Helicopters

The National Transportation Safety Board has issued a series of recommendations for helicopter operators, specifically those flying to or near oil platforms. The recommendations came as a result of several incidents and accidents that resulted from complete and partial turbine engine failures that were attributed to the ingestion of gas discharges from oil rigs. The […]

Sikorsky has announced the certification of new avionics software that adds capabilities to the cockpit of the S-76D helicopter and reduces the workload for its pilots. The V400 avionics software makes flying the S-76D simple enough that the FAA has signed off on single-pilot operations for pilots flying under IFR rules with the new software. […]

S-Tec introduced a version of its HeliSAS helicopter stability augmentation system and autopilot for the Robinson R44 series, bringing big-helicopter capability to the piston rotorcraft market for the first time. The system’s two-axis autopilot provides heading and nav hold as well as vertical speed and altitude hold modes. HeliSAS provides attitude stabilization and force feel […]

Sikorsky has achieved a new milestone in the S-97 Raider program, currently in the development phase. The team at Sikorsky’s Development Flight Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, recently turned on the helicopter’s electrical power for the first time. “This is a big milestone for a development program,” said Sikorsky’s S-97 Raider program manager, Mark […]

Capping one of the most contentious and hardest fought competitions for government aircraft ever, Sikorsky and Lockheed Martin secured a $1.24 billion contract to begin building a new presidential helicopter based on Sikorsky’s S-92. The winning team was the only bidder in the latest phase of a decade-long effort to start replacing Marine One, the […]

With Europe being one of Robinson Helicopter’s most successful regions for sales, the Torrance, California-based helicopter manufacturer is likely breathing a big sigh of relief as it has achieved certification for its R66 Turbine helicopter by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The signoff allows Robinson to start delivering helicopters to a backlog of European […]

Most people who entered the doors of the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, to attend the 2014 edition of the Helicopter Association International’s annual convention, Heli-Expo, on Feb. 25 headed straight for the Bell Helicopter booth. A massive floor-to-ceiling arced screen had been set up, cornering off a significant portion of the display. One […]

While Bell Helicopter proved at Heli-Expo that the 505 Jet Ranger X is already a contender in the SLS market, there are some formidable platforms in this class of helicopters that have already been established. What follows are four comparable five-seat light turbine helicopters that Bell will have to work very hard at beating out […]

The FAA is giving helicopter operators another year to comply with new safety rules announced by the agency in February. The announcement of the delay came only a few days before the rules were set to go into effect, which was scheduled to happen today. Instead the date for compliance is now set for April […]

The United States Helicopter Safety Team (USHST), a group made up of FAA and industry representatives, shared some good news this week regarding helicopter accident statistics. The group analyzed accident data during two three-year periods and found that the accident record has improved by 21 percent. USHST compared accidents that occurred during the three-year period […]