Helicopters

One of the happy byproducts of a life largely spent flying, riding, sailing and exploring all over North America and beyond is that I have a great many friends scattered to every corner of the country and, indeed, the globe. Sometimes this means going years without seeing people, staying in contact by phone or social […]

Learning to fly a rotorcraft or helicopter opens up flying into places that other aircraft can’t reach. As a professional helicopter pilot, you can fly for rescue and emergency medical services (EMS) or executive transport, among many options. The rotorcraft category of aircraft includes helicopters, as well as autogyros and gyrodynes . You’re most likely […]

With half of 2019 behind and another six months to go, the U.S. Helicopter Safety Team (USHST) says the U.S. helicopter industry is experiencing a year of fatal accidents. The USHST is calling on helicopter operators, pilots, instructors and mechanics to rely on safety basics and place a stronger emphasis on identifying and managing risk. […]

What the New York Daily News calls a “group of powerful New York lawmakers” wants to see “non-essential” helicopter flights over downtown Manhattan come to a grinding halt. The action comes just a week after an Augusta 109E owned by American Continental Properties crashed onto the roof of a skyscraper shortly after it took off […]

In its 21st annual “Turbine-Powered Civil Helicopter Purchase Outlook,” Honeywell forecasts 4,000 new civilian-use helicopters will be delivered from 2019 to 2023, marginally lower than the 4,200 cited in the five-year forecast from 2018. A recent Honeywell survey found about 20 percent of North American respondents said their helicopter fleet utilization is expected to increase […]

Helicopter pilots can now take advantage of the latest and greatest version of Garmin’s G500 system, the G500H TXi. Garmin has achieved certification for the panel mounted equipment, which comes in several configurations, with 10.6-inch and 7-inch touch displays. The 7-inch screen can display either a PFD or MFD while the 10.6-inch version can display […]

A rescue helicopter crashed on Saturday after it collided with the world’s longest zipline in Ras al-Khaimah in the northeastern region of the United Arab Emirates, killing the four crew members on board. Video showed the Leonardo AW139 spinning out of control before crashing in a fireball as the helicopter was flying a rescue mission […]

Now that California’s Camp Fire in the northern portion of the state, the deadliest in the state’s history, has been smothered, authorities have begun looking not only at what’s left, but precisely how much was saved thanks to heroic efforts of fire fighters across the state. Rotor & Wing International says “some, 9,000 firefighters, fixed […]

A new company called SkyRyse announced its launch on Tuesday in a press release, that aims to introduce advanced levels of automation in vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft. Made up of aerospace experts from Boeing, SpaceX, Tesla, Uber, and the military, the company aims to “deliver fast, safe, and affordable air transportation that is […]

Over the past few years, we’ve come to respect the logistical power of drones to, for example, conduct surveillance in places and weather conditions airplanes and pilots cannot. Drones can remain on station longer than a human could tolerate, so they should have a bright future completing jobs we’ve yet to create. But like any […]