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Heli-Expo Set To Open at Louisville Venue
The Kentucky International Convention Center is gearing up for the arrival of thousands of visitors to this year’s Heli-Expo, which begins tomorrow with Helicopter Association International...
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Marenco Swisshelicopter Flies Second SKYe Prototype
Marenco Swisshelicopter’s second flight-test SKYe SH09 prototype, dubbed P2, made its maiden flight today from the company’s headquarters at Mollis Airport in Switzerland. The helicopter took off at...
View ArticleBell 525 'Ahead of plan'
Test flying of the new super-medium Bell 525 twin is “ahead of plan,” according to Larry Thimmesch, vice president of the 525 program. A second 525 flight test vehicle (FTV2) joined the program late...
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Airbus Helicopters North American Consolidating in Dallas
For Chris Emerson “everything starts now.” Emerson was appointed president and CEO of Airbus Helicopters, Inc. and head of Airbus Helicopters North America on June 1, 2015. He joined the helicopter...
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FAA Examines Part 27 Certification Issues
FAA veteran Lance Gant was named manager of the Rotorcraft Directorate Aircraft Certification Service in 2015. Under Gant’s administration the Fort Worth aircraft certification service was reorganized,...
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Airbus Helicopters Saw Dwindling Orders, Deliveries in 2015
Orders and deliveries at Airbus Helicopters (Booth 9651) last year fell far below expectations, at a net 333 and 393, respectively, compared to 402 orders and 471 deliveries in 2014. Smaller revenues,...
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Bell 505 Aims for Mid-year Certification
Bell Helicopter is now aiming to have its new short light single Model 505 Jet Ranger X certified in the first half of 2016 and plans a fast production ramp up that could grow to 200 helicopters per...
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Turbomeca Faces 15-percent Drop in Deliveries
Turbomeca is feeling the effects of the helicopter industry’s downturn but is pressing on with the development of several new engine versions. Some programs, however, have been delayed or even shelved....
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Erickson Offering “Full Bandwidth” Solutions
Erickson’s new CEO Jeff Roberts said his experience at the helm of the company has been an “eye-opening 10-month tenure.” Roberts had only been on the job a few months when the company posted a...
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Sikorsky Targeting Variety of Product Segments
Plummeting oil prices have taken a heavy toll on Sikorsky’s commercial helicopter sales. These peaked at $1.5 billion in 2014 but are expected to total about one quarter of that in 2016, at around $375...
View ArticleBell Lifetime Achievement Award Goes to Dana Kerrick
There is something truly special about being recognized for a lifetime of achievements. Dana Kerrick certainly felt that when he received the Bell Helicopter Lifetime Achievement Award here at...
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Complainers Want Higher Helo Base in LA
In the Los Angeles helicopter noise wars, 2,000 feet above ground level (agl) is the magic number, the nirvana of minimum helicopter cruising altitudes, various anti-helicopter groups aligned as the...
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HFTC Secures Approval for Bell 407 Sim
Metro Aviation’s Helicopter Flight Training Center (HFTC) in Shreveport, La., expanded its training options with the recent certification of a Frasca Bell 407 flight-training device (FTD). The...
View ArticlePart 27/29 Rewrite Committee Underway
Government and industry have come together to form an international aviation rulemaking committee (ARC) similar to the recently concluded Part 23 ARC to consider changes to the FAA Part 27/29...
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R66 Leads Robinson Delivery Numbers
Robinson Helicopter delivered 347 aircraft in 2015, a modest increase from the 329 it delivered in 2014. Again deliveries of the turbine R66 led all models by dollar volume with 117 delivered, up from...
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Industry Forwards Helo IFR Recommendations to FAA
A helicopter industry white paper originally released in June 2015 deals with making it easier to facilitate IFR flight in single-engine Part 27 rotorcraft. The paper was formally forwarded to the FAA...
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Frasca Adds More Helicopter Simulators
Simulator manufacturer Frasca International (Booth 9256) has delivered more than 2,600 simulators since its founding in 1958, and its products are seeing growing use in the helicopter industry. Frasca...
View ArticleBristow Deferring Some Deliveries
Oil-and-gas-producer (OGP) operator Bristow Group released its financial results for the quarter ending Dec. 31, 2015, on February 9. Not surprisingly, Bristow reported an OGP revenue decline of $81.2...
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Turbomeca Celebrates 1 Million Hours With USCG
Last December, Turbomeca celebrated a milestone with one of its best customers, the U.S. Coast Guard. At the USCG Aviation Logistics Center in Elizabeth City, N.C., the company marked 1 million hours...
View ArticleBell Donates Parts to Aeronautical Tech School
Last month, Bell Helicopter donated more than 30,000 parts and other items from its Mirabel, Quebec, Canada production facility to Canada’s national aerotechnical school the École nationale...
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