General Aviation/Helicopter News

Air Force One departing Cornwall.

Vertical Lift modernization for the U.S army.

Bell Textron has delivered a Bell 505 helicopter to W.A. Oil Factory and Distribution PLC in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The delivery marks the first corporate customer for Bell Textron in the country. "We are proud to accept the delivery of the first Bell 505 in Ethiopia," said Aytenew. "Given the rugged terrain and limited road infrastructure in parts of the country, the Bell 505 will save us hours and sometimes days of travel time."

Velocity Minimum Unstick testing by Airbus.

Spotting delight in Tampa

Not news but these Box planes are fun to watch, the SkyVan with skydivers it seems.

Ever thought about the assembly process of a modern airliner? Most of the time...different parts of the aircraft are actually made if different areas around the world and then shipped to a central site for assembly into the final product that we see flying around. In the case of Airbus for their new A321 XLR the components and sections are made across a few countries.

Eyetrapper at it again. Beautiful landings and departures from the North runway at YVR.

Hard landing resulting in a pronounced bounce for this SkyTeam livery TAROM 700 series 737.

AW609

More airship talk...

With the FLYING WHALES Large Capacity Airship 60 Tons (LCA60T) project, for the first time in history, an aircraft will load and unload up to 60 tonnes of hover cargo. This rigid airship is intended for the timber, freight and exceptional transport markets. It will provide an advantageous solution to the global needs for the transport of heavy or oversized loads, for point-to-point journeys, at low operating costs and with reduced environmental impact.

Airbus H125 has successfully flown on 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). "While all Airbus helicopters are certified to fly with up to a 50 percent SAF blend, it is our company’s ambition to have its helicopters certified to fly with 100 percent SAF within the decade," said Airbus Helicopters executive v-p for engineering and chief technical officer Stefan Thome. "[Today’s] flight is an important first step toward this goal."

The H160’s standard-setting maintenance and support concept is among the aircraft’s many innovations. It has undergone fine-tuning in an Operator Zero campaign with Airbus as the 'first operator'. It elevates commonplace needs like component accessibility to the fore. Its training and technical documentation are practical and visual. And it sought to integrate digital solutions from the design phase to maintenance, ensuring these solutions communicate with each other. Let’s take a closer look.

Airbus Helicopters has delivered the first five-bladed H145 to be used in the offshore wind segment to its long-term customer HTM Helicopters. The aircraft will be operated from one of HTM’s bases at Norden-Norddeich, Emden, Borkum and Helgoland. For its missions, which include passenger transport to and from wind farms and hoisting technicians to the wind-turbines, the helicopter is equipped with a powerful hoist, floatation equipment, and a cargo hook. "We already operate one four-bladed H145 in the offshore wind segment which has proven to be the perfect fit for our operations in often challenging environments,” says Bernd Brucherseifer, Pilot and Managing Director at HTM Helicopters. “The increased useful load, the smoother ride on board and the excellent OEI performance of the five-bladed version will help us to further enhance our mission capabilities.
"We’d like to thank HTM Helicopters for its continued trust in our helicopters and especially in the H145," says Axel Humpert, Head of the H145 Programme. "We’re proud that our helicopters are used to maintain offshore wind parks, which play an important role in the expansion of renewable energy."

Spirit of Innovation.

The Spanish Ministries of Defense and Interior have ordered 36 Airbus H135 helicopters. This signature takes place in the context of the stimulus plan activated by the Spanish government to support the industry. The Ministry of Defense will receive 18 helicopters to be operated by the air force and the navy while the Ministry of Interior will also take delivery of 18 helicopters to be operated by the National Police and the Guardia Civil. The deliveries will start next year.

France has become the first H160 law enforcement customer. "The French Ministry of Interior contract is an important milestone for the H160. We now have customers for the offshore transportation, private and business aviation, search and rescue and law enforcement mission segments, showing that the H160 is a truly versatile aircraft" said Bruno Even, CEO Airbus Helicopters. "Developing this new configuration for the H160 in cooperation with an experienced customer like the Gendarmerie Nationale is key to the success of the programme."

Airbus H160 is a step closer to making it to customer deliveries. The medium-twin rotorcraft was headed to the U.S. ahead of its long-awaited certification by the FAA. It will also be engaging in route proving flights with PHI - the intended launch customer in the United States-. "We are coming out of a long development cycle and are now moving into the entry into service phase and industrial ramp-up," Giles Armstrong, head of H160 development, said.

A Bell 429WLG version is a reality in Australia now. ALTO Group has taken delivery of a specimen recently. "After a long and exhaustive evaluation, we found the Bell 429 helicopter, with the wheel landing gear configuration, as the right corporate helicopter for the Alto Group," said Anthony Altomonte, managing director, Alto Group. "As an owner and pilot, the Bell 429’s ease of operation and reliability, ample cabin space, coupled with its smooth and quiet ride allows us to travel more quickly and efficiently to our rural operations to support the Alto Group’s growth in Australia."