Germany is continuing to promote the creation of a multinational pool of up to 20 NH90 rotorcraft to be used for combat medevac missions. It first floated the idea in late 2014 amid contract revision talks with the NH Industries consortium which resulted in it retaining 20 options for the troop transport helicopter. Maj Gen Thomas Marlow, commander of the German army’s rapid forces div...
Bell Helicopter begins 2016 with final assembly of its V-280 next-generation tiltrotor 23% complete and on target for first flight in September 2017, with the next major milestones being mating of the wing and fuselage in April. The company’s VP of advanced tiltrotor systems Vince Tobin says the straight, composite wing for the US Army technology demonstrator is almost fabricated, includi...
The UK is exploring options for its transport rotorcraft, including in-flight refuelling, as it looks to extend the operational range of its fleet in line with commitments in a recent defence review. Released in November, the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) promised the UK would "upgrade helicopters and transport aircraft so we can deploy further, faster and independently, to...
Bell Helicopter will, in 2017, fly a V-22 tiltrotor equipped with new prop rotor blades designed to reduce manufacturing costs on the type. The modification is the latest in a series of trials under the manufacturer's Advanced Technology Tiltrotor (ATTR) effort; a risk-reduction exercise for the Osprey's US Marine Corps and US Air Force customers. "It is a fairly substantial cha...
Gerald Tobias, the former president and CEO of Sikorsky Aircraft who helped develop the Black Hawk military helicopter and launched the S-76 executive helicopter, died on November 14 in Huntington Beach, Calif. He was 89. Born July 6, 1926, Tobias served in the U.S. Marines from 1943 to 1944 and trained on the Boeing Stearman. Following his service, Tobias remained invo...
Uber is partnering with Airbus. The on-demand ride service will be offering stylish, swift, and costly helicopter rides around Utah during the Sundance Film Festival this month, and none other than European aerospace giant Airbus will be providing the choppers. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Airbus CEO Tom Enders said "It's a pilot project, we’ll see where it goes...
A coroner's jury has ruled that a helicopter crash which killed Tory peer Lord Ballyedmond and three others was an accident. Lord Ballyedmond, also known as Dr Edward Haughey, was killed when the AgustaWestland AW139 came down in a field in heavy fog shortly after take-off from the estate he owned in Gillingham, Norfolk, on March 13 2014. Dr Haughey's foreman, Declan Small, 42, of Ma...
This year marks the 100th year of U.S. Coast Guard aviation, and much like the Navy did in 2011, this monumental anniversary will be marked by a series of retro paint schemes applied to some of their aircraft. The first in that series is this MH-60T Jayhawk painted just like HH-34 Seahorse, R-5 Dragonfly and HH-19 Chickasaw helicopters during the ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s. Here is t...
A woman fought to save the life of a man having a heart attack for forty minutes on a Ryanair flight, it was reported. The plane was en route to Liverpool from Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands when the man had a heart-attack. The plane was diverted to Cork in Ireland where the unnamed female passenger continued to work on the man, despite heavy turbulence. The woman, who was trav...
High waves expected for the next several days will hamper the search for 12 Marines missing at sea after two helicopters collided near the island of Oahu in Hawaii, U.S. Coast Guard officials said on Friday. Two Coast Guard cutters and several Coast Guard aircraft were searching, along with two U.S. Navy warships and local police and fire department helicopters, the Coast Guard said. A safet...
Russian Helicopters could be partly privatized this year; an option to sell 25% stake to a strategic investor is being considered, Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said Thursday. "25%. It all depends on the situation, but we hope that it will happen this year," he said, answering a question about the possibility of privatization of the company. Russian President Vladimir...
Wizz Air, the largest low-cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe, made great strides in calendar year 2015 and established itself as one of the best-performing ultra-low-cost carriers. Milestones for 2015 include a successful listing on the London Stock Exchange, a major brand refresh and livery update for its aircraft, a record aircraft order from Airbus at the Paris Air Show, and the entr...
