Latest from Mark Huber
Regulations and Government
Helicopter Pilot Arrested for Drunk Driving on Way to Work
A helicopter air ambulance pilot on his way to work was arrested for drunk driving after passing a sheriff's deputy's car.
Airports
Volatus To Build Vertiport Near Penn State University
Volatus plans to build an eVTOL vertiport at the Bellefonte Airport near Penn State University later this year.
Rotorcraft
Hill Helicopters Tops 700 Orders
Hill plans to begin flight testing of its HX50 helicopter later this year.
Engines
FAA Approves New Hartzell Starters for Robinsons
Hartzell Engine Tec has received FAA PMA for its Sky Tec HT starters for Robinson R22 and R44 helicopters.
Aircraft
Enstrom Flies First New-production Helo Since Reopening
Enstrom flies its first new production helicopter since reopening in May 2022, a 480B.
Rotorcraft
Pentagon Office Faults Progress on Rotorcraft Programs
DoD's Operational Test and Evaluation office raps Grey Wolf, Chinook, and King Stallion for multiple deficiencies.
Rotorcraft
Police Kill Man Lasing, Shooting at Helicopter
A 33-year-old Detroit man who opened fire on state police helicopter was fatally shot by officers on the ground.
Regulations and Government
Bizav Groups Praise SMS NPRM Comment Reprieve
The FAA has extended the deadline for comment on its NPRM for mandatory safety management systems to April.
Rotorcraft
Bell's Civil Helicopter Deliveries Surge in 2022
Despite a decline in deliveries of Bell military helicopters last year, the company delivered 176 civil helicopters in 2022, up from 156 the prior year.
Engines
Leonardo AW09 Switches To Safran Power
Leonardo will fly its latest AW09 single turbine engine prototype with Safran's Arriel 2K engine.
Rotorcraft
Airbus Helicopters Continues Market Leadership in 2022
Airbus Helicopters reported that it received 374 orders and made 344 deliveries last year.
Rotorcraft
Used Single-engine Helicopter Sales Fell in 2022
Sales for preowned, single-engine helicopters were down 12 percent in 2022 as supply dwindles.
Rotorcraft
Sikorsky Delivers 5,000th Black Hawk Helicopter
Sikorsky delivered its 5,000th Black Hawk Helicopter to the U.S. Army, which plans to fly the type for at least another 40 years.
Accidents
Maker of Defective Rotor Pin Agrees to $10M Settlement
A defective rotor pin triggered the 2021 fatal crash of a Bell 212 in Canada resulting in a worldwide fleet grounding.
Rotorcraft
Kaman Ending Production of K-Max Heavy-lift Helicopter
Kaman will discontinue its K-Max, saying production of the heavy-lift helicopter is not a "compelling" growth opportunity.
Accidents
No Witnesses, Video for Fatal Bell 407 Gulf Crash
NTSB preliminary report notes that no eyewitnesses or video exists in investigation of a Bell 407 that crashed on takeoff from Gulf Coast energy platform.
Charter & Fractional
Private-equity Firm RedBird Boosts Blade Stake
Redbird Capital Partners has taken a 5 percent stake in Blade Air Mobility.
Rotorcraft
CHC Divests Babcock's Former UK Offshore Operations
CHC Helicopter Group is selling Offshore UK following competition finding.
Finance, Taxes, Insurance
Bombardier Says 2022 Results Will Top Expectations
Bombardier says 2022 financial results will be better than forecasted.
Rotorcraft
European Rotors Moves To Madrid in 2023
The 2023 European Rotors conference will be held in Madrid from November 28 to 30.
Accidents
Missing King Air Recovered Off Maui
Three medevac crewmembers died when an air ambulance crashed off Maui in December.
Finance, Taxes, Insurance
Bristow Refinances UK SAR Debt
Bristow signs $176 million deal to refinance debt associated with UK SAR contract.
Rotorcraft
AStar Ground School To Be Offered at Heli-Expo 2023
EuroSafety International will offer an Airbus H125 ground school at this year's HAI Heli-Expo.
Rotorcraft
FAA Issues New Heliport Guidance
FAA issues new advisory circular on heliport planning, design, and construction
Maintenance and Modifications
Boost Gets Canada STC for Personnel Carrying System
Boost Systems has received Transport Canada STC approval for its personnel carrying device system for transport category rotorcraft.
Avionics
FAA Approves Garmin GI 275 Instrument for AStars
Garmin has received FAA supplemental type certificate approval to install its GI 275 electronic flight instrument in Airbus AStar helicopters.
Regulations and Government
FCC Proposes Radio Licenses for UAS Operators
FCC Notice of Proposed Rulemaking seeks comment on mandatory radio licenses and potential spectrum interference for UAS operations.
Accidents
One Dead as Phenom 300 Crashes on Takeoff at Provo Airport
Pilot dies after Embraer Phenom 300 crashes on takeoff in Provo, Utah.
Accidents
Four Dead in Australian Helicopter Midair
Four dead, nine injured after pair of Airbus EC-130B4 air tour helicopters collide near Australian theme park
Accidents
Gulf Operator Loses Second Helicopter in Two Weeks
The U.S. Coast Guard has called off the search for survivors from a Bell 407 operated by Rotorcraft Leasing, which has now had three crashes in 2022.
