Helicopters – Page 241
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Eurocopter
Roy Swetnam has joined American Eurocopter, of Dallas, Texas, as airborne-law-enforcement specialist. Formerly chief pilot with the Texas Department of Public Safety, he has also been vice-president of the Airborne Law Enforcement Association. Source: Flight International
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Howell first
Colgate-Palmolive has placed the first order for Howell Instruments' turbine-outlet temperature gauges and cycle-monitoring system. The instrumentation will be fitted to AlliedSignal LTS-101s powering its Eurocopter BK117 B2 helicopter. Source: Flight International
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Bell Helicopter cracks Latin America market with 407
Bell Helicopter Textron has sold some 50 Model 407 light single-turbine helicopters in Latin America. Of more than 160 firm orders received for the new aircraft, 40 are from customers in Brazil, the company says - with at least ten of those coming from first-time customers. The US ...
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PHI and FSI forge training link
FLIGHTSAFETY International (FSI) and Petroleum Helicopters (PHI) have agreed to establish a joint helicopter aircrew and ground crew training programme. Integrated PHI flight training and FSI simulator training will be offered to helicopter operators. The link results from PHI's recent expansion from visual-flight-rules offshore-support operations into instrument-flight-rules emergency-medical ...
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Olympian effort
Atlanta businesses hope to rise above traffic problems caused by the Olympic Games - with the help of helicopters. Karen Walker/ATLANTA IT IS BEING BILLED as the largest organised event in history. The centennial Olympic Games will be staged in the capital of the USA's Deep South ...
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Peaks of promise
Deregulation is opening up Nepal to start-up airline operations. Paul Lewis/KATHMANDU FOR ADVOCATES OF A more-liberalised Asian aviation scene, the mountain kingdom of Nepal presents an encouraging picture. This impoverished nation of fewer than 21 million inhabitants supports seven domestic fixed-wing and helicopter operators, and ...
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Decision pends on S-76 output
SIKORSKY WILL DECIDE within the next six months whether to increase production of its twin-turbine S-76 helicopter, which is scheduled to be about 24 aircraft this year. Mike Moran, Sikorsky's director for commercial programmes, says that Sikorsky has firm orders in 1996 for 11 Pratt & Whitney Canada ...
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PZL-Swidnik works through SW-4 problems
Andrzej Jeziorski/SWIDNIK POLISH HELICOPTER manufacturer PZL-Swidnik is anticipating a second-quarter debut for its SW-4 light helicopter after rotor and vibration problems delayed the programme by more than a year. The first prototype of the four- to five-seat helicopter was completed at the end of 1994, and ...
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V-22 undergoes structural load calibration
STRUCTURAL LOAD CALIBRATION of a Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft is being performed at Bell Helicopter Textron's Flight Research Center at Arlington Municipal Airport in Texas. Stresses and strains are applied to the structure to simulate in-flight loads, allowing the calibration of various sensors to ensure that tolerances are ...
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PHI wins race to operate Atlanta Olympics service
Karen Walker/ATLANTA PETROLEUM Helicopters (PHI), the world's largest commercial helicopter operator, will provide the short-haul transport service in Atlanta, Georgia, when the city hosts the Olympic Games in the middle of this year. PHI, based in LaFayette, Louisiana, and which has a fleet of 265 ...
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Bell and Samsung to launch twin
BELL HELICOPTER Textron and South Korea's Samsung Aerospace are planning joint development of a new light twin-turbine helicopter, tentatively designated the Model 427. Certification is scheduled for late 1998. The 427 is intended to be a rival for the Eurocopter EC 135 and McDonnell Douglas MD Explorer, says Bell chairman ...
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Bell Boeing moves closer to civil tilt-rotor decision
Bell Boeing will make a decision on launching development of a nine-passenger civil tilt-rotor, dubbed the D600, "later this year", says Bell Helicopter Textron president Webb Joiner. Bell and Boeing Helicopters are conducting pre-design studies into the market for a 6,350kg-class tilt-rotor, he says. A cabin mock-up has ...
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Eurocopter expects sales to stay flat
EUROCOPTER SAYS that 1995 was a "horrible year" for civil-helicopter sales, and the company is projecting flat sales for 1996. The Franco-German manufacturer's market outlook differs markedly from those of competing helicopter-makers, and is influenced by Eurocopter's reduced sales in North America in 1995. Worldwide, Eurocopter says, some ...
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Omniflight order is tonic for Agusta
OMNIFLIGHT Helicopters, a Dallas, Texas-based air- medical operator, has ordered 12 Agusta helicopters, including six single-engined A.119 Koalas, marking the first announced sale of the aircraft. The Omniflight order, valued at around $29 million, is the largest single commercial-helicopter deal secured in the USA by the Italian manufacturer. ...
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Helipro flies shortened S-61
HELIPRO, a Washington-based helicopter repair-and-support company, has flown a shortened version of the Sikorsky S-61, dubbed the "Shortsky". The modification involves the removal of a 1.3m section from the fuselage forward of the engine intakes and aft of the cockpit. The reduced structural weight increases the helicopter's ...
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Eurocopter and MDHS in noisy row
EUROCOPTER AND McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems (MDHS) have become embroiled in a row over, which of their products - the EC 135 and the MD900 Explorer - is quieter. Noise is one of the most competitive marketing issues among the new generation of helicopters. Eurocopter says that ...
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AlliedSignal puts investment in LT101 turbine
ALLIEDSIGNAL IS planning a four-year revitalisation programme of the LT101 turbine engine, representing an investment of more than $15 million. The programme concentrates on improving reliability and cutting cost. "We know things haven't been good. We know there are a lot of things we'd like to change, and ...
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Alpha Beta
Robinson Helicopter's upgraded R22, the Beta II, and its float-equipped counterpart, the Mariner II, have received supplemental US Federal Aviation Administration certification. The two-seat Beta II is powered by the Lycoming O-360 four-cylinder piston engine derated to 95kW (130hp). It provides the light helicopter with 13% more installed power than ...
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Allison certified
The latest version of Allison Engine best-selling Model 250 light turbine engine, the -C47B, has been awarded FAA certification. The 485kW (650shp)-rated C47B is the first version of the family to be certificated with a full-authority digital engine-control and is designed to power the Bell 407. A derivative, the -C47M, ...
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Call Red
Air-ambulance work in Europe is in its infancy, but is already establishing its credibility. Tony Booth/LONDON IN 1989, THE UK'S West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) launched a project to provide a five-county area of the central UK with air-ambulance cover (the County Air Ambulance service). The idea began ...