Helicopters

Bell Helicopter put its multi-mission 412EPI helicopter to the ultimate test this week near Mount Everest in Nepal. Bell demonstration pilots showed off takeoffs and landings at 15,200 feet, hovered in ground effect at nearly 18,000 feet density altitude and proceeded to climb as high as 20,000 feet pressure altitude in the medium-size helicopter, which […]

Marie Fredieu, the first female helicopter pilot with the Florida Forest Service, protects wildlife and helps control wildfires.

Two years after Bell Helicopter announced the 505 Jet Ranger X, the company has made progress toward the certification of the five-seat light single-engine helicopter. Five hundred seventy-five hours of flight testing have been completed on three test platforms since the first flight in November 2014, and Bell Helicopter expects certification by the end of […]

Almost exactly two years after AgustaWestland unveiled the AW109 Trekker at the 2014 Heli-Expo in Anaheim, California, the helicopter has made its first flight. The inaugural flight was successfully completed at the Finmeccanica helicopter division in Cascina Costa, Italy. Test pilots Giuseppe Afruni and Giuseppe Segreto took the controls of the Trekker and tested the […]

Right in time for the Helicopter Association International’s Heli-Expo, which will open its doors next week in Louisville, Kentucky, Robinson Helicopter announced it is far enough along in the development process of its new R44 Cadet helicopter to begin taking orders. The two-seat Cadet, which was announced in November, will be on display at the […]

A tourist taking photos at Pearl Harbor caught a frightening moment on video when a helicopter giving a tour of the area crashed into the water right in front of him. The video footage shows the Bell 206B quickly lose altitude over the water near the USS Arizona Memorial in Hawaii before crashing down Thursday […]

About a year ago, car service giant Uber began offering on-demand helicopter rides occasionally at certain locations around the country. This week the service, named UberChopper, is available in Las Vegas as part of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2016) through local helicopter operator Maverick Helicopters. You may imagine yourself traveling on an UberChopper from […]

Robinson’s turbine-powered five-seat R66 helicopter has passed testing required by the FAA and Transport Canada to fly in snow conditions. Flying in falling or blowing snow has been prohibited per the R66 Pilot’s Operating Handbook, but with this recent successful test the restriction has been lifted. To qualify, the R66 had to perform in some […]

Airbus Helicopters successfully completed the first flight test of its high-compression diesel engine demonstrator aircraft at the Marignane Airport in Marignane, France. “The first result of the 30-minute flight confirms the advantages of new-technology high-compression piston engines for rotorcraft in offering reduced emissions, up to 50 percent lower fuel consumption depending on duty cycle, nearly […]

Torrance, California-based Robinson Helicopters has announced a new two-seat version of the R44 named the Cadet. The design is targeted for the training market, though Robinson says the Cadet can be employed in a variety of missions. The basic design parameters for the Cadet, such as the airframe, rotor system and Lycoming O-540-F1B5 power plant, […]