2 0 0 6

A U G U S T

THE MAGAZINE FOR THE CIVIL HELICOPTER INDUSTRY I N T E R N A T I O N A L

I S S U E 40

PICKING UP THE PIECES

 ISSUE 40

C O N T E N T S

24 38 50 58
cover shot by ned dawson

Helinet Aviation’s
fully Hi Definition B2 AStar
chasing the news over
the freeways of Los Angeles.

r e g u l a r f e a tu r es

From the Editor 3

New Products and Services
Personal Profile – Bob Evans,
Port Harcourt, Nigeria
European Connection – Natural
Disasters’ First Responders
Legal Counsel – Risk Management
Flight Dynamics – FADEC – What is it?
Maintenance Update – Ins and Outs
of the Compressor Wash
sharp eye in the sky
5 LA-based Helinet is forging new territory
in US electronic newsgathering – pioneering
15 new technologies and capabilities in
helicopters across the country. 24
17 Picking up Pakistan’s Pieces
Francois Marais joins the aerial clean
19 up operation post Pakistan’s devastating
earthquake. 38
21
a-star above everest
23 Didier Delsalle shares his flying techniques
used to achieve his record-setting landing

Subscription page 33 on Everest’s summit. 50

The Last Word – Is It Time for just humming along

Performance Heliports? 64 Hummingbird - a small but successful
ag operator cutting a big niche in a small
agricultural belt near San Diego. 58
 by mark ogden
f r o m t h e e d ito r

PUBLISHER
Neville (Ned) Dawson

EDITOR

Made in the USA

Mark Ogden

deputy editor
Rob Neil

US EDITORs Well, the light utility helicopter rare. At the time of writing, one particular
Dustin Black decision has been announced! With this operator searching for a Bell 212 could
Aaron Fitzgerald LUH decision following the presidential only find one decent example in the
helicopter decision there can no longer world! In a seemingly ridiculous twist, the
UK EDITOR
Sarah Bowen be any criticism levelled at the US for same operator had to buy a new AS350B3
being US-centric when it comes to buying as a parts ‘Christmas tree’ because it
legal EDITOR helicopters for government agencies. was quicker than getting parts from
Robert Van de Vuurst
Eurocopter must be a very happy company Eurocopter; two years for a new machine,
european EDITOR now and rightly so – it won out against up to three years for parts! This problem
Andrew Healey some great competition! Parent company appears to be very much an ongoing issue
EADS should be taking some solace in this for the French manufacturer, so hopefully,
technology editor
decision after the problems with its Airbus by the time the US Army starts receiving
Nick Lappos
subsidiary and its A380. its 145s, the support issues that seem to
ITALIAN CORRESPONDENT Sikorsky also has reason to be happy dog Eurocopter will have been resolved.
Damiano Gualdoni
as it will be providing the support In our last issue, we ran a feature
scandinavian CORRESPONDENT infrastructure for the article on helicopter
Rickard Gilberg UH-145. Competitions emergency medical
such as this make
Competitions such services that questioned
PROJECT MANAGER
for some strange some aspects of the way
Cathy Horton
bedfellows; who would as this make for some helicopter emergency
proofreader have ever thought medical services were
Barbara McIntosh archrivals Eurocopter strange bedfellows; operated, and the
DESIGN and Sikorsky would get methods being used in
Graphic Design Services Ltd it on? who would an attempt to lower the
MD’s boss, Lynn accident rate. It certainly
PRE-PRESS
Vision Through Communication
Tilton, has certainly have ever thought stirred up a hornet’s
made her views about nest in some areas, and
PRINTING the decision well archrivals Eurocopter while I may not agree
Print World known – describing it as with all points of view

EDITORIAL ADDRESS an “outrageous decision and Sikorsky would
Oceania Group Intl completely at odds with
PO Box 37 978, Parnell supporting American get it on?
Auckland, New Zealand industry.” Some might
PH ONE: + 64 21 757 747
question Tilton’s view
FAX: + 64 9 528 3172
that “the award of a major American
EMAIL military contract to a foreign company
info@heliopsmag.com belies rationality when US companies
produce superior products for
WEBSITE
www.heliopsmag.com better value.”
The challenge now is support, and
is published by Oceania Group Intl. I think the industry is showing signs of
Contents are copyright and may not be reproduced strain. Customers are demanding new
without the written consent of the publisher. Most
helicopters which operators can’t supply
articles are commisioned but quality contributions
because manufacturers’ production
will be considered. Whilst every care is taken
lines are booked out years ahead. Used
Oceania Group Intl accept no responsibility for
submitted material. All views expressed in HeliOps helicopters are worth more than new
are not necessarily those of Oceania Group Intl. ones in some cases simply because they
are available. But even they are getting
in that story, I do believe
it is important that we
canvas a range of ideas
that seek to improve the
safety of the industry.
I am a big believer in tools such as risk
management and night vision goggles,
and it seems to me that where those
tools have been used, there have been
noticeable improvements. The points that
Rick O’Neal raised, however, were truly
worthy of consideration and debate. If they
stirred up a hornet’s nest — well, good!
First it means that you are all reading the
magazine, and second, something good
usually results from spirited discussion.
Just don’t get personal.
So, once again, fly safe and keep up
the feedback! n

3
Protecting the
engines of freedom.

Protecting the
engines of the world.

If you need effective engine protection, you need AFS.

AFS leads the industry with high-performance, engine inlet barrier filtration systems for
commercial and military propulsion systems. Our military systems are serving around the
globe and the results are impressive — increased capabilities and reduced operating costs.
The OH-58D Kiowa Warrior fleet has been accumulating significant operating hours in Iraq
under the harshest conditions, and their engines are reaching Time Between Overhaul limits.
A true testament to the value of AFS inlet barrier filters.
Wherever you find hard-working helicopters, you’ll find AFS systems. From the desert of
Iraq to the desert of Arizona, AFS systems are protecting engines, enhancing performance,
and delivering a range of benefits that help operators do what they do best.

AerospAce FiltrAtion systems, inc. 1-636-300-5200 fax 1-636-300-5205 www.AFsfilters.com Contact AFS for information on systems pending certification.
ne w p r o d ucts a n d se r v ices
Staying
Dry
Switlik has won a major
contract with the USCG to
provide the Aircrew Anti
Exposure Garment (AEG)
for its rescue aviators.
Switlik’s ‘U-Zip-It’ Aircrew
Dry Suit was the winner of
a three way competition
conducted over five months
at various Coast Guard
air stations. The U-Zip-It is
a breathable, fire resistant
dry suit, which provides
comfort and mobility for
its wearer along with a
high level of cold-water
immersion protection in case
of an emergency. A low-slung
zipper makes donning a lot
easier than standard
designs and articulating
elbow and knee patches
improve movement
significantly.
Switlik also won a USCG
contract to provide its
Inflatable Single Place Life
Raft (ISPLR) to its rescue
aircrew and swimmers. The
ISPLR has a fully reversible
buoyancy tube and canopy
system. Its low-slung floor
enhances seating comfort and
stability, while its pressure-
relieving U-shape design adds
functionality in high heat
flight operations.
Lycoming Certified Acrohelipro
Lycoming has received EASA type certification for the IO-580- AS350 Short Shaft
B1A and is now able to provide a powerplant solution for the Acrohelipro has received
European certified customer base. With the reliable direct approval from Eurocopter to
drive (no gear box reduction necessary), the purpose-built IO- balance the AS350 Tail Rotor
580-B1A has an excellent power to weight ratio. The engine is Front Section Shaft (Short
rated at 315hp at 2700rpm, and has a 2000-hour TBO. The IO- Shaft) P/N 350A34-0150-03 per
580-B1A engine is now the largest displacement six-cylinder AHGS Engineering Balancing
engine certified with EASA. procedures. ACROHELIPRO is
the only shop approved by
Eurocopter to balance this
AFS for 429 short shaft in North America.
AFS has been selected by Bell to provide a fully integrated
high-performance inlet barrier filter (IBF) system for the 429
as part of the FAA Type Certificated design.
AFS Certified
According to AFS, its high-performance filters are more
efficient and deliver the best protection with the least loss AFS has received an STC
of performance, and at a lower weight when integrated into from Transport Canada for
the initial design, than are inertial separators in low-airflow an Inlet Barrier Filter (IBF)
applications. The 429 program also benefits from a new system for the 206B. The
teaming arrangement between AFS and Donaldson Company, approval clears the way for
which is developing an advanced filter to ultimately Canadian operators of 206Bs
introduce its dry-media filter technology on multiple rotary to maximize engine protection
wing platforms. The dry media simplifies service by using while reaping big performance
compressed air or an environmentally friendly cleaning and maintenance benefits
solution and water; eliminating the time and attention from law enforcement and
required to dry and re-oil filters. combat-proven military
technology. The system also
may be used on the OH-58A
Facility Opened and C. The IBF system for
the 206B features flat filter
An airborne rappelling demonstration from a 412 by the
assemblies and an integral
South Australian Police STAR Force marked the official
bypass design. The filter
opening of the Australian Helicopters facility at Adelaide
may be replaced via a quick
Airport, home of the Adelaide Bank Rescue Helicopter
access door in just 15 minutes.
service. Australian Helicopters says that the facility boasts an
An integral maintenance
emergency response capability unequalled in Australia with
aid allows for on-condition
up to the minute emergency rescue equipment and advanced
systems together in the one location. The fully integrated maintenance between
facility has been designed to be completely self sufficient to established cleaning intervals,
reduce response times by having its own fuel capacity and eliminating unnecessary
on site crew quarters. service.
 “As the Chief Technology Officer at
MD Helicopters, it’s not only my job to
make sure we build exceptionally safe
helicopters, it’s my passion. The same
passion that drove me to create NOTAR ®,
a safer rotorless system that you’ll find
only on MD Helicopters. Along with its
added safety benefits, this anti-torque
system is significantly quieter than the
traditional tail rotor. In addition, all MD
aircraft moving forward will be safer than
ever with standard features like wire
strikes, cockpit voice and video recorders,
health and usage monitoring systems
ANDY LOGAN and terrain awareness warning systems.
Chief Technology Officer
Inventor of NOTAR ® It’s a new day at MD and we want to
MD Helicopters, Inc. share with you our passion for safer
skies through technology.”

mdhelicopters.com

American Pride Rising to New Heights. | phone 480.346.6344 | e-mail: HelicopterSales@mdhelicopters.com

ne w p r o d ucts a n d se r v ices
Enstrom goes
Brazilian
Enstrom has brought Bringer
on as a new member of
its worldwide dealership
network. Bringer was first
established in the US in 1983,
and has been operating in
Brazil since 1989. Bringer has
several offices throughout
Brazil, and operates two
767-300F and a Twin engine
Seneca in a variety of
roles, along with a recently
delivered Enstrom 480B
to support the dealership.
Bringer’s parent Company
Overcom Aero Products,
supplies aircraft parts
throughout the Brazilian
Territory. The Bringer’s sales
office for the Enstrom product
line is strategically situated in
the heart of the city of
Sao Paulo, Brazil. In addition,
the company’s partnership
with Helipark, Latin America’s
largest specialized service
center for helicopters, will
offer premier maintenance
and service on the Enstrom
product line.
We keep your needs in mind. (And in stock.)
TT ad HO2.indd 3
Wingspeed Communications Pico by name
Wingspeed has developed two low-cost XLLink System SELEX Sensors and Airborne
models designed for fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. Systems has conducted
With the new XLLink System Model L and Model H, fleet the successful first flight of
operators now have access to a complete line of end-to- its latest lightweight radar
end communication systems for advanced flight tracking, product known as PicoSAR.
two-way text messaging, voice calling, and a broad range of Flying on a Twin Squirrel out
Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System of Cumbernauld, in central
Scotland, the radar was able
(ACARS)-type data services. The Model L will retail for
to map various urban and
approximately US$3,500 and offers tracking capabilities for
rural areas across the country.
fleet operators. The Model L generates and sends messages
PicoSAR was operated at
containing aircraft GPS information to Wingspeed’s ground-
based servers via the Iridium Satellite Network. Wingspeed various altitudes, ranging from
properly formats and routes data via a secure internet 3,000ft to 9,500ft. SELEX S&AS
connection to customers’ operation centres anywhere in has specifically developed
the world. The Model H also offers voice calling capability, PicoSAR as a lightweight,
compact Active Electronically
free-text messaging, and ACARS-type data services via the
Scanned Array radar for small
Iridium Satellite Network. The Model H can utilize a hand-
airborne platforms, such as
held PDA or Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) in the cockpit to
UAVs and helicopters. PicoSAR
turn the aircraft into a node on the network. The complete
is a Synthetic Aperture
Model H system (not including PDA or EFB) will retail for
Radar which provides high
approximately US$9,000 per aircraft.
resolution ground mapping
and ground moving target
indication in all weather
HiDef in UK conditions. This radar builds
on existing technologies that
Castle Air Charters has invested in a new high definition have been in development for
HD Cineflex camera as UK demand for aerial photography over 10 years. Although the
booms. Keith Thompson, Chief Pilot, said Castle Air, based in primary target for PicoSAR
Trebrown in Cornwall, had been commissioned to do work is to meet the requirements
for the third in the BBC Coast television series. Castle Air of the tactical UAV market,
filmed the initial Coast programme and the follow-up. “We this flight trial on the Twin
are filming this third series in high definition,” Thompson Squirrel helicopter highlights
added. “More and more people are asking for it.” Castle Air the radar’s ability to provide
is also filming in high definition for BSkyB on the National a sensor capability for
Trust which looks after properties deemed to be worth helicopters and fixed-wing
preserving in the national interest. platforms.
When you need a replacement window for your helicopter, you need it now.
Your aircraft is sitting on the ground — not flying missions, not carrying
passengers, not moving things around. In short, it’s costing you money
and it’s not doing its job.
Our job at Tech-Tool Plastics is not only to design and build
the best windows for your helicopter, but to keep them
in stock. That means chances are, if you need one, we
have it on our shelf right this very minute. And that
means the sooner you call, the
sooner you’ll be back where you
need to be — flying.
Tech-Tool Plastics Inc., 7800 Skyline Park Drive, Fort Worth TX 76108 USA
1-800-433-2210 1-817-246-4694 fax 1-817-246-7402 www.tech-tool.com
11/16/05 9:44:02 AM
ne w p r o d ucts a n d se r v ices
Night vision
for police
Pilots with the East Midlands
Air Support Unit are now
wearing NVGs, the first
police operation in the
UK to equip a whole crew
with NVGs that meet new
CAA regulations. The unit,
which provides aerial cover
with an EC135T1 for police
forces in Northamptonshire,
Warwickshire and
Leicestershire, has purchased
three sets of Fenns NG2000
night vision goggles. Its
internal lighting has been
converted to be compatible
with the eyewear. The aircraft
required significant alterations
to make sure that all internal
lighting, including the officers’
airwave terminals, were
compatible with the goggles
to prevent flaring.
Environmentally friendly Eurocopter
Hueys chooses
Environmental concerns have prompted CDF to modify its Servigistics
entire fleet of Super Hueys – used for fire fighting operations
Eurocopter selected
throughout California – by fitting Dart fuel-purge canisters to
Servigistics to enhance
collect unused fuel from shutdowns and false starts, which
its global Service Parts
can then be easily recovered in a controlled area.
Management operations.
The Servigistics solution
Cycle Counter is intended to provide
Eurocopter with global
AKV’s newest cycle counter will allow all operators of
visibility of service parts
AS350B, BA, B1 & B2 helicopters to conform to the latest
providing advanced
cycle counting requirements for the Arriel 1. Standard Ng
intelligence into the
Cycle Counters in the field can be upgraded to include Np
management of Performance
cycle counting. Field programming is available with the use
Based Logistics (PBL) and
of the Ground Support Equipment and current users of the
Power by the Hour (PBH)
field programming package will receive a new software CD
service contracts.
included with upgraded units. For operators of the
The company said that
Arriel 1B engine installed in the AS350B and BA, AKV will
after a lengthy and
soon have available a retrofit kit to allow installation
rigorous evaluation
of an Np tachometer generator and TSO’d dual tach indicator.
programme, it concluded
This will allow for monitoring of Np rpm by the pilot and
that the Servigistics
coupling of the Np signal to the new Cycle Counter. AKV
system had a strong European
have also been busy in finalizing STC approval for LTS101.
infrastructure that could
Approval is planned for 3rd Qtr, 2006 and will include the
handle high levels of
AS350D and Soloy AS350B2 conversion. Also in the works is
complex data.
a new cycle counter for the 205 and UH1-H.
ne w p r o d ucts a n d se r v ices
Integrated
Cockpit gets
okay
Air Methods have received
FAA Supplemental Type
Certification for its Sagem
Avionics Integrated Cockpit
Display System (ICDS) and
AP85 Autopilot System for
the 407. The package replaces
legacy electro-mechanical
instrumentation and spinning
mass gyroscopes with
new Sagem Avionics liquid
crystal displays and solid-
state electronic attitude &
heading sensors. These new
avionics should enhance the
situational awareness of the
pilot and greatly improve the
mean time between failure
– reducing operating cost
while improving performance
and dispatch rates. The first
aircraft equipped with this
system has been delivered to
the University of Utah AirMed
program.
HAL goes
French
Eurocopter has entered into a
global industrial cooperation
partnership agreement with
Bangalore-headquartered
Hindustan Aeronautics
Limited for joint production
of the civilian/military
Ecureuil and Fennec family
of helicopters for the world
market. Under the deal, HAL
will supply the composite
and metallic work packages,
including the airframe for
the two models for the world
market.
More Routes for US helicopter S-61 upgrade
US Helicopter has added two routes to their existing package
scheduled service, providing Connecticut commuters a
Carson and Sagem Avionics
shorter, hassle-free trip to and from Manhattan and JFK. With
are planning significant
an average flight time of 20 minutes to Manhattan and 10
upgrades to the S-61. The new
minutes more to JFK, Connecticut commuters can avoid the
enhancements include new
stress and unpredictability of traffic, road construction and
everyday commuting frustration. Originating at Connecticut’s composite main-rotor blades,
Bridgeport Sikorsky Airport (BDR), the routes includes direct SAGEM cockpit displays and
flights to/from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport (JRB) and PA 155 AFCS. Additionally,
connecting service to/from JFK. The new service commences two F201 AHRS will provide
Monday, June 26, 2006. Driving from Connecticut to aircraft attitude and heading
Manhattan or JFK can consume up to two and a half hours or information to the cockpit
more of business travellers’ time during peak hour. The new display and AFCS. The new
service routes will operate every business day and include a integrated glass cockpit
morning and evening flight. includes five ICDS-10 active
matrix liquid crystal displays.
The ICDS-10 displays, each
with a 10.4 inch viewing area
will include two primary
flight displays (PFD) and 3
multifunction displays (MFD).
The centrepiece of the new
upgrade program for the S-61
is the AFCS. This is the same
series AFCS certified in the
AS332 and was most recently
certified for retrofit on the
S-64 Air Crane. The AFCS is
DART in a 3-axis AFCS with duplex
DART has received certification of the new TRI-BEAM Modular architecture consisting of two
Float Skidtube from EASA for the Bell 205/212/412/AB412. AFCS computers and AHRS.
The TRI-BEAM Float Compatible Skidtube is pre-drilled for The duplex feature gives the
compatibility with either the OEM Cylindrical Float design or
system a fail-passive and fail-
the Apical Tri-Bag/Life Raft Float system claimed to be highly
operational capability after
durable and easy to inspect due to its modular design and
any first failure. The AFCS
corrosion resistant features. Replaceability and cost reduction
benefits are inherent in the modular construction. Because provides for attitude retention
the three tube sections and split saddles are easily removable, and automatic heading hold
all pieces can be changed without replacing the complete in a hover. For cruise flight
skid tube, and all tube segments are non-handed resulting in modes the pilot can opt for
a significant reduction in replacement stock inventory. basic attitude retention or
TRI-BEAM uses stainless steel hardware; blind threaded choose to couple to heading
tube inserts to prevent moisture ingress, extensive use
or GPS, and altitude or
of corrosion prevention compounds on both interior and
exterior surfaces, and other special measures to avoid
airspeed for true ‘hands-off’
flight. The aircraft attitude
galvanic corrosion.
Dart has also received FAA certification for the Cargo Door and heading information
Mounted Liferaft Kit for S-76/A/B/C which was developed for the S-61 will now be
by Apical Industries as an alternative to belly-mounted transmitted to the AFCS
kits. The system is designed specifically to allow occupants computers and PFDs via the
to safely exit after an emergency water landing and enter dual AHRS with added inputs
one or both of the liferafts that deploy after landing. The from the air data sensor, and
liferafts are mounted to the interior of the door, preserving
dual magnetometers. These
access to the baggage compartment. The kit comes with two
new digital, solid state units
replacement carbon fiber cargo doors, including integrated
ten-man reversible liferafts, replacement hinges that connect allow for elimination of the
to existing aircraft hardpoints and complete inflation system. older and sometimes short-
With a 121 lb (55 kg) net weight increase, the system is lived spinning-mass vertical
significantly lighter than currently available systems while and directional gyros and
still meeting all applicable TSO-C70a requirements. their associated sensors.
11
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ne w p r o d ucts a n d se r v ices

Meggitt gets real Shopping Precisely

Meggitt has struck an agreement
with AeroMechanical Services
(AMS) that could revolutionise
the use of flight and engine data
by transmitting it in real time to
helicopter companies’ decision-
makers, and aircraft and engine-
Precise Flight unveiled a more ‘precise way to shop’ at its recently launched
www.preciseshop.com. Precise Flight says it plans to continue updating the website to
reflect the company’s reach into the entire transportation industry. A feature of the
website includes a dealer locator section, which allows customers to search for the dealer
nearest them to order products after browsing technical information and selecting their
products on the website.

600Aircraft.
owners with inclusive lease contracts.
According to Meggitt, they will be
able to control costs and manage

1 millionHours.
assets better – streamlining logistics
support, increasing efficiency and
improving safety using the early
trend and accurate usage data that
has been collected continuously
and autonomously in flight, just 20 Do you have your strakes yet?
seconds after the point of collection
and initial processing, transmission
to a ground station and further
Scores of operators are reaping the benefits
processing into operationally- of NASA-patented technology tailboom
useful information. The Meggitt- strakes from BLR Aerospace. With more
AMS agreement involves the joint than 600 systems in use, operators are
marketing of the group’s industry- reaping benefits that range from improved
leading, condition monitoring payload (lift hundreds of pounds more) to
systems with AMS’s on board
unprecedented stability of flight. A proven
Automated Flight Information
technology with more
Reporting System, an airborne
than 1 million flight hours to
autonomous data collection and
reporting tool that covers condition date, BLR strakes are truly a revolution
and operations, and a ground-based in technology and performance.
processing and delivery system.
Don’t change your helicopter – change
Meggitt has an exclusive licence
your performance. Do you have your
to use, market and integrate these
certified products with its specialist strakes yet?
fixed wing engine monitoring units BLR Aerospace
and helicopter HUMS. Performance Innovation

Using on-board equipment that

weighs just 10 lbs, and the speedily
processed and transmitted data
from it, operators can perform many
tasks including tracking the aircraft
in which the equipment is installed
anywhere on the planet on an ASD
system, Google Earth or over the
web; telephoning pilots to discuss
engine status and reduce the
cost of an exceedence instantly;
generating Out, Off, On and In
reports quickly and accurately to
enable exact payment of crews and
precise scheduling of component
maintenance; and planning
maintenance in a continuum
using the engine trend reports
generated without pilot
intervention from the moment an
aircraft becomes airborne.
800.257.4847 US & Canada
425.353.6591 International
w w w. B L R a e r o s p a c e . c o m
davemarone@BLRaerospace.com
13
 Preservation.
It’s a cause you deem worthy of sticking
your neck out for.
To some, it’s a job. To others it’s a longing
to help restore the beauty that once was.

We can relate.
We do the same thing for helicopters.

From bringing an older helicopter back into its prime to completing a new helicopter
to meet your specific demands, Edwards & Associates, Inc., is the authority
in all aspects of helicopter repair, refurbishing, completion and customization.
For more than 25 years, Edwards & Associates has been creating mission-specific P.O. Box 3689, Bristol, TN 37625
helicopters for a wide array of roles, including fire fighting, law enforcement, sea-land
rescue, emergency services and many more. Add to this our excellent reputation
for customer service, and you can turn to Edwards & Associates with confidence.

w w w. e dwa rd s - a ss o c. com • 8 0 0 - 2 5 1 - 7 0 9 4 • 4 2 3 - 5 3 8 - 5 1 1 1

Bob Evans
Port Harcourt, Nigeria
40 years of flying has taken
Bob Evans on an incredible
journey of helicopter
adventures and challenges
all over the world – from
Europe to the Middle East,
and Nigeria where he
now resides – flying and
training on the Dauphin
and Sikorsky S76.
How did you start flying helicopters?
In 1965 my father saw an advertisement
in the Sunday Times looking for helicopter
pilots to join the Royal Marines. I had been
planning to start a career in the Army, so I
filled out the form and a few weeks later I
started my military training. I trained with
the Royal Navy and flew my first tour on the
Wessex 5 on HMS Bulwark, then spent two
years on exchange to the Royal Air Force
flying the Wessex 2 after which I became,
as far as I know, the first Royal Marine to
fly on anti-submarine helicopters flying a
Wasp on HMS Arethusa and HMS Ashanti. I
then finished flying and served with the 42
Commando Royal Marines. Although I loved
that, the thought of lots of staff courses and
office jobs made me decide to quit and get
into a full-time civil flying career.
How many hours do you have and
on which types?
I’ve got around 15,000 hours on Hiller 12E,
Whirlwind 7, Wessex 2/5/60, Wasp, Bell 47,
Bell 206, Bell 212, Bell 412EP, Sikorsky S76
B/C+, Sikorsky S58ET, Sikorsky S61, Robinson
R22, Bolkow 105, Agusta 109E, AS350 B/B1/
B2, AS355F/F1/F2, SA365C/C2/N/N1/N2/N3.
Which is your favorite type?
The AS350 because it’s powerful,
maneuverable and you’re always intimately
in control of it and the SA365N3 because it’s
also powerful, agile and very smooth in the
cruise. They’re both helicopters that you feel
you’re flying and not just sitting back letting
an autopilot do the work – yet they’re good
general use machines.
personal profile
In which parts of the world have
you flown?
After the military I started flying in the
North Sea and in Portugal with Bristow. I
ended up as Chief Pilot on the S58T fleet,
then onto a uranium survey contract in
Iran. After Prakla pulled out of Iran at the
start of the revolution, I was sent to Nigeria
to replace a pilot whose wife had been
murdered in their house. From there I went
onto various other positions including a
two-month offshore contract at Port Said,
Egypt, and a Bell 212 contract based offshore
on the Forties. I was sent up to the Brent
soon after, and following a tragic accident
on a night SAR mission in which several
of my friends died, I ended up as one of
the Chief Pilots on the flying shuttles and
SAR. I then went onto the Bristow Flying
Training School at Redhill as a commercial
flying instructor, and was recruited into
McAlpine Helicopters as CFI in 1989. I had
an interesting year setting up some new
police aviation units and air ambulance
operations, along with the usual corporate
and filming flying. When I returned to the
Bristow Training School I was detached to
a Bell 212 offshore-based operation in the
Netherlands, and then to Warri, Nigeria as a
training captain on the 355, 206 and 212.
After some years I headed off to the Middle
East for a short spell with Abu Dhabi
Aviation flying a Bell 212 and 412 offshore.
I had only been there for a short while when
Schreiner offered me the best job in my
flying career as a trainer, flying Dauphins on
the Tchad-Cameroun pipeline project. It was
fantastic seeing so much of the country and
flying with the UN border commission along
the full length of the Cameroun/Nigeria
border. Upon leaving, I spent a
brief, unhappy spell with a Nigerian
company, before rejoining Aero Contractors
(now owned by CHC), where I am now
based, flying and training on the Dauphins
and S76 again.
What do you find most satisfying
about your flying?
The fact that after more than 40 years, I
really look forward to every day and that I
am still able to help out young pilots at the
start of their careers.
What has been the highlight of
your career?
Having had the opportunity to be involved
in training, both ab-initio and advanced, and
seeing many of the young people who I have
had the pleasure of helping to get started in
aviation, progress to greater things.
Have you ever had any eye-opening
moments?
A few – including a rather nasty engine fire
when departing a ship in Egypt. Hopefully,
I’ve learned from them along the way.
Several (unsuccessful) hijack attempts
have also made me think about more than
just the landing when flying in the bush
in Africa – hanging out of the open door
of a helicopter which is taking off while
armed men are racing towards you tends to
concentrate the mind!
Did you ever face any challenges?
Training is always a challenge, as even
on a bad day you have to maintain good
standards and make sure you give your best
to those who are trying to learn from you.
Being involved in training one always learns
something from one’s students as well, and
I’m sure I’ve learned far more than I’ve ever
managed to pass on.
Do you have any views of the
helicopter industry in Nigeria?
Nigeria was the graveyard for ancient
helicopters for many years and not enough
was being done to help train national
pilots. However, now both CHC and Bristow
are modernizing their fleets and starting
to train more national pilots. After many
years of VFR-only flying, new equipment
and acceptance of GPS as an approach
aid should lead to proper helicopter IFR.
The civil helicopter industry in Nigeria
is probably the largest in Africa and if
the CAA and government provide proper
encouragement, it ought to be possible to
make it as much a center for training as
South Africa now is. A lot of people write
Nigeria off. It’s a long way off yet, but
standards are improving.
What advice would you give to
people trying to get into the industry?
Persevere. If you know someone who is
already employed by a company you’d like
to work for and who is willing to give you
a recommendation, try and enlist their
help. If you can’t afford to pay for your
own training, the military is still a great
way to get in if you’re prepared to submit
to the discipline and rigor of military life.
Whatever you do, don’t do it for the money
– there’s never been much, except for the
lucky few! Do it because you love it, and use
it as a fantastic opportunity to visit and live
in other countries to broaden your horizons
by experiencing different cultures. n
15
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by andrew healey
european connection
On one side of the Atlantic, HAI
Natural launched its First Responder database.
Information on rotary-wing assets
Disasters’ First around the country will be gathered and
made available to domestic agencies such
Responders as FEMA, in the event of another ‘Katrina’
devastating a city like New Orleans.
Here in Europe, in the wake of last
Two Approaches October’s Pakistani earthquake, Belgian
– US and Us
heavy-lift specialist Skytech is going
into partnership with Russia’s state
emergency response ministry EMERCOM,
to offer charities and NGOs
(non-governmental organizations) a
Two initiatives were
more co-ordinated response.
launched during June HAI’s scheme (visit rotor.com for
background and to register) relies
– each with the aim of on operators to input and, vitally, to
maintain details of individual airframes,
improving the helicopter their role equipment and locations. When
community’s response to a disaster occurs, HAI staff will comb the
database for helicopters situated within
natural disasters. range of its epicentre, and pass the
agencies’ contact details to the selected
operators.
Europe’s initiative, tentatively named
the European Emergency Aviation Center,
is on a smaller scale, Expected to be in
place by the end of the year, it is being
formed as a result of what EMERCOM
representative Vladimir Kuvshinov
says was a “piecemeal response” to
the earthquake. “Helicopters were
slow to arrive and, once there, were
not effectively deployed. Also, state
organizations such as EMERCOM suffer
from a lack of flexibility. The new center,
initially staffed by about 20 people, will
be designed to respond much more
quickly. We will also offer a project
management service.”
Based at Skytech’s headquarters
in central Belgium, the center will
have access to up to 60 Russian-built
helicopters, including the 20,000 kg
payload Mi-26, that are scattered
throughout the Federation waiting for
just such an event. That’s in addition to
Skytech’s own fleet of Mil and Kamov
airframes, plus a further Mi-8 MTV
to be contributed by EMERCOM. As with
First Responder, it will set up a web
Eurocopter Malaysia’s presence and invite other European
AS330 Puma descending teams with specialist equipment – such
into the remains of Chalang
as boats or infrared detectors – to register
after the devastating
their details.
Tsunami hit Summatra.
Kuvshinov says that, once established,
he envisages the center being able to
offer longer-term utility support to
disaster-hit regions. “As immediate relief
efforts are scaled down, infrastructure
such as roads and power supplies will
also need to be restored.”
Back in Alexandria VA, HAI President
Matt Zuccaro, told HeliOps that while
First Responder will initially only be able
to respond to domestic disasters, he
intends to roll it out in Canada and then
overseas. “The idea is that our people
will be able to enter a zip code, a lat/long
reference or even the name of a city and
get back a list of individual helicopter
resources within range.”
The key to the success of either
model will be its ability to identify
the best available assets and dispatch
them double-quick. Here, the European
contribution would appear to have an
advantage. It will be dealing with a
known quantity of crews with similar
levels of role-training in high-payload
aircraft. In other words, it will be
selective. It also identifies the need for
project management.
Although Katrina initiated a heroic
response from the men and women
involved, they were mostly flying
low-capacity helicopters to (and
occasionally beyond) their limits in
severely congested airspace. The potential
for accidents was very high. To what
extent will First Responder mitigate
that risk the next time? And how can
we be sure that the effort will be any
better co-ordinated?
The more of an unknown quantity
you are faced with in such a situation,
the better the management to deal
with it needs to be. As well as data on
helicopters and their role equipment,
fire-fighters and traffic controllers,
First Responder must carry details of
experienced managers who can liaise
with the customer and supplier on the
ground and make sure the appropriate
assets are dispatched and effectively
employed.
In fact, if we are to offer agencies
a turnkey service, these managers
should establish relations with the relief
organizations, so that they have a face to
turn to when the balloon next goes up
–as it surely will –and probably sooner
than we expect. n
17
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 by robert van de vuurst
Risk
Management
– It Does Pay to
Think Ahead
Nobody wants to be
sued – ever! Lawsuits
are a waste of time,
money, and emotional
energy. Putting aside the
inevitable distractions
and productivity losses, a
big lawsuit can end your
company’s very existence
if not handled correctly.
With that in mind, one of the things
that has most amazed me in my 20 years of
practicing law is the number of people who
don’t do a thing to lessen their risk of getting
sued and instead take the, ‘it won’t happen
to me’ or the ‘my insurance company will
take care of it’ attitude with regard to claim
exposure. That’s where risk management
comes in.
To understand risk management, it
sometimes helps to understand what risk
management is not, rather than what it
is. Risk management is not just going out
LEGAL COUN s e L
and buying a big gob of insurance and
assuming that the carrier’s adjuster will
take care of everything from that point on.
Risk management is not engaging a lawyer
only after the process server has just left
your office and slapped the papers on your
desk. Those things are better known as,
damage control and trying to clean up the
mess. Proper risk management entails the
expenditure of time and money before an
accident occurs, so as to first lessen the
probability of an accident happening to start
with, and secondly, to lessen the financial
impact of a claim in the event that an
accident does occur.
Let’s take a look at a few simple steps
that you should take to manage your risk
regardless of the size of your operation:
1. Create a Risk Management Committee.
A lot of companies have in-house
Directors of Risk Management, and if
you have one that’s a good start. But one
other thing that I highly recommend to
my clients is to have a Risk Management
Committee, of which at a minimum, the
President, Human Resources Director,
and all other major department heads
should be members. In addition, make
your attorney a member as well. If you
don’t have a competent attorney who’s
familiar with your business and the
aviation world, then get one. Remember
what I said in the last issue about the
cost difference between preventive and
remedial law? It holds true here as well –
the fees that you pay an attorney to meet
with you for a few hours every couple of
months pale in comparison to what
you’ll pay him after the papers are
slapped on your desk. Meet regularly (at
least once a quarter) – yearly or ‘semi-
annually’ is just not often enough to
keep everyone on the same page, and as
we all know, our regulatory environment
changes quickly as well.
And here’s another benefit to keeping
an attorney involved — a little thing
that you’re probably familiar with called
‘attorney/client privilege.’ If you get sued,
then everything that your committee
did (or discussed and then maybe didn’t
do) may be fair game for a plaintiff’s
attorney wanting to put it in front of a
jury. If your attorney is involved though,
then you can make a good argument that
the whole process involved privileged
communications that are exempt from
discovery. That’s not a bad side-benefit by
anyone’s standards.
2. Insurance review. At least yearly sit
down with your broker and make sure
that your coverage is adequate for your
current and anticipated business, and
that you have the right type of coverage
to start with. You don’t want to find out
after you’ve been sued that your product
liability coverage doesn’t protect you
against a patent claim, or for trademark
infringement because you put the wrong
logo on the box. Some carriers also offer
free risk audit services, and I’ve seen
a few that give premium discounts for
insureds that participate.
3. Documentation updates. Everyone
knows what an Emergency Response
Plan is. Review it regularly and make
the necessary updates. Then go one
step further and practice it. Create some
kind of accident scenario and run an
unannounced drill in the office one
day, with mock press conferences and
everything else. You’ll be surprised what
you’ll learn about people’s capabilities (or
lack thereof) even in a ‘pretend’ situation
— which will be a great help to you, if
and when the fur flies for real. You can
also review and update your employee
handbooks and document retention
policies, after which you’ll be assured
that the information you need will be
current and, most importantly, accessible
at short notice.
As you’re probably seeing now, if your
risk management program is run the right
way, you’ll not only lessen the chance of
an accident, but also lessen the financial
impact on your company if one does occur
by making the claim less attractive. It’s a lot
harder for a plaintiff to make a case against a
defendant able to clearly show that it ‘had its
act together.’
I read an article recently about risk
management that made of lot of sense to me
when it cited Pareto’s Principle (sometimes
known as the ‘80/20 rule’) as it applied to
risk management: Pareto’s Principle basically
states that 20% of your efforts will create 80%
of your results, but you will have to expend
the remaining 80% of your efforts to obtain
the last 20% of the possible results. Wouldn’t
you rather spend the 20% now to have an
80% chance of not getting sued? Of course
you would! n
* The discussions in this column are the opinion of the
writer only, and may not be relied upon as legal advice
without the expressed written permission of the author.
19
 by nick lappos
FADEC - WHAT IS IT?
Full Authority Digital
Electronic Control
(FADEC) - What benefits
does it offer over older,
mechanical controls?
FADEC is a computer and electronic
valve assembly that replaces the hydro-
mechanical or hydro-pneumatic fuel
control/governor on turbine engines.
The old mechanical units use small
accumulators, bell cranks, and watch-work
mechanisms to meter the fuel that runs
the engine. Along the way, they control
the gas producer rpm and govern the
rotor speed – neither of which is a trivial
task. FADEC is the marriage of a pair of
flight dynamics
powerful computers (for redundancy) and
an electronic valve that does much more.
To the designer, FADEC is well worth its
complexity.
Let’s look at some of the tasks as they
are done mechanically, compared to how
FADEC does them:
Gas producer acceleration
and stall control
The fuel control meters the amount
of fuel entering the engine in response
to power demands. Too much fuel, and
the engine can stall or over-temp; too
little, and the engine is slow to respond,
allowing rotor rpm to drop alarmingly.
Since mechanical fuel controls use a
simple relationship to limit fuel flow
when acceleration is demanded, they
are generally much slower to respond to
power demands, and they produce more
rpm change when the collective is raised
rapidly. The fuel is generally restricted
to a ‘lowest common denominator’ rate
since complex changes in fuel metering
are beyond the mechanism’s capability.
The conservative approach is necessary
because too much fuel can allow an engine
to accelerate too fast and make it stall
(usually experienced as a rumble or loud
pop), which can damage it catastrophically.
On ‘inexpensive’ turbines (are they like
‘inexpensive diamonds?’) the control
usually imposes a conservative maximum
fuel flow, limited by the worst case, making
the engine much slower to accelerate than
its potential maximum rate.
With sophisticated mechanical controls,
a calculation of fuel flow and compressor
discharge pressure is made with bellows,
so that greater fuel flow is allowed
when the compressor is going faster,
thus tailoring the flow more exactly and
allowing faster acceleration. FADEC allows
an engine to respond much more quickly
to pilot demands. With FADEC, the exact
compressor speed, atmospheric conditions
and temperatures are continuously
measured by the computer, which then
allows fuel to be metered at near optimal
values, providing the engine with the
maximum amount of fuel it can handle.
This allows its acceleration to be as rapid as
possible under the conditions. Put simply,
the basic governing provided by FADEC is
more precise and more rapid than a typical
mechanical control.
Limit protection and timing
Mechanical limiters are generally just
simple speed governors (the basic Watt
flyweight governor-limiter) so that the
compressor speed is protected at one set
of atmospherics, and the rest is up for
grabs. Typically, temperature is not limited,
although some mechanical controls have
an electronic package attached that does
some limiting work. For mechanical
controls, the pilot is the limiter – plain
and simple! This makes for more work,
and results in more over-torques and
over-temps when things get rough. FADEC
incorporates fairly sophisticated limiters
that account for varying atmospheric
conditions and temperatures. Pilots can
actually use the limiter as a way to reduce
workload, since pulling the collective up
against it to get a rotor drop of one or two
percent is an easy way to ensure that the
power is where it should be. Limiters also
can trigger displays that tell a pilot how
much time has been spent in the limit
zone, with a countdown clock shown to
help plan the next step in the procedure.
On Comanche, the engine power limiter
was tied to the radar altitude and the
airspeed, so that the engine was not limited
to normal power while the aircraft was in
the ‘dead man’s zone’. In other words, the
FADEC was smart enough to know when it
was time to sacrifice the engine to protect
the crew if necessary!
Another field where mechanical
controls are outclassed by FADEC is in
the calculation and display of power
assurance and health monitoring values.
FADECs have lots of computing power,
and can continuously calculate power
margins and engine health. While this
has been relegated to the HUMS in some
helicopters, surely it makes sense to
perform the calculation as close to home
as possible. One type of display I have
flown, in the Comanche, actually showed
the maximum power available on a specific
engine, alongside the power needed to
hover OGE in the prevailing conditions. The
situational awareness provided by this kind
of intelligence may well avoid some of the
harsh lessons about hot/high operations
that every experienced pilot otherwise
inevitably learns the hard way.
One particularly good reason for having
FADEC on every turbine helicopter is almost
too embarrassing to mention – virtually
every modern car has it! (Their electronic
fuel injection systems have many of the
features I mention above). It would be nice
if for once helicopters were technically
ahead of automobiles! n
21
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 by Russell Goulden
It Will All Come
Out in the Wash...
Ask five different engineers
and five different pilots
about how to carry out a
compressor wash and you’ll
probably get ten different
answers ranging from the
procedure described in the
maintenance manual to
something ‘slightly less’
than that.
Compressor washing of gas
turbine engines is an important task
that if not carried out, or if carried out
incorrectly, can have a drastic detrimental
effect on the life of an engine.
The name ‘compressor wash’ is itself
misleading. For a start, as the compressor
is only the first port of call in the wash
procedure, the components downstream
also need some tender loving care after
being worked hard all day by the pilot
and the environment.
It’s timely here to revisit the reasons
for compressor ‘wash’ as the word ‘wash’
can have many meanings.
Rinse or De-salination Wash
This is carried out to rinse away any
corrosive products, like salts, that may
be in the air path. Some of you may
already be thinking, “Not me – I’m 100
miles inland!” Unfortunately, salt is not
the only contaminant to affect turbine
engines. Where and how different aircraft
operate may be unique and there may be
any number of chemical or particulate
contaminants in the air that may
contribute to corrosion, including some
volcanic or industrial dusts which form
acids when mixed with moisture.
The rules are simple; follow the
engine manufacturer’s recommendations!
z As a rule of thumb an engine can
have a compressor rinse/de-salination
MA I NTENANCE UPDATE
wash once the combustion casing There are a few additional rules to be
is cool enough to place a hand on it followed for a compressor recovery wash:
without discomfort.
z Use clean, potable, demineralized z Use a recommended cleaning fluid
water only — contaminated water that has been tested by the OEM and
can cause more issues than you are found to be fully compatible with the
attempting to solve! On a trip to a entire engine system.
less-advanced country in the late ’90s, z Use the correct ratio of fluid to water
I noticed heavy green deposit on all (demineralized water!)
the hotel taps, so I was not surprised Follow the soak time recommendations
to hear that the local Bell 212 was
z
– these are important if the fluid is to
grounded with engine problems. You do its job.
guessed it... the engines were being z A water wash may be required to
washed with local tap water! rinse the engine fully afterwards.
z If it is recommended that the PC line z Make sure the burner/combustion-
be capped, there is a reason — it is case drain-valve is doing its job,
because the OEM does not want the because if it is not, fluid left for an
contaminants being washed through extended period can allow dirt to
the air circuits of the fuel control settle and solidify – locking up the
system. compressor.
z Follow the Ng/N1 speed limits vs fluid
flow-rate recommendations, as axial With all these things in mind, remember
compressors can be easily damaged that you (whether pilot or engineer), play
— and always use the battery cart an important role in maximizing the life
where available (if the OEM allows of compressor and engine.
an ‘engine-running’ rinse this is very As a rule, the consequences of poor
important). or non-existent compressor washing/
z Close off the cabin heat valves – rinsing procedures will probably not
there’s no point filling the cabin with manifest themselves in the first 100
water! hours, but will certainly do so after 500 or
z If advised to block off the bleed-valve 1,000 flight hours — by which time it may
port it usually means that the OEM be too late.
wants the wash purged through the “Your mission, Jim, should you decide
engine and does not want the rinse to accept it” is to monitor the gradual
escaping prematurely. increase in TOT/T4/TIT during your
z If an engine drying run is specified engine’s overhaul period, either by power
to follow the wash, it’s for a good assurance checks, or electronic means,
reason — the OEM doesn’t want water and to determine what cleaning interval
to stay trapped in an area that could suits your operation, and then ensure
contribute to corrosion following your that it is properly carried out. n
rinse procedure.
z Some manufacturers recommend
preservation of the air path after
a drying run. What you do here
depends greatly on the length of time
till next flight, your geographical
location and/or your environment.
Compressor Recovery Wash
All compressors get dirty to a greater
or lesser degree; axial compressors
are more prone to dirt build-up on the
stators. In the case of the Allison 250
series-1 or -2 engines, this is particularly
true of the fifth stage stator.
It is better to clean a compressor
regularly in order to prevent heavy dirt
build-up.
How dirty do they get? That can
depend on many factors. In addition
to the operating environment and
geographical location, it can also be
affected by things such as faulty engine
or transmission oil seals that permit oil
to be drawn into the air path.
23
C O V E R F E AT U R E
As high-definition television (HDTV) really begins to takeoff, LA-

based Helinet is forging new territory in US electronic news gathering

— pioneering new technologies and capabilities in helicopters.

story by mark ogden PHOTOS by ned dawson

 top left: WNYW’s airborne reporter, Kai
Simonsen, helps to bring the cutting edge
technology of Skyfox HD into NY Metro
living rooms every morning.
above and above right: Skyfox HD
‘cruises for news’ against the backdrop
of the NYC skyline.
26
Helinet’s helicopters are leading
the way in employing the new technology
of high definition video in the US
television network system. Through its
subsidiaries, Cineflex (a specialist in
electro-mechanical control systems) and
Geneva Aviation (systems engineering),
Helinet has developed a unique digital
system called HiDef that has recently
been introduced to New Yorkers through
one of the local FOX stations.
Although Helinet is a general charter
company, it has specialized in developing
a significant electronic news gathering
(ENG) capability. Through new contracts
and acquisitions, the company currently
operates over 50 ENG helicopters with
well over a hundred pilots and camera
operators across the continental USA.
Helinet is moving towards an all-AS 350
fleet for several reasons; commonality,
capability, power, cabin room. According
to David Calvert-Jones (‘CJ’), the Chief
Executive Officer of the Helinet Group of
Companies. “We think the B2 is the best
platform for ENG in that it can better
house the equipment while giving the
cameraman the ability to move around.
We are using a B3 in the Denver market
because of the hot and high conditions
there,” he explains. “Advantages of
standardizing the fleet include lower
overheads in parts and mechanics, while
giving us improved negotiating power.
The Eurocopter rep has really helped
and he tries to make sure everything is
done right.”
According to CJ, the US television
networks are required to transition to
digital transmission within the next five
years which places the Helinet group in
a prime position as a technical leader
in the US television market with the
Cineflex V14 HD camera and the Geneva
HD integrations. As well as the higher
quality of image and sound that high
definition provides, there is a much
higher bandwidth available for a fully
digital system.
More Detail
The earliest example of high
definition technology dates back to 1964
when Japanese broadcasting company
NHK began producing prototypes, and
within 20 years, had an analogue high
definition capability suitable for program
production. Around the same time in the
US, local television company KCTS was
also experimenting with the format.
As with most new technology,
especially in those days, the system
tended to be clunky. Because early high
definition was initially analogue, the
cameras and associated equipment used
to make programs were cumbersome
and heavy, and they required a lot of
power and a lot of cable to work. When
digital technology was first introduced,
it was not as sophisticated as it is now,
but with the groundwork done, once
electronics technology caught up with the
concept, the format was able to reach its
current standard.
High definition has a much higher
level of detail — from two to five times
more than standard broadcast quality
video. Instead of using 480 lines of
horizontal resolution (standard video),
high definition uses a minimum 720
lines. The 720 lines appear all at once on
the screen, unlike standard video’s use
of 480 lines ‘interlaced’ (that is, half the top: A state-of-the-art ENG integration
lines appear each 1/60th of a second with by Geneva Aviation allows pilot, camera
the two halves combining every 1/30th of operator and ‘talent’ superior flexibility
a second). The appearance of all lines at in a demanding ENG operating
once is described as a progressive picture. environment.
The higher resolutions can be either
interlaced or progressive, depending above: Los Angeles’ KABC HD helicopter
on the television monitor and the high reporting in full resolution Hi Definition
definition player. In any case, high over the busy 101 Freeway.
definition provides a significantly greater
amount of detail and clarity of image
and allows images to be enlarged far
beyond the level possible with standard
television without becoming ‘blurred’.
27
The greater bandwidth of the current
digital technology also offers very high
quality audio capability, so it is being
used more in the cable, satellite and
broadcasting industries where there is
growing public demand for such content.
JT Alpaugh, Helinet’s Vice President,
Service and Support, explains that HDTV
was originally developed as a world
standard intended to do away with such
formats as NTSC and PAL. The immediate
advantage of HDTV is the increased
resolution – standard definition NTSC TV
has 525 lines of resolution compared to
HDTV which has 1,125 lines containing
over two million pixels of video
information presented in a widescreen
(16:9) format similar to a movie theatre
screen. The bandwidth needed to The US Government made it Simonsen about to ‘go live’ over
transmit HDTV can actually be less than mandatory for all television stations a breaking news story in Midtown
that required for standard television to use exclusively digital transmitters Manhattan. Multiple HD video
by utilizing compression technology by February 2009. Initially a Catch-22 sources that can be routed to any
and is not an issue in the United States, situation looked likely to complicate of the onboard monitors, along
according to Alpaugh. “Most television matters in that a lack of high definition with Cineflex’s user-friendly laptop
stations have already constructed programming led to consumer reluctance controller, make Skyfox HD’s
and are utilizing digital transmitting to buy HD television sets — while cockpit one of the most flexible in
antennas alongside analogue equipment. broadcasters were unwilling to spend airborne newsgathering.
The digital transmitters are currently money on producing HD content because
being used to broadcast each network’s televisions were not selling. However,
standard and high definition content.” Alpaugh says that over the past three
➤

Helinet provides total Hi Definition
coverage for the market leader in
Los Angeles, KABC.
Rolls-Royce is pleased to introduce the new Model 250 Full-
service Integrated Rolls-Royce Support Team (FIRST) network.
Developed to ensure that the 4,500 operators of Model 250
powered helicopters and light aircraft around the world receive
www.rolls-royce.com
years this Catch 22 has been broken with
HD television sales sky-rocketing in the
US and HD programming on broadcast,
cable and satellite providers growing by
the day.
Airborne
CJ of Helinet says that FOX5 in
New York did not initially ask for
HiDef but during the contract renewal
process Helinet offered to configure the
helicopter, camera and system so that
when FOX was ready to go with HDTV,
the helicopter would also be ready. New
network management wanting to make
a ‘point of difference’ in the market,
decided to go with high definition
and use the helicopter’s then-unique
capability. To get up-and-running quickly,
FOX asked to borrow Helinet’s portable
receiver equipment — something
Helinet was happy to do. “We were able
to get them up in a couple of days,”
comments CJ, “and they were pretty
happy with that.”
Al Shjarback, VP Engineering and
Operations for WNYW Fox NY says, “Our
conversion to HD for the helicopter was
facilitated by the need to replace our
the highest levels of support, the Model 250 FIRST network brings
together the expertise of three Rolls-Royce Service Centers (RRSC),
thirteen independently-owned Authorized Maintenance Centers
(AMC), four independently-owned Authorized Military Overhaul
 current ship. Once that decision was
made HD was not only a logical move but
also an easy one. All of our equipment in
the new ship was designed, purchased
and installed specifically to serve us
in HD with a fallback mode to SD if
required.”
Cineflex developed the equipment
and Geneva installed it in the helicopter.
The system, including a turret (which
produces negligible additional drag) and
camera, auxiliary control-unit, control
console and cabling, weighs in at about
108 lb (50 kg). Over 50 of these systems
are currently deployed throughout the
world with television news stations,
federal, state and local law-enforcement
agencies and homeland security, live
sporting event providers, and motion
picture and television production
companies.
Enhancing the quality of the Sony
HDC-950 or F950 film-grade video camera,
the five-axis gyro-stabilized Cineflex
turret is about the lightest on the market.
It holds an image rock-steady even at the
camera’s longest lens setting of 84x at
1,140 mm with the capability of
reading a licence plate from thousands
of feet, while a remote control permits
line-of-sight remote use of the camera
from as far away as 60 miles. The
turret and camera, which weigh in at just
67 lb (30 kg), can be panned continuously
through 360°, tilted 25° upwards and
140° down with a position resolution of
just .001°.
The Cineflex auxiliary box unit
which houses the camera body, power
infrastructure, and video routing
connections, is usually stowed in the
side luggage lockers while the rear locker
is usually kept free for cargo. Unlike
other helicopter broadcast installations
where the equipment is housed in cabin-
mounted racks that eliminate two seating
positions, this installation keeps four
cabin seats fully useable and minimizes
intrusions.
A recording facility incorporating
the Sony HD Cam tape is also included A remote control permits
– everything that is transmitted via
microwave link to ground stations is
also recorded to tape, as tape retains
line-of-sight remote use
a small edge in quality over broadcast
information. Another quality noted by of the camera from as far
CJ was the camera’s significant night
capability. “There’s just more information away as 60 miles.
➤

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31
 above left: Helinet offers total Hi
Definition ENG systems through
its Cineflex Camera Systems and
Geneva Aviation integrations. Shown
and greater depth of field so clarity and
here is the TV Azteca 407 for the
detail at night is incredible,” he says.
demanding and populous Mexico
Potential exists for City market.
Outfoxing the others
The combination of this equipment
with the AS 350 B2 has given FOX5 a
mayhem with this above right: The Cineflex laptop
controller puts the camera’s many
significant edge over its competitors. It
functions at your fingertips and its
was probably the first all-digital HiDef- number of helicopters
ergonomic and intuitive design make
capable helicopter in the world. The
it comfortable and easy to use.
helicopter has no need to be below a in one area.
thousand feet when covering a story,
and indeed can ‘stand-off’ at significant
➤
2 0 0 6
A U G U S T

THE MAGAZINE FOR THE CIVIL HELICOPTER INDUSTRY I N T E R N A T I O N A L

I S S U E 40
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 U n d e r t h e A e r o s p a c e U m b r e l l a m a n a g e d b y T h e Pa t r i a r c h F u n d s

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distances and operate at higher altitudes,
staying out of the avoid-curve and
minimizing ground noise without losing
any of the tightness of an image. Even
if law enforcement agencies restrict
airspace in the immediate vicinity of an
occurrence, the FOX helicopter can still
‘dig in’ with the camera and gain news-
breaking high-resolution images.
Everything in the HiDef equipment
is software-controlled including the
capability to shift between frequencies
(FOX5 uses two frequencies). The
importance of live news is evident
from the location of FOX’s numerous
transmitters and receivers throughout the
city, but the helicopter can also be used
as a relay ship — a sort of giant antenna
in the sky — even further expanding the
station’s ability to receive and send news.
Live news is an important aspect of
the US news scene and there are at least
five ENG helicopters in New York City,
where, according to CJ, traffic reporting
is an essential role for them. While the
potential exists for mayhem with this
number of helicopters in one area, CJ says
that despite there being no procedure
or agreement amongst them it all works
well. He says that it is generally a ‘first-
in-best-dressed’ affair and operators work Skyfox HD traverses the streets of
on the basis that no one interferes with upper Manhattan in search of its
whatever is happening on the ground. next big story.
The FOX5 helicopter flies between
1,500 to 1,800 hours a year, 30 to
40 percent of which is flown at night.
As well as the turret camera, the
helicopter has another external camera
mounted on the horizontal stabilizer
looking forward, and two internal
cameras to capture the on-air ‘talent’.
Although the helicopter has the capability Even if law enforcement
to also carry a reporter, many pilots
have so much experience that they are agencies restrict
becoming the ‘talent’.
The pilots get to know the areas well
and although each of the helicopters
airspace in the
carries GPS, many incorporating
moving map displays, CJ says that pilots immediate vicinity of
often carry their own GPS units with
personalized special reference points an occurrence, the FOX
logged. New pilots will often fly with the
more experienced pilots until they get helicopter can still
a good grasp of the operations and the
areas in which they are working. The
experience of pilots working in Helinet’s
‘dig in’ with the camera
ENG operations ranges from 2,500 hours
to as many as 20,000 hours. and gain news-breaking
The ENG work is a day and night
VFR operation and while there is often high-resolution images.
➤
35
 Most broadcasters are
only just beginning to
scratch the surface
of what they can do
with HD and says that
it offers viewers an
experience that rivals a
seat alongside the pilot!
above left: Even in amongst
the many tall skyscrapers of the
Manhattan skyline the site of the
World Trade Center is clearly visible.
A new monument is to be built
on this site in remembrance to the
many thousands who lost their lives
on September 11th.
above right: Skyfox HD circles Lady
Liberty during the morning news.
36
pressure from stations to fly in unsuitable
conditions, CJ realizes that this is to be
expected as the station people are not
aviation-qualified and he expects the
pilots to be prepared to say ‘no’ when the
conditions aren’t right.
Expansion
The technology has not gone
unnoticed by law enforcement or the
US military but while its potential for
police work, homeland security and
remote reconnaissance is significant, the
revolution is in ENG where the helicopter
is complemented by high definition and a
versatile turret.
There is no question that the
networks appreciate what HD can do
for their service. WNYW’s Al Shjarback
says that most broadcasters are only just
beginning to scratch the surface of what
they can do with HD and says that it
offers viewers an experience that rivals a
seat alongside the pilot!
Alpaugh sums up this way, “The
stability of the gimbal and resolution
of the high definition camera enables
news aircraft to provide stunningly
detailed live images while standing
off at greater distances and higher
altitudes. This provides greater safety
margins for aircrews and becomes a less
intrusive distraction for noise-sensitive
citizens, law enforcement officers and
fire fighters on the ground. It provides
viewers at home with the most detailed
imaging of breaking news ever available.
In the US, those television stations that
utilize helicopters to provide timely
breaking news to their viewers can now
provide imaging such as they have never
experienced before.” n
 Some
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Picking up
Pieces
When an earthquake in Pakistan killed more than 100,000
people, disrupted a million more, and left massive
destruction in its wake, South African company, Naturelink,
was among those whose helicopters were there to help save
lives – moving people, equipment and material. FRANÇOIS
MARAIS, a professional aeroplane and helicopter pilot with
more than 15,000 hours and 30 years’ flying experience
joins Naturelink’s clean-up operation for seven weeks
during February and March this year. He tells his story.

PHOTOS by François Marais, MSF staff and Naturelink crew members

 top left: The Muzaffarabad Hotel reduced to
rubble by the earthquake
top right: Mi 26 departing Muzaffarabad
Airport with 10 tonnes of food for the village
of Batangi in the Gheelum Valley.
above left: Mi 26 parked overnight at
the Muzaffarabad airport, later named
‘Stonewall’ when the American Army took
control of the ATC there.
above right: A Mi 8 beonging to Heli
Ukraine being replenished with food supplies
at the Neelum Stadium in Muzaffarabad.
40
At 8.50 am on 8 October 2005,
a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck
Pakistan, India and Afghanistan. The
quake’s epicentre was located near
Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani-
administered Kashmir, approximately 60
miles northeast of Islamabad. In addition
to killing an estimated 100,000 people,
the quake left a further million homeless
and ill-prepared for the coming winter,
and as late as March when I left Pakistan,
the region was still experiencing
worrying aftershocks.
Balakot, Manshera, Muzaffarabad
and the surrounding areas within a
60 nautical mile radius were virtually
flattened by this destructive earthquake.
The areas most seriously affected
were around the Gheelum and Neelum
Valleys, north and east of Muzaffarabad.
Following the quake, the Pakistan
Government, realizing the magnitude
of the disaster, immediately called
upon the world to assist in its massive
relief operation and within a week, the
Pakistani Military (PAKMIL) had deployed
almost its entire air capability to the
disaster zone. Its helicopters included
Pumas, Lamas, Allouette IIIs Hueys, Bell
412s, Mi-8s and Mi-17s.
Forces Muster
The United States were the first
foreign forces to arrive. Their initial
contingent comprised eight helicopters,
but almost overnight this became 21
Chinooks, two UH-60s, and one
CH-53 from ‘Task Force Griffin’ based
in Afghanistan. Three British CH-47s
followed 11 days later. Within days,
every conceivable open space, cricket
pitch, soccer and other sporting field was
converted into a landing zone for the
fleet of helicopters – approximately 100 of
them that swarmed around Muzaffarabad
Airport and surrounding areas. Mi-26s,
Mi-17s, Mi-8s, Kamovs, Blackhawks,
Chinooks, Hueys and Pumas – these
were just a few of the types whose only
purpose was to help those devastated by
the earthquake.
It was inevitable in such rugged
and mountainous terrain that the air
operation by global aid agencies and
aviation companies was huge. PAKMIL
set up a control center at the Chaklala Air
Force Base in Islamabad, and controlled
and monitored all the helicopters working
for the various agencies. PAKMIL provided
logistics and safety pilots to accompany
the aid helicopters to ensure that their
pilots did not cross the ‘line of control’ –
the delineation of the disputed area with
India. PAKMIL’s pilots did not command
any of the helicopters, but flew along in Naturelink’s AS 350 BA parked at the
the cockpits to provide area information village of Badnara.
and to ensure that their crews strictly
followed its procedures.
Aid helicopters were prohibited from
operating after dark. Each helicopter
was assigned a specific squawk code
so that its movements could be tracked
by PAKMIL at all times, and an ATC
and radar base was set up at Murree 25
miles northeast of Islamabad to assist
Islamabad Airport and Chaklala Air Force
Base to monitor helicopter movements
in the area. Within days, every
Civilians Muster conceivable open
In the second week after the
earthquake, International Relief space, cricket pitch,
Organizations such as the UN,
International Red Cross, Medicines soccer and other
Sans Frontiers and many others began
supplying helicopters. The Red Cross sporting field was
brought two Pumas from Starlight
Helicopters in South Africa, Mi-8s from converted into a
Turkey, Russia, and the Ukraine, and Air
Serve brought in our two AS 350s from landing zone for the
Naturelink. There were also a couple of
Mi-26s from Russia, Super Pumas and an fleet of helicopters
MD Explorer from Luxembourg, and the
Agha Khan Foundation provided three
41
 top left: Luftwaffe parked on the LZ
at the village of Chamba.
middle left: Residents of Chamba sitting
on the roof of their house made of
wooden poles, grass and clay.
bottom left: Remains of the four
story St Mary’s Secondary School
in Muzafarrabad.
top right: The Luftwaffe approaching
the LZ at the village of Chamba
bottom right: Pakistan Army Lama
refueling from drums
at the Neelum Stadium.
42
of its Agusta 139s, while the Canadians
provided one Kamov and the Russians
two more.
Naturelink
Naturelink, which began as a family-
owned, private, aeroplane charter
business is now one of Africa’s fastest
growing aeroplane service providers to
Air Serve International. It mostly provides
Caravans, King Airs, Beech 1900s, PC12s,
and lately a fleet of Embraer 120s to
Air Serve International’s operations
throughout Africa and the Middle East.
When Air Serve needed helicopters in
Indonesia to cope with the tsunami
disaster, it contracted Naturelink
to provide them. Initially using
subcontractors to provide helicopters,
Naturelink eventually bought its own
AS 350BA. SAFAIR and Imperial Bank
now have stakes in the company, which
is part of the Imperial Group/SAFAIR/
NAC organization, and Chris Briers, who
founded Naturelink, remains its CEO.
When the earthquake struck,
Naturelink was just wrapping up its
tsunami relief activities in Indonesia
after nine months of operation. Air Serve
International – a non-profit organization
that provides air transportation
exclusively to the humanitarian relief
community, contracted Naturelink to
assist in Pakistan. Naturelink’s two AS
350 Squirrel helicopters were immediately
dispatched to Islamabad – where Air
Serve was well placed to task and
coordinate relief flights from the office it
has maintained there since 2002.
Our helicopters were tasked to
perform duties for the international
NGO (non-governmental organization)
‘Medicins Sans Frontiers’ (MSF). MSF is a
humanitarian aid organization providing
emergency medical aid in more than 80
countries. Working with MSF-Holland out
of Muzaffarabad, we flew medical teams
to relief camps and isolated villages and
also provided medevac flights for victims
in need of more intensive care. Patients
included pregnant women needing to
give birth and sick children from remote
areas, many of whom were suffering
from gastroenteritis (stomach ailments)
caused by contaminated water. We flew
a lot of people to hospitals at Bagh and top left: The two Naturelink AS 350s
Muzaffarabad, and sometimes also to parked at the Neelum Stadium during
Islamabad. The patients varied from December 2005 with blade covers on to
premature babies to cardiac victims, to prevent the packing of ice on the blades
those suffering from dehydration, stress,
and a whole range of general ailments top right: Collapsed house on the
— we definitely saved a few lives! outskirts of Muzaffarabad.
The assistance effort was complicated
above left: Naturelink’s AS 350BA
by the mountainous terrain, cold
parked on the LZ at Banda Kathandi.
temperatures of -10 to -20°C during the
initial stages, and damaged or collapsed above centre: Pakistani doctor
infrastructure, so the helicopters preparing a bed for a patient to be air
were also used to sling-load nearly all lifted from the village of Charia.
of the much-needed medical supplies
into the area. The work also involved high above right: Pilot Rowan Miles
altitude operations in the mountains to approaching Muzaffarabad from the
as high as 12,000 ft AMSL in some south west.
areas where surviving earthquake victims
had to survive the extreme climatic
conditions of the Kashmiri Mountain
territory.
The big helicopters like the Mi-26s,
Mi-17s, Mi-8s, Kamovs and Pumas carried
43
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 The Neelum Stadium
at Muzaffarabad was
the parking grounds
for many of the fleet
of 100-odd helicopters
that swarmed around
Muzaffarabad at the
height of the relief
operation.

mostly food supplies, tents, blankets, and
building materials. The bigger helicopters
carried loads varying from 900 kg to as
much as 15 tonnes on the Mi-26s, mostly
using long-lines – from 30-meter to
50-meter strops depending on the altitude
and terrain. Most of the sling work was
done below 8,000 ft. Our Naturelink
Squirrels only lifted light loads – up to
300 kg – mainly consisting of medicines
and water- purifying equipment and the
like. In some places, mountain ranges
had to be crossed at 12,000 ft (to avoid
crossing the line of control) to reach
In some places,
mountain ranges
locations lower down in valleys. Wind was
sometimes a factor, as was bad visibility had to be crossed at
in low cloud and haze and we occasionally
encountered snow on our steep descents 12,000 ft (to avoid
into the valleys.
In the remote mountainous terrain, crossing the line of
we often landed on snow-covered landing
zones, however whiteout was never a control) to reach
problem for us, and we wore sunglasses to
deal with the glare. Both of Naturelink’s locations lower down
helicopters were equipped with snow skids
and we never experienced problems with in valleys.
landing on snow, which in most cases was
reasonably hard. ➤

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 above left: Pilot Ryan Hogan finds a
suitable LZ on a flat rock in the valley maintenance
at the village of Rajpian. a six-weekly
above right: Mi 8 approaching
the LZ at Badnara.
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The South African flight and after my arrival, the food was good, as was
crews, who were rotated on (generally) the accommodation.
basis, initially stayed in Naturelink’s support base for its
tents in Muzaffarabad, but also had the helicopters included a full-time engineer.
use of a properly equipped house. They Since the company’s arrival in November
were subsequently moved to a 2005, each of its helicopters flew a
5-star guesthouse in Islamabad, and later minimum of 60 hours a month, and
still, in March 2006, moved back into a sometimes as many as 80 hours. The
furnished house in Muzaffarabad closer helicopters exceeded all expectations,
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Page 1 a stomach bug struck me shortly
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info@OnboardSystems.com / www.OnboardSystems.com
 Since the company’s
arrival in November
2005, each of its
helicopters flew
a minimum of 60
hours a month, and
sometimes as many
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Young children of Charia
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WECO HeliOps ad Apr05.fh8 3/3/05 1:46 PM Page 1
maintenance costs were very low with
nothing more than the usual 100-hourly
inspections required.
Departure
Sadly, with the re-organization of
‘service protocol’ by the Pakistan Military,
Naturelink’s contract officially ended on
5 May 2006. After nearly seven months
of continuous service to the
C residents
M Y CM in
MY CY
CMY K
the quake-ravaged region, the company’s
Squirrels, were on their way home, neatly
packed up with their main and tail rotor
blades removed into the back of an IL 76.
This operation once again proved
to the world the cardinal importance of
helicopters – able to be deployed at short
notice to provide life-giving support in
inhospitable conditions and inaccessible
terrain.
Long live the helicopter! n

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In May this year, Didier Delsalle received the Igor Sikorsky International
Trophy at the American Helicopter Society’s symposium in Arizona. It
was the latest of several awards celebrating the test pilot’s record-setting
landing on the summit of Mt Everest, and it came a full year after the
successful flight. Since then, a whole raft of articles have praised Delsalle’s
success, but none have closely examined the flying techniques that he
utilized in order to make his ultimate sloping-ground landing at 29,035 ft
(8,850 m). HeliOps speaks to Delsalle and discusses his flight in detail.
story by Andrew Healey photos courtesy of eurocopter
 top left: Delsalle, with his oxygen equipment,
added 80 kg, while 105 kg of fuel took the
all-up weight to 1,285 kg – nearly 1,000 kg
below MAUW
right: It took 15 minutes to reach the summit
altitude through a series of spiral climbs.
above: Festooned with bunting after a
It’s quite a story. On 14 May 2005,
successful flight
Delsalle – one of an eleven-man
Eurocopter team based at Lukla airport,
roughly 26 nautical miles from Everest at
an altitude of 2,850 m (9,400 ft), carried
out a walk-round of his ‘standard’
AS 350B3 Squirrel. Stripped of spare
seats and main-rotor vibration dampers,
the helicopter had an empty weight of a
mere 1,100 kg – compared with 1,232 kg
in standard configuration. Delsalle, with
his oxygen equipment, added 80 kg, while
105 kg of fuel took the all-up weight to
1,285 kg – nearly 1,000 kg below MAUW.
At 29,000 ft, the fuel consumption at
maximum continuous power would be
85 kg/hour, however endurance was
52
determined by the amount of oxygen
Delsalle could carry rather than possible
fuel load.
Certified to operate in temperatures
as low as -40°C, the B3 Ecureuil (A-Star)
required no specific fluids, additives or
other changes, and during flight tests
in France, Delsalle had climbed to
33,500 ft with an OAT of -58°C in the
same configuration without any problem.
(Such low temperatures might cause
start-up problems but not when in flight).
In the event, the actual temperatures
encountered at Everest’s summit varied
between -30 and -36°C.
It took Delsalle 15 minutes to reach
the summit altitude through a series of
spiral climbs. A series of ‘time-to-climb’
records set during earlier flight tests
in France had given him a good idea of
how long it would take. Once at altitude,
Delsalle put his plan into action. “I had
decided to approach the summit along
the south-east ridge, thus keeping me on
the upwind side of the mountain with
a chance of avoiding the most powerful
gusts, and keeping me away from the
powerful downdrafts on its lee-side
which, even though it was early morning,
posed a real risk,” he recalls. “I also had
to remain clear of Chinese airspace.
The border straddled the peak so I was
literally flying along the line, which
meant the wind on the approach was
roughly 60 degrees to the left of the nose.
This offered a useful escape route –
in case of engine or power problems,
I would bank hard to the left to keep out
of the mountain rocks and remain in
an updraft.”
To keep the power as constant as
possible, Delsalle made a shallow, nearly
flat approach avoiding large collective
movements which would have challenged
the capabilities of the engine governor.
As the component was not specifically
designed for such altitudes, it lacked
the performance and response time A formal send-off for Delsalle
that was available within the normal and his team
flight envelope. “I began the approach
at 45 knots, gently reducing speed as I
approached the summit. About 30 meters
out, I established an out-of-ground-effect
hover to check the power which was OK,
so I continued towards the peak. I had
been worried about running out of power
for months, but this day and the next day
when we did it again I discovered that the
prevailing conditions allowed me plenty
of power. “This was the biggest surprise.
The previous day, strong updrafts had “I also had to remain
made it impossible to maintain altitude.
Indeed I was climbing at between 500 clear of Chinese
to 1,000 ft a minute without using any
collective at all. I was in autorotation and airspace. The border
nearly over-speeding the rotor!”
“Getting closer to the summit, I straddled the peak so
encountered a more powerful updraft and
I had to reduce power to keep the aircraft I was literally flying
on track. Torque was oscillating between
zero and 45 percent – definitely not a along the line, with the
comfort zone! On the summit, I would
pull between 15 and 20 percent. While wind 60 degrees to the
still over-flying the ridge, I was able to
maintain vertical references up to a few left of the nose.”
meters out. Then when I lost sight of it
in the main cockpit window, I looked out
53

top left: Powerful up and downdrafts
were a constant factor.
right: The B3 was stripped to have an
empty weight of 1,100 kg – compared
with 1,232 kg in standard configuration.
above: Endurance was determined by the
amount of oxygen Delsalle could carry
rather than possible fuel load.
54
of the left chin window to try and find at
least some lateral references. As I touched
down on the forward part of the skids
I had no precise idea of where exactly
I was – my only cue was the sensation
of touching down. A big concern at this
moment was that I didn’t know if I was
touching snow lying over rocks or hard
snow on top of ... nothing. If it had been
just an ice shelf ready to break under my
weight, I would have been in real trouble,
especially with hardly any pitch applied!
Fortunately it was rock underneath.”
With no space for Delsalle to land
completely, the only way to fulfil the
FAI’s requirements was to try to maintain
contact between the skid and the rock
for more than two minutes. His main
problem was severe turbulence – in
around 65 knots of wind coupled with
reduced power that offered minimal
control authority. “I tried to ‘bury’ the
skid tips as deep as possible into the
snow. This would have stabilized me but
the snow was too thin and icy to do that.
So I had to ‘fly’ the helicopter all the time
while on the ground, with quite large
cyclic pitch inputs due to the turbulence
and unstable wind direction.”
“I managed to keep the helicopter
there for three minutes and 50 seconds.
Occasionally, through the lower-left
chin window, I could see an abandoned
orange oxygen bottle that I could use
as a lateral reference, but this was not
visible most of the time. All I could do
was try to maintain visual reference to
other peaks around Everest and stay in
contact with the ground. Despite this, I
never felt disoriented or uncomfortable.
My biggest challenge during the approach
had been to avoid focusing too much on
the realization of what I was doing, and
instead concentrate on the flying and
on the helicopter’s vibrations, noise and
power limits. For take-off, I just pulled
slightly on the collective and leapt into
the air using less than 50 percent torque!
I then followed the north-west ridge and
turned left while building speed, exactly
over the border line.”
The B3 is a powerful helicopter and
needs a strong tail rotor to cope with its above left: The Eurocopter team celebrates.
power. On neither of the two days that
above right: Salud Didier!
he landed atop Everest did Delsalle reach
the limit of the B3’s tail rotor authority,
even with the wind blowing at 65 knots
from 60 degrees left of the nose. He did
not use any more than 80 to 85 percent of
full pedal travel throughout the approach,
landing and take-off. “After taking-off I
tried to orbit above the summit to take

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55

Delsalle’s feat helped Eurocopter
find out more about how a rotor
behaves at altitude.
in the sights, but it wasn’t possible,” says
Delsalle. “Each time I had to counteract
the downdrafts with maximum power
to increase ground speed. IAS was
60 knots with no ground speed, 1,000 ft
per minute rate-of-descent down the
mountain with maximum power applied;
this was absolutely the most challenging
moment. I thought of it as the mountain
warning me that it was much stronger
56
than me and that while I may have
succeeded this time I shouldn’t push my
luck! I descended slowly, both to protect
my ears and to appreciate the incredible
landscape and I landed back in Lukla with
70kg of fuel.”
The next day, to prove it wasn’t a
fluke, Delsalle went back in even more
turbulent conditions, but as the wind
direction was nearly the same, he used
the same procedure to reach the peak.
It took him four attempts before he was
able to keep the helicopter on the summit
for longer than two minutes.
So what did it all achieve? The
landings may have been the ‘cherry
on the cake’ for Eurocopter’s flight test
program but they were not its main
goal. Together with the earlier flights
in France, Delsalle’s exploits helped
the team find out more about how a
rotor behaves at altitude; its handling
qualities and control response. They
were subsequently able to develop better
mathematical models for engines using
high power settings, as well as improving
engine fuel-flow characteristics.
The team now knows it is possible
to design a rescue helicopter that
can operate at up to 8,000 m – even if
some climbers might not like the idea.
However, weather and wind conditions
will always be the determining factors
in such high-altitude rescues which
will remain exceptional achievements
even with the most powerful helicopters
–“and climbers can be reassured about
one thing,” says Delsalle, – “Everest is
no place for heli-skiing or flight-seeing
tours!” n
Just
Humming
along

In a world where becoming bigger seems to be the

only way to commercially survive, Hummingbird is

a small company that has carved out a niche in a

small agricultural belt near San Diego.

story and photos by ned dawson

 Hoag has found the Bell 206B to be
the ideal machine for ag flying.

Bob Hoag is a Vietnam veteran who

had 3,000 hours when he left the Army
in 1973 and now with 18,000 hours under
his belt, he is one of only two agricultural
operators still working within an area
spanning the 150 miles south of Los
Angeles, including Central and Northern
San Diego, and Southern Riverside
Counties.
He and two partners started
Hummingbird Inc in 1977 after he had
spent a couple of years working in a
company that according to him, had
poor maintenance standards. He also
wanted to go back to flying turbines.
Hummingbird started with a C-18
– powered Hughes 500C purchased from
the San Bernardino Country Sheriff when
the department changed its fleet to the
500D model. Hoag’s machine – number
five off the production line – got the
business going, and in 1984 and 1986
he bought out his two partners to make
Hummingbird his company.
In 1993, Hoag switched to a Bell
206A that he imported from Europe – a
corporate machine with just 4,700 hours
total time, which, as Hoag put it, “had
never been worked in its life.” Hoag
fitted a spray system and installed a
C-20B engine to the machine which has
now flown over 8,000 hours. In order
The spray booms are mounted forward
to ensure maximum penetration to the
crop by the rotor downwash. 59

top left: The truck doubles as mobile spray
rig as well as refuelling bowser – ensuring
maximum time can be spent on the job site.
right: In some areas airspeed is kept slow
so the spray can penetrate through any
canopy and into the crop.
above: Hoag (right) has been providing
a much-needed service to farmers of San
Diego county for many years.
60
to keep costs down and to ensure it is
done to his standard, Hoag does his own
maintenance, except for engine overhauls
which are done by a company called
HEROES (Helicopter Engine Overhaul
Repair Service).
“It (the 206) has been a great machine
– very reliable – and I like the way Bell
looks after its customers,” says Hoag.
“Whether it is their support people in
Canada or the tech rep in Arizona, they
always come straight back to you and this
is the strongest point for Bell. I’m just a
little operator with only one machine but
it’s really important to be taken care of.”
One of Hoag’s reasons for changing
to the Bell was that its hydraulics made
all the difference in lessening the pilot’s
flying workload. “The 500 was more fun
to fly,” he says, “but the JetRanger is
easier. Five or six hours flying in the Bell
does not hurt me, but I was a lot more
tired after flying the Hughes for that
many hours a day.”
Efficiency
Hummingbird has outlasted seven
other companies but Hoag has no interest
in making it any bigger. He likes the fact
that Hummingbird is small and believes
its small size is probably the reason he
has managed to survive the increasing
urbanization of the once thriving
agricultural area of California.
He thinks another reason why there
are fewer operators is that today’s
helicopters are more capable; faster, and
with greater capacity, meaning fewer
helicopters are required to look after an
area. He believes that to keep costs down
and remain attractive to the industry,
operators must continually look for ways
to be more efficient.
With only, at best, five or six hours
available each day to fly, in order to avoid
wind adversely affecting drift, Hoag has
to minimize ground time to maximize his
time in the air. By utilizing two support
trucks he can fly directly from one job
to the next where the second truck will
already be waiting for him.
Spraying
Hummingbird’s entire operation
is based around agricultural support,
whether it be spraying crops such as
avocados, lavaciding for mosquito control,
heli-torching or even Bambi-bucketing.
Mosquito control has become more
prominent in recent times because of
concerns over the West Nile Virus.
His spray seasons are usually
summer and fall, with the length of
each flying day determined by wind and
temperature. Flying 600 to 700 hours a
year, Hoag can fly as many as six hours
in a day or as little as half an hour.
Beginning at dawn, he will typically fly
until around 11 am when the wind and/
or temperature usually stops the work
– however it also depends on the crop
and the spray material. With a light spray
density, the wind limit is usually 10 to
15 knots, whereas with a heavier spray
density of around 100 gallons an acre,
or when spraying a larger grove, he can
accept a slightly higher wind because
spray will not spread beyond the grove
or onto surrounding houses. If there is oil
in the spray, then he has to be mindful
of temperature because in ambient
temperatures over 90° F, the crops can
burn. Furthermore, convection currents
and heat rising from the ground can also
lift chemical off the crops so the spraying
must be done in fairly cool conditions.
Although Hummingbird’s work is
year-round, it declines in the off-season
and Hoag’s main job is spraying avocados
during their in-season. Avocados need
a lot of nutrients and delivery by air is
apparently far more effective than
tilling nutrients into the soil. “It is a lot
more efficient to deliver 10 lbs of nitrogen
by air than 500 lbs on the ground,”
explains Hoag.
Avocados require good drainage.
Consequently, Hoag usually has to
contend with spraying crops on hillsides
with slopes of up to 45 degrees. “It
depends on the slope and wind direction
as to how I spray an area; whether I work
up, across or down, although I prefer
not to fly downhill if possible as it ends
up getting spray through the main and
tail rotors.” The helicopter is rinsed off
regularly to prevent any build-up of
chemical and to prevent corrosion.
Although other companies make
extensive use of GPS, Hummingbird
does not use it at all. “I only work in this
area and have done so for 30 years,” he
explains. “I can see where I’m going, the
groves are comparatively small and I’m
not sure GPS works that well around the
hills anyway.”
Wires and Drift
Wires as always are a problem, but
after two wire strikes early in his career
Hoag has become far more aware of them.
“I put those down to inexperience and
fatigue,” he says. “They were a long time
ago and I’m pretty confident that I’ll see
wires now because they are the primary
thing I look for.” Even if he has recently
sprayed a particular grove, he will go
back and inspect it before starting to
spray it the next time in case the power
company may have put up a new wire.
He also ensures that he is not overly
fatigued, and that he eats carefully and
drinks plenty of water.
Other than wires, the main
consideration these days is ‘drift’. Drift
is where the spray goes after it leaves
above left & right: The paint scheme on
Hoag’s Bell 206B has a lot of personal
meaning as well as being a tribute to his
time spent in Vietnam.
the helicopter – something that in
today’s environment, pilots have to be
very careful to control if they are to avoid
complaints from neighbours and risk
losing their State or County spraying
approval. Hoag says unfounded complaints
from people with no real knowledge are all
too common. Because all complaints have
to be investigated, the County Agricultural
Officers are frequently watching Hoag at
work – something that doesn’t concern
him as he realizes they have a job to do
and he knows that the care he takes in his
work means any complaints are inevitably
found to be groundless. “We can’t afford to
have any violations,” he says.
The JetRanger is equipped with Isolair
tanks and a boom installed across the
front of the skid toes to keep the spray
as close to the crop as possible while the
helicopter is flown almost at crop top level
– all done to minimize spray drift. This is
also why the boom only extends to 75 to
90 percent of the main-rotor diameter as it
minimizes ‘swirl’ and gets the spray down
into and under the crop, while reducing
the chance of drift. The urbanization of
San Diego’s agricultural areas means that,
61
depending on the wind, the helicopter
could be operating as close as 50 ft from
houses. “It didn’t used to be that way,”
says Hoag. “They’ve put so many houses
here, there’s not much agriculture left!”
Trucking On
Hummingbird uses two trucks to
support its operations. With some jobs
taking as little as 20 minutes, and with
the window of opportunity for flying so
narrow, it is important that the helicopter
can transit from job to job with no
hold-ups or down-time. The trucks are
positioned as close to jobs as possible to
minimize turn-around times. Hoag can
land on the truck, be refuelled and top-off
the spray tanks in less than five minutes.
Although his fuel tank can carry far more,
in order to maximize the chemical load,
Hoag usually carries no more than 25
gallons, which gives him 20 to 30 minutes
of flying time before refuelling.
The chemicals can be mixed on
the trucks with the water from their
2,000-gallon tanks. By mixing up to
700 gallons at a time, the truck’s tanks
are able to provide up to six or seven
loads, depending on the type of spray.
Hoag has two ground personnel
otherwise known as loaders. One of them
has been with him for 25 years and the
other 16 years. “The guys are paid year-
round, even during the three months
when we don’t do much,” explains Hoag.
“When we’re working though, we work
solid. No lunch or toilet breaks. They
can grab something to eat between
landings and I grab something during the
turnaround.” The loaders wear coveralls,
gloves, and eye and ear protection
while working with the helicopter and
chemicals. Hoag keeps gloves in the
aircraft for when he helps out. “Used
properly, the chemicals are safe and
effective,” he insists. “You just have to
treat them with respect.” In any event, the
“The guys are paid
year-round, even during
the three months when
we don’t do much.”
sprays used these days are fairly mild and
organically based – organophosphates and
the like are almost gone.
The Best Bits
Hoag likes being his own boss and he
likes the farmers he works with. “They
are the best people – down-to-earth and
honest. If they can’t pay, they call. No BS
about the cheque being in the mail!” He
also likes the flying, being able to walk to
work and working outside all the time. “I
couldn’t imagine being stuck at a desk.”
One thing that really annoys Hoag
is the perception some people have
of spraying. “A lot more people have
lived because we have pesticides and
herbicides. They save crops so that people
can eat! Most of the people complaining
about pesticides have no idea what they
are talking about.” However, he accepts
that the rhetoric is not so bad these days
and that people are coming to realize the
necessity of pesticides and the like.
Hoag’s company has stayed small and
as a result has been able to adapt quickly
to changing regulatory, urban and political
environments. Hummingbird is proof that
sometimes staying small is essential for
survival. n
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 by nick lappos
Is It Time for
Performance
Heliports?
Having heliports in
populated areas makes
sound business sense
for our industry, so why
not design heliports like
airports – where aircraft
performance determines
whether a given type
can use a particular
airport?
Placing a heliport in a crowded
urban environment is a difficult
proposition, as ICAO and FAA/CAA/JAA
rules require approach and departure
clearance planes that are really quite flat
– typically no steeper than about 8:1.
This means that no heliport can be
situated within 1,000 m of an 80 m tall
building! (The USS Nimitz, at 1,000 ft long,
is home to 100 jet aircraft, yet it does not
meet the FAA heliport requirements for
obstruction clearance!) The rule makers
justify such flat clearance planes by
pointing out that some helicopters cannot
climb more steeply than this, especially
when loaded. However, this ‘justification’
is only valid for the poorest performing
helicopters upon which all others are
unfairly judged.
It does not make sense to penalize
all helicopters based on the poor climb
performance of a few. Surely those
operators utilizing more powerful
helicopters should be able to reap the
benefit of their extra capability and
justify their expense. If powerful (more
expensive) helicopters were legally
able to operate from confined areas, it
may well end up becoming economically
viable for more operators to upgrade
64
the last word
fleets allowing for even better helicopter
operations.
Let me take the gloves off. I have 2,500
hours in the Black Hawk – a helicopter
with NO HV limitation below 4,000 ft
altitude. In other words, even should it
lose an engine, it can take off or land
vertically — yet it cannot land at a heliport
unless that heliport has clearance planes
of 8:1. This means that even a powerful
helicopter must be operated as if it was a
tired old piston machine. I have seen the
flight manual of the AW-139, and it shows
no HV limitation below 5,000 ft – so there
are at least two helos that can serve as
guinea pigs for an idea I would like to see
introduced.
My proposal would be to introduce
three classes of heliport, with three
different approach/departure planes; let us
call them Class-I, -II and -III heliports.
Class-III heliports would be the same
as we have today with flat 8:1 approach
planes. While these do not fit into urban
landscapes very well, they could be used
by all helos and tilt rotors.
For more congested sites, i.e.
hospital heliports that might be bound
by obstructions such as light poles or
even the hospital rooftops themselves,
let us define Class-II heliports as being
those with approach planes of 4:1; this
classification could be clearly marked
on charts and documents. No Class-III
helicopters could operate from Class-II
heliports, which could only be used by
those helicopters and tilt rotors which
had a demonstrated adequate climb
performance (including after engine
failure) that would match or exceed
the 4:1 slope requirement. Class-II
heliports would fit into many more urban
and hospital landscapes, of course.
The real prize would be Class-I
heliports, with approach slopes of 2:1,
which would allow them to be tucked
into tight places where only high-
performance aircraft could use them.
Although the level of performance that
Class-I heliports would require would be
very high, the payoff would be in being
able to build heliports where none can
be built today – this would create an
incentive to build helicopters able do this
kind of work.
With performance-class heliports,
we would match the approach planes
of heliports with the capabilities of
helicopters able to use them. It is hardly
a novel concept – especially when
Part-91.103 already states, “Each pilot
in command shall, before beginning a
flight, become familiar with all available
information concerning that flight.
This information must include... for
any flight, runway lengths at airports of
intended use...”
Since the FARs already require us to
calculate the performance for runways,
and Cat-A JAR Ops III requires us to
calculate the clear areas for the takeoff
and landing, it is not a stretch to ask
for the ability to use this information to
create better heliports, matched to the
terrain into which they are placed. This
performance-class heliport system would
allow us to operate from heliports that
could be situated where none can be now,
but at comparable levels of performance
assurance. We could make better use of
urban terrain, bring helicopters and tilt
rotors closer to users, and give incentive
to improve the performance and safety
of our operations by fostering better
flight performance and engine failure
accountability. n