Rotorcraft
News and issues regarding all manner of civil and military rotorcraft and their powerplants, including helicopters, tilt rotors and unmanned air vehicles.
Rotorcraft
Hands On: Flying a Modern Classic, MD Helicopters’ MD530F
The 369-series helicopters have been in production for more than 60 years
Rotorcraft
Rotor Debuts Autonomous Helicopter in New Hampshire
The flight demonstrated autonomous helicopter operation in front of a live audience
Rotorcraft
French DGA Orders 42 Airbus H145 Helicopters
H145s will be used by French police and rescue services
Training and Workforce
Canada Grants First Training Org Approval to Coulson
The free training enables students to earn Canadian aircraft maintenance engineer-structures certification
Rotorcraft
Tata and Airbus To Start Helicopter Production in India
H125 final assembly line will be Airbus' second manufacturing plant in the country
Rotorcraft
Bell Textron's 4Q23 Results Surpass Projections
Bell's profit totaled $320 million last year, compared with $282 million in 2022
Rotorcraft
NASA's Mars Helicopter Bites the Dust
Ingenuity's rotor blades sustained damage upon landing
Accidents
Three Die in Oklahoma HEMS Crash
Air Evac Bell 206 LongRanger crashes at night on repositioning flight
Rotorcraft
Airbus Helicopters Orders Rise, Deliveries Flat for 2023
Airbus delivered 346 helicopters in 2023
Rotorcraft
Aero Asset Sees Strong Single-engine Helicopter Pricing
Prices remained steady while sales numbers dropped significantly
Rotorcraft
Léman Aviation Orders 10 Leonardo AW09 Helicopters
The order expands the AW09's reach in European markets
Rotorcraft
Airwolf STCs Lithium-ion Main-ship Batteries for Helicopters
The True Blue Power batteries weigh much less than traditional batteries
Training and Workforce
Bell Valencia Trains Hundreds Annually
Bell 429 simulator at Valencia Spain logs more than 1,000 hours each year
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Airbus Grows UAS Portfolio with Aerovel Acquisition
Aerovel produces the Flexrotor uncrewed aerial system
Training and Workforce
Enstrom Sets Dates for 2024 Maintenance Classes
Piston-powered helicopter classes start on June 2
Accidents
Parents of Helitour Crash Victim Receive $100 Million
Airbus, Papillon agree to nine-figure settlement in 2018 Grand Canyon helitour accident
Rotorcraft
MD Helicopters Booked Record Orders in 2023
The OEM is focusing on product support and gradually ramping up production
Rotorcraft
New Hawaii Park Aerial Tour Plan Cuts Flight Numbers
Plan drastically slashes the number of permitted flights over Volcanoes National Park
Rotorcraft
PHI Group Files Public Stock Offering
The Lafayette, Louisiana company operates 213 aircraft
Accidents
ATSB: Fatal Air Tour Midair Pilot Had Used Cocaine
Autopsy found cocaine metabolites in body of Australian helitour pilot
Maintenance and Modifications
Hillsboro Aviation Appointed Airbus Helicopters Mx Center
Suite of services includes maintenance, upgrades, warranty work, aircraft completions, and OEM part sales
Safety
Airbus H160 Swashplate Bearings Trigger EASA Emergency AD
Inspections are required every 15 flight hours after 'premature degradation' detected
Training and Workforce
Coptersafety Receives FAA Approval for its Airbus H145 Training
Coptersafety receives FAA Part 142 approval for its H145 training program
Accidents
Philadelphia News Helicopter Crash Kills Two
The A-Star crashed at night in a remote area of a forest
Accidents
Vortex Ring Drill Triggered Bell 429 In-flight Break-up
NTSB faults pilot, instructor in 2022 fatal accident
Rotorcraft
Airbus Bags Biggest H145M Helicopter Order
German armed forces order up to 82 Airbus H145M helicopters
Rotorcraft
Leonardo Philadelphia Marks 700th Helo Delivery
Leonardo has delivered 700 helicopters from its Philadelphia campus since 2004
Regulations and Government
City Controller Blasts LAPD Helicopters
Police chief says LAPD helicopters save lives, protect property
