Rotorcraft
News and issues regarding all manner of civil and military rotorcraft and their powerplants, including helicopters, tilt rotors and unmanned air vehicles.
Rotorcraft
Milestone Commits To Six Airbus H160s
Helicopter lessor Milestone Aviation is adding six Airbus H160 medium twin helicopters to its order book.
Rotorcraft
Bell 407GXi Gives Aeromed Operator SE/SPIFR Capability
Halo-Flight has begun operating a Bell 407GXi single engine, single pilot IFR (SPIFR).
Maintenance and Modifications
Bell Continues European Mx Network Build Out
Bell Textron names Intercopter in Taufkirchen, Germany, as an authorized maintenance center (AMC), its third AMC in Europe.
Rotorcraft
Airbus Delivers H145D3 to Norwegian Air Ambulance
Airbus Helicopters has delivered the first five-blade H145 D3 to the Norwegian Air Ambulance Foundation.
Rotorcraft
Leonardo's Marco Viola Takes Over Leadership of Kopter
Kopter CEO Andreas Lowenstein has left the light helicopter manufacturer that Leonardo acquired in early 2020.
Rotorcraft
Omni Introduces Airbus H175 To Brazil
Omni Taxi Aereo will be the first operator for the Airbus H175 super-medium helicopter in Brazil.
Rotorcraft
U.S. To Deport UK Man Convicted of Aircraft Parts Fraud
Richard Paul Harper, the owner of helicopter sales and repair shop Apple International in Bristol, Tennessee, has been convicted of aircaft parts fraud.
Rotorcraft
Hill Unveils HX50 Helo Interior
HX50 helicopter interior designed to mirror that of a premium luxury automobile.
Rotorcraft
Bell 505 Fleet Hits 50,000 Flight Hours
The fleet of more than 260 in-service Bell 505 Jet Ranger X light single turbine helicopters has accumulated more than 50,000 flight hours.
Accidents
Bryant's Widow Names Helo Flight Broker in Suit
The operator of the fatal flight that killed Kobe Bryant, OC Helicopters, has been added to the defendant list.
Finance, Taxes, Insurance
Helo Lessor LCI Partners With Sumitomo Mitsui Finance
LCI and Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing have agreed to establish a joint-venture helicopter leasing business.
Rotorcraft
Five-bladed Airbus H145 Enters Offshore Wind Market
HTM-Helicopters will be the first operator to use the new five-bladed Airbus H145 D3 in the offshore wind market.
Maintenance and Modifications
NASA Selects Airbus HCare for H135s
NASA has signed a $15 million HCare Infinite maintenance agreement with Airbus Helicopters.
Maintenance and Modifications
Bell Expands European Mx Foothold
Bell Flight named Aero Club in Poland and Air Service International in Denmark as its two new authorized maintenance centers in Europe.
Rotorcraft
Wind Could Rescue Offshore Helicopter Industry
Study predicts $166 billion investment in U.S. offshore wind by 2035.
Rotorcraft
HAI Looks To Reboot Safety Accreditation Program
The Helicopter Association International (HAI) is looking to reboot its Accreditation Program of Safety (APS) later this year.
Rotorcraft
Airbus H160 Pioneers Flight Control Safety Features
The Airbus H160's full-time automatic flight control system makes the pilot's job much easier.
Rotorcraft
Japan Looks At AW609 Tiltrotor to Provide a Link to Remote Islands
Japan Looks At AW609 Tiltrotor to Provide a Link to Remote Islands
Maintenance and Modifications
Foresight MX HUMS Approved for AStars
GPMS has received FAA Supplemental Type Certification approval for its Foresight MX health monitoring system on the Airbus AS350.
Rotorcraft
FlightSafety To Support U.S. Navy's TH-73A Training
FlightSafety International has been awarded a contract to support of the U.S. Navy’s advanced helicopter training system.
Maintenance and Modifications
Erickson Acquires Type Certificate for Bell 214
Bell has begun type certificate (TC) transfer for the model 214ST and B/B1 helicopters to Erickson.
Rotorcraft
First Block II Chinook for Special Operations Command
The latest special forces version of the Chinook is lighter and better-performing than its predecessor.
Rotorcraft
Tokyo Government Evaluating Leonardo AW609 Tiltrotor
Tokyo’s Metropolitan Government is evaluating the Leonardo AW609 tiltrotor to deliver service to Ogasawara island.
Rotorcraft
Airbus To Begin UH-72B Army Deliveries in 2021
The updated helicopter replaces the tailrotor on the UH-72A Lakota with a Fenestron.
Rotorcraft
Bristow Rebrands Helicopter Operation in Brazil
Bristow Group is rebranding its wholly-owned Brazilian subsidiary Aeroleo and is writing off its investment in another Brazilian operator Lider.
Rotorcraft
Lufthansa Aviation Training Adds First Helo Sim
Lufthansa Aviation Training marked an expansion in HEMS training with German approval of its Airbus H145/135 Level D full-flight simulator.
Rotorcraft
MD530F Helicopter Gets Gross Weight Increase
MD Helicopters has received FAA approval to increase the MD530F’s max gross take-off weight from 3,100 to 3,350 pounds.
Rotorcraft
Russian Helicopters Unveils New Mi-171Sh-VN ‘Hip’ Troop Carrier
Russian Helicopters is displaying an impressive range of its military products at the Army 2020 International Military-Technical Forum.
Maintenance and Modifications
Van Horn Receives STC/PMA for Upgraded Bell 206B Blades
Van Horn Aviation's newly approved Bell 206B main rotor blades have different carbon fiber ply counts and orientations, providing for a smoother ride.
Accidents
Kobe Crash Copter Company Blaming ATC
Island Express Helicopters is blaming the fatal crash of its S-76 on air traffic controllers.
