Airbus Helicopters has announced an altitude milestone for its new H145D3 and also said it gained a prominent superyacht customer for the aircraft.
During high-altitude trials in Argentina, a flight-test H145D3 touched skids on Aconcagua, at 22,840 feet the highest mountain in the Southern Hemisphere, marking the first time a twin-engine helicopter landed at this altitude. The aircraft departed Mendoza, Argentina, flew 30 minutes to the foot of the Aconcagua, and climbed for 15 minutes to the summit of the mountain, where the temperature was –7.6 degrees F. The crew—test pilot Alexander Neuhaus and flight-test engineer Antoine van Gent—encountered gusts to 30 knots in low air density during the ascension.
At the Monaco Yacht Show this week, Airbus announced that it had sold an Airbus Corporate Helicopters (ACH) variant of the H145D3 to a foundation controlled by Norwegian philanthropist Kjell Inge Røkke’s not-for-profit oceanic research foundation, REV Ocean. The helicopter will be used aboard the foundation’s new 600-foot REV Ocean research and expedition vessel.
Launched in 2019, the new Airbus ACH145/H145D3 has a new, five-blade, bearingless and hingeless main rotor system and Fadec. To date, two flying H145D3 prototypes have accumulated 400 flight test hours and the aircraft remains on track for 2020 EASA certification.
Drug use in the U.S. is on the rise. In aviation, through post-accident toxicology testing there is growing evidence of an increase in the use of over-the-counter (OTC), prescription and—to a lesser extent—illicit drugs by pilots involved in fatal accidents. Of concern, many drugs have impairing side effects that negatively affect the ability of an individual to perform complex operations, such as operating an aircraft or other vehicles.
Illegal drugs are involved in only 2 to 3 percent of all aviation accidents. The main problem is the rise in the use of prescription, and/or OTC drugs. Surprisingly, pilots may be using OTC or prescription drugs without realizing they can cause impairment or fully understanding how long these substances remain in their system.
According to the NTSB, pilots need to be better educated about the effects of both prescription and OTC drugs. Discuss all medication that you take with your aviation medical examiner and let other medical professionals know that you’re a pilot and ask if a prescription is safe to take before flying.
When taking a new medication, it is good practice to begin during a period when you are not scheduled to fly. Prescription and OTC drugs can be tricky; unlike alcohol, drugs can affect individuals differently, adding to the challenge.
According to the NTSB, alcohol and drug impairment in all modes of transportation is 100 percent preventable. It seems easy enough, but for many pilots the effects of OTC and prescription drugs may be insidious and may require a better understanding of the lasting side effects of each medication.
NATA Survey Finds Nearly All Harmed by Illegal Charter
A recent National Air Transportation Association survey provides a glimpse into the depth of the concerns surrounding illegal charter, with more than 90 percent of respondents saying they have been negatively affected by such unlawful activity. NATA, which has engaged in a multifaceted fight against illegal charter, launched the survey last month to gather data and feedback on the scope of the problem.
“The challenge that we’re facing is how really big is this issue. We know it is a global issue,” said Ryan Waguespack, NATA’s v-p for aircraft management, air charter services, and MROs. The survey drew 189 respondents, including 131 Part 135 certificate holders that represent 13.5 percent of the on-demand fleet. These operators average 14 aircraft in their fleet, 1,122 annual operations, and 100 employees.
While 91.4 percent responded in the affirmative when asked about negative effects, only 50 percent of the respondents said they report their encounters with illegal activities. They cited reasons such as fears of repercussions given the small size of the industry, as well as the fear of losing their own consumers, being viewed as an instigator, and whether authorities would respond.
Illegal activity cited included disguised leasing structures or leases executed without meeting the proper requirements or sign-off from the FAA, flights claiming to operate under “cost-sharing” exceptions, and flights sold as “sales demos” or “flight training.”
NTSB: Test Assumptions Faulty During 737 Max Design
The design of the maneuvering characteristics augmentation system (MCAS) in the 737 Max relied on improper assumptions about the ability of pilots to respond to multiple alerts and indications during certain emergency scenarios, the NTSB said in a report released yesterday that included seven recommendations to the FAA. The NTSB’s report stems from its ongoing support of investigations into last October’s crash of Lion Air Flight 610 into the Java Sea and the crash this past March of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 near Ejere, Ethiopia.
Its recommendations arise from an examination of safety assessments conducted as part of the original design of the MCAS. The report further notes that FAA guidance allows certification analyses to make such assumptions without providing clear direction about the consideration of multiple flight-deck alerts and indications in evaluating pilot recognition and response. The NTSB’s recommendations call for more “robust” tools and methods or validating assumptions about pilot response to airplane failures in safety assessments developed as part of the U.S. design certification process.
“We saw in these two accidents that the crews did not react in the ways Boeing and the FAA assumed they would,” said NTSB chairman Robert Sumwalt.
APP Jet Center, the lone service provider at Washington, D.C.-area Manassas Regional Airport/Harry P. Davis Field, has just completed a million-dollar full renovation of its facility. The project included expansion of the main lobby and crew lounge, new snooze rooms, conference room, shower facilities, and a full galley.
“We are very excited to provide our Manassas clients with a fresh, new upscale experience at APP Jet Center,” said Thom Harrow, CEO of parent company APP Properties. “This entire project was designed with our clients’ needs top of mind.”
Earlier this summer, the company—which also operates IS-BAH-registered FBOs in Hayward, California, and Fort Pierce, Florida, and has hangars at Denver’s Centennial Airport—won the right to build an 18,000-sq-ft, approximately $2.5 million hangar at Manassas, which will accommodate aircraft up to a Bombardier Global. Along with the finalization of the purchase of an existing 12,000-sq-ft hangar/office structure, it will bring the facility to 250,000 sq ft of hangar space when the new hangar opens next October.
Voom To Offer Per-Seat Helo Service in San Francisco
Airbus unit Voom will expand its per-seat, on-demand helicopter service to the U.S. beginning at the San Francisco Bay Area airports—Napa, Oakland, Palo Alto, San Francisco, and San Jose—the company said yesterday. Voom will also offer full-helicopter charters to additional area airports, including Half Moon Bay, Monterey, Livermore, and Sacramento. Customers can book flights via the Voom app or online up to one hour before departure and check-in at the departure helipad 15 minutes before boarding time.
Voom connects passengers with certified and vetted helicopter operators in the Voom network and is not an operator. It said it is also launching “Voom for Business,” which features a specialized dashboard that is designed to simplify billing and booking under one account for employees and by other team members.
The company launched its helicopter service in 2017 in São Paulo, Brazil, and operates a network of six helipads in the area, including Alphaville, Campo de Marte, Berrini, Paulista, Itaim Bibi, and Guarulhos Airports. In Mexico City, Voom operates a network of six helipads in Montes Urales, Santa Fe, Interlomas, Zona Esmeralda, Toluca Airport and the Mexico City Airport. It grew out of a 2016 initiative launched by A3, Airbus’s Silicon Valley innovation center.
This week at the Monaco Yacht Show, Lufthansa Technik (LHT) unveiled its SkyRetreat VIP interior for the A220 (née Bombardier C Series), which Airbus makes available only for commercial operators, not for the executive market through Airbus Corporate Jets. LHT feels the concept has large appeal in the executive transport space.
As for Airbus’s intentions regarding an executive variant of the A220, “I can only state that I know they are interested,” LHT senior head of sales, VIP, and special-mission aircraft Wieland Timm told AIN. “I hope there might be an answer next month at NBAA-BACE.”
Given the limited aviation audience at the annual Monaco show, Timm considers NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas “the first time we’re showing” the full concept to the business aviation community. LHT is presenting a full-scale section of the cabin to illustrate the interior’s look and feel, along with renderings, floor plans, and materials. “You can feel and touch everything—only at NBAA,” he added.
SkyRetreat’s most noteworthy feature is a forward observation area that includes a divan where passengers can sit and don headsets to watch and listen to pilots while they are flying. The main cabin, aft of the observation area also suggests a yacht rather than a VIP aircraft interior, with deck-like flooring and furnishings to match.
StandardAero Wraps Up Expansion with Hillsboro Opening
The September 20 grand opening of a 30,000-sq-ft expansion at StandardAero’s Hillsboro, Ohio engine component manufacturing and repair facility completes an 18-month-long, $16 million project that included expansion of its facilities in Cincinnati, Miami, and Kansas City, the Arizona-based MRO provider announced this week. Additional space and equipment at Hillsboro will support its aerospace engine low-pressure turbine vane manufacturing operation, as well as offer room for further growth.
“We are very pleased to complete this expansion to create the additional capacity that is necessary to meet our growing customer demands for engine component manufacturing and component repairs,” said Mark Greene, v-p and general manager of StandardAero’s Hillsboro facility. “Our dedicated employees have set the standards for quality and delivery. This expansion is a direct result of their commitment to excellence.”
Also attending the grand opening were StandardAero chief operating officer Kerry O’Sullivan and StandardAero Components, Helicopters, & Accessories president Rick Stine.
Free Webinar: The Connected Flight Department
The mission of a flight department is to safely and efficiently operate its aircraft in a manner that meets the demands of its passengers. In some instances, this is a very dependable and routine schedule. In other cases, the passengers may have schedules that are fluid and more reactionary. Either way, ensuring real-time communication is key between all members of the flight department to be able to meet the mission needs. Join our free webinar on October 2 and learn what you need to look for in today's technology as well as insight from the people on the front lines. AIN editor-in-chief Matt Thurber will moderate this discussion. Sponsored by Flightdocs.
AINalerts News Tips/Feedback: News tips may be sent anonymously, but feedback must include name and contact info (we will withhold name on request). We reserve the right to edit correspondence for length, clarity and grammar. Send feedback or news tips to AINalerts editor Chad Trautvetter.
AIN Alerts is a publication of AIN Publications, 214 Franklin Avenue, Midland Park, New Jersey. Copyright 2019. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is strictly prohibited.
For advertising in AIN Alerts please contact Nancy O'Brien at nobrien@ainonline.com.
