Helicopters

Helicopter pilots looking for guidelines for situations not covered by checklists, procedures or operating manuals can now get help from a new set of standards called the Helicopter Pilots Model Code of Conduct. The document was designed to help pilots interpret ambiguous regulations and to provide criteria for how to operate their helicopters while minimizing […]

The Eurocopter X3 has set an unofficial helicopter world speed record of 255 knots in level flight, slightly faster than the 250-knot top speed achieved by the Sikorsky X2 compound helicopter in 2010. Eurocopter said the hybrid X3 also reached a speed of 263 knots in a shallow dive, three knots faster than the X2 […]

The FAA has signed off on a new technology for Sikorsky’s S-92 helicopter called Rig Approach, an automated system that makes it easier for offshore pilots to find and approach oil platforms and rigs. Sikorsky claims the new automation software, which allows the offshore pilot to program an approach to a rig into the helicopter’s […]

Photography by Jay Miller| On May 14, 1946, Larry Bell, the founder of Bell Helicopter, said: “We are now on the eve of the helicopter era. … We believe that one of the most necessary requisites to the development of the helicopter age is to provide the best possible training for men and women who […]

Four men, including two inmates, face some two dozen charges in connection with a daring helicopter prison escape from the Saint-Jérôme Detention Centre about 20 miles northwest of Montreal. On Sunday, two accomplices posed as tourists and chartered a Robinson R44 helicopter from Mont Tremblant, about 30 miles north of the prison. After takeoff, they […]

OEMs and show organizers at Heli-Expo this week appear to be on cloud nine as the helicopter industry continues on a strong growth path. More than 13,000 people pre-registered for the show this year, and, by Thursday morning, Helicopter Association International reported more than 20,100 attendees, breaking the attendance record for the sixth consecutive year. […]

One of the most surprising announcements coming out of Heli-Expo this week was the introduction of a new turbine version of the Bell 47 — the 47GT-6 from Scott’s-Bell 47 — a company that also refers to itself as SB47. The new version of the 1940s bubble-canopy helicopter design will be based on Bell’s 47G-3B-2A […]

Sikorsky has many reasons to celebrate at this year’s Heli-Expo in Las Vegas with the 90th anniversary of the company and impressive order announcements valued at more than $800 million. On the first day of the show, Sikorsky announced an order from Houston-based Bristow Group for up to 26 S-76D helicopters used for offshore oil […]

At a press conference at the Heli-Expo in Las Vegas, Rolls-Royce senior vice president, helicopters, Greg Fedele introduced the newest member of the M250 engine family — the M250-C47E. The more powerful version features a dual-channel full-authority digital engine control system, which Fedele said may soon allow for on-condition maintenance. Fedele said the fuel burn […]

At a pre-Heli-Expo press briefing yesterday in Las Vegas, Bell Helicopters president and CEO John Garrison announced the company’s latest Bell 412 version, the 412EPI, with new bells and whistles and the promise of better performance. The 412EPI boasts an integrated glass flight deck named Bell BasiX Pro, which provides single-pilot IFR capabilities and incorporates […]