Professional Documents
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February 2016 PDF
February 2016 PDF
After 10 Years,
Have We Failed?
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F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6 | R OTO R & W I N G I N T E R N AT I O N A L 3
Editor’s Notebook
By James T. McKenna
jmckenna@accessintel.com What Do We Do Now?
P
eople’s eyes glaze over when “safety” seen experts point to the sawtooth patterns
enters the conversation, I’ve been of annual accident numbers and ask what evi-
warned. Bear with me. I believe we dence we have of steady gains.)
need to spend some time on the topic. Confronted with the prospect of failing to
This year brings the deadline the industry set reach its goal, IHST two years ago set a new
for itself in 2005 to achieve a dramatic change in one: to achieve zero accidents. Do IHST’s lead-
safety: an 80% reduction in the civil helicopter ers intend to alter the approach and tactics that
accident rate. failed to hit the 80% mark in pursuing this more
That was a monumental challenge to take on, ambitious goal?
as everyone involved knew at the time. Scores Some other questions come to mind.
of volunteers around the world have dedi- Since its earliest days of data analysis, IHST
cated themselves for years to its pursuit. While has said the biggest categories of helicopter
we, as an industry, will miss our goal, those accidents involve instructional and training
volunteers—working under the occasionally ill- flights, personal and recreational flights and
fitting structure of the International Helicopter aerial application missions.
Safety Team (IHST)—have contributed greatly to Refer to a frequently cited IHST chart, “Per-
enhancing helicopter safety. centage of Accidents by Activity,” and you will
Collectively, they have raised awareness of see that these three categories account for more
safety issues throughout the world. than 40% of accidents. (Two other activities,
As members of specific working groups and “positioning/return to base” and “passenger/
project teams, they have researched and ana- cargo,” round out the top five; with them, the
lyzed helicopter accidents. rate is roughly 66%.)
Drawing on the results of that research and I’ve followed IHST since its launch. I under-
analysis, they have sorted out best practices. stand how the data crunchers came up with
They have fielded toolkits and checklists and this data and why they sorted it in this way. I
wouldn’t presume to second-guess their work.
But it seems that this chart fosters a focus on the
‘Land the Damn Helicopter’ excuses individual pilot.
Is that where it belongs?
us from asking tough safety questions Look at the data differently. How many acci-
dents involve flights by “professional” pilots—
those commercially rated or paid to fly? The
training aids to promote the use of those best number nears 90% if you exclude all the per-
practices. Most recently, the European Helicop- sonal/recreational flying.
ter Safety Team (part of IHST) released a new Going forward, should we not pay more
risk assessment toolkit for helicopter pilots and attention to how these pilots are trained and fly
operators. than to the performance of the weekend fliers?
These volunteers have built, staffed and In a related vein, what is the benefit going
supported safety teams in most regions of the forward of the slogan HAI launched in 2013?
globe. They have organized and conducted “Land the Damn Helicopter” would seem to
regional and international safety symposiums, be discredited by numerous accident investiga-
followed up on action items from those teams tions, not the least of which are the recent ones
and events and built momentum toward of the Alaska State Police and the New Mexico
improving helicopter safety. State Police, which identified organizational
We have, however, missed our target. This cultures that spurred pilots not only to fly when
year is very likely to have a total accident rate they shouldn’t, but to continue those flights.
significantly short of an 80% reduction and (if If “landing the damn helicopter” were so
past performance holds) a fatal accident rate on easy, all pilots would do it. The key question is,
par with each of the last 10 years. what factors lead them not to land but to end
Worse than that is the possibility that we up crashing? That slogan is an excuse not to ask
haven’t achieved any sustained success in such questions.
reducing the accident rate. (I’ve seen the charts How does that approach fit with the essential
that show a declining trend line. But I’ve also work that makes this industry safer?
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Military
Features
32 After 10 Years, Have We Failed?
Commercial
36 Flight Reports
The FAA’s new air ambulance data requirements have
received pushback from wary operators even as flight
Public Service
44 Heliport Insurance
Covering risks at your heliport requires an assessment
of how and by whom your facility is used.
By Rex Alexander & Larry Mattiello
Advantages to faster aircraft highly depend on
42 several factors. 48 Surving the Post-Crash
Survival gear is important, but knowing how to use
that gear might be even more so. Mastering the basics
of survival and medical care can help save your life in a
difficult situation.
By Mike Hangge
Training
54 Last Flight
The Royal Netherlands Air Force’s Alouette III flew a
variety of missions before retirement.
By Wim Das & Kees Otten
62 Leading Edge
61 Coming Up
63 Hot Products
6 R OTO R & W I N G I N T E R N AT I O N A L | F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 6 W W W. R OTO R A N D W I N G . C O M
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8
? Question of the Month:
What does the term “safety stink” mean to you?
Let us know, and look for responses in a future issue. You’ll ind contact information below.
Do you have comments on the rotorcraft industry or recent articles and viewpoints we’ve published? Send them to: Editor, Rotor & Wing, 9211
Corporate Blvd., Fourth Floor, Rockville, MD 20850-3245, fax us at 301-354-1809 or email us at rotornwing@accessintel.com. Please include a
city and state or province with your name and ratings. We reserve the right to edit all submitted material.
See our website or catalog for the latest in new products, including:
PAT HOST
Associate Editor Pat Host, in five years with our sister publication Defense Daily, has developed a stable of inside
sources to gain access to sensitive documents and stories that impact readers. He has conducted one-on-one
interviews with high-ranking members of the U.S. Congress and American military and executive branch offi-
cials, with a focus on breaking down official policy statements, memos and complex scientific information.
FRANK LOMBARDI
An ATP with both fixed-wing and rotary-wing ratings, Frank began his flying career in 1991 after graduating
with a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering. He worked on various airplane and helicopter programs as
a flight test engineer for Grumman Aerospace Corp. Frank became a police officer for a major East Coast police
department in 1995 and has been flying helicopters in the department’s aviation section since 2000.
WIM DAS
Wim works with Kees Otten for the publishing company Dutch Aviation Media, a project they began as a hobby
15 years ago. Wim, a customer care technician at his local postal service, contributes the editing, photography
and organization of visits to aviation operations around the world. Together with a team of four other contribu-
tors, Wim and Kees deliver articles to various leading European aviation magazines.
KEES OTTEN
Kees is a medical analyst at the Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands and also the primary
author for Dutch Aviation Media. The project brings him and Wim Das to countries all over the world to write
articles and provide photography on aviation operations. Wim and Kees are permanent staff members and
contributors to magazines in the Netherlands, Italy and Hungary.
ARTHUR J. NEGRETTE
Arthur J. Negrette is a Sacramento, California-based lawyer with a practice limited to aviation law. In addition,
he has completed more than 30 years flying both airplanes and helicopters for various military and civil
organizations.
LEE BENSON
Benson is the retired senior pilot for the Los Angeles County, California Fire Department. Before he was named
senior pilot, Benson ran the aviation section’s safety and training programs, including organizing the section’s
yearly safety meeting with other public agencies and the press.
REX J. ALEXANDER
Rex Alexander is a 30-year veteran of military, general and commercial helicopter and fixed-wing aviation.
Currently a senior consultant, member and co-founder of HeliExperts International, he also serves—among
other positions—as a member of the National Fire Protection Assn. committee on the NFPA 418 standard for
heliports and HAI’s Heliport Committee.
LARRY MATTIELLO
Larry Mattiello is the director of aviation for Specialty Aviation Underwriters and co-founder of PalMatt Aviation
Safety and Risk Management LLC. He began his aviation career 36 years ago and specializes in general aviation
and helicopter insurance and safety and risk management. Larry is a commercial/instrument pilot.
RICHARD WHITTLE
Richard Whittle has authored two aviation books, The Dream Machine: The Untold History of the Notorious V-22
Osprey and Predator: The Secret Origins of the Drone Revolution. He is a global fellow in international security
studies at the Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington, D.C., and a Verville Fellow at the Smithso-
nian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum.
Photos courtesy of Bell Helicopter (bottom, left) and the U.S. Army / Visual Information Specialist Pierre-Etienne Courtejoie (bottom, right).
COMMERCIAL
Helicopters to You screen in the right place” also could cause a crack.
No other midair collisions have been confirmed outside the military, though the public
On Jan. 1, the legendary names Agusta has made many assumptions prior to investigations. Flightglobal reported that a drone
and Westland moved from the rolls of may have collided with a “light aircraft” on Aug. 30, 2015, in Norway, though the Norwe-
active helicopter manufacturers to those gian Civil Aviation Authority declined to offer further details. Another alleged collision
of historic ones. between a Piper PA-23 and a drone over Romeoville, Illinois, on Aug. 27, 2015, was found
Parent company Finmeccanica is com- to be a bird strike, according to AVweb. Both incidents involved fixed-wing aircraft.
pleting its 18-month process of central-
izing and integrating the operations of its
diverse aerospace, defense and security
units into one organization that will be
run in a “more consistent, cohesive and
efficient” fashion, according to the com-
pany. The “one company” shift began
shortly after Italy’s government named
Fly
Mauro Moretti in early 2014 as Finmecca-
nica’s CEO with the mandate of stabilizing
after bribery investigations had led to the
departure of two CEOs since 2011.
The change mar ks the end of
AgustaWestland as the name of the com-
pany’s vertical-lift manufacturer. Going
forward, that unit will be called Finmecca- 83otin"
nica-Helicopters. attitude,
altitude,
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Helo-Drone gtj"yrov4
Collision In
Question
The public is still waiting to hear from
SAM,® the MD302 Standby Attitude
investigators whether the first midair SELECTABLE
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ORIENTATION
collision between a drone and helicopter joyvrg "gzzoz{jk2"grzoz{jk2"goxyvkkj2"yrov2"
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On Nov. 23, a Robinson Helicopter R22 ot"gt"gj|gtikj2"83otin"luxsgz4
operated by Los Angeles Helicopters made
FIELD YGS"jkro|kxy"gt"kgy 3zu3ãz2"iusvgiz"
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pilot nor flight instructor saw what hit
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the screen.
The FAA told R&WI that investigations
à{uco0eqo
would determine such things as whether
there was a paint transfer indicating contact
with an artificial object. Keith Newmeyer,
The oil industry slowdown continues to affect the offshore oil rigs since the new year. Other reports,
outlook of global offshore oil and gas rigs, the on the other hand, show the number of operating
number of which is expected to decline this year, Canadian rigs continuing to drop.
according to investment banking firm Evercore ISI. In Brazil, Evercore projected offshore rig numbers
Evercore’s December report showed a lag in could fall below 35, the lowest level in eight years.
retirements, but said they should accelerate this Earlier this month, offshore drilling services provider
year, posing a threat to helicopter operators servicing Ensco said Petrobras had terminated its contract for
the areas. Although the firm reportedly projected the DS-5 deepwater drilling ship.
that spending on offshore rigs could rise later in the Elsewhere, drilling services provider Transocean
year, a sustained increase would require oil prices to in late December said that Shell had ended its con-
stay near $60 a barrel. That number dipped below tract for harsh-environment rig Polar Pioneer; the
$30 Jan. 12 for the first time since December 2003. contract was supposed to have run into July 2017.
In mid-January, BP blamed this new low for thou- Transocean also said that Statoil had ended
sands of its employee layoffs, 600 of which included the contract six months early for the ultra-deep-
jobs in the North Sea. water drilling ship Discoverer Americas because
Despite these reports, a Baker Hughes rig-count of a lack of work for it. The rig had been operat-
analysis showed a slight rise in the number of U.S. ing in the Gulf of Mexico.
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Rotorcraft Report
COMMERCIAL
PUBLIC
COMMERCIAL
✯✯
OP
SAFETY
NZ Aviation,
Farming Leaders
Fight Wire Strikes
Leaders of New Zealand’s aviation and
farmer communities are pressing their
campaign to remove suspended wires
that pose hazards to helicopters and other
agricultural aircraft.
The New Zealand Agricultural Aviation
Assn. launched the “Down to the Wire” ini-
tiative two years ago with the nation’s Civil
Aviation Authority and Federated Farmers
of New Zealand. The latter’s goal is to ask
farmers to remove overhead wires across
gullies and other wires that are not used.
The campaign’s latest ambassador,
according to the news website Stuff.co.nz,
is Shannon Carr; her father, Peter Robb,
died Oct. 28, 2014, after his Hill Country
Helicopters Hughes 500E apparently struck
a wire near Wanganui, about 80 nm north
of Wellington on New Zealand’s North
Island. Carr is one of 29 ambassadors, one
for each pilot killed in a New Zealand wire
strike. She succeeded her father as Hill
Country Helicopters’ CEO.
Washington Insider
New Laws Postpone AH-64 Transfers By Pat Host
T
he fiscal year 2016 appropriations and national Studies think tank in Washington, said
authorization bills signed into law late last last month the extension of the ban on further
year didn’t contain any U.S. Army aviation implementation of the restructuring is intended
bombshells. But they do affect important Army to give the National Commission on the Future of
efforts like the Aviation Restructure Initiative. the Army time to issue its final report, which was
President Barack Obama on Dec. 16 signed scheduled to be released Jan. 28.
into law the 2016 Consolidated Appropriations That commission was created by the fiscal
Act, which provided $573 billion for the Defense 2015 defense authorization act to examine the
Department. Three weeks earlier, he had done Army’s structure and policy assumptions related
the same for Congress’ second attempt at the to its size and force mixture and to make an
2016 National Defense Authorization Act. (The assessment of the size and force structure of
president had vetoed the first attempt after its active and reserve components. It also was
Republicans stuffed the wartime spending charged specifically with examining the transfer
account, formally known as Overseas Contin- of Guard AH-64s to the Army.
gency Operations—or OCO—account, to evade Hunter said he believed the “little delay” on
sequestration budget caps.) further restructuring implementation inserted
The defense authorization act extends by into this year’s defense authorization act was to
about three months, from the end of March to the allow lawmakers to “outsource” any hard deci-
end of June, during which the Army is barred from sions on the restructuring to the commission.
transferring more than 48 Boeing AH-64 Apaches “I think the commission’s recommendation
from the Army National Guard to the active Army will be highly influential,” he said.
and from preparing more than 48 for transfer. The Army told R&WI the Guard had transferred
It also bars the Army secretary and defense 24 Apaches to the 1st Combat Aviation Brigade
secretary through June 30 from reducing person- of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley,
nel related to any Army National Guard Apaches Kansas, in October. The next 24 Guard Apaches
to below the levels in place on Sept. 30, 2014. Any are scheduled to be transferred to the 25th Infan-
personnel cuts require the defense secretary’s try Division’s 25th Combat Aviation Brigade at
certification that the transfers would not create Wheeler Army Air Field, Hawaii, next month.
unacceptable risk to the strategic depth or regen- Army brass calculated a restructuring initia-
eration capabilities of the Army and of the Army tive could cut $12 billion up front and another $1
National Guard in its role as the combat reserve billion annually because the service ultimately
of the Army. would own about 700 fewer aircraft.
Moving Apaches from the Guard to the Army Hunter said he believes the Army is making
is part of the Aviation Restructure Initiative. The time and is poised to further transfer aircraft once
Army plans to alter its rotorcraft fleets by mov- the national commission issues its report. He said
ing Apaches from reserve to active units while that report should give the service a good read as
retiring Bell Helicopter OH-58D Kiowa Warriors, to whether Congress will allow it to move forward
among other aircraft shuffling. on restructuring.
The Army would trade its Sikorsky Aircraft The president and lawmakers in November
H-60 Black Hawks for the Guard’s Apaches. Addi- also agreed to lift sequestration caps for 2016 and
tionally, the Army is retiring its Bell TH-67 Creek 2017 on both defense and non-defense spend-
single-engine trainers in favor of Airbus Helicop- ing, but their two-year budget deal only allowed
ters’ twin-engine UH-72A Lakota, as part of the for $607 billion to be spent on defense in the
restructuring. current fiscal year—$5 billion less than the presi-
Andrew Hunter, director of defense-industrial dent’s budget requested and authorized in the
initiatives at the Center for Strategic and Inter- initial defense authorization act.
Program Insider
Russia Issues Mi-38 The current plan includes upgrades of existing Chi-
nooks and new-build aircraft for regular Army and
Type Certificate special forces units.
R
ussian Helicopters said it plans to start
serial production of its Mil Mi-38 following Chinese Coast Guard Ship
its receipt Dec. 30, 2015, of Russian type China reportedly has finished building a second,
certification of the medium, multi-role helicopter. 13,200-ton-displacement coast guard ship fitted for
The Mi-38 was designed by the Mil Moscow helicopter operations for deployment in the South
Helicopter Plant; Kazan Helicopters is assembling China Sea. A sister ship is said to have been patrol-
fuselages for the serial- ling the East China Sea since its completion in 2015.
production aircraft.
The head of Rus- Brazilian Upgrade
sia’s Federal Air Trans- Airbus Helicopters’ subsidiary in Brazil, Helibras,
portation Agency, has delivered to that nation’s army the first AS365
Alexander Neradko, upgraded to the K2 configuration entirely within
presented the type the country. The army already is operating two
certificate to Russian new-build Panther K2s.
Helicopters CEO Alex-
ander Mikheev today More Afghan MD-530Fs
during a ceremony at MD Helicopters said last month it had received a
the Mil Moscow Heli- firm, fixed-price contract to build and deliver 12
copter Plant. MD-530Fs with enhanced mission equipment to
The manufacturer Afghanistan’s air force from the U.S. Army’s Non-
Production of the newly certificated
said the helicopter has been designed to Russian Standard Rotary-Wing Project Office. The com-
Mi-38 is expected to start this year.
Photo courtesy of Russian AP-29 standards, which it said equate to European pany delivered the first 12 of the Cayuse Warrior
Helicopters Aviation Safety Agency Certification Specification scout attack helicopters to support operations
29 and U.S. Federal Aviation Regulations Part 29. last year.It said it also has upgraded five MD-530F
Testing to support flight certification involved trainers in Afghanistan to the Cayuse Warrior
two Mi-38 prototypes fitted with Klimov TV7-117V configuration.
engines, which had achieved certification earlier
this year. South Africa Upgrades
The Mi-38 is positioned between the Mi-8 and Denel Aviation is finishing avionics and navi-
the Mi-26, the world’s heaviest-lift helicopter. Dur- gation upgrades to the last four of 39 South
ing the 14th FAI World Helicopter Championship, African Air Force Oryx helicopters and projects
the Mi-38 set a world record for helicopters with the work will be done by the end of this month.
takeoff weight of 22,000 to 44,000 lb (10,000- The company won a 492-million-Rand, fixed-
20,000 kg) by climbing to an altitude of 28, 215 ft price, fixed-term contract in 2007 to upgrade
(8,600 m). the medium utility helicopters’ onboard avi-
onics and navigation systems. The work origi-
PROGRAM UPDATES nally was to be completed by June 2012. The
upgrade is part of a project to extend the Oryx
Chinook Upgrade Cleared service life to 2020.
U.S. Army leadership has cleared the service to
proceed with a Block 2 upgrade of its Boeing CH-47 Saudi Romeos
and MH-47G fleets in the coming decade, Maj. Sikorsky Aircraft closed a deal in December to sell
Gen. Michael Lundy told an Assn. of the U.S. Army Saudi Arabia 10 MH-60Rs. The U.S. government had
conference Jan. 14 in Arlington, Virginia. Lundy is approved the sale of the “Romeo” anti-submarine
the commanding general of the service’s Aviation Seahawks in May 2015 and estimated the transac-
Center of Excellence and of Fort Rucker, Alabama. tion was worth $1.9 billion.
The longest-running and most tech-focused vertical flight event in the world!
• More than 250 technical papers • Cutting-edge company and
• Award-winning presentations university technical exhibits
• Manufacturer CEO panel • Local industry tours
• Military Program Manager briefings • Grand Awards Banquet
• Professional Development • Student MAV Competitions
People
Metro Aviation appointed Instructor with Instrument and ters and established technical
Becky Ross to second director Multi-Engine Instructor privi- support services for the NH90
of transport leges, joined the company in and TIGER helicopters.
business 2004 as an instructor and was U.S. Army Lt. Col. Kevin
services. most recently the company’s Chaney has
Ross recently director of training. received the
served as FlightSafety International Product Man-
the assistant promoted Daniel MacLellan to ager of the
VP of emergency services SVP of opera- Year award.
for Vidant EastCare in North tions and Chaney is the
Carolina and previously worked will provide manager for
at Metro as a consultant for guidance Aircraft Survivability Equipment
an operation customer. As its and support Countermeasures. He manages
interim program director, Ross to the com- the Advanced Threat Counter-
helped establish financial and pany’s Learn- measures, which is currently
operational processes. Ross ing Center operations, train- installed on CH-47s, and the
is also a registered nurse who ing programs and interaction Common Infrared Countermea-
earned an MBA in 2003. with global aviation regulatory sure, which is currently being be
Ball Aerospace & Technolo- agencies. He also will provide tested for the U.S. Army’s rotary-
gies Corp. customer service and lead the wing fleet.
promoted Dr. company’s entry into service of Rober t A. Gordon has
Mike Gaza- flight simulators. At the com- been named Keystone Tur-
rik to VP for pany, he held various positions, bine Services, LLC’s sales and
engineer- including worldwide sales service manager. Gordon has
ing and Jeff director and regional marketing more than 27 years of experi-
Osterkamp manager. ence maintaining and repair-
to VP for mis- Boeing appointed Heidi ing helicopters and gas turbine
sion assur- B. Capozzi as corporate SVP. engines. He has supported the
ance. Gazarik, Capozzi will replace the com- U.S. Army’s OH-58D helicopter
previously pany’s retiring human resources programs for the past 15 years,
Ball’s technol- leader, Tony Parasia, in March. most recently with the Army
ogy director, was an associate She currently leads the team National Guard Aviation Sup-
administrator for the Space that identifies and develops port Facility in Jackson, Tennes-
Technology Mission Director- emerging leadership talent see. He also holds an Airframe
ate at NASA. Osterkamp spent within the company and has and Powerplant License.
more than 30 years at Ball, with held senior human resources Canada’s Maxcraft Avionics
previous roles in executive positions within Boeing Com- Ltd. appointed Mitchell Chiang
leadership positions in various mercial Airplanes and Boeing as a business
departments, including the Defense, Space & Security busi- and commer-
National Defense strategic busi- ness units. She also led HR oper- cial special-
ness unit and the component ations, internal services and ist. Chiang’s
technologies business area. quality at Boeing Insitu. experience
Thierry Pierard has been Robert has focused
appointed Sollinger is ZF on avionics
assistant Luftfahrttech- support contract sales. He is a
manager of nik GmbH’s licensed AME-E avionics techni-
FlightSafety new director cian. He most recently served as
Internation- of sales and an avionics technician for Avmax
al’s Learning product development. He has in Vancouver. Previously, he was
Center in Dallas, Texas. Pierard, held international management a partner with Penta Aviation
an FAA Gold Seal Certified Flight positions with Airbus Helicop- Services.
Feb. 29-March 2: Military Radar Summit, Washington, D.C. April 27-30: Aircraft Electronics Assn. Annual Convention and
www.militaryradarsummit.com Trade Show, Orlando, Florida. www.aea.net
Feb. 29-March 3: Heli-Expo 2016, Kentucky Exposition Center, April 28-30: 2016 Army Aviation Mission Solutions Summit,
Louisville, Kentucky. heliexpo.rotor.org Atlanta. www.quad-a.org
March 2-3: UAS West Symposium, San Diego. www.uaswest.com May 2-5: Xponential (AUVSI), New Orleans, Louisiana.
www.xponential.org
March 8-10: Abu Dhabi Air Expo, United Arab Emirates.
www.abudhabiairexpo.com May 9-13: Naval Helicopter Assn. Symposium 2016, Norfolk,
Virginia. www.navalhelicopterassn.org
March 22-23: Aerial Firefighting International 2016, Sacramento,
California. www.tangentlink.com/event/aerial-firefighting- May 17-19: American Helicopter Society International 72nd
international-2016 Annual Forum and Technology Display, West Palm Beach, Florida.
www.vtol.org/forum
March 22-24: Airborne Law Enforcement Assn. Southeast
Regional Safety Seminar, Indianapolis, Indiana. www.alea.org July 18-23: ALEA Expo 2016, Savannah, Georgia. www.alea.org
March 29-April 3: FIDAE 2016 International Air and Space Fair, Sep. 8-9: Aircraft Electronics Assn. Europe Connect, Irvine,
Santiago, Chile. www.fidae.cl California. www.aea.net/connect
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After 10 Years,
Commercial
Have We
Public Service
Personal | Corporate
successful airline initiative cue following a natural disaster or man-made over landmarks during pricey flights.
catastrophe. A serious highway crash may trig- The most troubling face of our industry,
Early IHST actions focused ger calls that lead to the spectacle at the scene however, is the one like the image on this page.
on private pilots and flight and on TV of traffic cleared and halted for an air It is the image of a crushed, crumpled, possibly
instructors ambulance landing. burned helicopter on a hillside or street, in a field
We see in the news the dance of helicopters or a forest, with accompanying details of surviv-
The U.S. team will host an dousing wildfires and the charge of others car- ing family and friends of the aircraft’s occupants.
infrastructure summit this rying troops into combat and bearing wounded If you track helicopter news on a daily basis,
month. from the field. as I have for more than seven years, you will find
Services
that the most common reference given to the The image will not be redeemed at all
public through newspapers, television and the by a 10-year industry campaign to cut the ‘Safety and the
Internet is to a helicopter and a crash. world’s helicopter accident rate by 80%. The Bottom Line’
The U.S. Helicopter Safety
It might be the Dec. 15, 2015, crash depicted International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST)
Team will host a safety sym-
here (of an Airbus Helicopters AS350B3 in Supe- was launched with that goal in late 2005. The posium in Louisville at the
rior, Arizona), which killed the pilot and a flight 10-year mark is this year, and there is wide- start of Heli-Expo 2016.
nurse and severely injured a flight paramedic. spread agreement that we will miss the goal. The theme is “Safety and
It may have been the collision three years IHST’s performance will be the subject of the Bottom Line,” according
ago of an AgustaWestland AW109 in poor vis- some discussion at Heli-Expo 2016, which starts to the U.S. arm of the Inter-
ibility with a London office building; that crash Feb. 29 in Louisville, Kentucky. That discussion national Helicopter Safety
Team. The event is to include
killed the pilot and a man on the ground. will touch on why the international effort fell
presentations on how safety
short of its top-level goal and how it should initiatives and the foster-
‘Damaging and Dangerous’ change in pursuing its new goal of establishing ing of a safety culture can
It might have been the June 2015 crash of a a culture throughout this industry that tolerates result in a more profitable
Bell Helicopter 206B near Ouro Preto in Brazil’s no accidents. operation. It also will include
state of Minas Gerais; a crewmember and two This review of IHST’s work and the state of its a panel discussion on cost-
passengers died after that crash. efforts is based on interviews and conversations effective safety initiatives.
The symposium is sched-
Specific details aside, this is a chronic image. with participants and safety experts from its
uled from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at
“We face a massive cultural challenge,” said inception in 2005 until the first week of January, the Kentucky Exposition Cen-
Sir Christopher Coville, a former chairman of as well as observation of IHST meetings and the ter in Louisville. See heliexpo.
Westland Helicopters Ltd. “The helicopter is work of the international Commercial Aviation rotor.org for registration
viewed as elitist, expensive, environmentally Safety Team (CAST) on which the helicopter information.
damaging and dangerous.” team initiative was based.
early years.
These changes include a
new focus not just on accidents
but also on fatal ones and on
investigations of equipment
on aircraft and tools on the
ground that might make flying
helicopters safer.
IHST in 2005 took on a monu-
Services
I
f we take popular news coverage at its face, Although worldwide helicopter aviation laws
NEED TO KNOW it may seem like dodging quadcopters and only sparsely require them, flight data monitor-
laser pointers is the primary concern of public ing systems and operations control centers
Concerns about FAA flight service helicopter pilots in the U.S. have been well received on a voluntary basis
data requirements include But let’s not forget flight data analysis—an by offshore transport operators worldwide. In
privacy, liability and cost issue far less likely to drum up images of a sum- both cases, proper use of the technology and of
mer blockbuster, but still of great relevance its underlying philosophy has resulted in safety
Air ambulance operators to air ambulance operations as we get closer improvements and in its favorable perception
Products
with 10+ helicopters must to 2018. By then, more data requirements will among operators.
establish operations control become law under Federal Aviation Regula- But within the U.S. air ambulance commu-
centers by April 22 tions Part 135 subpart L (thanks to the 2014 nity, the FAA’s final rule has encountered resis-
set of changes “Helicopter Air Ambulance, tance from both critics and proponents of flight
Commercial Helicopter, and Part 91 Helicopter data analysis. The former cite concerns about
Operations,” broadly known as the Helicopter Air privacy, legal liability and the cost of implemen-
Ambulance rule). tation. The latter say the regulations don’t go far
The U.S. airline industry successfully uses enough to properly reap safety benefits. Now,
flight data analysis tools—particularly flight as operators struggle with how to best meet the
Services
data monitoring systems—following more than new requirements, some proponents are step-
two decades of development. ping forward to correct what they perceive as a
”leverage large amounts of data to benefit the CHC’s flight data monitoring program “record-
entire enterprise.” He also wrote that the value of ed data that indicated our crews were coming
“each additional parameter is exponential to the in with the nose up at an angle that was increas-
organization when employed” in an effective pro- ing the risk of tail boom impact,” said De Boer.
Flight Data in
Europe gram, from safety to maintenance to “back-office “The data was not specific to one base or type of
The European Aviation Safety functions such as operations and dispatch.” operation, which told us we needed to amend
Agency in June 2013 pub- On the other hand, the air ambulance com- our training and SOPs globally.” She said the data
lished a Notice of Proposed munity has still met this baseline requirement was communicated to all pilots flying the aircraft
Amendment (2013-10) that with wariness. Resistance from operators gener- type. “From the first day after that communica-
would affect large offshore ally stems from the cost of implementation. They, tion, the data recorded an immediate correction
transport operators.
pilots and even medical insurance underwriters by all crews in all locations.”
That document has become
EASA opinion 04/2015, a final fear data might be misused. Such fears are not CHC is also using flight analysis data to improve
Training
version presented to the Euro- totally unfounded. The FAA’s rule affords opera- its line operations safety audits, examining how
pean Commission for transla- tors legal protection of private data only if they flight crews react individually and collectively to
tion into law. According to a have established an agency-approved flight oper- threats and errors.
U.K. Civil Aviation Authority ations quality assurance program. This is good Like their offshore counterparts, air ambu-
official, Tony Eagles, it should news for large operators, but may concern smaller lance operators of all sizes stand to benefit from
become a regulation within a
outfits that lack the resources to establish a robust flight data analysis and are in various stages of
few years.
The rule requires opera- program. compliance with the upcoming requirements.
tors of helicopters that are Lau said even large offshore support oper- Dallas-based aeromedical transport provider
equipped with flight data ators—which pioneered the use of flight data SevenBar Aviation currently operates three heli-
Products
recorders to “establish and monitoring and other safety best practices for copters—two AgustaWestland AW109Es and one
maintain a [flight data moni- rotorcraft—initially resisted the technology AW109SP—but hopes to have eight by summer.
toring] system, as part of because of the data-sharing aspect. They feared SevenBar is also in the process of starting an FAA-
its integrated management
that if specific operators were identified, one approved flight operational quality assurance
system” by Jan. 1, 2019. It
also says that the flight data could theoretically benefit from the other’s data. program, and is participating in HAI’s Aviation
monitoring system “shall be But these fears were ultimately replaced with Safety Analysis & Sharing Helicopter Flight Data
non-punitive and contain enthusiasm once those operators began to see Monitoring Research Project.
adequate safeguards to pro- tangible benefits to safety. According to B.J. Raysor, SevenBar’s SVP of
tect” data sources. CHC Helicopter is using flight data analysis to operations, about half of his line pilots at a previ-
Services
improve its line-oriented flight training program. ous organization resisted the flight data monitor-
ROTORCRAFT
You’ve earned it.
ai.omeda.com/RENEWRW
Military
ing program initially. But within 30 days of Seven- operations specifications establish operations
Equipment Bar’s implementation, he said, a hospital aircraft control centers by April 22 of this year.
Options was involved in an autopilot excursion under SevenBar established its own center despite
Unlike the large helicopters
instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) that being a three-helicopter operation. Though the
used in offshore support,
helicopters used in air ambu- proved the value of flight data monitoring. company’s experience has been positive, Raysor
lance operations tend to be Data collected from the flight “helped the pilot conceded, the cost of setting up and running
Commercial
of the smaller variety (and try and validate what happened and allowed us the center could run as high as $500,000. That
single-pilot ones in the U.S.). to look at it and say, ‘Wow, you did a really great contributes to resistance to their use, especially
Heavy-duty flight data moni- job of handling that,’” said Raysor. “It picked up a from medium operators barely above the 10-he-
toring systems don’t make really unusual attitude-type maneuver before he licopter threshold.
sense for them.
could get it to stop.” Furthermore, the FAA has set a maximum duty
But several companies have
developed, or are developing, Raysor said he also showed the data to man- shift of 10 hr for the operations control specialists
lower-cost, lighter-weight agement, further validating the company’s simu- who staff the centers. This not only means having
systems fit for installation on lator training program. to employ more specialists, but it also compli-
the light helicopters. Here are On the larger end of the size spectrum, Air cates aviation planners’ efforts to staff 24-hr shift
Public Service
some of the options: Methods has not yet completed installations of schedules (which is far easier to do with two
• Appareo Vision1000 flight data monitoring systems on all of its heli- 12-hr-shift employees).
• IONode
copters, but expects to meet the 2018 deadline. Another point of contention is who to des-
• Outerlink’s Iris (in devel-
opment) Dennis McCall, the company’s operations direc- ignate as a specialist. Rather than training new
• SkyTrac Insight tor, told R&WI that the company is in favor of the employees, a few of the larger operators have
• Sagem Cassiopée new rule, saying “it lends itself to driving down insisted on employing former line pilots—such as
the accident rates, and that is what makes it an those who have lost their medical certificates—as
important initiative.” He added, “It is a huge driver specialists. This saves an operator money, since
Personal | Corporate
of our SMS by raising awareness within the com- pilots are already familiar with the operation. But
panies and industry.” it also runs the risk of introducing a dangerous
He also added that flight data monitoring has bias into a center’s operation.
“created the need to make more modern devices Part of an operations control specialist’s job is
at lower prices.” to perform a risk analysis of each flight. A high-
Some groups are pushing the boundaries time pilot in that role might have an individual
of what flight data monitoring can provide for opinion of what constitutes a risk and clear a
the rotorcraft industry. Raysor, who previously dangerous flight. Operators choosing this staffing
served with the National EMS Pilots Assn., sug- method will have to use caution in emphasizing
gested flight data analysis could benefit that compliance to procedures.
group’s Enroute Decision Point protocol—which For those looking to train new specialists,
it developed to help pilots recognize from their options exist, such as the National Operations
Training
own flight profiles when they are entering dete- Control Academy, which is kicking off its inaugu-
riorating weather conditions that could lead to ral operations control specialists training courses
inadvertent IMC. Flight data monitoring, he said, this month in Wichita, Kansas.
could reveal trends in flying behavior that might Owner David Hartter has other advice for
inform revisions to the protocol. Metro Aviation’s operators looking to establish their own centers.
Helicopter Flight Training Center is using its full He stressed five essential components: aviation
flight simulators and flight training devices to situation displays for flight following; weather
test pilots against that protocol. reporting tools; communications systems; navi-
The center’s director, Terry Palmer, said she gation systems; and risk assessment tools. With
Products
hopes to harness flight data monitoring informa- regards to the situation displays, he said there
tion in the simulators to improve training—both are many options that are partially suitable, such
by collecting flight analysis data from simulator as FlightExplorer. It is a great tool for the airlines,
flights and by using it to run new scenarios. he said, but its airport-to-airport navigation is
unsuitable for air ambulance operations. Another
Operations Control Centers option is RotorWatch, which he said has come a
FAA AC 120-96A describes another regulation long way toward becoming a viable choice. But
established by the 2014 changes. FAR Part he said his favorite is Google Earth Pro, which can
135.619 requires that air ambulance operators be used with a SkyTrac overlay to provide surpris-
Services
MSF Pritchard ®
Syndicate 318
Underwriters at Lloyd´s Specialty Markets
Military
A
The U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B’s fter decades of abstract arguments Response. Set up after the 2012 attack on a U.S.
ability to deploy swiftly over
Personal | Corporate
about the benefits that a tiltrotor would outpost in Benghazi, Libya, that killed the Ameri-
great distances is providing
bring to military operations in the can ambassador and three security personnel
solid examples of speed’s value
in Pentagon future-aircraft field, U.S. Marine Corps leaders are offering to provide a rapid-response capability, the task
discussions. Some operators concrete examples. force is based in Moron, Spain.
want incremental speed gains, Those leaders are drawing on the activi- In December 2013, the newly formed nation
while Bristow (right) and others ties of Ospreys deployed to Europe, Africa and of South Sudan (in northeast Africa) was in
are investigating bigger speed
Southwest Asia to detail specific advantages turmoil. U.S. officials decided to evacuate the
advantages.
Images courtesy of the U.S. Marine the Bell Boeing tiltrotor’s combination of speed, embassy in Juba, South Sudan. Col. Rob Freeland
Corps / Cpl. Ryan C. Mains, Airbus range and payload bring to U.S. military opera- briefed a November 2015 meeting of the Ameri-
Helicopters and Finmeccanica- tions as well as diplomatic and other national can Helicopter Society International’s chapter in
Helicopters security ones. Marine officials and others main- Washington, D.C., on the operations. An MV-22
tain that those presentations are altering joint pilot, he was the commander of the task force’s
Training
discussions within the Defense Dept. on future air combat element in 2013.
vertical-lift aircraft.
Those developments come as AgustaWest-
land, now Finmeccanica-Helicopters, is working There to Stay
to recover from the loss of its No. 2 flight test Freeland explained that the task force deployed
AW609 (and its two test pilots) Oct. 30, 2015, four MV-22Bs and two Lockheed Martin KC-130
and to proceed with type certification that will tankers with about 160 Marines and sailors
enable it to begin flying missions and demon- from Moron to Djibouti on the Gulf of Aden
NEED TO KNOW strating the civil tiltrotor to customers. coast between Eritrea and Somalia. They then
Products
The question remains: how much would an moved on to Entebbe, Uganda. The deployment
U.S. Marines expanded use operator that doesn’t have access to a military- covered 3,400 nm, about the same distance as
of MV-22s in special roles style R&D, operating and contingency budget that between Chicago and London.
after the deadly 2012 attack be willing to pay for the advantage of added The troops evacuated nearly 400 Americans
on a U.S. outpost speed? A related question is: how much more and 300 others.
in Benghazi, Libya speed do operators actually want? Freeland said that the State Dept. had been
Some examples the Marines cite of the considering closing the Juba embassy during
AgustaWestland Osprey’s speed, range and payload benefits the turmoil, but opted to keep it open once it
is committed to certification are derived from the operations of the Special saw that the task force could provide support to
Services
of the AW609 in 2017 Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force for Crisis the facility swiftly.
INSURANCE
Commercial
options
Autatue that appropriately
rcipsusto cover
dolorem doloreet
each
autat, quamunique heliport
dipit, quam,operation.
volortio
Photos courtesy
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Iridescent/
eui
Wikicommons,
et lut Forest
prat autat. Dit, and Kim Starr,
consequamet
Andy
volore C/Wikicommons
dignibh et ad minci tatis
eu faccum nibh et, sed minibh
euissequate Credit: XXXXX
Personal | Corporate
Training
NEED TO KNOW
Products
Xxxxxxxxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxxxxx
Services
H
eliports face a range of risks and liability ance, and products and completed operations
Commercial
and licensed insurance firm with experience in the hull” and “liability” insurance, heliport owners
geographical area where the heliport is located have a potential “non-owned aircraft liability”
which specializes in aviation matters. exposure should an accident occur while the air-
There are a number of questions that heliport craft is in flight to or from his or her premises
owners should ask in preparation for discussing or while it is parked on site at those premises.
their insurance needs. For starters, what type of When dealing with any third-party aircraft or heli-
operations will be conducted at the heliport, and copter operator, prudent risk management prac-
who owns the aircraft operated at that location? tices dictate that as a starting point, heliport owners
Personal | Corporate
Other questions concern the services offered should require certificates of insurance from all air-
at a heliport. Will fueling operations be provided craft/helicopter operators operating at their facilities.
or conducted at the heliport? Will maintenance be Private heliport owners who contract with or
conducted there? Will aircraft be stored or kept on allow other entities to utilize their facilities may
the premises? Will third-party flight operations be also want to set standards for acceptable insur-
conducted at this location? ance company paper, i.e., A.M. Best or S&P ratings.
Heliport owners also should address the require-
ments and standards covering their respective facil- Aviation-Related Activities and Heliport
ities. In the U.S., for instance, does the facility meet Liability Insurance
the codes and regulations established by the FAA, While some heliport owners believe their com-
National Fire Protection Assn., International Build- mercial general liability (CGL) policy covers any risk
ing Code, International Fire Code and the federal exposure they might have, there might be an exclu-
Training
Occupational Safety and Health Administration? sion “in connection with aviation activities” within
What are local and state requirements and limita- the CGL policy or umbrella policy. That exclusion
tions for insurance coverage? needs to be addressed.
In addition, heliport owners should ask them- Many CGL policies might treat a heliport as an
selves, “If there is an instrument approach, who extension of the property or as another location,
owns it, and who will use it?” and “Is there ground- and coverage might include care and maintenance
to-air radio communications provided on-site?” of the heliport. However, any type of aviation-relat-
Contingent on the types of operations con- ed activity exclusion might create gaps in coverage.
ducted at a heliport location, there are (at a mini- There are a large number of insurance claims
Products
mum) four basic types of coverage owners should every year associated with the ownership or opera-
evaluate and review for applicability beyond tion of heliports involving debris sent flying when
standard coverage. This should by no means be helicopters land or take off. Loose dirt or stones do
considered a complete list of potential coverage get kicked up quite regularly and have been known
and requirements, and one should seek profes- to damage nearby vehicles or injure pedestrians.
sional assistance from qualified legal counsel and An additional consideration would be damage
claims adjusters. The four basic types of insur- to a third party’s property, such as damage to a heli-
ance are: non-owned aircraft liability insurance, copter while it is on the insured’s heliport due to the
aviation-related activities and heliport liability insured’s negligence.
Services
insurance, ground hangar keepers liability insur- Heliports are oftentimes situated in close
SURVIVING
Personal | Corporate
the Post-Crash
Training
By Mike Hangge
NEED TO KNOW
T
here are two types of survival gear that But survival training and gear are nothing
Survival gear evolved as should be taken on every flight—the gear more than insurance—you pay for them, hope
military aviation grew you pack in a sack and the gear you pack in you’ll never have to use them, but can’t imagine
your skull. While the gear you carry is essential, being without them when they are needed.
aviators should know basic the training you have acquired is even more so. A Because of that, the value of a survival course or
medical procedures, such as trained survivalist wandering a frozen wasteland a kit far outreaches the initial cost—and every-
first aid and cPr in Bermuda shorts is better equipped than an thing comes with cost, whether it is measured in
Services
untrained person with a surplus of gear. time, effort or money. Quality gear will also cost
The MARCH
Procedure
M a s s i ve H e m o r r h a g e /
space and weight. But lack of preparation might offer classes that begin with simple CPR instruc- Bleeding—Stop any major
bleeding with tourniquets,
be more costly. If unprepared, cost might not be tion and end with initials behind your name.
quick clots, dressings, wound
measured in dollars or hours, but rather in life. Volunteer fire departments might be willing to packings, or any other means
The value of quality training and gear can- exchange valuable training for your time, and available.
not exceed the value you place on it. If you take there are hundreds of reputable survival schools Airway—Provide a clear
classes and learn hard lessons, you’ll be better around the world. airway and ensure the patient
prepared for a difficult situation. If you take Medics and first responders are often will- doesn’t choke on their own
those same lessons and apply them to your core ing to teach basic medical courses (given that tongue with the Head Tilt/
Chin Lift method.
values, you’ll be prepared for any situation. the requisite legalities have been covered), and
Respiration—Check for
Although we all know that anything made to you might even be able to get deeper informa- pneumothorax (air in the
fly or float costs more than it should, the price of tion about survival medicine for the cost of a area surrounding the rib cage
a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) class or case of beer or a meal. I recently attended a that puts pressure on the
a good knife is nothing compared to the cost of first responders class given by Andy Chiasson, a heart and lungs).
watching helplessly as you lose a friend. What- fantastic special-operations medic who focused Circulation—Check for a
ever the case, here’s the painful truth: quality on MARCH. MARCH stands for massive hemor- pulse, specifically the radial
(wrist) pulse and work to
is hardly ever cheap, and cheap is hardly ever rhage/bleeding, airway, respiration, circulation,
stop more minor bleeding.
good enough when quality matters. head injuries and hypothermia (see the sidebar). Head Injuries—Check for
If you’re truly interested in quality training Though the acronym does not cover all any signs of head injuries.
and in an opportunity to excel, then a trip to any aspects of medical care, the U.S. Army now uses Hypothermia—Prevent
military recruiter might be a worthwhile expedi- MARCH in its Tactical Combat Casualty Care as the onset of hypothermia by
tion. Then again, that might be a drastic solution the standard for providing care under fire. In keeping the patient’s body
to a simple problem. An easier method might the past few years, these methods were proven temperature regulated. Be
aware that this can actually
be to do an Internet search for survival train- highly successful on the battlefield, with the
occur even in a hot environ-
ing, medical training or wilderness emergency percentage of preventable deaths dropping ment if the patient has lost
medical technician (EMT) classes. Many schools from about 24% to only 3%. That statistic is even enough blood.
can receive proper medical care. If you’ve been such as how to navigate and travel through a
involved in a serious accident in a survival situa- jungle environment, make fires for cooking and
tion with injuries involved, following the steps of signaling, build a shelter from the surrounding
MARCH might allow you to help get the injured environment, prepare food from live animals
through the initial moments and provide you and fish and build a personal raft to travel safely
the valuable moments needed to recover from downstream.
the shock of what just happened.
It is important that you do not practice any The Birth of Aviation Survival Gear
medical procedures for which you haven’t been Randall recommended to go “beyond your
Public Service
trained. But with proper training, the life you comfort level” when training. Perrin added
save might be your own (or a loved one’s). In my that practice is necessary. “Like using a foreign
most recent training, Andy said, “A solid mastery language, the skills will fade if you don’t use
of the basics can sometimes be more valuable them,” he said.
than all the fancy training.” Eugene Burton Ely has been dubbed the
For the ultimate survival training, one sug- father of naval aviation, but he might also be
gestion would be Randall’s Adventure and Train- considered the father of aviation survival gear.
ing in Gallant, Alabama. For nearly two decades, On Nov. 14, 1910, Ely made the first successful
Personal | Corporate
Jeff Randall, Mike Perrin and the other trainers takeoff from a naval vessel. On Jan. 18, 1911,
there have been recognized leaders in U.S. and he made the first landing on a different vessel.
Training
Products
Services
flotation. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Navy can all acknowledge that aviation is more than simply some-
thing we just do—it is an entire way of life. We think, act and
plan differently than those who have never stretched into the
skies to peer down upon the world below. Because of that, we
are a family tied by the bonds of flight rather than the bonds
of blood, and we have similarities that cannot (and should
not) be denied. One of those similarities should be our shared
desire to be prepared for any situation.
Never forget that you’re only one low-fuel light away from
Products
Party Colors The newly painted MH-60 Jayhawk. Photos courtesy of the U.S. Coast
Guard / Petty Officer 3rd Class Jonathan Klingenberg
NEED TO KNOW
The Dutch air force’s Alouette
had been configured for
many different missions
Commercial
T
he Aérospatiale Alouette III served more copters. Its major tasks were tactical and com-
than 50 years with the Royal Netherlands prised observation flights at low levels above
Air Force, demonstrating the helicopter’s the battlefield and hiding among trees in small
reliability and versatility. areas to serve as the eyes of the tank force. The
Training
The aircraft’s operational capabilities by the Alouette III fit perfectly in this role, which was a
time it was introduced were many times greater product of typical Cold War thinking.
than the available helicopters up to that point. It The Alouette III also was used in a variety of
had more applications, from search and rescue other tasks, like liaison, VIP and even medevac
and tactical air rescue to transportation of cargo and SAR flights. For the last role, a few were
and passengers. At one point, Dutch defense specially converted with a winch in the door and
forces were major users of the type, with no some with two pylons.
less than 77 in service among three squadrons.
It was called Leeuwerik (Skylark), or otherwise The Inevitable Reduction
Products
budget while air force pilots manned the heli- Out of all older airframes that were taken out
of service, about 35 remained in 1995. Further painted configuration. Special versions included
reductions three years later left only nine. The its most famous: a design painted in the Nether-
Bolkow 105s eventually left the scene, surpris- lands’ flag colors of red, white and blue.
ingly much earlier than anticipated due to Meanwhile, the Alouette was tasked with
defense cuts. playing a role as forward air controller, learn-
One of the main advantages of the Alou- ing how to operate in the field. The Alouette’s
ette III was its reliability and somehow pretty former tasks on tactical levels shifted from Cou-
comfortable flying characteristics. The cockpit gars and Chinooks to the Apache and FACs on
windows provided a great view of the outside. the ground.
This is why it became a favorite of Queen Beatrix
for her VIP transport. It is said that she had much Swiss Upgrade
influence on the decision to soldier on with S i n ce 2 0 0 4 , fo u r A l o u e t te s
the type. remained in the Royal/VIP flight configurations,
and they were upgraded by RUAG in Switzerland
Deployments to extend life service. They then were incorpo-
During its years of service, the rated in the Defense Helicopter Commando at
Alouette saw deployments in Gilze Rijen. About 10 pilots and 10 technicians
international crises like those in were assigned to fly and maintain the Alouette
Tunisia in 1970, Turkey/Northern in this period. Nearly 400,000 hr in total were
Iraq in 1991 during the Gulf War, the former flown by the Alouettes, with only a few accidents
Yugoslavia with NATO’s Implementation Force in due to mechanical failure.
1996 and Cambodia in 1992 to 1993. During sev- The Alouette’s parting ceremony was held
eral operations, the Alouettes flew in U.N. white- Dec. 15.
Heliport Lighting
HELIPORT LIGHTING FAA-approved equipment.
MANAIRCO, INC. (419) 524 - 2121, www.manairco.com
Helmets
ANVIS 6 HELICOPTER HELMETS (Kevlar helmets and
spares including: HGU models). NOMEX coveralls, jackets,
gloves, etc. factory new, in stock. Sage green and desert
tan. GOVERNMENT SALES, INC., 69 Francis Ave. Hartford,
CT 06106, Tel: (860) 247-7787, Fax: (860) 586-8020.
Catalogue on website: www.aviationhelmets.com
advertiser index
Page# ..... Advertiser........................................................................................................................................................Website
51 ....................Aerometals............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................www.aerometals.com
9.......................Aeronautical Accessories.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................www.aero-access.com
64 ....................Airbus Helicopters ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................www.eurocopterusa.com
29 ....................American Helicopter Society...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................www.vtol.org
20 ....................Aviation Instrument Services ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................www.aviation-instrument.com
26 ....................Becker Avionics .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................www.beckerusa.com . . . . . . .
41 ....................CHC Summit .....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................www.chcsafetyqualitysummit.com
59 ....................Chopper Spotter ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................www.chopperspotter.com
3.......................Cobham......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................www.cobham.com
19 ....................FlightSafety...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................www.flightsafety.com
31 ....................Genesys Aerosystems............................................................................................................................................................................................................................www.genesys-aerosystems.com
23 ....................ILA Berlin Air Show ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................www.ila-berlin.com
59 ....................Machida ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................www.machidascope.com
17 ....................Mid-Continent Instruments & Avionics .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................www.mcico.com
21 ....................Rebtech .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................www.rebtechnvg.com
25 ....................Robinson Helicopter............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................www.robinsonheli.com
2.......................Rolls Royce ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................www.rolls-royce.com
13 ....................Turbomeca .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................www.turbomeca.com
50 ....................Twirly Birds...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................www.twirlybirds.org
5.......................UTC Aerospace Systems.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................www.utcaerospacesystems.com
11 ....................Waypoint Leasing ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ www.waypointleasing.com
24 ....................ZF Aviation .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. www.zfaviation.com
April 2016:
Avionics Challenges—Keeping Your Vertical Flight and Ground Warfare: A
Cool: As demand for the capabilities offered by rotorcraft operations perspective of issues faced in
more advanced avionics grows, manufacturers face today’s war zones and hot spots around the world.
the challenge of keeping boxes cool in rotorcraft
E&E compartments. We check out how OEMs are Firefighting Worldwide: A report on lessons
meeting that challenge. learned in firefighting activities from South Africa
and Australasia to Europe and the U.S. over the last
Certification Updates—Radar Altime- year, plus forecasts for key wildland fire seasons in
ters and Terrain Awareness and Warn- 2016.
ing Systems: We report the latest on meeting
2017 mandates for these devices in air ambulances.
Bonus Distribution: Avionics Expo Europe, AEA Expo, Quad-A, ABACE, NAB