Articles for category Helicopter Sectors
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Jun
27
2022
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Posted by Admin
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Frank Sonnenberg, the author of the book, Listen to Your Conscience: That's Why You Have One wrote, “Exceptional people don't shun tests of their strength and determination -- they relish them.”
It almost seems there’s a cultural movement in some parts of society who want to diminish the idea of exceptionalism. Personally, I hope the movement is not successful because in our industry, we are blessed with many exceptional people and companies that keep driving us all collectively to new heights with respect to safety, technology, and performance.
Without the existence of these exceptional people and companies, we would be relegated to hand flying underpowered helicopters in only VFR conditions using only basic instrumentation . . . and training in them too! Instead, we are seeing exponential technological advancements in vertical lift aircraft that will relegate many old platforms to obsolescence. It’s both a scary and interesting time for those of us living it.
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Tags:
Rotorcraft Pro
Rotorcraft Pro Editor Lyn Burks
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
Helicopter Sectors
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May
16
2022
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Posted by Admin
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Airbus Helicopters has operated for 30 years from Marignane, France. The company started as Eurocopter but was renamed to Airbus Helicopters in 2014. This spring, they’ve announced massive changes to new aircraft, customer support and training, and the integration of the newest technology in modern helicopters.
Airbus Helicopters has its main assembly facilities in France and Germany and a worldwide presence with 31 customer centers and affiliated sites in locations such as Brazil, Australia, Spain, United States, Romania, and the United Kingdom. The North American Customer Support division has new leadership in Niko Szodruch for its 800 customers, operating from Grand Prairie, Texas. He came from the company’s global helicopter maintenance and retrofit business and is leading in development of a strategic service plan for North America. The H125 is the best-selling helicopter in the world and there are 30 produced each year from Columbus, Mississippi. The volume of helicopters sold varies year-over-year, but in 2021, they sold 419 units to both civilian and military markets.
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Categories:
Company Profiles
Helicopter Sectors
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Apr
25
2022
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Posted by Admin
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The title of this editor’s letter is actually a quote from John C. Maxwell, a No. 1 New York Times bestselling author, pastor, coach and speaker who has sold more than 24 million books in 50 languages. The quote reminds me that there is unprecedented change happening in every corner of our industry.
Carbon dioxide reduction, special aviation fuels, urban air mobility, e-vtol, personnel shortages, unmanned vertical flight, virtual-mixed reality in training, and the list goes on. The question for industry: Will this inevitable change be an opportunity for growth, or will many get left behind?
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Rotorcraft Pro Editor Lyn Burks
Categories:
Helicopter Sectors
Opinion-Editorial
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Apr
18
2022
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Posted by Admin
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There will always be a place in maintenance repair & overhaul (MRO) services for wrench-turning mechanics using their grease-honed handiwork to keep helicopters flying. However, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) such as Airbus Helicopters, Leonardo Helicopter, Sikorsky (a Lockheed Martin company) and the Robinson Helicopter Company are harnessing the power of digital technology to bring their customers the very best in MRO services. Here are some of the advances that will improve MRO services that might be used by our readers in the year to come.
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Tags:
Helicopter Technology
Categories:
Company Profiles
Helicopter Sectors
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Mar
07
2022
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Posted by Admin
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The air tour industry has been heavily scrutinized in recent years. Whether for safety concerns by the general public and legislators, noise complaints, or limiting access to National Parks, operators in this sector have been faced with challenging times. Intensify the situation with the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and these companies barely continued to keep the lights on this year. Fortunately, air tour operators are resilient and resourceful with helping to address these types of issues. They provide a valued service to passengers who eagerly seek out this mode of sightseeing and who might not otherwise have access to the unique and beautiful locations throughout the world.
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Tags:
Helicoper Tour Operators
TOPS
Tour Operators Program of Safety
Categories:
Helicopter Sectors
Safety
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Feb
21
2022
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Posted by Admin
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Of course the headline above is a smidge spectacular and only a little dramatic. Although the helicopter industry was negatively impacted by the pandemic, it never really shut down.
Reflecting on this time last year, I remember when the Helicopter Association International made this announcement:
“Until the beginning of 2021, all signs had pointed toward a successful show. Over the past week, as second deposits became due for exhibitors, a large number either pulled out or expressed discomfort with attending or exhibiting. The Board of Directors looked at the numbers and made a difficult decision that continuing with HAI HELI-EXPO 2021 was not in the best interest of the industry.”
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Tags:
Lyn Burks Editor
Rotorcraft Pro
Categories:
Helicopter Sectors
Helicopter Event Coverage
Opinion-Editorial
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Feb
14
2022
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Posted by Admin
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Last year may have been a tough year for the world in general due to COVID-19, but there was still lots of good news when it came to the latest and greatest in helicopter technology. Here's what the industry achieved in 2021.
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4K cockpit video recording system
AW609 AC4 twin-engine tiltrotor
commercial S-70M
EDAT
electronically distributed anti-torque
helicopter electric motors
hybrid helicopters
S-70M Type Certificate
Vita Rescuer System
Categories:
Helicopter Sectors
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Oct
18
2021
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Posted by Admin
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The teaming of manned search and rescue (SAR) helicopters with unmanned aerial systems (AKA drones) is an idea whose time has come. Remotely controlled drones can be immediately dispatched to search for victims and identify landing zone hazards while a SAR helicopter is preparing to fly. Once aloft, the SAR helicopter crew can use the drone’s data collected to reduce their flight time to the victims.
“Unmanned systems can reduce exposures and risks to SAR personnel as part of their operations,” said Johnny T. Doo, group leader for NASA Transformative Vertical Flight Working Group-4: Public Services and also president of International Vehicle Research Inc. “It's a combination that is becoming more and more popular because there are tasks in SAR that are not human-friendly,” added Juan Plaza, a UAV/general aviation consultant. “Drones can search for victims at night during fires and other environmental conditions that pose dangers to manned aircraft.”
The big question for SAR operators is just how far the teaming concept can go. Given advances in artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous (self-flying) drones, and the growing computing power onboard manned helicopters, it seems possible that tomorrow’s SAR helicopters could fly out accompanied by swarms of self-coordinating surveillance drones and that these drones could do more than just relay visual data back to their human operators.
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Categories:
Helicopter Sectors
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Aug
09
2021
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Posted by Admin
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Some of the biggest questions military pilots ask when transitioning to the civilian pilot sector are: “What kind of flying jobs are out there for me?” “Which helicopter jobs am I qualified for?” “How much money will I make?” Plus many more questions. To find answers, we looked at our own niche in the helicopter industry and asked our friends in other flying jobs for the information to assemble an overview.
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Tags:
Military to Civilian Aviation
Military to Civilian Helicopter Mechanics
Military to Civilian Pilots
Military to Civilian Transition Aviation
US Army Helicopter Pilots
US Army Helicopter Salary
Categories:
Helicopter Sectors
Career Development
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Jun
14
2021
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Posted by Admin
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For any helicopter pilot paying the scantest bit of attention to the news, the conclusion is inescapable: Commercial unmanned aircraft – a.k.a. drones – are no longer toys. They have grown in size, payload capacity, mission profiles, and range to become bonafide aerial platforms.
The fact that commercial unmanned aircraft are achieving ‘critical mass’ (the minimum size or amount of something required to start or maintain a venture) raises big questions for helicopter pilots: Will the advent of drones take work away from humans? Or does this emergence open up vast new possibilities for aerial applications – and new employment opportunities for pilots as a result?
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Tags:
Helicopter Urban Air Mobility
UAM
Categories:
Helicopter Sectors