General Aviation/Helicopter News

The Polish defence ministry puts out bid for military helicopter deal. Three companies are welcomed to participate in the bid. AgustaWestland company PZL-Swidnik, a Eurocopter/Heli Invest Services team and the Sikorsky International Operations consortium of Sikorsky and PZL-Mielec are respectively offering the AW149, EC725 and S-70i.

The requirement is for 48 new tactical transports for land forces, 10 search-and-rescue rotorcraft for the air force and two sets of six anti-submarine warfare and maritime SAR aircraft for the navy. When the winner of the bid has been selected aircraft deliveries will start in 2014-2015 and continue through to 2022.

Airbus is likely on track to sell more than 800 aircraft in 2013 which would clear out-do their initial expectations for orders by more than 100 units, the chief executive of parent EADS said on Wednesday.

Sikorsky awarded $435million-dollar contract for four CH-53K test craft

The US Navy is awarding Sikorsky a $435 million contract modification to build four more CH-53K prototype helicopters for operational evaluation purposes

Turkish Airlines is set to launch the first ever direct flights between Europe and Australia next year.

Presently, European airport passengers wanting to fly to Sydney must stop over in Asia. Including the two-or-so hours needed to switch aircraft, the whole journey lasts approximately 24 hours.

The speedsters of the business jet world, like the G650 and Citation X may have some competition on their exhaust-fans soon. Apparently there is a U.S. startup company that has launched a tandem, two-seat 'luxury' jet called the Saker S-1. According to them, it would be the fastest private civilian airplane ever with a top speed of Mach 0.99.

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The airspace over the New York area...fairly congested?

Eurocopter has revealed a bit more detail on EC225 fixes

The Marseille-based manufacturer released the information to its technical publications website on 24 May, describing it as "proposed improved safety measures and EC225 roadmap for the complete return to service".

Although the airframer has proposed a number of short-term fixes to enable the EC225 to fly again, it says further action will be required. "In the longer term, all affected shafts in the EC225/EC725 fleet will be replaced by new shafts. These new shafts will have a modified design to eliminate any risk of crack initiation," it says. Its investigations have pinpointed the route cause of the cracking to three factors, it says, listing corrosion, manufacturing stresses and "reduced fatigue strength due to stress 'hot spots'".

Eurocopter has won a €60 million or $79-million for a three-year deal to support 24 Puma helicopters it is upgrading to the HC2 standard for the UK Royal Air Force.

Sikorsky X2 pusher prop helicopter...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0iUsbByyAQ

Certification of the AgustaWestland AW609 tiltrotor has slipped to 2017 as the Anglo-Italian helicopter manufacturer wrestles with an ambitious development programme and regulatory uncertainty over how to approve a concept never previously used for civil applications.

It is this modernisation effort that is partly to blame for the delay to certification previously scheduled for 2016, says the manufacturer. "It is a result of the upgrades being implemented into the aircraft," it says. "We need to develop a brand new cockpit and more capable avionics and couple this with the typical and peculiar tiltrotor technology."

Glad you think so!

FAA requests proposals for options to help general aviation transition to unleaded fuels

The Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has asked the world’s fuel producers to submit proposals for fuel options that would help the general aviation industry make a transition to an unleaded fuel. The FAA is committed to the development of a new unleaded fuel by 2018 that would minimize the impact of replacing 100 octane low-lead fuel for most of the general aviation fleet.

Airport capacity crunch expected to cost European economy €230 billion

On the occasion of the joint ACI EUROPE & ACI WORLD Annual Assemblies, Congress and Exhibition taking place in Istanbul today, Declan Collier, President of ACI EUROPE, shared his views on the main challenges facing European aviation – and airports in particular. Collier deplored the fact that, despite recessionary pressures and the weak economic prospects affecting most of Europe, there was little appetite to capitalise on the strategic role aviation can play for growth and jobs.

He said “Short-termism, micro-politics, regulatory burden, red tape, bilateralism and the urge to refill the State coffers are the forces that continue to pay havoc with the European aviation sector. Few European countries have a thoroughly thought-through and fully formulated aviation policy. Long-term challenges are being ignored at our peril.”

Yet, the recently completed “Challenges of Growth 2013” report from EUROCONTROL shows that despite slower traffic growth prospects in the next 20 years, Europe continues to face a severe airport capacity crunch. The main reason for this capacity crunch lies in the fact that airports have been forced to sharply reduce their capacity expansion plans. Revenue pressures, capital costs, a lack of political support, poor planning processes and decreasing confidence are all colluding to constrain airport development throughout Europe. Indeed, while back in 2008, airports’ plans provided for a 40% increase in capacity by 2030, these plans have been severely cut back with capacity now expected to increase by just 17% by 2035.

LIAT takes delivery of its first ATR-600

Thursday 13 June 2013

Caribbean carrier commences fleet upgrade to grow its customer base and route network.

Regional airline LIAT Limited has started its fleet upgrade with the first new ATR 72-600 aircraft delivered today. This first ATR in LIAT’s fleet is being leased from the lessor GECAS (GE Capital Aviation Services). This is the first of a total of eight ATRs (four 68-seat ATR 72-600 and four 48-seat ATR 42-600s) that will be introduced into LIAT’s fleet.

The introduction of these brand new ATR -600s in LIAT’s current fleet of 14 aircraft is a part of the airline’s restructuring plans aiming at fleet modernization and network improvements. By progressively replacing its current fleet of former turboprop aircraft with the modern and fuel efficient ATRs, the airline will significantly reduce operating and maintenance costs, gain further in profitability and offer more comfort to its passengers due to its enhanced seats design. The line-up of the full new generation ATR model range will allow LIAT to optimize their fleet on their pan-Caribbean network with aircraft of one same family, offering both 50 and 70 seat capacity.

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Airbus is in advanced talks to complete a USD$10 billion order for at least 100 planes from British low-cost airline easyJet, sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday. EasyJet has entered negotiations with the European plane maker as preferred supplier to buy around 100 of its re-engined A320neo jets, with as many again in options, dealing a blow to Boeing which had hoped to undo the airline's defection to its European rival over a decade ago, the sources said.

"Airbus is the front-runner but the commercial evaluation is still happening," said a source close to the talks. An easyJet spokesman declined to comment on the status of talks with Airbus and Boeing. Both manufacturers declined to comment. The two plane makers have been pitching commercial terms to Europe's second-largest budget carrier in recent weeks after easyJet completed the technical evaluation of its favoured jets, the re-engined Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX. Barring surprises, the complex deal is not expected to be finalised in time to be announced at next week's Paris Air Show. In 2002 Airbus won a deal to supply easyJet with 120 A319s, plus options for a further 120, after a bitter competition that became a factor in the world's largest trade dispute, involving reciprocal transatlantic claims of illegal aircraft subsidies.

One of the sources said the airline's latest deal would "not be dissimilar in size". EasyJet began operations in 1995 with Boeing aircraft but shifted to Airbus in 2002. Such a large deal would represent a class 1 transaction for easyJet, meaning it would require shareholder approval. Analysts believe easyJet's chief executive Carolyn McCall has a good chance of winning approval for a deal from shareholders despite opposition from Stelios Haji-Ioannou, who founded the airline in 1995 and remains its largest shareholder with a 37 percent stake.

Stelios has said he believes buying new planes would destroy shareholder value and that the money would be better spent on improving returns to investors, through dividends or share buybacks. However she has already pleased shareholders with a doubling of the annual dividend and profits since taking the helm in July 2010. She now wants to replace easyJet's A319s, which make up around three quarters of its fleet, with more cost effective and fuel-efficient 180-seat A320s.

(Reuters)

As the Russian Ka-52 attack helicopter gears up for international debut, they are looking to also attack the international market for sales of the type helicopter. The Russian Air Force has gotten ahold of a few of them so far to replace their old Mil Mi-24s.

South Korean operator Samsung Techwin has put in an order for a pair of AgustaWestland AW139s. This order adds to the two of the same type already in its fleet.

A little something in concept from Agusta Westland, they debuted this 'Project Zero' at the Paris AirShow this year...