Rotorcraft
News and issues regarding all manner of civil and military rotorcraft and their powerplants, including helicopters, tilt rotors and unmanned air vehicles.
Regulations and Government
HAI Slams Parks Air Tour Plans for South Dakota and Hawaii
The Helicopter Association International is urging members to strongly oppose draft air tour management plans at four national parks.
Rotorcraft
Sikorsky CEO Vows Continued Support for Discontinued S-76 Helicopters
Paul Lemmo said Sikorsky would continue product support for S-76 and seek customers for the S-92A+.
Rotorcraft
Bell Sells Six 407GXi Helicopters to Argentina for SAR
Argentina’s Ministry of Defense has signed a contract to take six Bell 407GXi helicopters which will be used to assist with search and rescue missions.
Rotorcraft
Bristow Lands Irish Search and Rescue Contract
Bristow will provide helicopter search and rescue service for the Irish Coast Guard.
Aircraft
Piasecki Develops Hydrogen Helicopter at Sikorsky Factory
Piasecki Aircraft has acquired the former Sikorsky helicopter factory in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, and will use it to develop VTOL aircraft.
Rotorcraft
Hill Helicopters Order Book Tops 800
Hill Helicopters will unveil its first completed HX50 helicopter to the public in December.
Charter & Fractional
India Expands Emergency Medical Flight Network
The Indian government plans to build hundreds of helipads along highways that could be used by helicopters, drones, and new eVTOL aircraft.
Rotorcraft
Blade To Operate New Jersey Helistop
Blade Urban Air Mobility will operate the helistop in Jersey City's Newport neighborhood.
Fuel
Weststar Signs for Five More Leonardos
A Weststar AW139 became the first SAF-fueled helicopter to fly in Malaysia .
Rotorcraft
Sloane Ups Leonardo AW109 Orders
Leonardo and its UK/Ireland dealership continue to achieve good sales in UK and Ireland, with the AW109 family leading the way.
Rotorcraft
Airbus Corporate Helicopters Posts Record Annual Sales
ACH’s latest product, the ACH160, is leading the way for sales efforts, which have achieved significant success with other models from the range.
Environment
EASA Proposes Noise Standards for eVTOLs
EASA is proposing using heavy helicopter noise limits for eVTOLs until it can gather more data on the new vehicles to refine these standards.
Charter & Fractional
Europe Key to Blade's Passenger Growth
Europe has become Blade Air Mobility's largest market.
Charter & Fractional
New ACA Board Member To Boost Rotary Representation
Alana Burns has led Atlas Helicopters to become one of the UK’s leading helicopter charter companies.
Maintenance and Modifications
Leonardo Helicopters Plans Agusta-branded Service Centers
Dedicated service centers are the latest part of Leonardo's rollout of the Agusta luxury helicopter brand.
Rotorcraft
Bell Touts 525 Super-medium Helicopter for North Sea Ops
Bell sees its in-development 525 super-medium as the right helicopter for North Sea operators.
Avionics
Meridian Helicopters Completes 25th Bell 206L Refurb
Meridian Helicopters completed its 25th Bell 206L upgrade and delivered the custom-refurbished aircraft to Clearview Air.
Regulations and Government
Erickson Air Crane Gets FAA Night Vision Goggle Approval
Erickson will begin NVG night-time firefighting operations with its Air Cranes
Maintenance and Modifications
Boost HEC System for Airbus AStar Helos Gets EASA Nod
Boost Systems has received EASA STC approval for its human external cargo system for the Airbus H125 family of helicopters.
Rotorcraft
Babcock Awarded $192M Australian SAR Contract
Babcock Leonardo AW139s will provide medevac and search and rescue services to Australia's Queensland area.
Rotorcraft
FAA Approval Closer for Airbus H160
Airbus hopes to receive FAA certification approval for its medium twin H160 helicopter this year.
Regulations and Government
FAA Reminds Operators of Rotorcraft Bird Strike Study
A new FAA Information for Operators reminds helicopter pilots of recommendations from a rotorcraft bird strike study.
Rotorcraft
Organ Transport Edges Blade Toward Profitability
Blade Air Mobility's first quarter revenues increased by 70 percent from a year ago, driven largely by its MediMobility organ transport segment.
Rotorcraft
Bell 407 Increases Australian Presence
Bell recently delivered seven more of its model 407GXi helicopters into Australia.
Environment
Vertical Vx4 eVTOL Certification Pushed To Late 2026
Citing regulatory requirements, Vertical Aerospace pushed certification of its VX-4 eVTOL by 12 months to late 2026.
Rotorcraft
Study: Robust Growth Ahead for Air Ambulance Market
Nearly 9 percent annual growth rate is forecasted for global ambulance market.
Rotorcraft
McMahon Helicopter Opens New Headquarters
McMahon Helicopter Services has opened a 20,000-sq-ft facility at Canton-Plymouth Mettetal Airport in Michigan.
Rotorcraft
Airbus ACH130 Customer Flies Helo from UK to Australia
Australian tech entrepreneur John-Paul Thorbjornsen took delivery of his Airbus ACH130 Aston Martin edition and flew it the 10,000 miles home from the UK.
Rotorcraft
Airbus Showcasing ACH160 at Geneva Bizav Show
The Airbus Corporate Helicopters ACH160 will be on static display and available for customer demonstrations.
Maintenance and Modifications
Bell Offering Militarized Variants of All Civil Models
Bell will offer militarized "special mission aircraft" versions of all its civil aircraft models tailored to the needs of the export market.
