January 2011

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By Joy Finnegan

On Nov. 17, 2010, the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (C-NLOPB) received the

“Report of the Offshore Helicopter Safety Inquiry.” The report was also released to the public at that time. The C-NLOPB commissioned the inquiry to examine matters directly related to helicopter passenger safety for workers in the Newfoundland and Labrador offshore area.

The study differs from the Trans-portation Safety Board of Canada’s (TSB) goal of finding probable cause. As stated in the report: “The purpose of this Inquiry is to determine what improvements can be made … so the risks of helicopter transportation of offshore workers are as low as is reason-ably practicable…” and was spurred into existence by the Cougar Helicopter S-92A crash in March 2009. That acci-dent left 17 people dead, including the pilot and co-pilot. One person survived not only the crash, but the frigid North Atlantic seas as well and was rescued.

The mandate of the commissioner was to investigate and report on mat-ters relating to the safety of offshore workers in the context of areas such as escape, evacuation and rescue proce-dures while traveling via helicopter to offshore rigs. This report did not look at any issues related to the airworthiness of the aircraft, flight crew training or flight procedures. From that perspec-tive, this report is refreshing. It looks at the safety of the passengers.

One of the amazing opportuni-ties in studying this accident, among so many others, is that there was a survivor who was later able to recount his observations about the event. I’m certain that this gentleman’s statement was invaluable to the inquiry since their focus was on passenger safety. I can only imagine how important the infor-mation he brought to light has been for both this inquiry and the TSB’s. He is to be honored for his willingness to assist

these investigations. The next important statement from

the report is that “helicopter trans-portation is the only practical method of conveying passengers to and from offshore installations.” It’s not that read-ers of Rotor & Wing won’t know that, but people from all walks of life may read this report and those not familiar with the offshore realm might wonder why helicopters are used in lieu of other methods of transport. So it was important for this report to make that statement. In effect, that statement shows how imperative it is to improve the safety of passengers utilizing this method of transport, since it is the “only practical method.”

The inquiry determined the issues to examine and subdivided them in to overarching issues and specific issues. Some of the overarching issues were directly related to the C-NLOPB’s involvement in regulating the offshore industry, for example: “Should there be a degree of separation within the C-NLOPB between offshore helicopter regulation and other offshore industry regulation?”

But others were more directly relat-ed to helicopter operations, for exam-ple: “What is the role of organizational safety culture in offshore helicopter transport?”

Some of the more specific issues examined were things like “Can heli-copter transport safety be affected by the capacity of the helicopter transport fleet?” and “What are the appropri-ate standards of offshore helicopter safety training to ensure that the risk to passengers is as low as is reasonably practicable both during training and helicopter transport?”

The training question is a key com-ponent to survivability. Passenger train-ing can be vitally important if and when a helicopter crashes or ditches in the ocean. The ideal sequence of events that would happen in the event of a water ditching would be for the pas-

sengers to remain calm, fight disorien-tation, release their seat belt (all while the helicopter may be tipping upside down and filling with cold water, exit-ing the helicopter and swimming to the surface. Once on the surface, even in an immersion suit, staying alive while awaiting rescue will be another chal-lenge.

The report looked at survival suits and their usage. If a helicopter ditches, survival may well depend on the suit. The report identified that many suits don’t have a neck seal but a face seal, which may allow water leakage around the face seal leading to increased risk of hypothermia. This report notes that the survivor of the S-92 crash was wearing a suit without a neck seal and stated that there was significant leak-age into the suit. He was in the water for an hour and a half and his body temperature was about 820F at the time of rescue, which is considered severe hypothermia. I might add again, it is miraculous that he survived.

The report goes on to make 29 recommendations. Some address the specific area of operation of Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador. But many of the recommendations are wide reaching and can be helpful to any operation looking to improve the safety and survivability of their pas-sengers. A sampling of the recommen-dations includes the need to develop a protocol whereby a first-response helicopter would be dispatched to accompany a transport helicopter who has indicated a malfunction (even if it doesn’t constitute an imme-diate emergency) to its destination; passenger briefings before each flight; safety training goals be established; risk management assessments; and evaluation of safety culture.

I suggest any operator, not just those operating over water, could ben-efit from reading this report. It can be found on our website www.rotorand-wing.com

Offshore Pax Safety

Editor’s Notebook

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Feedback

Do you have comments on the rotorcraft industry or recent articles and viewpoints we’ve published? Send them to: Editor, Rotor & Wing, 4 Choke Cherry Road, Second Floor, Rockville, MD 20850, fax us at 301-354-1809 or email us at [email protected]. Please include a city and state or province with your name and ratings. We reserve the right to edit all submitted material.

4 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2011 W W W. R O T O R A N D W I N G . C O M

Good VibesVibration Identification & Minimiza-tion (see November Rotor & Wing, page 36) provides a high level over-view of helicopter vibration. However, it may be worth adding that helicopter vibration is becoming a smaller issue by the day. I have 10 years of experi-ence at LORD Corp. designing active vibration control systems (AVCS) and active balancing systems (ABS) for helicopters. In the last 10 years I have seen a drop of more than 70 percent in helicopter vibration levels across the industry. Most of the new European helicopters are now equipped with active systems to manage vibration. U.S. companies are also adopting such systems very quickly. I think within five years, most of the helicopters will have a very smooth ride. In addition, once the variable RPM helicopters get the certifications, we will see more active systems on board. At LORD Corp., we have active systems that can be installed on the rotor hub, in the isolation path and on fuselage.

Askari Badre-Alam

Lord Corporation

Cleanliness is Next to...‘Copter Cleaning (November 2010, page 42] is a great article. I’ve been in the truck industry for years and seen the problems due to not keeping the road dirt cleaned off of aluminum truck cabs. Dirt/rust buildup between hardened steel double frame rails can spread them apart and they rust apart from the inside out. I’ve also seen the electrolysis bubble up paint between steel mirror brackets and aluminum doors because of poor grounding for heated mirrors and radio antennas. I had not thought about mold and mil-dew before, but can see that as a prob-lem too. I do believe that clean, waxed cabin surfaces create less wind drag, giving overall better fuel efficiency.

Ralph Young

Lancaster, Pa.

Air Force CountryI must really be getting old! I started UPT-H in Det 1 and was in the first graduating class of the 3588 FTS. I believe Steve “Elroy” Colby was fortu-nate enough to fly the “Mattel Mess-erschmit” aka TH-55 like me. If not, I must be one of those stone age pilots! I imagine Lowe AAF has more depar-tures/arrivals in one hour than a com-parable civilian airport.

R.J. Dough

Support for CSARMr. Bower, touche, and thanks for sup-porting our CSAR troops (see “USAF Combat Search and Rescue: Dying on the Vine?”, November 2010, page 46). It’s been too many years that CSAR crews have been relegated to second class citizen status at the alter of:

1. Airlift (HH-60D canceled due to C-17 budget in 1986);

2. “Pentagon efficiency” (CSAR-X cancelled due to poor SPO program evaluation execution); and

3. CSAF Prioritization (2010, new CSAF after Moseley relegated CSAR from No. 2 priority to below No. 10.) Your identification of yet another obstacle to their success is timely and welcome. Thanks!

Name Withheld

QuantifiableThanks to everyone at Rotor & Wing for your ongoing commitment to researching and reporting on editorial readership and, especially, advertising effectiveness (October 2010 Signet AdStudy). Advertising can be costly, and with so many new options offer-ing measurable results, advertisers understandably want to know that their investments are worthwhile. Quantifying how much any given ad is seen and read is an important mea-sure and positive step toward bet-ter understanding this multi-faceted issue.

Kyle Davis

President

BDN Aerospace Marketing

Improved Tiltrotor?I would like to see continuing devel-opment and improvement of tiltrotor aircraft, now that the Bell-Boeing V-22 has baselined tiltrotor technology. But I would also like to see advanced-design troop transport helicopters similar in weight carrying capability to the upcoming CH-53K, but using counter-rotating co-axial main rotors like the Sikorsky X2. The latter has now reached speeds of 250 KTAS in test flights, which is not far below what the V-22 is capable of.

Alex Kovnat

▶ R&W’s Question of the Month

Should compound helicopters

like the Eurocopter X3 be in

the same category as helicop-

ters when it comes to speed

records? Let us know, and look for your and others’ responses in a future issue. You’ll find contact information below.

?

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6 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2011

Public ServiceMilitaryCommercialPersonal|Corporate

THIS MONTH FROM

Above: The Guimbal Cabri G2 in flight. Below: The EADS AAS-72.

15

16 DEPARTMENTS10 Rotorcraft Report

14 People

14 Coming Events

15 Program Insider EADS AAS-72X

60 Coming Up in R&W

60 Ad Index

61 Classified Ads

COLUMNS 3 Editor’s Notebook

4 Feedback

62 Military Insider

FEATURES COVER STORY

16 ■The Cabri G2 A compact trainer with a roomy interior that has forgiving

autorotation characteristics. Too much to hope for? Maybe not. A first-time contributor to Rotor & Wing gives a thorough look at the Cabri G2. By Thomas Skamljic

23 ■2011 Annual Reports

24 ■Executive Outlooks Top industry leaders address the question: What technological

changes do you anticipate will most impact rotorcraft operations in the coming year? Compiled by Rotor & Wing staff

30 ■Annual Reports Up-to-date information about some of the most dynamic helicopter

companies in the industry. Compiled by Rotor & Wing staff

7JANUARY 2011 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE

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©2010 by Access Intelligence, LLC. Contents may not be reproduced in any form without written permission.

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The editors welcome new product information and other industry news. All editorial inquiries should be directed to Rotor & Wing magazine, 4 Choke Cherry Rd., 2nd Floor, Rockville, Md. 20850, USA; 1-301-354-1839; fax 1-301-762-8965. E-mail: [email protected]. Rotor & Wing (ISSN-1066-8098) is published monthly by Access Intelligence, 4 Choke Cherry Rd., 2nd Floor, Rockville, Md. 20850, USA. Periodical postage paid at Rockville, Md. and additional mailing offices. Subscriptions: Free to qualified individuals directly involved in the helicopter industry. All other subscriptions, U.S.: one year $99; two years $188. Canada: one year $129; two years $208; Foreign: one year $149; two years $278.POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Rotor & Wing, P.O. Box 3089, Northbrook, Ill. 60065-3089, USA. Change of address two to eight weeks notice requested. Send both new and old address, including mailing label to Attn: Rotor & Wing magazine, Customer Services, P.O. Box 3089, Northbrook, Ill. 60065-3089, USA or call 1-847-559-7314. E-mail: [email protected]. Canada Post PM40063731. Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: Station A, PO Box 54, Windsor, ON N9A 6J5.

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WEBINAR• Part of Rotor & Wing’s Learning Series, a new webinar that focuses on weather

options for helicopter pilots is available through parent website Aviation Today. “Shopping for Weather” features a discussion with Hughes Aerospace President Chris Baur and Air Methods Corporate Safety Manager Eric C. Lugger, with moderator Joy Finnegan, Editor-in-Chief of Rotor & Wing. An archive of the webinar is available at www.aviationtoday.com/webinars

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and standards expert Jeff Carr, business development manager for U.S. Midwest, helps listeners understand the dangers of counterfeit parts, how they can infiltrate a supply chain and what can be done to prevent that from happening. Rotor & Wing Editor-in-Chief Joy Finnegan moderates the discussion. Listen to this free podcast at www.aviationtoday.com/podcasts

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• Digital edition of Rotor & Wing January 2011 issue. Electronic version with enhanced web links makes navigating through the pages of Rotor & Wing easier than ever.

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Vol. 45 | No. 1 January 2011

W W W. R O T O R A N D W I N G . C O M

8 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | JANUARY 2011

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■ COMMERCIAL | GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

NTSB: Weight Miscalculations, Improper Oversight Led to Crash

While acknowledging the role of lax

oversight by maintenance inspectors,

FAA and the U.S. Forest Service, the

National Transportation Board

has placed much of the blame for a

2008 crash of a Sikorsky S-61 on the

operator—Carson Helicopters. During

a public meeting Dec. 7 coinciding with

the release of the accident’s probable

causes, board members touched on

the many complicated aspects of the

two-year investigation, which involved

23 NTSB staff members, more than

five percent of the organization’s total

workforce of around 400 people.

The S-61 went down shortly after

taking off on Aug. 5, 2008 in the moun-

tains near Weaverville, Calif. Nine peo-

ple died in the crash, including the pilot

and seven Oregon firefighters, and four

others on board were seriously injured.

Carson was operating the helicopter

under a U.S. Forest Service contract.

NTSB concluded that the main

causes of the crash were Carson’s “inten-

tional” understatement of the heli-

■ PUBLIC SERVICE | REGULATIONS

Hersman: Public Use Aviation’s ‘Orphan’

NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman used an analogy to describe how federal over-

sight relates to public-use aircraft, a topic that came up multiple times during the

Dec. 7 meeting: “Public-use operations have been made an orphan by the aviation

industry, like they have no parent and no one wants to be responsible for them.

And this orphan, everyone says when they make a mistake or when something

goes wrong, ‘that’s your job. That’s your responsibility. You should have looked at

that.’”

NTSB’s accident report seeks to point out that “we have some people who

can be parents here, and be adults, and take the responsibility for this child,” she

continued. People who work in public use, like firefighters, “are expecting no less

oversight from their federal government and their inspectors than you or I are

when we get on a commercial airplane for scheduled service,” Hersman said. “They

should also get the same service that we get. The regulations might not be exactly

the same, but if there are standards out there, by gosh we should make sure they

comply with them.”

The chairman noted that at the end of the day, NTSB is saying: “Take responsi-

bility, divide up the responsibilities—take custody of this child and figure out what

your visitation agreement’s going to be, and who’s going to do what part of the job

on which day … and make sure it doesn’t fall through the cracks.”

Board member Mark Rosekind added that Hersman “nailed this public use stuff

with her metaphor, but the challenge clearly is [moving] from metaphor to action

here, because everyone who has responsibility is not stepping up. While everyone

likes to point the finger elsewhere, the real challenge is going to be to figure out

what concrete actions can be recommended and taken, to make a difference.” He

noted accident trends in the helicopter EMS industry. “People have sure avoided

the responsibility for a long time,” Rosekind said. —By Andrew D. Parker For daily and breaking news involving helicopters, go to: www.aviationtoday/rw

Become a fan of Rotor & Wing on

Follow us on @rotorandwing

copter’s empty weight; altering of the

power available chart (to exaggerate lift

capability); and practice of using above

minimum specification torque figures

in performance calculations, which

resulted in the pilots overestimating

the load capability of the S-61. Also

cited was “insufficient oversight” from

FAA and the Forest Service. Contrib-

uting factors included the flight crew’s

failure to recognize the performance

discrepancies during two departures

prior to the accident flight.

Accompanying the probable causes

are a series of 11 recommendations to

FAA and 10 to the Forest Service. See

the full list at www.ntsb.gov/Pub-

lictn/2010/AAR1006.htm and the

accident docket at www.ntsb.gov/

Dockets/Aviation/LAX08PA259/

default.htm

After an overview from investi-

gator-in-charge Jim Scheuster, board

members heard presentations covering

helicopter performance, operations,

the role of oversight, seats/restraints

and fuel filtering.

At the center of the investigation

are a series of “altered” performance

charts and records that show the pilots

were using incorrect calculations for

weight, resulting in a payload that

closer resembled emergency takeoff

procedures. NTSB staff explained that

the accident helicopter’s actual weight

was 13,845 lbs, but a Carson-supplied

chart identified it as 12,408 lbs—a dif-

ference of 1,437 lbs. This difference led

the pilot to miscalculate the hover out

of ground effect (HOGE) limitations

of the helicopter. Using the correct

Services

Rotorcraft Report

11JANUARY 2011 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINEW W W. R O T O R A N D W I N G . C O M

weight number, the maximum HOGE weight of the S-61 was 18,445 lbs, and the allowable weight was 15,840 lbs. Due to the altered charts, the helicopter took off at a total weight of 19,008 lbs—more than 500 lbs over the maximum HOGE weight. Essentially, the S-61 was operating in emergency takeoff conditions.

Board member Robert Sumwalt felt that the “most appalling” aspects of the accident are Carson’s intentional under-statement of the operational figures and falsification of maintenance docu-ments, and “the lack of government oversight to this problem.”

Board member Mark Rosekind asked how staff determined that the falsified charts were “intentional vs. inadvertent.” He noted the importance of this question because it represented “the beginning of the chain” of missteps that led to the crash. NTSB staff replied that a few discrepancies uncovered were “beyond coincidence,” including the altered weight documents and sup-plemental type certificate (STC) modi-fications that were reported installed, when they were not. Carson also direct-ly acknowledged that some of the weights were not correct, according to staff. Scheuster added that investigators found eight of the 10 S-61s in use at the time with the same understatement of weight, leading them to conclude that it was not an inadvertent mistake.

Rosekind asked for further specif-ics in regards to the claim of inten-tional tampering. “Somebody took the 2.5-minute chart and pasted it over the 5-minute chart,” replied Scheuster. “You had to physically alter the chart.”

While Chairman Deborah Hers-man noted that the report does not “let the pilots off the hook,” staff members stated that the crew “does not jump out as the principal causal factor in this acci-dent.” Rosekind added that if the pilots “had the correct info, they would have been doing the right thing.”

While much of the discussion revolved around Carson’s role in the accident chain, NTSB also slammed oversight from FAA and contractor U.S.

For daily and breaking news involving helicopters, go to: www.aviationtoday/rwBecome a fan of Rotor & Wing on Follow us on @rotorandwing

Forest Service. Hersman asked whether the FAA has the appropriate resources to catch the errors noted in the lead-up to the S-61 crash. She pointed out that while NTSB staff does not have the eye of a maintenance inspector, it took several weeks to discover the discrep-ancies, which were not uncovered by FAA investigators. “This is a wake up call for sure, there were some missed opportunities, but I’m not sure they’re in position to catch those opportuni-ties today, even if they were looking for them,” Hersman said.

Others on staff and the board felt the mistakes should have been discovered prior to the accident. “Bet-ter oversight would have deterred these anomalies in the first place,” asserted Sumwalt. “There is a strong case for how better oversight could have deterred these falsifications and irregularities, as well as caught them,” he continued, adding that the board’s recommendations would seek to put further deterrents into place.

“What is the purpose of federal oversight?” Hersman asked, launching into a comparison of aviation to the bus and truck industry. In the aviation industry, “it’s like oversight among friends or something … because they’re not looking for wrongdoing, they’re just looking to check the box that the thing they were supposed to do is done.” In the truck/bus industry, there are “hundreds of thousands of

more carriers of magnitude than in the aviation industry and fewer inspectors. They can’t possibly inspect everyone, and most entrants into the truck and bus industry don’t ever get an oversight activity.” But in aviation, “you actually have to get oversight before you get an operating certificate. That’s great, but in these other industries we don’t have as many resources dedicated to oversight, but you know what they do? They try to get the bad actors out, and they have to focus on the people who do the wrong things and people who are trying to make things appear as they shouldn’t.”

In almost all of NTSB’s investiga-tions where a “bad actor” has been identified, Hersman continued, “it’s really incumbent on the oversight activity to ferret that out.” She asked whether FAA is really equipped to catch the bad actors. “Are they resourced to do that, and do they have clear enough areas of responsibility?” —By Andrew D. Parker, Managing Editor

■ COMMERCIAL | ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION

Co-Pilot Disputes NTSB Report

William Coultas, the co-pilot in a 2008 Carson Helicopters-operated crash of a Sikorsky S-61 near Weaverville, Calif., is claiming that the National Transportation Safety Board came to the wrong conclusions about what caused the helicopter to fall from the sky. Coultas is one of four survivors of the accident, which happened shortly after takeoff on Aug. 5, 2008 near Weaverville, Calif. Nine people died in the crash, including seven firefighters. Loss of power in one of the engines led to the accident, he claims—not the helicopter being overweight or the lack of FAA oversight, as NTSB asserted in its probable cause. “I was speechless—I could not believe what I was hearing,” he told the Associated Press following the release of the report. “I was there. I had the best seat in the house. I knew what happened.” Coultas and the family of the pilot who died in the crash, Roark Schwanenberg, are suing General Electric, Sikorsky and Columbia Heli-copters, citing engine failure among other factors.

Shown here is the accident helicopter prior to the August 2008 flight.

Cou

rtes

y N

TSB

05_RW_010111_RCR_p10_15.indd 11 12/17/10 10:50:26 AM


Rotorcraft Report

■ TRAINING | SAFETY

Increasing Helicopter Safety: One for All, All for One

■ PRODUCTS | HEARING PROTECTION

Thales Studies 3D SoundThales is investigating three-dimensional (3D) sound and hearing protection for helicopter

crews as another way to deliver information and make missions easier. Most promising

seem to be communication ear plugs, with tailored spatialized sound to distinguish between

the various radio channels and alarms. Applications will be mainly military, according to

a presentation made at the European Rotorcraft Forum 2010 in Paris in September. The

symbology on head-up and helmet-mounted displays give a limited amount of information,

Thales researchers say. Hence the need for exploration of other man-machine interfaces.

Sound, as it can be associated with hearing protection in noisy helicopter environments, is a

promising one.

Active ear plugs (that contain earphones) appear as a good combination of protection

and enhancement of information delivery. Wireless plugs have been evaluated but have a

major shortcoming—the pilot’s head needs to be positioned very precisely in the helmet

because of the transmission coils. Therefore, wireless communication ear plugs are prone to

signal loss. So Thales tends to favor wired ear plugs.

Morphology—including that of the pinnas, head and torso—impacts 3D sound percep-

tion. Moreover, left/right sound segregation is easy, while up/down or front/rear segregation

is not. The generation of virtual 3D sound requires specific algorithms. This is done by a

computer through a head-related transfer function (HRTF). In other words, for each indi-

vidual, an algorithm can be determined to link a sound to where the brain “sees” its source.

The conventional HRTF determination method is well-known but takes too long. One

transfer function has to be defined for each pilot and Thales thus set a time limit at 25 min-

utes per pilot. The faster method assumes that, for most users, an HRTF can be found in a

database. It does not always select the best function but a sufficient one, Thales researchers

explain.

Trials so far have focused on enhancing intelligibility of multiple concurrent audio com-

munications. Thales used its TopOwl helmet as supporting hardware in a NH90 military

transport. The company conducted tests in the context of a helicopter mission—because

stress influences perception, researchers note.

Testing has proved that the HRTF determination procedure is accurate enough. One

early application could be helping the pilot discriminate between radio channels. Also, the

system could be used to warn about hostile fire. In that case, the system has been designed

so that the simulated source of the sound uses the earth as a referential. This is to keep the

threat’s origin consistent, even when the helicopter is in a turn. —By Thierry Dubois

Helicopter Association International

(HAI), the International Helicopter

Safety Team (IHST) and other

industry leaders have identified safety

management systems (SMS) as a key

tool in the effort to reduce helicopter

accidents 80 percent by 2016.

Without setting into the statistics,

there are plenty of places to read the

raw numbers, but let’s start by agreeing

that the helicopter industry’s safety

record leaves room for improvement.

In 2007 it reached a level where the

helicopter industry collectively said,

“enough is enough.” So representatives

from HAI, the American Helicopter

Society (AHS), manufacturers, opera-

tors and others joined together to

create IHST.

“The IHST is a worldwide effort

to reduce helicopter accidents by

80 percent in 10 years,” said Mark

Liptak, AVP-200, aerospace engineer,

FAA Office of Aircraft Accident and

Prevention and past IHST program

director. “The background of the pro-

gram was several high-profile Part 121

commercial airplane accidents back

in the mid-90’s got a team of regula-

tors, manufacturers, operators, crash

investigators—major stakeholders

from across the commercial transport

community—together to establish the

Commercial Aviation Safety Team.

Their goal was to put a process togeth-

er that would drop airline fatality

numbers by 80 percent over 10 years.

They were very successful.”

“We took their basic process and

adopted it for helicopters,” he added.

“We saw a great strength in directly

analyzing accident reports, which is

what we have done.” Liptak said that

IHST’s analysis has shown which

types of missions contribute to how

many accidents per year. “We typically

see the personal/private mission, the

instructional mission and emergency

medical services (EMS) as the top

three on an annual basis,” he said.

“The top problem areas are: pilot judg-

ment and action and the presumed

inadequate safety management systems

approach.”

The question that’s on everyone’s

mind now is, if and when the FAA

and ICAO will mandate SMS-type

programs?

The jury is still out on that one.

Everyone Rotor & Wing talked to for

this story feels strongly that safety

management systems will become

mandated in the next couple of years.

FAA, IHST, HAI and all their industry

partners realize that implementing an

SMS, even a basic one, can be costly.

And while no one wants to see any

administrative costs go up, especially in

today’s economy, its many benefits well

outweigh the cost. Or as one operator

put it: “If you think an SMS is expen-

sive, try paying for an accident.” —By

Dale Smith For the full story, visit

www.rotorandwing.com

Rotorcraft Report


■ MILITARY | TRAINING

European Personnel Recovery TrainingTwo German Air Force Tornados roared away from the runway at Lechfeld

airbase in Germany, banking hard to chase the disappearing dots on the

skyline which represented a diverse package of six rescue helicopters. These

aircraft—two German Air Force UH-1D Hueys, two AB212s from the Italian

Air Force and a Caracal EC725 teamed with an AS330 Puma from the French

Air Force—were heading towards an enemy controlled Area of Operations

(AO) intent on rescuing two F-15E crewmen. Their fast jet had been hit

earlier that day by a surface-to-air missile (SAM) and now they were busy

avoiding capture and waiting for deliverance from the sky in the shape of a

multi-national rescue force.

This exercise scenario was one of several held from September 15–30

at the annual Combined Joint Personnel Recovery Standardization Course

(CJPRSC). This year the German Air Force hosted the course at its historic

Lechfeld airbase just northwest of the city of Munich (the previous year it

had been conducted at Cazaux airbase in France). Lt. Col. Uwe Schleimer,

JPR-1 with the European Air Group (EAG) and currently based at Air Com-

mand in High Wycombe, UK, is the architect of the course. With a fast-jet

background on F4 Phantoms, Schleimer has served in a variety of commands

within NATO, including J5 Plans for Afghanistan. He has been with the EAG

since 2007.

“The turnout this year has been excellent,” says Schleimer. “All the assets

that were promised turned up, which is very important as much work goes

into the planning of the two-week exercise [in the past some promised assets

were withdrawn at short notice by countries citing national tasking priority].

This full attendance has allowed us to put two full task force packages into the

air on each day with fixed-wing escort, rotary wing escort, recovery vehicles,

a command and control platform and an E3A NATO AWACS overhead.”

For Schleimer, the CJPRSC is virtually an annual commitment in terms of

organization, for the two-week exercise takes up a major part of his working

year to organize. “The future of this CJPRSC looks like remaining in the hands

of the EAG, at least for the next year,” says Schleimer. “We are tasked by the

EAG steering group. Following studies in 2002 it was decided that member

nations should have a dedicated exercise to train CSAR/PR procedures.” This

decision resulted in the Volcanex exercises. However, since 2008 the EAG has

been running the CJPRSC with the intention of training individuals in per-

sonnel recovery, where the ‘how to’ was more important than the result.

“Process is the aim—not the output,” states Schleimer. It seems that the

international military commands who support this course mutually agree

that it remains with the EAG as it is something of a neutral entity. Although

its procedures are taken and adapted from NATO standards, it has wider

appeal than both NATO members or those involved in the European

Defence Agency (EDA).

Assets available throughout the CJPRSC comprised the following: four

Tornado (German Air Force); two AMX (Italian Air Force); two UH-1D

(German Air Force); two Gazelle (French Army); two AB212 (Italian Air

Force); one EC725 (French Air Force); one AS330 Puma (French Air Force);

one EH101 ASW (Italian Navy); two Pelican HH3-F (Italian Navy); one Sea

King (Italian); and lastly one E3A Sentry (NATO). —By Andrew Drwiega

■ MILITARY | TECHNOLOGY

ITT Delivers First CH-53K Sponson

ITT Corp. has handed over the first

major structural subassembly for the

U.S. Marine Corps CH-53K heavy lift

helicopter to Sikorsky’s development

flight center in West Palm Beach, Fla.

The delivery of the initial sponson—a

25 x 4 x 5-foot structure that attaches

to each side of the helicopter and

houses landing gear, fuel and other

components—comes after three years

of design and development using

various composite materials to meet

weight and structural requirements

set out by the military.

Mike Therson, general manger

of composite structures, says that

ITT used a paperless software appli-

cation known as life cycle analy-

sis (LCA) to design the sponson

under a joint effort with Sikorsky.

The two companies followed a “100

percent integrated process” to meet

the military’s guidelines for structural

performance and weight, among

other requirements. “We spent a

considerable amount of time at their

facility and they spent considerable

time at our facility, so it worked both

ways,” he explains. —By Andrew D.

Parker For the full version of

this story, visit www.aviationto-

day.com/rw/issue/departments/

rotorcraftreport/ITT-Delivers-

First-Sikorsky-CH-53K-Spon-

son_71893.html


Rotorcraft Report

>>

com

ing

even

ts PEOPLE

Helicopter Associ-

ation International

(HAI) has appointed

J i m M c K e n n a

a s d i r e c t o r o f

communications.

A former editor-in-chief of Rotor &

Wing and recipient of HAI’s Salute to

Excellence award, McKenna replaces

Martin Pociask, who became vice

president and curator of the Helicopter

Foundation International in November.

McKenna has an Alexandria, Va.-based

communications consulting firm and

was previously in communications at

Bell Helicopter in Fort Worth, Texas.

Aero Dynamix has hired David

Oglesbee as business development

manager. Oglesbee was formerly with

Sikorsky Global Helicopters where

he served as the director of the Light

Helicopter Division. He was also for-

merly chief pilot for the Florida Fish

and Wildlife Conservation Commis-

sion, where he implemented night

vision goggle (NVG) usage. He has also

worked for Bell and MD Helicopters.

Unif l ight has

name d S h i r l e y

Harvey sales and

marketing manager.

Harvey has worked

in the helicopter

industry for 27 years.

The board of directors of the Gen-

eral Aviation Manufacturers Associa-

tion has appointed Caroline Daniels

as vice chairman for 2011. CEO and

chairman of Aircraft Technical Pub-

lishers (ATP), Daniels will continue as

chairman of GAMA’s Safety Affairs and

Training Committee for 2011.

F l i g h t S a f e t y

International has

appointed Mark

Malkosky as the

new assistant direc-

tor maintenance

training, business development and

sales. He comes from CAE. Malkosky

has also worked for Bombardier and

SimuFlite before joining CAE in 1999.

BBA Aviation Engine Repair and

Overhaul (ERO) subsidiary Dallas

Airmotive has hired Michael Frazier

as regional engine manager for various

Pratt & Whitney Canada powerplants.

He will be responsible for sales in the

northeastern U.S., covering Pennsylva-

nia to Maine. An A&P, Frazier comes

from Vector Aerospace, where he was

most recently service center manager/

northeast sales manager.

Feb. 23–25: Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) Winter

Symposium, Washington, D.C. Contact AUSA, phone 1-703-841-4300, toll free 1-800-336-4570 or visit www.ausa.org

March 5–8: Heli-Expo 2011, Orlando, Fla. Contact HAI, phone 1-703-683-4646 or visit www.heli-expo.com

March 16–18: Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS)

Spring Conference, Washington, DC. Contact AAMS, phone 1-703-836-8732 or visit www.aams.org

March 22–25: Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) Annual

Convention & Trade Show, Reno, Nev. Contact AEA, phone 1-816-347-8400 or visit www.aea.net

April 17–20: Quad-A Annual Convention, Nashville, Tenn. Contact Quad-A, 1-203-268-2450 or visit www.quad-a.org

April 19–21: 56th Annual Corporate Aviation Safety Seminar

(CASS), San Diego, Calif. Contact Flight Safety Foundation, phone 1-703-739-6700 or visit www.flightsafety.org

May 1–6: Medical Transport Leadership Institute, Wheeling, W.V. Contact AAMS, 1-703-836-8732 or visit www.aams.org

May 2–5: 2011 Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, Texas. Contact OTC, 1-972-952-9494 or visit www.otcnet.org

May 3–5: American Helicopter Society Intl 67th Annual

Forum and Technology Display, Virginia Beach, Va. Contact AHS Intl, phone 1-703-684-6777 or visit www.vtol.org

May 17–19: European Business Aviation Association and

NBAA’s EBACE 2010, Geneva, Switzerland. Contact EBAA, phone +32 2 766 0073 or visit www.ebaa.org

May 19–21: Intl Helicopter Industry Exhibition (HeliRussia

2011), Moscow, Russia. Contact HeliRussia, +7 495 958 9490 or visit www.helirussia.ru

May 24–27: AirMed World Congress 2011, Brighton, UK. Contact AirMed at +44 (0) 162 283 3448 or visit www.airmed2011.com

June 20–26: 49th Annual Intl Paris Air Show, Le Bourget, France. Contact Paris Air Show, phone +33(0)15 323 3333 or visit www.paris-air-show.com

July 20–23: Airborne Law Enforcement Association (ALEA)

Annual Conference, New Orleans, La. Contact ALEA, phone 1-301-631-2406 or visit www.alea.org

Aug. 17–19: 8th Australian Pacific Vertiflite Conference on

Helicopter Technology, Gladstone, Australia. Contact AHS Intl, phone 1-703-684-6777 or visit www.vtol.org

Sept. 27–29: Helitech Duxford 2011, Duxford, UK. Contact Reed Exhibitions, phone +44 (0) 208 439 8886 or visit www.helitechevents.com

Oct. 10–12: Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA) Annual

Meeting, Washington, D.C. AUSA, phone 1-703-841-4300, toll free 1-800-336-4570 or visit www.ausa.org

Oct. 10–12: National Business Aviation Association (NBAA)

64th Annual Meeting & Convention, Las Vegas, Nev. Contact NBAA, phone 1-202-783-9000 or visit www.nbaa.org

Oct. 17–19: Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS)

Air Medical Transport Conference (AMTC), St. Louis, Mo.

Contact AAMS, 1-703-836-8732 or visit www.aams.org


>>

EADS Readies AAS-72X For Competition

■ TRAINING | MILITARY

ANA Medics Receive Medical TrainingMedics from the Afghan National Army have received basic

medical training from U.S. Army soldiers with MEDEVAC

Detachment, Company F, 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation

Regiment. The training will afford ANA medics the readiness

to assume responsibility throughout the battlefield, aiming

toward a future in which a large international presence is

not needed. Training includes aircraft awareness and how

to prepare patients for EMS transport. The first graduating

class involved approximately 30 ANA students. The trainer

medics were Army Sgt. Lisette Piedrasahaghun, Sgt. Patrick

Modesitt, Staff Sgt. Steven Freedell and Sgt. Daniel Mast.

Despite the language barrier, ANA medics helped assist with

training so that “the ANA ground troops better understand

aircraft safety and patient packaging, therefore making patient

transfer to flight medics easier and safer,” Piedrasahaghun

said. Due to the positive results, the soldiers were asked to

return on a monthly basis. To date, the team has trained more

than 200 soldiers. —By Army Capt. Benito Garcia

The European Aeronautic Defense and Space (EADS)

company flew its first fully mission-equipped AAS-72X

last month, moving it one step closer to an anticipated U.S.

Army bid for an armed aerial scout helicopter. Two years

ago the Army terminated an earlier program to replace

the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior attack scout helicopter,

and is now formulating an Analysis of Alternatives for a

replacement aircraft.

“The Army put out a request to the industry saying

‘give us a solution if you have one’,” said Gary Bishop, EADS

vice president and program manger for the AAS-72X.

“As we understand it, they will be done with their analysis

next February, and intend to put it out to industry in the

April timeframe.” Along with the EADS AAS-72X, other

competitors in the program include Boeing, Sikorsky,

AgustaWestland and Bell. Bell has introduced an upgrad-

ed Kiowa Warrior powered by a Honeywell HTS900-2

engine. Sikorsky has introduced its high-speed S-97

Raider, a coaxial counter-rotating rotor system helicopter

with a pusher propeller derived from Sikorsky’s X2 tech-

nology program. Boeing is entering the competition with

its OH-6 Little Bird.

EADS is prime contractor for the AAS-72X program,

with its subsidiaries Deutschland Eurocopter and Ameri-

can Eurocopter involved in the program. Deutschland

Eurocopter holds the certificate for the EC145, the

airframe that will be used for the AAS-72X, while Ameri-

can Eurocopter will produce the aircraft at its facility in

Columbus, Miss. Lockheed Martin Missions and Fire

Controls is also a partner in the program and will provide

the mission equipment package.

EADS has produced three technology demonstra-

tion aircraft (TDA). One is currently in Germany at the

Deutschland Eurocopter plant while the other two are

at American Eurocopter’s plant in Grand Prairie, Texas.

Bishop said that one of TDAs is focusing on the mission

equipment package installed, to include integration of it

communications and navigation system, and was used for

the first flight. A second TDA will focus on airframe mod-

ifications and survivability aspects while the third TDA

is a show aircraft “that we will take around and do quick

performance checks on,” he said. “By Quad A in April, we

will have added on pylons, weapons and additional mis-

sion equipment package,” Bishop added.

He noted that while the Army dictates what weapon

systems the aircraft should have, the TDA will include

50-cal. machine guns, mini-guns, Hell-Fire missiles and

2.75-inch “dumb” rockets “as well as smart rockets that

can be lazed in from distant designators.” The aircraft will

also have manned/unmanned teaming capabilities devel-

oped by Lockheed Martin. The Army has indicated that

it is looking at options ranging from a straight manned

helicopter to an unmanned UAV or a mixed manned/

unmanned interface fleet.

Bishop said that the AAS-72X will have the capability

of providing Level 2 to Level 4 control with UAVs. Level

2 allows the aircraft to stream video in real time from the

UAV and transmit that down to a ground station. Level 4

will give actual control of the UAV to the AAS-72X pilot

to control the flight path of the UAV and direct its sensors

onto the target area.

The aircraft was taken out to Colorado last June “to

show high altitude capabilities, to include hover out of

ground effect at 6,900 ft. density altitude.” These tests

included a flight endurance test with a 2,300-lb simulated

MEP load.

EADS has also completed a load check, putting five

aircraft on a U.S. Air Force C-17. The load check was done

using a combination of the TDA and LUH-72As. —By

Douglas Nelms


PERSONAL/CORPORATE | TRAINING

Since you are reading this,

chances are high that you are

also one of the poor souls who

suffer from a disease called

helicoptering. Therefore, I trust that

you know that the Cabri G2 is built by

Guimbal Hélicoptères in France and

you know that Cabri is a little goat (also

called a kid) in French. What you might

not know is, Cabri also stands for Com-

fort in Autorotation Belongs to Rotor

Inertia and that basically sums up one

of the main intentions of Bruno Guim-

bal when he set out to develop a new

helicopter—to design a little helo with

great autorotation characteristics.The

Robinson R22 and R44 come to mind

and I am very thankful to Frank Robin-

son for developing the R22. I really like

it a lot. I like the way the R22 handles;

I could even handle an autorotation in

earnest. Needless to say that “If you can

fly the R22, you can fly all the other heli-

copters...” from my flight instructor was

a huge ego boost when I was let free for

the first time in the R22. In short, the

R22 was certainly my machine.

Later, when I did my first autorota-

tion in an R44, I thought that perhaps

my love affair with the R22 should be

reconsidered. From that moment on I

knew that a good trainer should be the

size of the R22 (with a bit more elbow

room) and should have the forgiving

autorotation characteristics of the R44.

Fortunately Bruno Guimbal, design-

er of the Cabri and founder of Guimbal

Helicopters, had the same idea and a tip

of my chapeau to him as he has taken

“my” idea and turned it into reality in

the form of the Cabri G2. I got a chance

to fly the Cabri with Alex Neumann,

chief pilot at Heli Aviation.

The helicopter available for this

flight was s/n 1009 and it had a grand

total of 25 hours of flight time. With

the two of us on board and about 100

liters of fuel (approx. 26.4 gallons), we

were about 30 kg (approx. 66 lbs) short

of MTOW of 700 kg (1,543 lbs). After

a short pre-flight briefing we started

A F

A compact trainer with a roomy interior that has forgiving

autorotation characteristics. Too much to hope for? Maybe

not. First-time contributor Thomas Skamljic gives a thorough

look at the Cabri G2.

By Thomas Skamljic


New Kid

A FIRST LOOK AT THE ALL-NEW

CABRI G2

the walk around. Neumann explained the finer details of the Cabri. Checking all the

fluid levels is super easy as absolutely everything is in direct view. Open two cowlings and there is

complete access to the engine (your maintenance department will love that). The cowlings and the doors are held in place via gas springs.

The airframe and tail boom are all-com-

posite, strong and cor-rosion resistant. The main

rotor is a fully a r t i c u l a t e d (soft in plane),

high i ner t i a three blade rotor

system. When you check the rotor sys-tem of the Eurocopter EC120 and the Cabri you will find certain similarities. This is not surprising when you know that Guimbal was the deputy chief engineer for dynamics and transmis-sion of the EC120 during his time with Eurocopter. The main advantage of this system is it is free of mast bumping but

it does need a bit more hangar floor. The rotor tips fly a little bit low so

a careful eye on interested onlookers is advisable. The wind speed limit for rotor start up and shut down is a generous 40 knots. Access to the main rotor is facilitated via a step on the cross tube on the right side. You can get on that step and easily perform a thorough inspection of the main rotor, mast, dampers, screws—you name it. Nominal rotor speed is 530 rpm. Rotor blades are carbon and fiberglass reinforced composite, with a large steel tip weight and a lead balance weight to increase rotor inertia. The leading edge is stainless steel.

The Cabri is equipped with a

The rotor system of the Cabri G2 is similar to the Eurocopter EC120 rotor system. Not surprising since Bruno Guimbal, founder and designer of the G2, was deputy chief engineer for dynamics and transmission of the EC120 while with that company.

Gui

mb

al

06_RW_010111_cabri_Technology_p18_22.indd 17 12/22/10 9:18:17 AM


Lycoming O-360-J2A engine (as is

the R22). But the engine output in the

Cabri is 145 hp MCP against 131 hp

TOP in the R22. A notable difference

is the ignition system. The Lycoming

on the Cabri features one “ordinary”

magneto plus a custom modified and

certified (STC EASA E.S.01001) Light

Speed Engineering Plasma II+ igni-

tion system. The reasons for going

electronic are the gains in efficiency,

performance, reliability and safety.

Thus Bruno increased performance

and safety without the cost, weight and

complexity of an injection system.

Any engine equipped with a car-

buretor can experience carburetor

icing. The consequences of carburetor

icing can be very serious so the Cabri is

equipped with an automatic carbure-

tor heat system to reduce the risk of

carburetor icing and pilot workload. If

in doubt, the pilot can override the auto

system and manually put the carburetor

heat switch into hot or cold mode.

A massive belt makes sure that the

power from the engine is transferred

to the main rotor gearbox and the

Fenestron.

The fuel tank holds 170 liters (1.5

are unusable) of fuel and should make a

flight range of 700 km (15 min reserve)

possible. The fuel itself is housed in an

untearable fuel bladder and all the struc-

tural elements to hold the fuel bladder

are reinforced. During the certification

tests the soundness of that system was

demonstrated with a 15-meter free fall

drop test. No leakage occurred.

The cooling system is a direct drive

squirrel cage blower with the cooling

air entering the engine compartment

via the air intake on top of the cabin roof

in front of the main rotor gearbox. The

air is then being ducted/forced through

the engine compartment. During my

flight the CHT and oil temperatures

remained firmly in the green and actu-

ally more to the cold.

The Cabri has a dedicated luggage

compartment opposite of the fuel tank,

which can cope with 200 liters or 40 kg

of luggage. There is another small lug-

gage compartment for another 5 kg (or

12 liters) under the main instrument

console. In this compartment there is

a cigarette lighter socket for any appli-

ance with a maximum of 13.7-volt DC.

Soft stuff can be put under the seats and

should all of that still not be enough, the

left seat pan can be removed to provide

for additional luggage space if flying

solo.

The Fenestron has seven blades

and is very powerful according to Neu-

mann. Translated into the POH lingo: A

wind speed of 35 knots at all headings

was demonstrated at sea level. The

Fenestron rotor speed is 5.148 rpm.

Apart from being a safety bonus, the

Fenestron has some noise advantages

as well.

In order to reduce the noise signa-

ture of the Cabri G2, Guimbal decid-

ed that the exhaust gases have to go

straight up into the rotor flow. The fly

over sound exposure level of the Cabri

is 75.7 dB at max power. Contrary to

what I expected to see, the tail boom

was perfectly clean.

It is a traditional skid-type land-

ing gear with the tubular structure

attached to the airframe with soft rub-

ber pads. These pads are very soft and

you will feel that softness. Of course

these pads are tuned to guard against

ground resonance so there is no addi-

tional damper. On the Cabri, the oil

check is super easy as the dip stick is

so readily accessible.

Removing the doors does not lower

any speed limits and the doors can

held be partially open for improved

ventilation. The locking mechanism is

simple and effective.

With a cockpit width of 1.24 meters,

the Cabri offers more elbow space than

the R22 (1.12), and has the same cock-

pit width as the R44.

Getting into the Cabri is easy and

the seat is comfortable. The seats are

certified to the new Part 27 standards,

which means: a vertical 30g impact in

the end is a 3g impact thus reducing

the risk of spinal injury.

A four-point harness holds you

in place and cyclic and collective fall

readily to hand. Each cyclic has a four-

way hat switch on top with which you

can reduce the stick forces to zero. The

cyclic is a real stick and flight instruc-

tors will be pleased to learn that they

can keep their hand on the cyclic all

the times without trouble. You can

remove the second stick in a matter of

seconds without tools.

The view from the cockpit is excel-

lent. There is no central bow in the

middle of your field of view and the

instruments and the glass instrument

Here you can see the small storage compartment

for another 5 kg (11 lbs) under the instrument

console. In this compartment there is a cigarette

lighter-style socket for any appliance with a

maximum of 13.7-volt DC. Tho

mas S

kam

ljic



are easily readable. Under all conditions

of my flights with the Cabri, no matter

where the sun came from, all the infor-

mation displayed on the monitor was

clearly visible.

With 16.5 cm diagonal the electron-

ic pilot monitor (EPM) LCD screen is

quite large. All the standard engine and

rotor monitoring instruments are avail-

able on screen. From my perspective

the best part of the EPM is the MLI or

multiple limit indicator. The MLI clear-

ly displays the available power margin.

The red line on the MLI is always the

maximum available power, which is

calculated by the EPM dependant on

density altitude. So no need to check

placards where the numbers have faded

into obscurity. Power is not displayed in

some strange unit called MAP but in

percent like larger helicopters.

The EPM has an intro page that

will give you the take off and landing

times. That clock is started the moment

rrpm is higher than 400 and vice versa.

Another nice feature is the fuel page.

Every flight on this page is listed with

TO and LDG times and the average

fuel consumption. The lowest figure I

saw was 39 liters/hour and the highest

was 43 liters/hour. There are different

fuel flow modes available (average fuel

flow, instantaneous fuel flow and flight

time remaining) and all the info can

be displayed in SI and in English/U.S.

units. The EPM is complemented by

traditional steam gauges. All the usual

warning lights are above the EPM and

there is an additional vertical row of

three lights to give a visual warning

for high and low rrpm and a green

light when everything is perfectly fine.

These lights serve as a backup should

the EPM fail. There is an aural warning

as well.

The mixture handle sits next to

the rotor brake on the cabin roof and

should always be full rich. The switches

for the magnetos are placed there as

well. The throttle is as twist grip on the

The electronic pilot

monitor (EPM) LCD

screen is large and

easy to read.

Tho

mas S

kam

ljic

New Kid


collective and needs to be twisted quite

a lot. It is not possible to roll on power

from idle to max power in one move.

An electrical governor helps in keeping

the rotor speed in the green. The gover-

nor engages at 400 rrpm and disengages

if rrpm falls below that number.

Start up needs a little bit more infor-

mation. First, there is no key. There is

a remote central lock anti-theft device

to lock and unlock the doors. The key

ring transmitter sends a code to the

Cabri and the electronic brain of the

Cabri checks whether the holder of

the transmitter is a good guy. If you are

confirmed a good guy, the doors unlock

and the engine starter is enabled. If not,

the doors remain locked. Should a thief

decide to enter a bit more forcefully,

he can press the start button but to no

avail (that’s the anti-theft part of the

keyless entry system).

But you are a good guy and end up

in the middle of nowhere and the bat-

tery in the “key” is flat, what to do? Of

course Bruno took care of that as well.

You open the right hand cowling, turn

a backup key to the right and the door

to the luggage compartment springs

open. Since the luggage compartment

is accessible from the cockpit you can

reach the door opening mechanism

through the luggage compartment and

open the door. Now the door is open

and you can enter but you still can’t

start the engine. What you need to do

is to remove the “code” sticker because

this sticker hides a few micro switches.

Adjust the micro switches and off you

go. Of course you need to know the

code …. And should you park your

Cabri among many other Cabris and

forget where you parked your Cabri

you can “call” your own Cabri and the

helo will respond with a flashing strobe

light. Very clever stuff indeed.

Before you engage the start but-

ton you have to wait for the EPM to

complete the self-test. The allowed

rpm drop on the plasma is 100 rpm and

300 rpm on the magneto. Neumann

engaged the start button and imme-

diately the engine sprang to life and

also immediately the Cabri started to

wobble. These soft elastomeric mounts

really are very soft but then a good pro-

tection against ground resonance is a

very useful feature.

Since Heli Aviation is operating at

the moment from a parking lot behind

some buildings, Neumann flew the

take off and departure. I monitored his

actions very closely but could not find

anything extraordinary. With power to

spare we lifted off, did a hover check

and flew the prescribed departure

route. Clear of the buildings and on the

way to the nearby airfield Neumann

handed me the Cabri and right after

my first stick inputs I immediately felt

at ease. What I noticed though was

that I somehow underestimated the

necessary amount of pedal for a col-

lective change. I must admit that the

resulting flight was a little bit unsmooth

(although Neumann did not complain).

Another interesting observation was

that the collective was a little bit sticky

meaning there was always a break out

force to overcome. I did check whether

this had to do with the friction or just

because this Cabri was so particularly

new. As it turned out it was not the fric-

tion. The advantage of course was that

the collective stayed put and did not

move on its own.

With the cyclic the breakout force

was not an issue but I had to adjust my

flying to the higher stick forces and the

longer stick travel. The stick forces are

a lot higher than in the R22. Now this

does not mean that this is good or bad,

flying the Cabri is just different to flying

the R22. To put that into perspective:

a fly by oil helicopter (i.e., a helicopter

with hydraulically powered controls)

will spoil you a little bit in this regard as

there are no stick forces and the stick

travel is minimal and my Jet Ranger

time certainly did spoil me. However

Neumann was kind enough to point

out that up until now, every pilot with

a hydraulic background was in for a

surprise when flying the Cabri. He also

told me that students find it easier to

cope with the Cabri due to the larger

control movement and higher stick

forces making over controlling is less of

an issue for a helicopter novice.

In the meantime we arrived at the

airfield and I set us up for the approach

with 50 KIAS and a RoD of 500 FPM.

The Cabri held the speed very well.

My only problem was the pedal work,

which as mentioned before required

more input than I anticipated. I came to

a neat hover a bit short of the intended

spot but for the first time it was OK.

Landing was soft. All the instruments

were firmly in the green. Considering

All compartments are easily accessible. Oil check

is quick and easy (see orange cap above).

Tho

mas S

kam

ljic




our weight and OAT of 19 degrees I

found that performance quite astonish-

ing. Keeping the hover position and

altitude was not really an issue in the

Cabri. Spot turns were a breeze. Side-

ways flight or rearward flight (I had no

GPS on board but the speed was quite

high) was no problem either. When the

MLI turned read and showed 104 per-

cent we still had some pedal left (wind

was from 2 o’clock and a bit gusty). Two

more circuits convinced me that the

Cabri really is easy on the pilot. These

benign handling characteristics of

the Cabri will certainly reassure every

flight instructor who is sending off a

student on his first solo flight.

Hover Auto: Roll off the throttle,

wait a little bit and then pull the collec-

tive. With a little bouncing we landed

quite smoothly. What was immediately

clear to me was that the rotor really has

a lot of energy stored in it. So I was real-

ly looking forward to the real autorota-

tion. Off we headed to the practice

area. During the short straight and level

flight to the practice area I pulled 100

percent power and got 100 KIAS flying

at 2,500 feet at an OAT of 17 degrees

C. Fuel flow was 48 l/hr. The vibration

level was markedly higher than at 80 or

90 KIAS. Neumann attributed this to

the blades, which will undergo tracking

in 3.5 hours, a normal procedure after

the initial “break-in” period. So we flew

a few minutes straight and level and

after having trimmed up the Cabri it

was possible to take the hand off the

cyclic and the Cabri kept heading and

attitude remarkably well. I wanted to

know whether the Cabri would be so

stable in a turn. So stick to the left (or

right, I did not detect any significant

difference) a little bit of collective and

some minor adjustments with the

cyclic and the Cabri circled nicely with-

out further inputs from me If you are in

the business of observing things on the

ground you will certainly like that trait.

Still at altitude I tried some more

enthusiastic maneuvers i.e. banking left

and right up to 60 degrees of bank and

the like. It was just pure fun! The Cabri

reacts immediately, without protest or

showing signs of stress.

In the meantime we arrived at the

practice area and having completed two

steep approaches to our landing spot

and we started with the autorotations.

Neumann initiated the auto by

rolling off the throttle. I flew the helo

and tried to keep the rotor speed in

the green. Of course I waited a little bit

before dumping the collective, how-

ever due to the stickiness of the collec-

tive I unintentionally checked the low

rotor speed warning. Pushing the col-

lective down brought the rotor speed

up and almost to the upper end of the

green. From then on I had no troubles

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SES & NEXT GEN TECHNOLOGYCHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS

New Kid


adjusting the rotor speed appropriately.

The RoD was between 1,400 and 1,600

FPM and the speed was 50 KIAS. On

the way down he told me that he will

start the power recovery a little bit

higher than what I was probably used

to. The reason for that procedure is

simple. The governor really has bite

and the ensuing yaw requires quite a lot

of quick pedal to keep the nose heading

the right way. And so it was.

It was time to head home and we

climbed to 3,000 feet. On the way

back Neumann suggested to try a

low-g maneuver. My rather timid try

on this maneuver neither impressed

the 4-point seatbelts nor Neumann,

so he took over. He pushed the cyclic

massively forward and fortunately

the seatbelts worked perfectly fine.

The nose down attitude was almost

90 degrees. Apart from a protesting

engine (which resulted in some pedal

work), the Cabri showed no sign of

strain. Pullout was effected with a

guesstimated 2g and immediately

upon starting the pullout the engine

ran smoothly again.

Converting speed into altitude

(OK, a little bit of altitude), Neumann

pulled the stick back and raised the

nose to about 80 degrees. A boot full

of left pedal turned the nose earth-

wards and neither the Cabri nor the

engine protested. The Fenestron did

not have any problems stopping the

rotation at the desired heading. Fixed-

wing guys would call that kind of

maneuver a stall turn or hammerhead.

Of course I had to try it myself and it is

serious fun! Having done that I imme-

diately started thinking about a Cabri

beefed up for aerobatics so that one

could have all the fun of the BO105

but at a more affordable price (not

every helicopter pilot is sponsored by

Red Bull). For obvious reasons Guim-

bal Hélicoptères does not encourage

aerobatic flight in the Cabri, however

the very reassuring behavior during

these maneuvers should prove that

the small Cabri really has great safety

margins. We were almost back home.

Shut down is standard. The rrpm

(150) at which you can engage the

rotor brake is clearly displayed on the

EPM. After completing the post land-

ing checks and with the rotor stopped

I contemplated my flight with the

Cabri. There is a lot of good stuff the

Cabri offers but I did find some room

for improvement.

First, adjustable pedals to insure a

really comfortable seating position on

longer flights and second, the location

of some instruments should be recon-

sidered. I had trouble checking the

VSI as the VSI was hidden behind my

right knee and Neumann had troubles

checking the ASI as this instrument

was hidden behind his left knee. With

adjustable pedals this problem should

be solved however. (Guimbal told me

that nice adjustable pedals are in final

development, and will be standard

next summer).

Speaking of instruments, with the

clever EPM already in place perhaps

there is a way to teach the EPM to gen-

erate a “settling” warning. Perhaps a

future full glass cockpit. Since helicop-

ters are often used for photo flights the

doors should get a reasonably sized

“photo window” to make photogra-

phers happy.

Of course you can always remove

the door, but that’s rather impractical

and really only an option for warmer

climate regions. Another small item in

this regard, in order to make full use of

the fact that the luggage compartment

can be accessed from the cockpit the

pilots seat should be reconsidered. At

the moment minimum crew is one

pilot on the right seat. Personally I

am not sure whether I would be very

happy to have a photographer on the

left seat trying to get the lenses out of

the luggage compartment behind my

neck.

The Cabri is a very capable heli-

copter, very agile and a lot of fun to fly.

However, for the new kid on the block

to be successful, the whole package has

to be right, that is the helicopter has to

perform well (which it does), training,

service and maintenance have to be in

place and what can be called customer

care has to be up-to-date. So, building

the helicopter is the easy part—the

tough job is to sort out all the other

details and this takes time.

The Cabri G2 was built with the

training market in mind. The very

forgiving high inertia rotor system

and the fact that there is no danger of

mast bumping is a huge safety benefit

for helicopter students and helicopter

addicts who do not have a chance to

fly on a daily basis.

Built with the training market in mind, there is

more room inside than some trainers.

Tho

mas S

kam

ljic


2011

ReportsAnnual

25 Executive Outlooks

Company Profiles30 ...............................................AgustaWestland

31 ............................................................ Cobham

32 ...................................................Aero Dynamix

34 ......................HEATCON Composite Systems

35 ............................................ Aerospace Optics

36 .................................................Aspen Avionics

38 ...........................................................Goodrich

39 ........................................................Eurocopter

40 .......................................... Precision Heliparts

42 ................................................ BLR Aerospace

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

Annual Reports's


“What technological changes do you anticipate will most

impact rotorcraft operations in the coming year?”Last year at this time, we reached out to the top executives within the helicopter

supply chain and asked them what events they expected would have the greatest impact on the helicopter market in 2010. The answer we received almost universally harkened back to a phrase made famous (at least in the United States) in the Clinton era of American politics … “it’s the economy, stupid.”

Of course that should not have been a difficult answer to predict. Ours is a particularly capital-intensive business and if that capital becomes hard to find, our business is going to slow down until it becomes more readily available. Capital is the real fuel of a helicopter. Take away all the gasoline stations along the highways and you would get the same results among automobile operations as we have seen in the past year among helicopter operations. Those with an existing supply or source of

their own “fuel” would be in the best position obviously, but even they would take steps to conserve that supply and become extremely judicious about how they spent it. Some would consolidate “fuel” into far fewer vehicles and concentrate on making certain that at the very least they would be able to make their most important trips. Some would undoubtedly decide that the lack of fuel to operate made ownership of the vehicle(s) pointless. Everyone would become much more conservative in their decisions about when and where they really needed to go. And such was the state of rotorcraft operations in 2010, pretty much as predicted on the pages of our Executive Outlook as we entered the year.

So with the understanding that “it’s still the economy, stupid” and that the uncertainty of the “fuel” supply of available capital will continue to impact many rotorcraft operations in the coming months, we turned our attention this year to emerging technology, and what effect new technology might have on rotorcraft operations in 2011. Necessity is the mother of invention and difficult times always and inevitably lead to new answers to old problems. As you look over the Annual Reports later in this issue, you will no doubt run across a number of companies, old and new, who have developed or are in the process of developing some significant new solutions to problems faced by helicopter operators all over the world.

Randy JonesPublisher

Rotor & WingWe asked the participants in this year's Executive Outlook to answer the question:

“What technological changes do you anticipate will most impact rotorcraft operations in 2011?”

43 ..........................Aviation Instrument Services

44 ........................................... Kaman Aerospace

46 ........................................................Turbomeca

48 ............................................Alpine Air Support

49 ...........................................HR Smith/Techtest

50 ................................FlightSafety International

52 ..................................................................Aviall

54 ................................................................... CAE

55 .......................................... Hughes Aerospace

56 ..............................North Flight Data Systems

58 ............................................................ Uniflight


E X E C U T I V E O U T L O O K


Goodrich Corp.“Focus on Technology”

Goodrich is investing in technologies t o i m p r o v e h e l i c o p t e r s a f e t y, performance, and operating costs. By leveraging our diverse portfolio we can offer mature solutions for today’s challenges and future regulatory issues like ADS-B and TSO C-194.

Our TERPROM terrain awareness warning system can be integrated into

our helicopter mission data recorders or NextGen-ready electronic flight bags. In addition, the advanced technology found in FADEC and HUMS is enhancing new development, production and upgrade platforms for commercial and military operators. And we continue to improve the customer portal at www.customers.goodrich.com to make it easier for both OEM and aftermarket customers to do business with Goodrich.

Further out, advanced nanocomposites will provide system-level de-icing and lightning strike protection at a fraction of the weight of traditional materials. While nanocomposites are still in the lab environment, Goodrich is developing advanced composite modeling simulation techniques that will speed this technology to market by an order of magnitude.

Curtis ReusserSegment President

Goodrich Electronic Systems

Aviation Instrument

Services

“Large Inventory Boosts 2010 Success”

Basically, 2009 was a ver y good year for Aviation Instrument Services, and 2010 is one of the best that the company has had in our 34-year histor y. The large helicopter inventory that we have is the main reason our

business has been so good, which I am very thankful for.

Jim SensalePresident and Founder

Aviation Instrument Services

BLR Aerospace

“FastFin Upgrade Provides Performance Advantage”

Operators who have been negatively af fe cte d by the global e conomic dow ntu r n are lo ok i ng for e ver y competitive advantage, and performance enhancements are an effective way to increase productivity without investing in a new aircraft. The fact that original equipment manufacturers are embracing te chnologies l ike FastFin fur ther

demonstrates that performance enhancements add value and will be on operators’ wish lists for years to come.

As the economy slowly recovers, technologies that enable operators to achieve maximum return on their capital investments will continue to impact our industry for the next 12 months and beyond.

Dave MaroneVice president, Sales/Marketing

BLR Aerospace

Kaman Aerospace“Technologies to Keep Soldiers Out of Harm’s Way”

Unmanned technologies , without question, are going to drive our industry for the next 12 months, and many years to come. Our team is especially excited about the co nt r a c t fo r u n m a n n e d K-MAX helicopters from the U.S. Marine Corps. Not only

will this advancement transform our business, it will transform the way many military missions are performed. Most importantly, the Marine Corps envisions that use of the unmanned aircraft for resupply will boost soldier safety by reducing the requirement for trucks and convoys, which are vulnerable to enemy attack.

We must advance the use of any and all technologies that will help keep soldiers out of harm’s way. But the use of an unmanned platform offers a range of other benefits, such as significantly reduced operational and logistics costs, for example, that will be just as beneficial to civil operators, and it’s clear that the technology will be applied to that market in the future.

Mark TattershallDirector, Marketing & Business Development

Kaman Aerospace



HEATCON Composite Systems

“Composite Revolution Impacts Aviation Industry”

The comp osite re volut ion is evident in the rotary wing industry with many technological advances in materials and manufacturing p r o c e s s e s . A i r f r a m e s h a v e traditionally used metals such as titanium and aluminum alloys as the primary structural components. Today these structures are being manufacture d w ith adv ance d

composite materials such as carbon fiber, Kevlar, and fiberglass as the materials of choice. Some of the many advantages gained include weight reduction, increased strength, design flexibility, engineering performance, and corrosion resistance.

As advanced composite materials continue to evolve in the rotorcraft industry, maintenance organizations are transitioning capabilities to support the development and repair of these complex structures. Organizations are realizing the need for a skilled workforce and continuous training within the composite material market to better support production and repair processes, while identifying areas where they can provide innovative cost savings solutions and reduce down time.

How organizations transition will be the key to their success as the complexity of composites continue to expand.

Eric CasterlinePresident & CEO

HEATCON Composite Systems

Aspen Avionics

“Increase Opportunities to Upgrade”The modern glass cockpit technology that has been the new standard on fixed-wing production aircraft is now permeating the retrofit market.

L o w - c o s t h i g h - t e c h alternatives are readily available and in spite of the economic downturn, the retrofit market

has flourished as owners update their existing aircraft rather than buy a new one.

Avionics manufacturers like Aspen will continue to expand into the helicopter space and will continue to create more opportunities for operators to upgrade helicopters with the latest technology. These upgrades increase hull value and, more importantly, provide enhanced safety and reliability that older mechanical instrumentation cannot match. Aspen Avionics has created a strong demand for affordable retrofit helicopter glass. Many avionics companies are now driving for more cost-effective solutions since we entere d the market . The competition will generate exceptional value for those customers looking to take advantage of this technology.

John UczekajPresident & CEOAspen Avionics

Aviall

“Technology Advancements Benefit Rotorcraft”Advances in technology continue to benefit the rotorcraft industry and enable Aviall to improve its inventory and supply chain services to engine shops, commercial operators and fleet operators.

In addition to its industry-leading inventory of OEM parts and its expanded catalog of helicopter support, Aviall continues to invest in state-of-the-art technology for the all-new Aviall.com, another industry leader. This site is packed with features that make it easier for helicopter operators to order the parts they need to keep their rotorcraft in the air. Search functions and e-mail notifications have been improved, the multi-line order capability for spreadsheets has been expanded, and you may now save contents of your shopping cart to

order the same parts again later.Developments in technology are also improving the industry’s ability to refurbish and repair products and

materials, making access and availability more important for operators in 2011 as they strive to manage costs. Aviall is enhancing its Rolls-Royce-approved surplus, spares and rotables group to better serve this market segment.

Through its 40 locations around the world, Aviall remains committed to being a total solutions provider with prompt, reliable service for the rotorcraft industry.

Dan KommenovichPresident and CEO

Aviall, Inc.



Alpine Air Support

“Helicopter World Has Not Climbed Back”Although there was a lot of talk of recovery throughout the year, the helicopter business world has still not climbed back out of the dip. From our point of view, Eurocopter has not secured anywhere near enough new orders for either the AS365N3 Dauphin or EC155 mo dels

during 2010 and customers have been investing in other types, especially the AW139. Unless the EC175 can gain some significant orders very shortly, Eurocopter will struggle to maintain their previous market dominance in the mid-cabin sector. An X4 Dauphin replacement has been rumored for 12 months, here’s hoping that 2011 gives us a firm design to woo the market back.

Alpine continues to gain new clients for our legacy Dauphin parts exchange support and we look forward to further expansion of our increasingly favored parts consignment inventories, which are winning operators away from costly PBH programs.

Peter LewisCEO

Alpine Air Support GmbH

Cobham

“Renew Emphasis on Pilot Training”From an avionics perspective, our area of expertise, it will be less a matter of new technologies impacting the helicopter industry in 2011 than the more widespread adoption of current, off-the-shelf technologies.

Enhanced safety, in particular, will be realized as segments such as helicopter emergency medical ser vices (HEMS), law enforcement agencies and offshore oil drilling operations migrate toward readily-available hardware and software upgrades like 3D synthetic vision EFIS, helicopter terrain awareness and warning systems (H-TAWS), automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B), night vision goggles (NVG), radar altimeters, and digital audio systems. In addition, we foresee especially

strong demand among many operator segments for Autopilot/Stability Augmentation Systems (SAS) in 2011. Our own system, HeliSAS, should receive B206/B407 and AS350 certifications in the first quarter. While Cobham is uniquely positioned to meet a host of technology needs for the rotorcraft industry, it’s equally important for the FAA, NTSB, owners, and operators to renew an emphasis on pilot training and proper safety procedures to fully realize the benefits of upgraded components in their aircraft.

David Ashton

Vice President Cobham

Turbomeca

“Preparing for the Future”At Tu r b o m e c a , w e a r e preparing for the future and helping our customers meet t h e i r d a i l y c h a l l e n g e s . Regarding our future technical developments in the helicopter engine industry, I believe we will see major changes over the coming 20 or 30 years.

We are working to reduce notably the consumption of the engine, thus of the helicopter. Already, we are developing the engines for entry into service in 2015. They will provide fuel savings of around 15 percent compared to engines of 2000. Our ambition is to continue this rate of improvement of one percent per year, or even accelerate to over 30 percent improvement by 2030. That is why our R&D effort is approximately 10 percent of our turnover.

Our challenge is to improve industrial efficiency note, while remaining very close to our customers to anticipate the best possible market changes, and transform into success the many developments we have underway.

Pierre Fabre Chairman and CEO

Turbomeca



Uniflight

“Launching Products Division in 2011”A s a n M R O s e r v i c e p r o v i d e r supporting existing fleets, Uniflight sees the industry benefitting from and being impacted by a series of improvements for existing aircraft through retrofit, modification and upgrade programs. In addition, with the current proposed rulemaking that is underway for the HEMS industry,

there will likely be a need for mandatory cockpit upgrades that aid pilot performance and overall f light safety. Such improvements will be in the area of night vision, flight data recording (with an eye towards real-time reporting), and more robust GPS and other satellite enhanced navigation systems. Uniflight is committed to being a catalyst for the development and deployment of such improvements, both through the launch of its Products Division in 2011, and by having multiple conveniently located outlets throughout the U.S. to serve fleet operators’ needs in this regard. We look forward to participating in this next phase of industry growth.

As a result of the growth in demand for service that we experienced in 2010, we are moving to larger facilities with “through the fence” access at Grand Prairie Municipal Airport. We also expect to add between one and three additional locations to expand the footprint of our business in the U.S., and, based on developments that are in process with various OEMs, we have an expectation that we will also be launching our Products Division, which will add further diversification to our revenue streams. In addition, with multinational distribution partners, we anticipate that having this new capability will eventually lead to even broader geographic expansion.

Joe HawkePresident & CEO

Uniflight

Hughes Aerospace

“CNS: Industry Game-Changer”C o m m u n i c a t i o n , N a v i g a t i o n a n d Su r v e i l l a n ce o r C N S t e c h n o l o g i e s a r e a n industry “game changer” for the vertical f l ight community. For the first time in our history, we can operate helicopters from

off-airport departure and arrival locations, in IFR weather conditions, safely, reliably and efficiently. Performance-based navigation procedures—RNAV/RNP, WAAS LPV and GBAS—provide non-linear, trajectory based three dimensional flight paths, supporting superior containment, monitoring and crew alerting necessary for low-level navigation and near-precision approaches to heliports, helipads and PinS independent of the fixed-wing flow of traffic.

These same non-linear procedures can also be used VFR to reduce noise and the environmental impact on local communities. Satellite-based communications can support voice and datacom between operators and air traffic control including ADS-B at all altitudes and geographic locations. We’ve proven the viability of these technologies in the air transport industry and they are long overdue in vertical flight.

Chris BaurPresident

Hughes Aerospace

FlightSafety International

“Emphasis on Cockpit Equipment Technology”With the likely FAA mandate for new safety hardware such as HTAWS, we expect to see more emphasis on cockpit equipment technology. As FlightSafety continues to introduce simulation-based training to operators of light, turbine-powered helicopters, we look to FAA and other regulatory agencies to increasingly approve the use of Level 7 FTDs and full flight simulators in Part 135 certificate-holder training programs.

Night vision goggles are becoming more widespread in EMS and law enforcement operations, and full flight simulators and Level 7 FTDs are ideal vehicles in which to gain proficiency in NVG-aided flight. We’re prepared to support helicopter operators as they work to comply with FAA proposals to increase training and testing to recognize and escape from inadvertent IMC, and to require an instrument rating for EMS pilots. During

2011, we will increase the number of full flight simulators and enhance the capabilities of our Level 7 FTDs.

George FeritoDirector, Rotorcraft Business Development

FlightSafety International



Eurocopter

“Green Technologies in bluecopter”Eurocopter has taken up the challenge to introduce technologies that address the increasingly-important environmental concerns for helicopter operations. This is one of the key axes of Eurocopter’s innovation drive for the next 12 months and beyond, along with safety and broadening the mission spectrum of our helicopters. The company’s “green” R&D efforts have been bundled in the bluecopter technology program, which is focused on developing advanced technologies that offer environmental benefits for new and existing Eurocopter aircraft. The expected benefits range from improved acoustics (for external perceived noise) to decreased emissions (C02 and NOx). Eurocopter is exploring several ways of optimizing main rotors to reduce external noise and cabin vibration. One method is to utilize a double-swept

blade configuration, called Blue Edge, while another involves the integration of “intelligent” Blue Pulse piezoelectric actuators into a blade’s trailing edge.

As part of the bluecopter program, Eurocopter plans to perform a flight with a light helicopter powered by a diesel engine. The objective is to reach a power-to-weight ratio capable of challenging the advantages of a classic turbine. Efforts also are focused on neutral materials (carbon neutral and non-hazardous processes) as well as the ability to recycle materials and components of helicopters that have reached the end of their service lives. In addition, the company has introduced a new method to measure and benchmark progress in environmental performance. Based on certification data, this Eurocopter-developed tool enables operators and their passengers to check the environmental rating of their helicopters. A significant amount of R&D work at Eurocopter is invested in making helicopters easier to handle, increasing their flight safety, improving crew situational awareness, and providing pilot support/partial automation in planning and carrying out missions. Combined with advanced training methods, these efforts will assist in enhancing safety.

Higher speed is an option to expand the application of helicopters in additional missions. Eurocopter began flight testing of its X³ technology demonstrator, which is designed for maximum cruise speeds of minimum 220 kts. This hybrid aircraft combines the speed of a turboprop-powered aircraft with the full hover capabilities of a helicopter. It is tailored to applications where mission success depends directly on maximum cruising speed at very reasonable operational costs, thus a higher productivity of the aircraft is key. Eurocopter will continue to flight test its X³ demonstrator through 2011 in order to validate the concept.

Lutz BertlingPresident & CEO

Eurocopter

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AgustaWestlandA Force in the Helicopter Industry

Ag u st aWe st l a n d , a p o w e r-ful force in the helicopter industry, is capable of satisfy-

ing the widest range of customer requirements with a modern range of high performance civil and military rotorcraft encompassing all the main weight categories. Products range from the innovative single-engine 2.8-ton AW119Ke to the 16-ton three-engine AW101 helicopter. Other products include the AW109 Power, AW109 LUH and GrandNew light-twin; the T129 combat helicopter; the multi-role Super Lynx 300 and AW159; the best-selling AW139 medium twin; the BA609 tiltrotor and the NH90 11-ton. A new product recently launched is the AW149 military medium class helicopter, further expanding the prod-uct range.

Through a wide range of joint ventures and collaborative programs with major aerospace and defense companies AgustaWestland is increas-ing its helicopter offerings and opening up new business opportunities. A large variety of initiatives and industrial co-operations have in fact been set up in several countries including the U.S., Turkey, China, Russia, Japan, India, South Africa, Libya and Canada.

Working for CustomersAgustaWestland is focused on help-ing its customers reduce their costs of ownership while improving opera-tional capabilities. Integrated Opera-tional Support (IOS) solutions are

delivering increased aircraft opera-tional effectiveness to the military while driving down through-life costs.

The company also offers its com-mercial customers a wide range of service plans and industry leading war-ranty programs.

That’s not all. AgustaWestland is expanding its network of supply and service centers around the world to be close to its customers. The supply and service centers stock spares and are authorized to carry out repair and overhaul services for AgustaWestland helicopters.

Training and Future PlansAg ust aWestland is an established provider of professional training ser-vices and solutions to a wide range of civil, military and industrial customers around the world. Build-ing on core competen-cies in high quality rotary wing and systems train-ing, AgustaWestland is committed to developing and expanding its training portfolio to meet the cur-rent and future training

needs of all customers. The company provides integrated training solutions that support the complete pipeline, from basic training to beyond utilizing classrooms, simulators and aircraft. Emphasis is placed on producing a range of cost-effective options aimed at supporting the user as close to the front line as possible, while providing central high value services delivering training courses and simulation for all customers.

Rotorsim, a joint venture with CAE, delivers simulator training for a range of AgustaWestland helicopters, includ-ing the AW109 Power, AW109 LUH and AW139; and has Level D certified simulators located in both Italy and the U.S. In the UK, Aviation Training International Ltd., a joint venture with Boeing, provides a comprehensive training service for the British Army Apache AH Mk.1 fleet.

Finally, AgustaWestland is investing in advanced technologies right now that will make future rotorcraft more efficient, quieter and greener.

In addition to new helicopter designs, the company is also studying revolutionary tilt rotor and tilt wing rotorcraft, combining turboprop per-formance and rotorcraft flexibility in a single vehicle. ■

W W W. R O T O R A N D W I N G . C O MW W W. R O T O R A N D W I N G . C O M JANUARY 2011 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 31

CobhamIntegrated Solutions for Rotorcraft

No manufacturer offers a more complete suite of integrated, end-to-end component and

integrated system solutions for rotor-craft applications than Cobham.

The requirements of a variety of airborne applications are met through platform-specific implementation of the following helicopter technologies:

■ HD & SD video downlinks■ FM radios■ Airborne FM/AM radio communi-

cations systems■ Digital audio systems■ Audio/radio management systems■ PA and loudhailers

■ 3D synthetic vision EFIS■ Integrated master caution/voice

warning system■ Engine indication/crew alerting

system■ Engine data concentrators■ Hover vector, FMS and HTAWS

software■ Autopilot, stability augmentation

systems■ Data acquisition units and airborne

data management systems■ Emergency locator transmitters■ Portable, global GPS tracking■ GPS and ADAHRS sensors■ SwiftBroadband, high-frequency,

communication, and direction-finding antennas

■ Passenger oxygen systems, emer-gency oxygen systems

■ Emergency f lotation valves and cylinders

Maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) service centers offer complete customer support:

■ FAA FAR-145 repair stations■ Depot-level repair station to com-

ponent level■ AOG spares

Cobham’s products and services have been at the heart of sophisti-cated military and civil systems for more than 75 years, keeping people safe, improving communications, and enhancing the capability of land, sea, air and space platforms.

The company has four divisions employing some 12,000 people on five continents, with customers and part-ners in over 100 countries and annual revenue of some £1.9 billion (around $3 billion). ■


Aero DynamixSetting the Standard for NVG

During the past 16 years, Aero Dynamix has become the lead-er in the night vision modifica-

tion industry. Focusing on safety, qual-ity, and customer satisfaction, Aero Dynamix is truly setting the standard for NVG.

As an FAA-certified Repair Station (C73R723N), Aero Dynamix offers a full line of services in the instrument/avionics repair field. Currently the company employs more than 75 night vision professionals and is growing rapidly. Aero Dynamix has FAA-certified repair technicians on staff to meet customer demands for avionics repairs. Aero Dynamix also employs a certified A&P technician.

Aero Dynamix also offers its cus-tomers around the world the ease of having their instruments modified internally without having the OEM warranty voided. With agreements from major OEMs such as Honeywell, Garmin, Rockwell Collins and many others, Aero Dynamix has the author-ity to open an avionics unit, modify

the internal lighting to be compatible with goggles, and not void the manu-facturer’s warranty.

Aero Dynamix offers an engineer-ing and manufacturing department that can design and build Edge Lit Panels and NVIS Overlay Panels for various fixed-wing and rotary wing aircraft. This cuts down on production time and risk for completing a project since all work is performed internally and there are no third-party vendors to coordinate with. With state-of-the-art machinery, Aero Dynamix ensures the highest levels of quality are always met.

Each civil aircraft that is modified by Aero Dynamix is fully certified and STC’d by the FAA, meeting all of the regulatory guidance standards. Aero Dynamix is privileged to say the company has earned 24 multi-ship supplemental type certificates on 36 different aircraft, as well as, two EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) validations, with a third pending, for NVG cockpits.

Aero Dynamix also has NVG sales and certification/repair capabilities, and is a stocking distributor of L-3 goggles. With a 48-hour turnaround time on re-certification of goggles, aviators and operators are able to stay in the air so that they can continue to provide their much-needed mission support.

Because of the anticipated increase in demand for NVG lighting systems in 2010, the company is currently in the process of rebuilding a much larger, state-of-the-art facility (23,200 square feet) to compliment growing needs in the industry. Aero Dynamix plans on moving in to the new facility early 2011.

Dennis Trout, General Manager of Aero Dynamix, states: “As the industry leader, we will continue to grow and support our customers in a way that no other company can.” Trout stresses that crew safety, mission accomplish-ment and ensuring the total life-cycle support to the customer is critical to the success of Aero Dynamix. ■


Profile Head:Profile Subhead


HEATCON Composite SystemsComposite Repair Solutions for the Helicopter Industry

The increased use of composite materials in aviation has become commonplace for many of the

major airframe manufacturers and end users. Composites are lighter, stronger, and more durable than traditional materials; however, the repair process requires much more sophisticated procedures and control. Even with these complexities, a proven company can provide the necessary training, equipment, accessories, and materials to easily repair these unique advanced composite structures. You shouldn’t partner with just any company for your composite repair needs, you need to partner with a company that sets industry standards within the global marketplace and leads the industry in delivering innovative solutions for repairing advanced composite struc-tures. That company is HEATCON® Composite Systems!

Since 1981, our customer centered “T.E.A.M.” approach has been meeting the needs of all our industry partners. We have focused on delivering the most innovative products and solu-tions to the composite repair industry. Our equipment is the most reliable on the market today and is certified by some of the most rigorous environ-mental, electrical, and physical testing systems. All of our components are carefully selected to ensure fail-safe operation. By building a reputation of excellence, we have become the sup-plier of choice for major manufactur-ers, military and repair organizations within the composite repair industry. We provide dependable products and solutions that work right the first time, every time!

With 30 years of technological innovations and experience in the composite repair field, HEATCON is

now providing unique solutions, such as composite helicopter blade repair utilizing our patented portable auto-clave system and custom designed heat blankets. This solution has eliminated the need for custom and expensive tooling that has been traditionally used to repair them. Also, as an AS9100/ISO 9001:2008 certified manufacturer, we provide you peace of mind in knowing that we are committed to excellence and to continual quality improvement in all aspects of our business.

We are the “one-stop-shop” from Training to Equipment, Accessories to Materials, for all your composite repair needs. With offices located around the world, we can literally put you into the composite repair business with the most comprehensive line of products and solutions in the industry today.

Let us become your composite repair industry partner! ■

W W W. R O T O R A N D W I N G . C O M JANUARY 2011 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 35

Aerospace OpticsA History of Innovation

Aerospace Optics is one of the world’s premier manufacturers of lighted pushbutton switches,

indicators and electro-optical, pro-grammable displays. The company is well known for innovation and world-class customer service, providing products and services that have revo-lutionized the aviation, aerospace and defense industries.

Over the years, Aerospace Optics has made great strides in product development. For instance, the com-pany introduced one of the first light-ed pushbutton switches that was read-able in direct sunlight, which made flying safer. Aerospace Optics was also a leader in developing one of the first switches to use an integrated LED lighting source, replacing incandes-cent bulbs as the industry standard; and it established a filtering technolo-gy that allowed both NVIS-compliant lighting and sunlight readability.

These technologies paved the way for additional innovations such as the VIVISUN 5000, which is an electro-optical display switch system also offering NVIS-compatible, and sun-light-readable lighting. The VIVISUN LED, a dedicated lighted pushbutton switch which is virtually maintenance-free; and Aerospace Optics’ latest breakthrough: the VIVISUN LOGIC Series, Electronic Latching switch and Pulse/Timer switch.

The VIVISUN LOGIC Series is a component of the VIVISUN Multi Function Body (MFB) line of advanced switches. The LOGIC Series is the first of its kind with an integrated elec-tronic circuit designed to replace traditional holding coils or magnetic latching switches and depending on the specified features can sense a variety of electronic edges and pro-duce conditioned and timed pulsed outputs. These features bring unique functionality internal to the switch eliminating the need for external cir-cuit components.

In addition to product innovation, Aerospace Optics is committed to set-ting the standard for world-class cus-tomer service and fast delivery. Start-

ing with the VIVISUN Configurator, an online tool that enables customers to specify switches, request quota-tions and access their parts history. Advancements such as these have

helped Aerospace Optics build its reputation as one of the world’s fore-most producers of Mil-Spec qualified and DO-160 compliant pushbutton switches and indicator displays. ■

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Aspen AvionicsRobust, Reliable EFIS for Helicopters

Aspen Avionics specializes in making reliable, solid-state avi-onic technologies for helicopter

applications. Our products increase situational awareness and reduce pilot workload, making it easier and safer to fly every mission. Our philosophy is that investing in the latest avionics technology shouldn’t always mean spending a lot of money—on equip-ment or installation.

Aspen’s flagship product line is the Evolution Flight Display system. Evolution displays are lightweight and compact—under four pounds, includ-ing the remote sensor module (RSM).

The Evolution system is built upon an open architecture that enables compatibility with the systems already present in your cockpit.

Additionally, front-load micro SD cards make software upgrades and new features easy to install. This all adds up to future-proofing your investment in glass panel technology.

With looming FAA mandates for NVG, HTAWS and NextGen, Aspen is committed to delivering upgrades that will make these transitions eas-ier and more cost-effective for your operation.

Primary Flight DisplaysThe EFD1000H Pro PFD is an approved replacement for your mechanical flight instruments and is the most affordable “six-pack” replace-ment EFIS display technology avail-able in the helicopter market today.

MFDsThe EFD1000H and 500H MFDs allow you to expand your glass panel and enhance your flight mission with features such as high resolution digital moving map, terrain and obstacle awareness, datalink weather, traffic and more.

Perfect Fit for Every MissionLaw enforcement, search and rescue, military, medevac or IFR training—every mission requires reliable, easy-to-use tools to get the job done and this is what Aspen delivers. With flexible installation options, you can choose the configuration (one, two, or three displays) that works for you.System features include:■ Brilliant, direct sunlight-readable,

6-inch 760 x 400 TFT active matrix LCD display

■ Reliable solid-state attitude and heading reference system (AHRS)

■ Emergency GPS and backup battery with 30 minutes of backup time

■ Electronic HSI with moving map that displays GPS flight plan legs, waypoints, navaids and airports (PFD)

■ Electronic attitude director indica-tor (ADI) with easy-to-read air-speed and altitude tapes (PFD)

■ Altitude alerter (PFD)

■ High-resolution digital moving map with relative terrain and obstacle awareness (MFD)

■ Traff ic and weather interface (MFD)

About Aspen AvionicsAspen Avionics is based in Albuquer-que, N.M. and was founded by pilots and aviation enthusiasts in 2004. Our customers tell us our service and sup-port are top-notch and we work hard to maintain that level of trust.

ApprovalsWe have more than 3,000 installations and more than 900 aircraft approved for installation. The Bell 206 STC is available today. Additional STCs are in process, including the Robinson R22/R44, Bell 407, AS350, MD500 and the Enstrom 480B. ■

For the most current information regarding availability, installation, and future certification possibilities, please contact: Anson Gray, Helicopter Program Man-ager, [email protected]

Mike McKinney, Regional Sales Man-ager, [email protected]



Your glass cockpit has arrived.

All content Copyright 2010 Aspen Avionics Inc. ”Aspen Avionics” and the Aspen Avionics aircraft logo are trademarks of Aspen Avionics Inc. All rights reserved.

www.aspenavionics.com

Reliable, A�ordable EFIS TechnologyInvesting in the latest avionics technology shouldn't always mean

spending a lot of money — on equipment or on installation.

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EFD1000H Pro PFD EFD500H MFD


Goodrich CorporationLeadership & Experience to Support the Helicopter Industry

With a longstanding presence in the helicopter industry, G o o d r i c h C o r p o r a t i o n

serves commercial and military opera-tors with advanced system technology and tailored service offerings. Its his-tory of improving reliability, opera-tional cost, functionality, and safety for helicopter operators and manufactur-ers around the world—combined with its reputation as a flexible business partner—have made the company a trusted source for original equipment and aftermarket solutions.

Broad Portfolio of Helicopter CapabilitiesGoodrich Corporation’s broad port-folio of field-proven products for the helicopter industry includes, but is not limited to, the following systems:

■ Health and usage management sys-tems (HUMS)

■ Flight control actuators■ Rescue hoists■ Terrain warning and avoidance

systems

■ Mission data recorders ■ Electric power generation and distribution■ Engine controls■ Air data sensor systems■ Laser detection systems■ Fuel gauging systems■ Ice detection and protection systems■ Aircraft data concentrator equipment

■ Drive shaft systems■ Starter-generator brushes

Field-Proven SuccessGoodrich products and systems are on nearly every helicopter that flies today, as well as those currently in development. Service-proven HUMS, electronic engine controls, actuation systems, laser warning systems and rescue hoists are among the products on key frontline military helicopters such as the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey, Boeing AH-64, Eurocopter UH-72 Lakota, NH Industries NH90, and Sikorsky UH-60. Active commercial applications include the AgustaWest-land AW139 and Sikorsky S-76 and S-92. Goodrich products are present on a number of diverse platforms in development today, such as the AW159 and Sikorsky CH-53K.

Providing Comprehensive Lifecycle SolutionsGoodrich’s extensive experience, innovative advances and continu-ally evolving product lines have posi-tioned the company as a frontrunner in the development of mission-critical helicopter technology. Further, the company is dedicated to providing comprehensive, custom-tailored life-cycle support of its products. ■

Goodrich’s translating drum hoist technology displayed on a BK-117.

The U.S. Army’s Black Hawk fleet is equipped with Goodrich HUMS.

W W W. R O T O R A N D W I N G . C O M JANUARY 2011 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 39

EurocopterSteps Up R&D and Expands in Growth Markets in 2010

Eurocopter’s activities in 2010 continued the company’s focus on innovation, safety, eco-effi-

ciency and key market presence—with significant progress achieved in all four areas.

In line with Eurocopter’s commit-ment to fly a new helicopter and/or upgrade every year, testing began in September with the X³ high-speed hybrid helicopter demonstrator, which is designed for sustained cruise speeds in excess of 220 knots. Based on a Dau-phin helicopter airframe, the X³ test-bed is equipped with two turboshaft engines that power a five-blade main rotor system, along with two propel-lers on short-span fixed wings. During initial flight evaluations performed at a reduced level of engine power, the X³ attained a true airspeed of 180 knots in level flight.

As part of its long-term commit-ment to innovation, Eurocopter dou-bled the R&D budget during the past two years, and the company took the opportunity in 2010 to unveil several advanced technologies. They include its bluecopter® program to address the increasingly important environmental challenges for helicopter operations, which has evolved two concepts to reduce helicopter noise: the Blue Edge™ double-swept main rotor blade shape; and Blue Pulse™ active blade control system.

With customer proximity as a key asset, Eurocopter further expanded its international network and cooperative ventures during the year. Construc-tion was initiated for a new facility at the Itajuba, Brazil, location of its Heli-bras subsidiary to assemble EC725 helicopters ordered for the Brazilian Armed Forces. In Chile, Eurocopter received certification for its new train-ing center—the only one to date in Latin America.

Eurocopter signed a capability expansion agreement in China with COHC and the Civil Aviation Uni-versity of China for the ab-initio train-ing of pilots, while an agreement with Tongji University of China will bring this institution into Eurocopter’s international network of partner uni-

versities. Two key milestones in India were Eurocopter’s inauguration of a new subsidiary to further develop the country’s helicopter presence, and the establishment of a joint-venture MRO and training activity with Pawan Hans. An agreement was signed to install an AS365 N3 full-flight simulator in Sin-gapore, while Eurocopter’s coopera-tion with Kawasaki Heavy Industries of Japan on the EC145 family was extended by 15 years.

Eurocopter also consolidated its commercial reach in 2010. Asia proved to be the fastest-growing mar-ket with a strong increase in sales, while promising prospects in the for-mer Soviet Union were underscored by the contract from Russia’s UTair for 20 AS350/AS355 helicopters and Eurocopter’s strategic agreement with Kazakhstan for the local assembly of 45 EC145s. In sub-Saharan Afri-ca, Eurocopter’s regional subsidiary increased its turnover by 35 percent, largely in the law enforcement market; while Eurocopter Canada marked the 600th helicopter delivery to its home market in December 2010.

In key military program mile-stones, the first of 40 German Army CH53-GA helicopters being upgraded by Eurocopter f lew during Febru-ary, incorporating a major systems and avionics modernization package that will extend the fleet’s service life through 2030. The initial prototype of the Surion utility helicopter, co-

developed by Korea Aerospace Indus-tries (KAI) and Eurocopter for Korea’s military airlift requirements, made its maiden flight in March. Deliveries of the NH90 NFH naval helicopter vari-ant began during the year—with the Netherlands and France receiving the first of these large multi-role rotary-wing aircraft. Military operational highlights of 2010 included the con-tinued success of Eurocopter’s Tiger combat helicopter in service with the French Army in Afghanistan.

American Eurocopter also main-tained its U.S. leadership position, achieving several accomplishments and milestones during the year. The company’s Light Utility Helicopter program for the U.S. Army reached the 100th UH-72A helicopter delivery in March, which increased to some 150 aircraft by year-end—all of which were provided on time and on budget. The new AS350 Level B FFS Flight and Mission Simulator began opera-tion at American Eurocopter’s Grand Prairie, Texas headquarters in 2010, with this full-motion AS350 training device providing a unique environ-ment for both pilots and crews in mission-scenario training.

In other activity, American Euro-copter developed and flew Technical Demonstration Aircraft for the AAS-72X, which is proposed by parent company EADS North America for the U.S. Army’s Armed Aerial Scout mission requirement. ■


Precision Aviation Group"Others Sell Parts, We Sell Support"

Precision Aviation Group (PAG) is a leading provider of products and value-added services to the

worldwide aerospace and defense industry. With sales/service facilities in the U.S. and Canada, PAG uses its distinct business units and customer-focused business model to serve avia-tion customers through two business functions—Aviation Supply Chain and Inventory Supported Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (ISMRO). PAG was founded in 1993 with Precision Heliparts (PHP) and in 2002 opened Precision Heliparts-Canada (PHP-C) in Vancouver, BC. PAG acquired Pre-cision Avionics & Instruments (PAI) in 2005 from Dallas Airmotive and acquired Pegasus Aircraft Compo-nents to launch Precision Accessories & Instruments (PAI-C) in 2007. PAG is a premier MRO facility and carries unlimited instrument, avionics and accessories ratings from FAA, as well as EASA and Transport Canada certi-fications.

During 2010, PAG continued to grow despite a slow economy, as the company expanded its sales and ser-vice areas in the Atlanta, Ga. facility to 65,000 square feet and consolidated its Canadian operations into a new 25,000-square-foot facility in Vancou-ver. Also in 2010, PAG acquired the assets of Dallas-based Avcenter, an MRO specializing in wheels, struts and brake accessories.

The purchase allowed PAG to upgrade services to its customers oper-ating many popular fixed-wing and

rotary-wing turboprop aircraft. The test and repair equipment was moved to the Atlanta facility, located near Hartsfield-Jackson Intl Airport. PAG is a Goodrich Authorized Repair Cen-ter (ARC). PAG teams with OEMs like Goodrich to provide even more products and MRO services for its customers.

ISMRO—Inventory Supported MROSimply put, ISMRO is the combin-ing of the traditional parts distributor functions with repair station functions and is the new model for parts sup-port providers. Like a traditional parts distributor, PAG companies are dis-tributors for many brand-name instru-ments, including Mid-Continent, RC Allen and United as well as electrical accessories such as Globe and AAE, to name a few. However, unlike the traditional parts distributor, PAG also provides extensive repair and overhaul capabilities which includes accessories, avionics and instruments. Our facili-ties in Atlanta, Ga. and Vancouver, BC contain over 90,000 square feet and 98 employees.

Repairs ManagementPAG processes thousands of accessories, avionics, instruments, and other rotable items for repair/overhaul each year. Our technicians average over 12 years experience in the general aviation field, and our sales team members average over 14 years of service experience. PAG has a long history of expertise in repairs

management, its employees have exten-sive knowledge of the industry and it has built strong relationships with OEMs and repair stations. This allows PAG to reduce turnaround times, and lower customers’ repair costs.

Spare PartsPAG maintains an inventory of more than 50,000 line items to support its customers. The company is an autho-rized distributor for many manufactur-ers and distinguishes itself by providing technical expertise and exceptional customer service.

Repair & OverhaulThe expertise and skill of PAG’s highly trained technicians provide solutions to a variety of repair problems. With overhaul/repair capabilities on more than 8,500 items and six separate shops totaling more than 30,000 square feet, the company specializes in the over-haul of accessories, avionics and instru-ments.

Need AOG Services?PAG maintains more than 50,000 line items in stock and ready for immedi-ate shipment to get your helicopter flying again. Want contract pricing for repairs and guaranteed exchange avail-ability for components? PAG does that. Need to buy spares or lease a spares box? PAG has it covered. Both Atlanta and Vancouver are international and domestic hubs with direct flights to more than 200 cities in North America and the world. ■

Precision Heliparts (PHP)

Precision Heliparts-Canada (PHP-C)

Precision Accessories & Instruments (PAI)

Precision Accessories & Instruments-Canada (PAI-C)

PAG Supports These Helicopters and Fixed-wing Manufacturers

■ Agusta ■ Bell ■ Pratt & Whitney ■ DeHavilland■ Embraer ■ ATR ■ Hawker/Beechcraft ■ Bombardier■ Fairchild/Metroliner

■ Cessna ■ CASA ■ Piper ■ Eurocopter ■ MD ■ Bendix King ■ Goodrich■ Sikorsky ■ Rolls-Royce

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BLR AerospaceOEM Validation Supports BLR Aerospace Growth and Success

Growing support of BLR Aero-space products from OEMs in 2010 redefined the company

from an aftermarket provider of air-craft performance enhancements to a trusted technology partner.

Bell Adopts FastFinJust in the past year, both Bell Helicopter and Hawker Beechcraft Corporation announced plans for factory installation of BLR FastFin™ and Winglet Systems, respectively, on new aircraft. Specifical-ly, Bell Helicopter in July announced its intent to install BLR’s FastFin Tail Rotor Enhancement and Stability System on new Bell 412EP helicopters, and Bell celebrated delivery of its first FastFin-equipped aircraft late last year.

Measurable Improvements FastFin is certified for Bell 204, 205, 212, Huey II, and most UH-1 derivatives as an aftermarket upgrade that delivers measurable gains in payload and stabil-ity, especially in high and hot conditions. Depending on conditions, some Bell 412 operators could realize useful load increases up to 1250 pounds (more than 90 percent). Additionally, FastFin instal-lation can reduce operating costs by 45 percent or more.

How it WorksThe FastFin system modifies the tail boom with two parallel stall strips, known as Dual Tail Boom Strakes, and a reshaped vertical fin, optimizing air-flow around the tail boom for dramatic improvements in tail rotor efficiency and wind azimuth tolerance. With these simple changes, operators can do—and earn—more than ever before. About BLR AerospaceBLR is focused on developing the high-est performance aerodynamic solutions in the industry. BLR, now in its 21st year, holds patented technologies for both fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, and has certified over 60 Supplemental Type Certificates. BLR remains focused on the development of products that increase gross weight and landing weight, reduce critical V-speeds, increase cruise speeds, reduce fuel burn, increase hover loads and improve handling qualities. BLR Aerospace is a NASA Technology Transfer Licensee. ■

Dave Marone

www.BLRaerospace.com

Find out what 90% more useful load can do for you. Contact BLR for new FAA approved WAT charts.

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JANUARY 2011 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE 43

PARTS AND SERVICES YOU CAN TRUST...

EVERY STEP OF THE WAY!

Flight, Navigation and Engine Instruments • Transmitters • NAV/COM • RadarInverters • Control Heads • Actuators • Fuel Controls • Governors • Grimes Lighting

EXCHANGES • SALES • REPAIR • OVERHAULS

Extensive Inventory of Rotor/Fixed Wing Spares

IN HOUSE CONSIGNMENTS FROM:

TEL: 305-251-7200 • FAX: 305-251-230012181 S.W. 129TH CT., MIA, FL 33186

email: [email protected]

Aviation Instrument ServicesPutting Customers First

Aviation Instrument Services, Inc. (AIS) was founded in 1977 with one goal in mind: to build a repu-

tation of excellence in service. Just ask AIS’ customers and they’ll tell you that this company meets this goal—time and time again. “When AIS’s experi-ence is joined with their buying power, their customer receives a level of value that is unbeatable,” says Dave Vorsas, president of JDC Company.

Specifically, AIS delivers excellent service in a variety of areas, such as quality helicopter instrumentation and repair, and serving as a convenient consignment ‘clearing house’ for its customers’ excess inventory. “In the pursuit of our goal, we have grown into a multi-dimensional company that provides a variety of services to meet our customers’ needs,” explains AIS President and Founder Jim Sensale. “These services include offering quality

instrumentation to the general/corpo-rate aviation and helicopter markets through both outright and exchange sales, as well as providing an efficient, single source management of compo-nent repairs and overhauls through our approved repair shop network.”

By sourcing repairs through AIS, managers can avoid warranty head-aches! This is because “when a warranty problem arises with a unit and the shop you used does not carry any exchanges or loaners, you must send the unit back and wait for repair,” Sensale says. “With repairs handled by AIS, you are sent an exchange at no charge, provided that we have it in our inventory, or in the inven-tory of any of the shops with which we deal.” As a result of AIS’ long-term rela-tionships with a network of more than 30 highly qualified repair facilities, the company is highly successful in finding the exchange parts that its customers

need. “To aid many of our customers with their surplus inventory problems, we have established a very attractive consignment program that allows companies to offload their surplus to our facility for us to manage and sell,” he adds, allowing customers to "free up large sections in their warehouses of maturing inventory and fill them with more desirable inventory.” From parts acquisition and sales to managed component repair and replacement, AIS does it all. In fact, it is fair to say that AIS looks out for its customers’ inter-ests every step of the way. Proof can be found through customer testimonials at www.aviation-instrument.com.

“Parts and service you can trust, every step of the way!” At AIS, this isn’t just a slogan, it’s a commitment backed by 34 years of experience—and more important than ever during tough eco-nomic times. ■



Many missions require efficient heavy lifting. Manned or unmanned, one helicopter does it better than the rest. Conceived and designed to perform repetitive external lifting, the K-MAX excels, lifting 6,000 pounds while delivering unmatched performance and reliability. What’s more, K-MAX has the highest availability rate and the lowest maintenance man-hour per flight hour of any helicopter in its class.

A fleet of hard-working K-MAX helicopters will be ready to respond to the most difficult missions — from delivering supplies to clearing debris or rebuilding — any where, any time. You can count on it.

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Kaman Helicopters:Full-speed ahead

Excitement is in the air at Kaman Helicopters as important new programs take f light, and the

Kaman Aerospace Group continues to make strategic acquisitions that significantly enhance the company’s design and manufacturing capabilities.

Unmanned or Manned?The unmatched lifting capability of the K-MAX helicopter is fueling new opportunities as a manned and unmanned platform. As this issue of Rotor & Wing goes to press, a Kaman-Lockheed Martin team (Team K-MAX) had just been award-ed a $45.8 million contract to pro-vide cargo resupply services to the U.S. Marine Corps. The contract includes development of two air vehicles, three remote ground con-trol stations and a Quick Reaction Assessment. There is also an option for a six–month deployment.

The unmanned K-MAX system has successfully demonstrated its ability to resupply troops in a simu-lated environment. The unmanned helicopter boasts a four-hook cargo carousel, which makes K-MAX capa-ble of delivering more cargo to more locations in one flight than any other unmanned rotorcraft. K-MAX can carry 2,721.6 kg (6,000 lbs) of cargo at sea level and more than 1,814.3 kg (4,000 lbs) at 10,000 ft. The high-profile military success is expected to lead to similar sales of manned or unmanned K-MAX helicopters to international customers that require a high-altitude workhorse aircraft for humanitarian aid, resupply, fire-fighting, construction, and similar missions.

Rotor Blade ExpertsInnovation in helicopter composite rotor blade technolog y is a rap-idly growing business at the Kaman Helicopter HeliworX™ full-service aerospace innovation and manu-facturing support center, where the company plans to double sales in the year ahead.

In addition to establishing a man-ufacturing facility in Mexico, and expanding its rotor blade center of excellence, the company is produc-ing the initial production standard composite rotor blades for the AH-6

“Little Bird,” with the MD 500 and 600 Series hel icopters to fol low soon after. Kaman is also building

helicopter blade skins and skin core assemblies for Bell helicopters and other customers.

The company has introduced a three layer, color specific (for visual inspection) sprayable erosion coating that has significantly extended the lifespan and reduced the life cycle costs of U.S. Army BLACK HAWK helicopter main rotor blades. Cur-rently, 100 BLACK HAWK helicopter blades are being coated at Kaman each month, with around 1800 blades coated to date. U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and international customers are eval-uating the coating to protect blades on Apache, CH-53E, UH-72 Lakota Light Utility Helicopter and several other platforms. Kaman is the only certified facility authorized to apply the Hontek coating.

Backed by Kaman’s infrastruc-ture and expertise, HeliworX is the only subcontractor with the OEM advantage capable of offering design/analysis, manufacturing, upgrade, modifications and test and f light solutions. Other capabilities include integration, composite and metallic manufacturing, final assembly, rotor blade whirl towers, and sand erosion test facility and flight test.

SeaspriteKaman continues to actively market 11 highly capable and mission-ready Seasprite SH-2G(I) helicopters to international naval customers. The aircraft variants are capable of anti-surface warfare and anti-submarine warfare, and offer an affordable small ship capability. The Egyptian Air Force is entering its 12th year of successful robust performance of its SH-2G(E) helicopter f leet. Other international militaries using the Super Seasprite include the Royal New Zealand Air Force and the Poland Navy. �

For more information:

[email protected]



Manned or Unmanned. You can count on K-MAX.

Many missions require efficient heavy lifting. Manned or unmanned, one helicopter does it better than the rest. Conceived and designed to perform repetitive external lifting, the K-MAX excels, lifting 6,000 pounds while delivering unmatched performance and reliability. What’s more, K-MAX has the highest availability rate and the lowest maintenance man-hour per flight hour of any helicopter in its class.

A fleet of hard-working K-MAX helicopters will be ready to respond to the most difficult missions — from delivering supplies to clearing debris or rebuilding — any where, any time. You can count on it.

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TurbomecaPower Built on Trust

One of the Safran Group’s high-tech companies, Turbomeca specializes in the design, pro-

duction, sale and support of low- to medium-power gas turbines for heli-copters.

In the industry since 1938, Turbo-meca is the world’s leading manu-facturer of helicopter engines. It also designs and builds turbine engines for training aircraft. Turbomeca has one subsidiary: Microturbo, a specialist in turbo-reactors for missiles.

Thanks to Turbomeca’s continuing investment in R&D, commitment to global service, and quality design and manufacturing facilities, Turbomeca helicopter engines are the choice of AgustaWestland, AVIC, Eurocopter, HAL, Kamov and Sikorsky.

The company’s goal is to provide a full range of services conveniently close to customers, wherever they may operate. Turbomeca serves 2,350 customers in 155 countries.

Broadest Range of Turboshaft EnginesRanging from 450 to 3,000 shp, Turbo-meca turbines power civil, parapublic and defense helicopters for all leading helicopter manufacturers. Despite this variety, all of these turbines ben-efit from Turbomeca’s emphasis on leading-edge technology that is care-fully designed, rigorously tested and meticulously manufactured. The modular design of Turbomeca engines facilitates maintenance operations. Turbomeca engines are designed with high power growth potential for a broad array of applications.

The ServiceConsidering the difficulties the world-

wide economy is facing, we are more than ever focusing on helping you meet your business challenges.

At Turbomeca, we are constantly putting in place opportunities for open dialogue with our customers and this allows us to:

■ Improve engines availability,■ Increase durability,■ Ensure easy and effective commu-

nications, and■ Provide more support services

closer to our customers.

Our ultimate objective is to develop products and services that contribute to helping our customers focus on their core business: Flying.

New World-Class PlantThe brand new industrial plant in France notably deploys high-per-formance production capabilities. Particularly, it is enhancing flows and reducing production cycles, and thus, will help Turbomeca to ever better server its customers.

SafetyTurbomeca joined a group of presti-gious helicopter industry leaders in sponsoring the 2009 International Helicopter Safety Team meeting in Montreal, Canada. The primary objec-tive of the IHST is to reduce the rate of helicopter accidents by 80 percent by 2016. Turbomeca has reduced its rate of in-flight shutdowns and losses of power by 50 percent since entering the IHST program.

Preparing for the FutureFor several years now, the helicop-ter engines Turbomeca invents and manufactures have been subject to development criteria including the reduction of fuel consumption—thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, and noise levels—and the selection of more eco-friendly materi-als and manufacturing and mainte-nance processes.

Research and development spends 20 percent of its budget on programs to reduce atmospheric emissions and noise pollution and to reduce the use of harmful materials and processes. Environmental protection is of the utmost importance to our company.

At Turbomeca, we value highly all our commitments, from compliance with regulations to ethical issues and the continuous improvement of our products and services. ■

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customer support through continued investments

EN ANCING

Helping you focus on your core business, fl ying

You want to take your business to new heights. You need tailored products, services and policies.

Because you have chosen Turbomeca as your trusted partner, we focus on understanding your business and we continuously invest

to expand global service and production capabilities, standard-setting design and engineering, and your 24-7 after-sales service.

Meeting your needs every day is our priority.

In the industry since 1938, Turbomeca is the world’s leading manufacturer of helicopter engines. more at turbomeca.com

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Alpine Air SupportEurocopter AS365 Dauphin Parts Distributor with OEM

Distribution Network

Now in our 15th year, Alpine Air Support is an aftermarket heli-

copter parts supplier exclu-sively stocking components for the Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin series. Centrally located in Zürich, Switzer-land, the company is focused on stocking the most widely required rotable, avionics and instrument parts for the Dauphin series of helicopters (including the EC155).

Parts Exchanges and ConsignmentsFor rotable replacement, avionics and instruments, we offer a compre-hensive exchange program where we supply a tagged, serviceable unit on advance exchange with a core unit due back to us within 21 days. Our sales price reflects the actual net cost asso-ciated with the repair or overhaul, sav-ing money against the manufacturer’s list price.

Stocked ComponentsIt is our clear aim to be the market leader in AS365 and EC155 helicopter aftermarket parts support. We have made major and continual invest-

ments in Dauphin spares. We specifi-cally stock every single Sagem AP-155 autopilot component and have an extensive inventory of avionics and instruments on the shelf, ready to ship. Main and tail rotor servos, engine accessories, starter generators and landing lights to name just a few.

ConsignmentsWe can also offer parts consignments as an attractive and cheaper option to OEM power-by-the-hour (PBH) arrangements. Alpine physically sup-plies complete inventories to opera-tors, which are maintained at the customer’s operating facility until required. Our consignments offer far greater flexibility and availability than any existing PBH schemes. We suc-

cessfully run and operate several consignments with major Dauphin operators.

OEM Factory DistributionAs a factory authorized distributor for Goodrich Actuation Systems, Sagem Défense et Sécurité and Thales AES in France, Alpine has established marketing agreements to

ensure a steady supply of components and to maintain stock levels for the “hot movers”. We are able to pass on genuine cost savings to our custom-ers for many OEM products, with far quicker delivery times than the factory.

Quality and CustomersAlpine Air Support’s Quality System is ASA-100 accredited and approved (based on FAA AC-00-56A). We have a worldwide Dauphin operator and service center customer base who trust our quality, appreciate our ser-vice and competitive pricing. If you fly or maintain Dauphins, we should be talking! ■

We own and stock the largest independently held Dauphin helicopter parts inventory

available on the market today. Rotables, avionics & instruments ready to ship worldwide.

Parts for exchange and outright sales.

US-Phone : +1 207-513-1921

Phone : +41 52 345 3605

Fax : +41 52 345 3606

E-Mail : [email protected]

Web : www.alpine.aero

#1 for Dauphin Parts


HR Smith/TechtestLifesaving Choices: Enhancing Performance and Safety

Founded in 1966, HR Smith (Tech-nical Developments) Ltd. quickly forged an unrivaled reputation

for delivering advanced and efficient airborne antenna systems. Used by military and commercial operators alike, current products span the entire range of airborne radio frequency applications including digital and voice communications, navigation, surveillance and direction finding. A major area of recent development has been that of electronically-tuned communications antennas. These innovative devices offer very low-profile characteristics and outstanding broadband performance of a level nor-mally seen only from antennas much greater in size.

In 1978, the sustained growth of HR Smith Group was augmented by the formation of Techtest Ltd. Although initially formed in response to market demand for radio frequency test equipment, Techtest was soon to expand into the field of search and rescue, and is now globally acknowl-edged as a unique and successful supplier of total SAR solutions for the aviation market. Central to Techtest’s product portfolio is the highly success-ful ETSO-approved Series 503 ELT incorporating the 406 MHz COSPAS-SARSAT satellite distress frequency. Designed for civil and military appli-cations, Techtest ELTs now equip a wide range of helicopters, commercial airliners and military aircraft, includ-ing fast-jets. Techtest also pioneered the development of the deployable 406 ELT system for maritime aircraft, and is now the primary supplier to the UK’s offshore industry. Most recently, the deployable ELT was upgraded to provide FDR memory capability allowing flight data to be downloaded from the recovered beacon.

Meanwhile, individual aircrew safety is comprehensively served by Techtest Series 500 personal locator beacons (PLBs). Featuring integral GPS and 406 MHz, these beacons are compact and lightweight, and offer a wide selection of frequency and speech options, including covert encrypted modes for military applica-tions. This extensive range of Techtest emergency transmitters is comple-

mented by a flexible, modular range of homing and decoding equipment including 406 MHz identification and locating. For the future, Techtest will soon launch a new high-resolution direction finding system which will further aid safety by allowing rescuers to resolve multiple beacon scenarios.

HR Smith Group remains commit-ted to its aim of delivering practical and cost-effective radio frequency systems and, through its comprehensive prod-uct portfolio and extensive in-house capabilities, delivering tailored solu-tions to meet the demanding needs of aviation and survival markets alike. ■

HR SmithGroup of Companies

[email protected] www.hr-smith.com

HR Smith, Street Court, Kingsland

Leominster HR6 9QA ENGLAND

t. +44(0) 1568 708744

f. +44(0) 1568 708713

HR SmithGroup of Companies

[email protected] www.hr-smith.com

HR Smith, Street Court, Kingsland

Leominster HR6 9QA ENGLAND

t. +44(0) 1568 708744

f. +44(0) 1568 708713



FlightSafety InternationalThe World Leader in Simulation-Based Helicopter Safety Training

FlightSafety, the world’s fore-most aviation training company, training professionals from 154

countries, continues to set the stan-dard with its growing commitment to simulation-based helicopter train-ing, including groundbreaking Level 7 flight training devices and plans to aggressively expand night vision goggle training capability.

The Level 7 AdvantageFlightSafety fielded the world’s first Level 7 helicopter FTD and now oper-ate several of these type-specific devic-es for Bell and Eurocopter models. The company’s new FTDs incorporate the latest visual realism and other compo-nents from full flight simulation, while allowing the economy of fixed-base training. Level 7, the highest service rating for an FTD, offers maximum training credits.

A New Training Vision During 2010, FlightSafety upgraded its Tucson-based Level 7 Eurocopter AS350 FTD to make it the first simu-lator of any type equipped for NVG training. Simulation-based NVG instruction delivers in-depth scenar-ios far superior in scope and realism to anything that could be attempted in a helicopter. Throughout 2011, it plans to continue expanding its NVG capability, with the goal of making this important instruction available for the majority of its helicopter training programs.

Center for Training ExcellenceFlightSafety’s recently opened Lafay-ette center devotes its efforts exclu-sively to helicopter safety, providing a

broad range of mission-specific train-ing supporting the representative fleet operating in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as EMS, law enforcement, news-gathering and more. The state-of-the-art facility delivers customer-specific, rather than aircraft-specific, training supporting multiple aircraft manufac-turer product lines, including Euro-copter. The company offers Level D simulation training for Sikorsky S-92 and S-76 operators and Level 7 train-ing for Bell 206 and Bell 407 operators and plans to continue expanding the types of training offered at the center.

A Training TrendsetterFlightSafety, the first to develop Level D-certified full flight helicopter simu-lators, also was the first to offer electric motion and control loading for the most precise and realistic experi-ence possible. The company’s VITAL visual systems feature unmatched fidelity, an extensive visual database and a broad range of environmental conditions, including brownout and whiteout. FlightSafety offers train-ing for helicopter models from most major manufacturers, including Sikor-sky, Bell and Eurocopter, at Learning Centers in Lafayette; Tucson; Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas; West Palm Beach, Florida; and London Farnborough, United Kingdom.

Mission-Specific TrainingFl ightSafety ’s mission-or iente d approach provides a major advantage in helicopter training. EMS pilots train

to convincing scenarios drawn from real-life challenges. Offshore crews face training scenarios that replicate their particular situation. The compa-ny also offers mission-specific training for law enforcement and newsgather-ing, and programs can be customized to emphasize scenarios specific to any operation.

FlightSafety offers a full comple-ment of specialty training courses to meet helicopter pilots’ specific train-ing requirements:■ Inadvertent IMC procedures■ Night and NVG operations■ Instrument procedures■ EMS flight operations■ Law enforcement flight operations■ Crew resource management■ Approach and landing accident

reduction■ Aviation decision-making

Training LeadershipFlightSafety International, the factory-authorized trainer for both Bell and Sikorsky, is the world’s premier profes-sional aviation training company and supplier of flight simulators, visual sys-tems and displays to commercial, gov-ernment and military organizations. The company provides more than a million hours of training each year to pilots, technicians and other aviation professionals from 154 countries. FlightSafety operates the world’s larg-est fleet of advanced full flight simula-tors at Learning Centers and training locations in the United States, Canada, Europe, South Africa and Asia. ■

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Enhancing Safety by Delivering Superior Helicopter Training in the Areas That Matter Most

Quality • Value • Service • Technology

When you choose to train with FlightSafety International,

you receive much more than just basic instruction.

You leverage the unmatched resources of the world’s

leading aviation training company. More courses, more

instructors, more top-level fully qualified simulators,

more training locations. We’re the authorized trainer

for the majority of aircraft manufacturers, including

Bell Helicopter and Sikorsky Aircraft.

Simulator-based training from FlightSafety is the single

most effective way to enhance safety in helicopter flight

operations. We continue our decades-long helicopter safety

leadership with the world’s first Level 7 helicopter flight

training devices for effective and economical training. We

were the first to bring Level D performance to full flight

helicopter simulation and the first to introduce the quiet

precision of simulator electric motion and control loading.

Mission-specific training uses realistic scenarios

to prepare pilots and crew for the conditions and

situations they encounter in the field. Whether your

mission is corporate/executive transportation, emergency

medical transport, offshore support, law enforcement

or newsgathering, our industry-leading training focuses

on your particular challenges, helping ensure that you’re

prepared when the routine turns into the unforeseen.

We offer training for Bell helicopters at Fort Worth, Texas,

and for Sikorsky helicopters at West Palm Beach, Florida,

and London Farnborough, England. Our newest Learning

Center at Lafayette, Louisiana, dedicates its efforts wholly

to helicopter safety training, offering customer-specific

training supporting multiple aircraft manufacturer

product lines. The center’s training programs serve all

sectors of the industry, including the large and diverse

fleet operating in the Gulf of Mexico. At our Tucson,

Arizona, Learning Center, we use a Level 7 FTD to

deliver cost-effective Eurocopter AStar training.

Run down our helicopter training checklist and then

ask yourself an important question. Could you benefit

from the FlightSafety Advantage?

For information, contact Scott Fera, Vice President Marketing • 718.565.4774

[email protected] • flightsafety.com • A Berkshire Hathaway company

First to Deploy Level 7

Helicopter FTDs

Programs Tailored to

Your Individual Needs

Inadvertent IMC Training

Mission-Specific Training

� Emergency Medical

� Corporate/Executive

Transport

� Law Enforcement

� Newsgathering

� Offshore

New Helicopter-

Dedicated Lafayette

Learning Center

Exceptional Overall Value

eLearning Convenience

Training to Proficiency

First to Develop Level D

Helicopter Simulators

1,400 Highly Qualified

Instructors

Dedicated to Enhancing

Safety Since 1951

Integrated Customer

Training System

Worldwide Network of

40 Learning Centers

Online Training

Program Management

Flexible and

Convenient Scheduling

Outstanding

Customer Service


AviallLIFT Program Helps Helicopter Customers Hover Higher

Aviall’s LIFT program offers a variety of services tailor-made for each helicopter operator.

All services are designed to add value and reduce costs for customers. The benefits include access to more than 235 product lines, local stocking of high-demand parts, inventory man-agement, electronic ordering via the all-new aviall.com website or EDI (electronic data interface), and the support of local Aviall sales personnel.

To provide the highest quality ser-vice, Aviall looks at the unique needs of each customer and develops a plan specifically for them. By managing and combining supply chain and admin-istrative and inventory functions for a customer, Aviall performs a valuable service that would normally cost cus-tomers time and money.

The LIFT program was created exclusively to serve the helicopter market. Aviall recently expanded its general helicopter inventory to sup-port the program. In addition, Aviall offers exchange programs for Rolls-Royce Model 250 engine parts and starter generators, as well as Lord Cor-poration’s isolator exchange program for the Bell 206 and 407 applications. Aviall’s exchange program is designed

to improve reliability and perfor-mance while lowering operating costs for customers.

Because Aviall is the world’s largest diversified provider of new aviation parts—with more than two million unique aircraft and engine parts—it is able to leverage its sizable supply chain

efficiencies to provide customers with solutions that other companies can’t: It is a one-stop shop for customers. Aviall also prides itself on combining old-fashioned customer service with technical innovation, advanced distri-bution capabilities, and an unmatched number of parts and services that includes battery, hose, wheel and brake, kitting and paint mixing needs.

Aviall’s central distribution facil-ity in Dallas is AS9100, AS9120 and AC00-56a-registered. It is the hub for multiple Aviall Customer Service Centers and stocking locations in Canada, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Dubai, India, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand and the United States. These loca-tions also provide the industry’s most experienced and responsive field representatives, backed by an inside support team dedicated to customer satisfaction.

Aviall—with roots dating back to 1932—operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Boeing.

For more information about Aviall or Aviall LIFT, please call 1-800-AVIALL1 for North American sales or 1-800-AVIALL3 for interna-tional sales. ■

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Intelligent SearchLook for your part using simple search terms such asa part number, NSN, description, or partial description.The search function is more accurate and faster thanever before. Once you find the part you want, simplyclick the checkbox and hit the Add to Cart button.

Multi-Line OrderAlso called “MO”, the Multi-Line Order capability allowsyou to copy and paste your MS Excel spreadsheetwith part numbers and quantities right into the site. MOis fast with accurate sorting and a clean presentationof results.

New E-mail NotificationsAviall.com now offers e-mail notifications at the pointwe receive your order, once your order has shippedand when your invoice has been generated. You caneven store your e-mail address simply by clicking thecheck box. You’ll know where your order is all the waythrough the process.

Save Shopping CartsIf you build a Shopping Cart and plan to buy those partsagain, click Save as Template. Save as many templatesas you want. Then next time you need to place thatorder, simply drag and drop the template into the “dropzone” and hit the load button.

The all-new aviall.com is packed with features and capabilitiesthat make it easier and faster to order the helicopter parts you need.

Aviall’s Online Solution for the Helicopter Market.



C M Y CM MY CY CMY K

Intelligent SearchLook for your part using simple search terms such asa part number, NSN, description, or partial description.The search function is more accurate and faster thanever before. Once you find the part you want, simplyclick the checkbox and hit the Add to Cart button.

Multi-Line OrderAlso called “MO”, the Multi-Line Order capability allowsyou to copy and paste your MS Excel spreadsheetwith part numbers and quantities right into the site. MOis fast with accurate sorting and a clean presentationof results.

New E-mail NotificationsAviall.com now offers e-mail notifications at the pointwe receive your order, once your order has shippedand when your invoice has been generated. You caneven store your e-mail address simply by clicking thecheck box. You’ll know where your order is all the waythrough the process.

Save Shopping CartsIf you build a Shopping Cart and plan to buy those partsagain, click Save as Template. Save as many templatesas you want. Then next time you need to place thatorder, simply drag and drop the template into the “dropzone” and hit the load button.

The all-new aviall.com is packed with features and capabilitiesthat make it easier and faster to order the helicopter parts you need.

Aviall’s Online Solution for the Helicopter Market.


CAETechnology, Experience, and Focus on Simulation and Training

CAE has an unparalleled breadth of experience in helicopter simulation,

training and mission rehearsal. In fact, no other company has designed training systems for a greater variety of rotary-wing platforms. CAE has simulat-ed helicopters from virtually all the major manufacturers, including AgustaWestland, Bell Helicopter Textron, Boe-ing, Eurocopter, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Kaman, MD Helicopters, NHIndus-tries, and Sikorsky. CAE is also the industry pioneer in designing and developing a comprehensive turnkey training service for helicopter train-ing, as evidenced at CAE’s Medium Support Helicopter Aircrew Training Facility (MSHATF) in the UK.

Military and Civil Highlights

CAE is responsible for the design and development of some of the most sophisticated and capable helicopter training systems in the world.

For the U.S. Navy MH-60S “Sierra” and MH-60R “Romeo,” CAE is provid-ing operational flight trainers (OFTs), which are full-mission simulators used to train pilots and co-pilots. CAE is also providing weapons tactics train-ers (WTTs) to replicate the back-end of the helicopter for training sen-sor operators. When integrated, the front- and back-end trainers become a tactical operational flight trainer (TOFT) to provide a comprehensive solution to train flight and tactical skills together. CAE has delivered or is under contract to develop seven MH-60S OFTs, five MH-60S WTTs, four MH-60R TOFTs and two MH-60R avionics maintenance trainers. U.S. Army Special Operations Command 160th SOAR(A) – A/MH-6, MH-47, MH-60.

CAE has designed a range of train-ing and mission rehearsal systems for the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the “Night Stalkers.” CAE delivered the world’s first A/MH-6

“Little Bird” combat mission simulator, featuring the largest dome display ever on a motion-based flight simulator. CAE delivered an MH-47G Chinook simulator as well as an MH-60 Black Hawk combat mission simulator for the Regiment. CAE has also upgraded existing MH-47 and MH-60 simula-tors with CAE visual systems, and delivered CAE Simfinity™ desktop trainers to help familiarize pilots with the Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS) cockpits in the new MH-47G and MH-60 helicopters.

The NH90 is the largest helicopter program ever launched in Europe with orders from 14 countries. In Germany, CAE is part of a consortium with Eurocopter, Thales, and Rhei-nmetall Defence Electronics that is providing NH90 helicopter training to the German Armed Forces and other nations at three training centers under a private finance initiative pro-gram. In Australia, CAE is the prime contractor responsible for providing two MRH90 full-flight and mission simulators (FFMSs), training facilities, plus comprehensive engineering and support services to the Australian Defence Forces. For the Netherlands, the Rotorsim consortium—owned equally by CAE and AgustaWestland—has prime contractor responsibility for providing a NH90 full-mission flight trainer (FMFT) and an NH90 virtual sensor trainer for training rear crew sensor operators.

CAE and HAL established a joint venture company in Bangalore, India called the Helicopter Academy to

Train by Simulation of Flying (HATSOFF). The HATSOFF training center includes a CAE-built full-mission helicopter simu-lator that features CAE’s revolutionary roll-on/roll-off cockpit design, which enables cockpits represent-ing various helicopter types to be used in the simulator. The first training program HATSOFF is offering is for operators of the Bell 412

helicopter. Additional cockpits for the Indian Army/Air Force variant of the HAL-built Dhruv, the civil variant of the Dhruv, and the Eurocopter Dau-phin will be added.

CAE 3000 Series helicopter mis-sion simulators provide an immersive training experience for civil helicopter pilots. This new CAE simulation capa-bility offers unprecedented realism for helicopter-specific mission training, including offshore, emergency medical services, law enforcement, high-alti-tude, corporate, and other operations.

FAA has qualified the first CAE 3000 Series helicopter mission simu-lator, a Eurocopter AS350 located in Phoenix, Ariz., for Level 7 flight training device credits. FAA has also approved CAE to deliver the pilot training ground school for the AS350 helicopter through a CAE Simfinity e-Learning program, enabling pilots to reduce their time at the training centre for both initial and recurrent training. A full-motion Level D version of the CAE 3000 Series is in development.

CAE: Uniquely QualifiedCAE is uniquely qualified to handle all helicopter simulation, training and mission rehearsal needs. From entry-level training devices to the networking of advanced multi-mission helicopter simulators operating in an interactive threat environment, we’ve earned our reputation as the leader in helicopter simulation. CAE's experience, technol-ogy leadership, and focus help ensure aircrews always stay one step ahead to achieve mission readiness. ■


Hughes Aerospace Corp.Integrated Systems Solutions for Performance-Based Navigation

Houston-based Hughes Aero-space Corp. provides integrated systems solutions to opera-

tors, regulators, facilities, ATMBs and OEMs worldwide. Our products and solutions are highly specialized and we have extensive experience with helicopter operators, corporate and air carrier aircraft.

Our emphasis is on NextGen/CNS technologies and their inter-relation-ship with SMS and flight operations. Other targeted services we provide as integrated or individual solutions are:

■ PBN Procedure Design■ SMS Programs■ Satlink/Datacom■ ATM Services■ Automated Weather & ATC

Communications PlatformsHughes Aerospace develops a total-

ly integrated airspace solution that

increases safety, access and reliability while reducing costs and environmen-tal impact. Utilizing the latest technolo-gies in performance-based navigation (PBN) procedure design and integra-tion, offering RNAV/RNP, WAAS LPV and ground-based augmentation pro-cedures, Hughes' philosophy is to pro-vide the ultimate value and satisfaction to its customers while incorporating all aspects of a project and delivering far more than an instrument approach.

Hughes is uniquely positioned to offer not only RNAV/RNP, but quali-fied to deliver the more precise three dimensional paths of WAAS LPV and GBAS GLS augmented GPS navigation procedures. WAAS LPV differential GPS offers superior accuracy, provides lower minimums and a higher margin of safety than non-augmented or “raw” GPS navigation.

Hughes offers datacom solutions that will provide your aircraft with wireless connectivity for AOC, ATS and passenger communications. We can supply solutions involving satellite-based voice and data communications that will increase safety and reliabil-ity while reducing operational costs. Hughes can also integrate peripherals such as electronic flight bags, in-flight passenger entertainment, tactical voice and data communication networks.

Hughes understands the challenges and evolving regulatory landscape today. We offer safety management solutions that provide an integrated business program, conforming to cur-rent and proposed regulatory compli-ance requirements. We understand the complex inter-relationships of technol-ogy, training, operations, maintenance and customer service. ■

Satellite / Performance Based Navigation (PBN)

Automated Weather and Communication Networks

Safety Management Systems — SMS Systems

Satellite Voice and Data Communications

Hughes Aerospace Corp | 11811 North Freeway, Suite 500 | Houston, Texas 77060

Safety and Weather Issues are Integrated Shouldn’t the solutions be integrated, as well?

Precision Navigation Procedures for Helicopters

www.hughesaerospace.com



NORTH Flight Data SystemsAnswering the Call with Customer-Driven Solutions

In a country with the best health-care in the world, we have expe-rienced the unfortunate rise in

accidents and fatalities within the HEMS industry. The alphabet soup of organizations, agencies, and groups have all come to the same conclusion that a fundamental change in our operating culture needs to occur so that we can reduce the accidents by focusing more on prevention than accident investigation.

Company BackgroundNORTH Flight Data Systems, LLC is a collaboration of Metro Aviation President Mike Stanberry and Jeffery Warner, former vice president of sales for OuterLink, who drove the prod-uct line development. It is a manage-ment buyout of the voice, video, and data recorder products developed in partnership with industry leaders such as PHI Air Medical and Metro

Aviation. The design, manufacturing and support operation have been moved to Arlington, Texas within relative earshot of Bell Helicopter, Eurocopter, and the FAA Rotorcraft Directorate. NORTH FDS designs and manufactures cockpit voice and video recorders that can interface with the OuterLink satcom network or act as a stand-alone recorder and output messages to other satcom pro-viders such as those providing ser-vices through the Iridium network.

Multi-Function Data Acquisition UnitTo enhance the system, NORTH FDS manufactures a Multi-Function Data Acquisition Unit that has an extensive array of analog, digital, serial and ARINC input channels in addition to multiple internal gyros and accelerometers. Having such a comprehensive suite of input options

allows customers to use the same acquisition unit in their entire fleet, saving substantial money on main-taining and supporting different part number inventory.

Quick Access RecorderWith a constant focus on customer-based needs, NORTH FDS devel-oped a Quick Access Recorder which allows customers to easily access their data on convenient 16 GB SD cards. The company stays focused on creating and delivering cost-effective solutions that can integrate into all areas of a customer’s operation.

“We also have the fortunate posi-tion of teaming with industry pow-erhouses like PHI Air Medical and Metro Aviation,” says CEO Jeffery Warner. “Those affiliations alone speak volumes about the strength of our product line and the services we provide.”

With the hardware already STC’d and PMA’d on the Eurocopter EC135 and operational on EC145s and AS350s, and soon to embark on an STC for the Bell 407 in partnership with PHI, the company has commit-ted to offering a full range of flight services so that customers can realize the benefit of the data they are col-lecting.

This full compliment of hard-ware and personalized services can enable customers to achieve the true changes and safety improve-ments they desire. Using the years of operational experience and guided by examples of success such as the PHI Light Aircraft Monitoring Program (LAMP), NORTH FDS will deliver a program that is geared on making their pilots and operations champi-ons of industry.

It is only through a complete and comprehensive suite of products and services that the shared goal of NORTH Flight Data Systems, which is to improve safety, reduce costs, and prevent the accidents in the first place, can be attained. ■

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UniflightStrong Performance Today ... A Bold Vision for the Future

Notwithstanding the difficult economic environment, 2010 was a growth year for Uniflight

as the benefits of prior planning and growth initiatives began to take root. We diversified the service center fran-chise of our flagship location in Grand Prairie, Texas (KGPM). After nearly 30 years as a Bell CSF (Platinum rated), we became an American Eurocopter Service Center, which expanded the addressable market. We also added two new locations to address the void that we see developing in the northeastern U.S. market: Reading, Pa. (KRDG), which also obtained American Euro-copter Service Center designation, and at KRME in Rome, N.Y.

As a result of the growth in demand for service that we experienced in 2010, we are moving to larger facili-ties with “through the fence” access at Grand Prairie Municipal Airport. We also expect to add between one and three additional locations to expand the footprint of our business in the U.S., and, based on developments that are in process with various OEMs, we have an expectation that we will also be launching Uniflight’s Products Division, which will add further diversification to our revenue streams. In addition, with multinational distribution partners, we anticipate that having this new capabil-ity will eventually lead to even broader geographic expansion.

Serving Helicopter Owners & Operators for 30 YearsFor almost three decades, north Texas-based Uniflight has earned a well-deserved reputation for maintain-ing the highest standards in aircraft completions, overhaul, maintenance and aircraft support. The company has comprehensive avionics installation, repair and inspection capabilities as well as helicopter dynamic component inspection, overhaul and repair facili-ties. Uniflight is an authorized service center for American Eurocopter and

a Bell Helicopter Platinum level cus-tomer service facility. The company is headquartered in Grand Prairie, Texas and has facilities in Reading and Rome. Uniflight provides helicopter service and support for AgustaWestland, Bell, Eurocopter and MD Helicopters, as well as fixed-wing aircraft capabilities to support the most discerning cus-tomers. Uniflight is an approved FAA repair station as well as avionics dealer for Becker, Chelton, Garmin, NAT and Sandel.

History of Uniflight■ D. Tullos, a 25-year helicopter indus-

try veteran, founded Uniflight in 1982 as an approved Bell Helicopter Customer Service Facility

■ Greg Aslinger, a pilot and ENG service provider, acquired Uniflight in 1999 and relocated the business to Grand Prairie Airport where he established Uniflight as a full service helicopter MRO center

■ Hawke Capital acquired Uniflight in 2008 as the foundation from which to grow an industry-leading helicopter MRO services provider

■ In September 2009 Uniflight became an approved Eurocopter Customer Service Center

■ Expanded from Texas to North-eastern U.S. (Pennsylvania and New York) in 2010

132 Years Combined Business Experience; 95 Years in Rotorcraft■ Joe Hawke: Chairman, President

& CEO—19 years banking and pri-vate equity investment experience, including multiple rotorcraft entities (Keystone, CTI, AEL, Uniflight)

■ Steve Gray: CFO—30 years finan-cial executive and public account-

ing experience, including multiple private equity, venture-backed and leveraged loan situations

■ Rick Hinkle: Director of Sales—30-plus years rotorcraft experience, including Keystone Helicopter Cor-poration (25 years)

■ Paul Rayhill: General Manager, Uniflight-Rome—25 years rotorcraft experience including U.S. Navy pilot and owner/ operator Aviation Ser-vices Unlimited (13 years)

■ Greg Aslinger: Chief Pilot—28 years rotorcraft experience including Owner and Pilot, Uniflight Ltd.

Full Service Helicopter MRO ProviderOver the past three decades, Uniflight has earned a reputation for prompt and professional service with the highest quality standards in the industry.

Uniflight specializes in:■ Heavy Maintenance■ Aircraft Refurbishment■ Aircraft Completions■ Component Overhaul■ Spares Distribution■ Avionics and Mission Equipment

Uniflight is a Factory Authorized Service Center and FAA/EASA Certi-fied Repair Station for the following models:■ Bell 47, 204, 205, 206, 212, 222, 230,

407, 412, 430■ Bell OH-58, UH-1H series■ Eurocopter AS350/355 series; BK117,

BO105; EC120, EC135■ Opportunity to add EC130, EC145

and AS365

Uniflight is an FAA/EASA Certi-fied Repair Station for the following models:■ Agusta 109 series ■ MD 500 series ■


advertiser indexPage# ..... Advertiser .......................Website

33 ........... Aero Dynamix .......................................................www.aerodynamix.com35 ........... Aerospace Optics Inc. ......................................................www.vivisun.com5.............. Agusta Westland/Italy .....................................www.agustawestland.com48 ........... Alpine Air Support ...........................................................www.alpine.aero64 ........... American Eurocopter ..........................................www.eurocopterusa.com37 ........... Aspen Avionics.................................................... www.aspenavionics.com43 ........... Aviation Instrument Services ................... www.aviation-instrument.com42 ........... BLR Aerospace .................................................................www.blrvgs.com19 ........... Bower Helicopter .............................................www.bowerhelicopter.com 9.............. CAE........................................................................................www.cae.com61 ........... Chopper Spotter ............................................... www.chopperspotter.com8.............. Cobham Avionics ........................................... www.cobham.com/avionics 61 ........... Consolidated Aircraft Supply ....................................... www.consolac.com51 ........... FlightSafety .............................................................www.flightsafety.com

2.............. Goodrich Corp. Sensor ....................................www.sensors.goodrich.com34 ........... Heatcon Composite Systems ........................................www.heatcon.com63 ........... Helicopter Association International ................................. www.rotor.com49 ........... HR Smith......................................................................www.hr-smith.com55 ........... Hughes Aerospace .........................................www.hughesaerospace.com45 ........... Kaman Aerospace ....................................................www.kamanaero.com61 ........... Machida Inc. .......................................................www.machidascope.com57 ........... North Flight Data .........................................................www.northfds.com21 ........... Pennwell ............................................................ www.avionics-event.com41 ........... Precision Heliparts ................................www.precisionaviationgroup.com61 ........... Sun-foil ........................................................................... www.sunfoil.com 61 ........... Switlik ............................................................................. www.switlik.com 47 ........... Turbomeca ............................................................... www.turbomeca.com59 ........... Uniflight ...................................................................... www.uniflight.com

Page# ..... Advertiser .......................Website

February 2011:Robinson R66—Editor-at-Large Ernie Stephens was invited by Robinson Helicopter Company President Kurt Robinson to fly the company’s latest creation—the R66—in late September. Ernie was quite taken with the aircraft and its capabilities, saying it is “one of the best aircraft I have ever flown,” and to “expect to see the skies dotted with them.” Stay tuned for video coverage of the flight by Ernie at www.rotorandwing.com

Electronic Maintenance Tracking—Technol-

ogy as a tool for helicopter maintenance technicians.

Dale Smith takes a look at some maintenance tracking

software and what they can offer.

Hiring Best Practices—Regular Rotor & Wing col-umnist Chris Baur takes a break from his usual technol-ogy oriented topics and shares insights about where the best pilots and crew members come from.

HeliExpo Expectations—The helicopter industry revolves around this hallmark event, set slightly later in 2011, March 3-5. Get the 4-1-1 on who’s coming, what they are going to show off and what you will learn at the show.

March 2011: Bell Evolves—How has Bell Helicopter evolved over

the last few years? Rotor & Wing explores both the civil

and military programs and how the company is beefing

up its civil product line to better compete in today’s mar-

ket. We talked with industry experts, Bell CEO John Gar-

rison, as well as Bell top management, including Com-

mercial SVP Larry Roberts and EVP Military Bob “Too Tall”

Kenney, EVP Operations Pete Riley and EVP Engineering

Jeff Lowinger, to find out.

On the Record with Marc Paginini —Marc

Paganini has a well-focused vision for taking American

Eurocopter to new heights. It will be a company with a

stream of new and upgraded helicopter models, strong

civil and military sales from a solid U.S. manufactur-

ing and assembly base. It will also be a company with

strong and growing service and customer support

capabilities. Learn more in our interview with Marc by

Bob Cox.


631.981.7700 • Fax: 631.981.7706 • Toll Free USA: 800.422.6300

55 Raynor Ave, Ronkonkoma, NY 11779 USA

[email protected] • www.consolac.com

ConsolidatedAIRCRAFT SUPPLY CO., INC.

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no matter what aircraft you operate,

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Call NOW for competitive pricing.

FAA GI1R167K • EASA 4346Major credit cards accepted

Goodrich USA Power Systems

Cockpit Sunscreens

Ground Handling

Helmets

ANVIS 6 HELICOPTER HELMETS (Kevlar helmets and spares including: HGU models). NOMEX coveralls, jackets, gloves, etc. factory new, in stock. Sage green and desert tan. GOVERNMENT SALES, INC., 89 Francis Ave. Hartford, CT 06106, Tel: (860) 247-7787, Fax: (860) 586-8020. Catalogue on website: www.aviationhelmets.com

HELIPORT LIGHTING FAA-approved equipment. MANAIRCO, INC. (419) 524 - 2121, www.manairco.com

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By Andrew Drwiega

MILITARY | LOGISTICS

The United Kingdom is moving

towards smaller, more special-

ized operations, backed by a

better organized defense-wide

logistics process. That is the perspec-

tive recently presented by Lt. Gen.

Gary Coward, Chief of Materiel (Land)

at the Defense Equipment and Sup-

port (DES), part of the UK’s Ministry

of Defence.

As a direct result of the Strategic

Defense and Security Review (SDSR),

the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD)

is now moving away from its previous

ambition of being able to sustain a couple

of medium sized deployments into two

small/medium deployments: “We are

now talking about complex intervention

and stabilization operations,” he said.

While the rotorcraft side of the

UK’s armed forces was underfunded

for many years (Coward knows as he

was the third commander of the UK’s

Joint Helicopter Command, from July

2005 through to 2008 and had to man-

age many of the resource and capabil-

ity issues that resulted from the earlier

budget slash), he says that funding is

currently less of an issue than it was.

Moving forward, the UK’s opera-

tional focus will be applied to three

general areas: small non-combatant

evacuations (similar to the evacuation

of civilians from Lebanon in July 2006);

complex interventions (with a focus on

special forces operations); and enduring

stabilization operations (conducted by a

force of around 6,500-strong). This pre-

cludes one single operation of strategic

importance or of national self-defense

(which is currently not really seen as

an immediate term threat—hence the

risk of being without carrier aviation

for several years). “But we never met the

old requirement,” states Coward, adding

that “we will carry a degree of risk what-

ever the requirement.”

Today’s main drivers for the rotary

wing force are to support the strategic

standing commitments including

deterrent and counter-terrorism. Sup-

port for special force (SF) activity is also

a significant underlying principle and

the SF community’s tempo must be

maintained under the current terrorist

threat. There is also growing pressure

to enhance medical evacuation and

personnel recovery—potentially with

a dedicated element being sought in

the future (something the U.S. already

does so well).

With the contractorization of engi-

neering and support functions moving

inexorably forwards as governments

seek to amortize maintenance, repair

and overhaul (MRO) costs over time,

Coward warns against complacency.

While acknowledging that a “blend

of regulars, reserves and contractors

are very much part of our whole force

concept”, he is still aware that a funda-

mental change in balance and threat

can happen at any time.

World events can affect the balance

of force structure just as easily as they

have in the 20 years since the end of the

Cold War. Although contractors are

very likely to be part of the team for the

foreseeable future, Coward maintains

that a core strength and knowledge

regarding aviation engineering needs

to be retained within the military per-

sonnel structure.

The balance in training between

live and synthetic needs to be carefully

judged and Coward suggests that the

UK approach could to be more astute

in order to get better value for money:

“we still pay for hours we do not use.”

Decisions on equipment need to be

extended through to not only the actual

immediate users, but also those who

may derive the most benefit from each

particular system. There is a much bet-

ter appreciation now of the power of

information and the need to share it on

the battlefield: “Apache with MTADS

but without a downlink to troops on

the ground is bizarre” he noted.

To spread the cost of having capabil-

ity across the combined fleets of heli-

copters the most cost-effective solution

must be to have ‘aircraft that are fitted

for, not with, the cornucopia of equip-

ment that gives them capability.’

To achieve ambitions such as these,

but on a national defense-wide scale,

there is a need to develop an end-to-

end (industry to frontline) logistics

information system that rationalizes

the entire logistical process, rather

than the current array of different pro-

cedures. “The thing that stops us from

being clever is [the ongoing search

for] value for money and lacking the

information to pull the right levers. We

have to invest in logistic information

support,” said Coward.

He highlighted the value achieved

in contracting for capability, particu-

larly the integrated operational support

(IOS) structures behind the Apache,

Merlin and Sea King fleets (there is also

the Chinook Through Life Customer

Support program). He recognized that

in ongoing operations such as Afghani-

stan, more contractors/field service

representatives would be based in for-

ward areas as cycling aircraft back was

largely viewed as a waste of money.

The UK is going to be increasingly

involved in smaller scale international

operations and then in coalition. The

industrial base needs to be more tuned

into the military structure and processes

streamlined. Lastly, this needs to lead to

a better procurement process, learning

the lessons of how Urgent Operational

Requirements (UORs) have been field-

ed, but tempered by a through life plan

for equipment use.

Smaller and More Perfectly Formed

Military Insider

"º"º

"º"º

"º

"º"º"º"º"º

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63JUNE 2010 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINEW W W. R O T O R A N D W I N G . C O M

Register today!www.rotor.com/heliexpo

Interested in joining HAI and saving money on registration? Go to www.rotor.com/join

or email [email protected] to �nd out all the bene�ts of membership.

Fred Smart, CEO, SmartCopters

Attended HELI-EXPO®

"º Learned how to reduce operating costs by 25%

"ºStayed current on latest technology

and newest products

"ºMet face-to-face with quali�ed prospects

"ºDistinguished his company

from his competitors

"ºGained 3 new clients

Brandon WrongWay, CEO, WrongWay Flying Service

Stayed home"ºHas trouble managing costs

"ºNot achieving maximum ef�ciency

"ºNo new customer contact

"ºOut of sight out of mind

"ºNo new business

REAL helicopter operators attend HELI-EXPO®

!

ORAre you a REAL

helicopter operator?

Do you just play

one on TV?

JGNK/GZRQa4233a9:97z32970kpff"""3 331714232"""33<4:<67"CO

A world-class helicopter requires world-class training – from American Eurocopter. Our comprehensive, certified curriculum delivers the ultimate training experience, with a full-motion flight and mission simulator, mission-specific programs, and much more.

Backed by the industry’s finest training, participants will fine tune skills…learn new techniques…and continue flying with new levels of safety and effectiveness.

It’s the best training from the best source. American Eurocopter.

American Eurocopter Training Experience

(972) 641-3646 | [email protected]

B E F O R E I T H A P P E N S

E X P E R I E N C E T H E E M E R G E N C Y

Documents

January 2011