Latest from Mark Huber
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.
Rotorcraft
Sikorsky Challenging FLRAA Award
Lockheed Martin's Sikorsky unit is challenging Bell's win of the Army's award of the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft contract to Bell.
Regulations and Government
FAA Clears One-shot Covid Vaccine
The FAA has approved the one-shot Johnson & Johnson Covid vaccine for pilots, air traffic controllers, and others subject to FAA medical clearance.
Aircraft
New FAA Policy Could Delay Aircraft Transactions
U.S. aircraft owners could be forced onto foreign registrations by a new FAA privacy policy.
Maintenance and Modifications
Robinson Mandates Tail Rotor Inspections, Replacements
Loose tail rotor tips prompted a Robinson service bulletin affecting all of its helicopter models.
Safety
Polaris Launches Advanced FlightRisk Safety App Features
Polaris Aero has expanded its Vocus app suite of aviation safety software with a sharable FlightRisk component.
Finance, Taxes, Insurance
UK's Moon Jet Brokerage Sees Record Sales in 2022
MJG Jet Brokerage in the UK had a record year of aircraft transactions in 2022 and expects to double transactions in 2023.
Rotorcraft
Leonardo Delivers First of 36 AW169M Twins To Austria
Austria is replacing its Alouette fleet with Leonardo AW169Ms, the first of 18 of which was delivered this morning.
Maintenance and Modifications
KULR Vibe AI Technology Mitigates Helicopter Vibrations
KULR Vibe technology utilizes artificial intelligence and on-aircraft sensors to mitigate helicopter vibrations.
Aircraft
Gulfstream G650 Marks 10 Years in Service
Gulfstream has delivered more than 500 of its flagship G650/G650ER long-range jets since its entry into service in 2012.
Accidents
Metroliner Had Autopilot Issues Before Crash Landing
The Metroliner full of rescue dogs that crashed onto a Wisconsin golf course last month had autopilot and control issues, according to the NTSB.
