinaman, U.S. Department of Interior aviation services director Mark Bathrick, Shane Fitzsimons, commissioner of Australia’s New South Wales Rural Fire Service, and Victor Devouge, head of aerial services at France’s Ministry of Interior.

Timberline Helicopters (Booth 12655) has earned a restricted-category FAA type certificate for the Sikorsky UH-60A Black Hawk. The process took 10 months. The aircraft will be utilized in multi-mission roles including firefighting, transmission/utility line construction, precision lift missions and other heavy-lift operations. Timberline also has a growing list of supplemental type certificates in the works for the Black Hawk. The helicopter has a lifting capacity of 8,000 pounds on the hook.

Timberline’s Black Hawk–N434TH–is on display here at Heli-Expo in Static Space 9. Timberline was founded in 2007 as an aerial logging operation and has expanded into a variety of precision aerial lift services. It also operates the Kaman K-Max helicopter.

Jan Becker, CEO of Becker Helicopters Pilot Academy and a member of the HAI Board of Directors, last year implemented a clever way to increase safety awareness throughout her company, co-owned with her husband Mike, the chief flight instructor. Now the idea is gaining interest among participants in the Rotor Safety Challenge taking place at Heli-Expo 2016.

According to Michael Yip, Becker’s director of maintenance, the prize of the initiative was attendance at Heli-Expo for two winners, one a maintenance technician and the other a flight instructor. These are, respectively, Craig Beardsmore and Jesse Marshall. Their main purpose in coming to the convention is to complete the Rotor Safety Challenge.

Last year all Becker Helicopters Pilot Academy employees were encouraged to accumulate 1,500 minutes of safety-oriented activities, which included doing safety challenge courses, giving presentations, holding safety meetings, mentoring others and creating, showing or otherwise using safety videos. The goal for this year is to accumulate 2,016 “safety” minutes.

Selection of the two “winners” was done by peer recommendations, Yip told AIN. Beardsmore and Marshall said they are very impressed with the Rotor Safety Challenge Courses they had completed as of Wednesday morning.