Helicopters – Page 28
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NewsKobe Bryant crash puts Heli-Expo conference in tricky spot
One day after basketball star Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter accident, the world’s largest helicopter association attempted to calm public fears about rotorcraft at an industry conference not far from the crash site.
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NewsCollins prepares for pilotless helicopter rescue with digitally-controlled hoist
Foreseeing a day in the not-too-distant future when pilotless helicopters may fly to people in need of rescue, Collins Aerospace’s next generation hoist, the Pegasus, will have the ability to be controlled digitally – even eventually wirelessly.
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NewsWhy Universal Avionics sees pilot shortage driving boom in wearable displays
Universal Avionics believes that a lack of helicopter pilots in the future will mean operators will increasingly need to rely on solo pilots aided by automated technologies, such as helmets with augmented reality glasses, to handle workloads while flying missions.
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In depthWhy Bell plans to vertically integrate its eVTOL business and compete with Uber
In a partial break with its partner Uber – as well as its own historical business model – Bell plans to vertically integrate aircraft production, flight operations and nearly everything in between, in order to grab a large piece of the nascent electric-vertical-take-off-and-landing (eVTOL) air taxi industry.
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In depthAirbus Helicopters enters home straight with H160
For Airbus Helicopters, the end of the long road to certification for the H160 now appears to be in sight. Launched in 2015, the medium-twin is in the final stages of its development campaign; test flights ended in late 2019 and, at the time of writing in mid-January, Airbus Helicopters was preparing to submit the final pieces of documentation to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.
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In depthBell’s eVTOL vision changes as it eliminates two rotors and goes all electric
Bell changed the design of its proposed electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, removing two rotor ducts and adding a purely electric propulsion option, after hearing from potential customers that shorter inner city travel would likely come before longer-range trips between metropolitan areas.
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NewsCertification flights for Ka-62 helicopter get under way
Russian Helicopters has begun certification test flights of the Kamov Ka-62 intermediate-twin and intends to complete the activity in 2020.
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NewsBristow and ERA to merge, creating offshore helicopter giant
Offshore helicopter operators Bristow Group and ERA Group are to merge, creating a business with a combined $1.5 billion turnover and a fleet of over 300 rotorcraft.
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NewsUS Coast Guard MH-65 helicopter upgrades start full-rate production
Full-rate production means the US Coast Guard plans to convert 22 examples of the Eurocopter MH-65D per year into the “E” configuration
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In depthKopter accelerates as gearbox issue fades from view
Swiss manufactuerer Kopter is making full use of its flight-test base in Sicily as it works to overcome setbacks and bring its SH09 light-single to market.
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NewsDoubts emerge over status of Milestone commitment for Bell 525
Questions have emerged about one of the largest commitments for Bell’s in-development 525 Relentless super-medium-twin, which has been on the manufacturer’s books since 2015.
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NewsUkraine receives first two H125 helicopters
Ukraine’s interior ministry has taken the first two of an eventual 24 Airbus Helicopters H125s dating from a 2018 order.
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NewsBristow deferred H175 deliveries days prior to Chapter 11 filing
Bristow Group deferred delivery of its Airbus Helicopters H175s just 10 days prior to entering Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, an order the operator axed barely six months later as part of the financial restructuring.
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NewsHyundai signs agreement to build Uber’s eVTOL aircraft
Korean car manufacturer Hyundai signed an agreement with Uber to manufacture eVTOL aircraft.
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NewsBristow ditches H175 helicopter order
Bristow Group has cancelled its long-held order for 22 Airbus Helicopters H175 super-medium-twins, according to several people with knowledge of the matter, more than halving the airframer’s firm order backlog for the type.
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NewsAirbus Corporate Helicopters and Aston Martin launch special edition ACH130
Airbus Corporate Helicopters (ACH) is partnering with high-end car manufacturer Aston Martin on a bespoke edition of the ACH130. The agreement is for an initial three years, but could be extended and expanded to other models if the relationship works, the pair say.
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In depthRehabilitation drive sees H225 make gradual return to service
Arguably one of the success stories over the past 12 months has been Airbus Helicopters’ efforts to repurpose the H225 heavy-twin. Initially banished from the offshore transport market in the wake of an April 2016 crash in Turoy, Norway, the situation was then compounded by plummeting oil prices and consequent helicopter overcapacity: even if operators were prepared to bring their H225s back into service, there was no requirement to do so.
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NewsErickson delivers Sky Crane helicopter to Korean Forest Service
Aerospace firm Erickson delivered a K7 S-64 Air Crane helicopter to the Korean Forest Service (KFS) in late November.
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NewsBell stops 525 entry-into-service predictions, but sticks with oil & gas market
Bell will no longer make predictions of when its 525 Relentless super-medium transport helicopter will finish Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification testing and enter into service after several years of delays.
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NewsAneto engine for AW189K helicopter gains approval, but orders remain unclear
European regulators on 12 December approved the Safran Helicopter Engines Aneto-1K turboshaft that will power the Leonardo Helicopters AW189K super-medium twin.