Steve Hickok is understandably proud of the work his company has done to bring safe and reliable GPS-enabled lateral navigation (LNAV) and localizer performance with vertical guidance (LPV) approaches to helicopter operators across the U.S. In fact, every helicopter Waas LPV approach approved since 2008 has been developed by Hickok & Associates (Booth No. N6204.)
Aerospace engineering
March 4, 2013 - 1:05pm
New data released by the International Helicopter Safety Team (IHST) shows that the total number of civil helicopter accidents in the U.S. has declined since 2009. During the three-year period from 2007 to 2009, there were 466 helicopter accidents in the country. For the past three years, from 2010 through 2012, there were 411 U.S. accidents. However, the data also shows that the number of helicopter accidents involving personal/private flying increased during the same time period. Within the 2007-09 span, 21 percent of total U.S.
March 4, 2013 - 9:00am
Van Horn Aviation (VHA) of Tempe, Ariz., wants to put more life into legacy helicopters by developing products that increase performance and lower direct operating costs by focusing on composite main and tail-rotor blades. At Heli-Expo’13, VHA is showing five examples of its work, all with different stories: tail-rotor blades for the Bell 206, UH-1 and 212/214; and main rotor blades for the MD Helicopters MD530F and Bell 206B.
March 4, 2013 - 2:35am
If your engine or engines suddenly quit, could you glide safely to the end of a runway? If that does happen, an iPad/iPhone app called Xavion can help point the way to a safe landing in any weather.
Xavion is the latest product from X-Plane simulator developer Austin Meyer’s Laminar Research. The company tested Xavion extensively on X-Plane and used the simulations to hone the program’s algorithms. A side benefit is that you can run Xavion on X-Plane to practice before trying it in a real airplane.
February 27, 2013 - 1:25pm
In response to recent reports that looming sequestration could delay more than 1,400 ongoing aircraft and parts manufacturing projects and force furloughs for FAA employees, Aeronautical Repair Station Association (Arsa) vice president of legislative affairs Daniel Fisher is urging the U.S. Congress to act to address the scheduled government budget cuts.
February 27, 2013 - 1:20pm
Amid shrinking supply and increasing demand for qualified technical personnel in the aviation industry, the Kentucky Institute for Aerospace Education (KIAE) is addressing the solution in a big way. Tim Smith, executive director and CEO, founded KIAE in 2010 based on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) learning.
February 19, 2013 - 2:55pm
The second Embraer Legacy 500 flew on Friday, officially entering the flight-test and certification program for the new fly-by-wire twinjet. Since its first flight on November 27, Legacy 500 S/N 1 has logged more than 44 hours over 23 flights. Initial envelope clearances have been completed, and late last month the aircraft started stall testing.
February 18, 2013 - 1:45pm
Israel’s Xsight has developed its new FODetect system to help airport managers keep runways clear during rainstorms or even in the middle of the night. Using a small swiveling radar transmitter and sensor unit installed near the runway’s edge, the FODetect beams sweeps the runway as often as every 30 seconds and, like traditional radar, highlights–both visually and aurally–objects as tiny as a rivet that may have fallen unnoticed from vehicles. The operator watching the FODetect screen will also see a high-resolution image of the object that caused the alarm.
February 13, 2013 - 11:10am
A new airworthiness directive for the MD Helicopters MD500N, MD600N and MD900 requires determining the cure date for each Notar fan blade tension-torsion strap (T-T strap). The purpose is to establish a calendar-time retirement life, mark each T-T strap with the expiration date, create a component record card and revise the airworthiness limitations section of the maintenance manual.
February 8, 2013 - 4:22am
The Federal Aviation Administration has given Boeing permission to conduct test flights of its 787 airliner to gather data about the performance of its lithium-ion battery and electrical system in flight.
