Rotor & Wing 2009-12.pdf

December 2009

Serving the Worldwide Helicopter Industry

rotorandwing.com

2009

BUYER’S GUIDE

2009

EDITORS’

2009

EDITORS’

Choice

EDITORS’ CHOICE PRODUCT GUIDE

SEACOR JOINT SERVICES DEMO

HIGH WIRE ACT

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Randy Jones, Publisher

Rotor & Wing

A Star

is Born.

For unparalleled multi-mission ﬂexibility, the legacy of the S-76 ® helicopter

advances to new heights with the all-new S-76D ™ helicopter. Equipped with

powerful new engines, unprecedented comfort and all-weather capability,

it achieves performance in a class by itself.

The S-76D ™ helicopter. It’s not just a star. It’s a superstar.

Only from Sikorsky.

www.sikorsky.com

Vol. 43 | No. 12

December 2009

Personal|Corporate

Commercial

Military

Public Service

Training

Products

Services

Departments

10 Rotorcraft Report

Program Insider

CH-53 Update

Coming Events

Classified Ads

Ad Index

Columns

4 Editor’s Notebook

8 Feedback

62 Safety Watch

Above: Sikorsky has delivered an S-76++ to the UK Royal

Household. See story in Rotorcraft Report starting on page

10. Below: Honeywell’s Primus Epic integrated avionics

system is featured in the Editors’ Choice Product Guide.

On the Cover: Brad Matheson,

training director for Priority 1 Air

Rescue, pulls the line from an Era

Helicopters AW139 during a SEACOR-

hosted SAR/EMS demo on Oct. 28

in Sabine Pass, Texas. Photo by Tim

Weston/TLW Productions, courtesy of

SEACOR Holdings Inc. For full story,

see Rotorcraft Report on page 10.

Editors’ Choice Product Guide

Rotor & Wing asked its editors and contributors to send in their

opinions about the most innovative and unique products in the

helicopter market. These are the editors’ choices in five distinct

categories. By Rotor & Wing staff

■ Safety Enhancements

■ Training

■ Panel Upgrades

■ Maintenance

■ Facilities

2009

Buyer’s Guide

We’ve modified our annual buyer’s guide issue to become an

invaluable companion piece for more intelligent web searches. The

print edition will still provide a useful, quick and ready desktop

resource of basic vendor product and service information, and

point readers to where they can find more detailed information

on the web. Think of it as a tool for sorting out the useless, non-

relevant information and pinpointing the vendor information you

were really hoping to find. By Rotor & Wing staff

The editors welcome new product information and other industry news. All editorial inquiries should be directed to Rotor & Wing magazine, 4 Choke Cherry Rd., 2nd Floor, Rockville, Md.

20850, USA; 1-301-354-1839; fax 1-301-762-8965. E-mail : rotorandwing@accessintel.com. Rotor & Wing (ISSN-1066-8098) is published monthly by Access Intelligence, 4 Choke

Cherry Rd., 2nd Floor, Rockville, Md. 20850, USA. Periodical postage paid at Rockville, Md. and additional mailing offices. Subscriptions: Free to qualified individuals directly involved in

the helicopter industry. All other subscriptions, U.S.: one year $99; two years $188. Canada: one year $129; two years $208; Foreign: one year $149; two years $278.

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Publication Mail Sales Agreement No. 40558009

DECEMBER 2009 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE

Editor’s Notebook

By Joy Finnegan

Farewell 2009

T he year is drawing to a close. I’ve

jfinnegan@accessintel.com

ter financing report in February.

One bright spot in the market this year

was the focus on upgrading existing heli-

copters or fleets. Operators also learned

quickly to buy used and take it to an uber-

capable shop where they had exactly what

they wanted installed for a “like new” but

more economical solution. For one such

story see Rotor & Wing , “North to Alaska”

in the October 2009 issue. As a reminder,

all of our content is available online at

www.rotorandwing.com .

Another positive was advances in the

digitization of cockpit avionics and instru-

ments, and the continuing emergence of

new tools that are created or made more

viable as a result of advanced digitization.

Kudos go to the innovators who are driving

technology forward. Synthetic vision, for

example, has become a far less expensive

and more viable option in a helicopter

cockpit when there is already a multi-func-

tion display installed that is taking input

and displaying data from a host of other

digital instruments.

Sikorsky’s X2, lauded in both Popular

Mechanics’ “Breakthrough Innovator” and

Popular Science’s “Best of What’s New”

awards this year, would not be possible

without the digital technology that allows

for the active vibration control system. We

anxiously await news from Sikorsky about

the X2 and the company’s ambitious goals

for the technology demonstrator.

But back to the downside: Defense bud-

get cutbacks on key rotorcraft programs

(CSAR-X and the presidential helicopter)

and less emphasis on others (joint heavy-

lift, ARH) don’t seem like wise moves in

these times. These cutbacks should not be

interpreted as just a blow to the U.S. mili-

tary, but to the civilian world as well. These

programs drive new technologies that ulti-

mately find their way into the commercial

market all over the world.

There was also a marked shift toward

western helicopter production in Eastern

Europe—particularly by Sikorsky, with the

September 2009 launch of the new SH70i

Black Hawk production line at the PZL

Mielec facility acquired in 2007, as well

as the signing of a new MOU in April this

year to develop new aircraft with Aero-

Vodochodny in the Czech Republic.

Aero Vodochodny has been building

S-76s for Sikorsky since 2000, and PZL

Swidnik has been building airframes for

AgustaWestland since the late 90’s. Rolls-

Royce also signed an MOU with PZL in

February to explore new aircraft develop-

ment based on its new RR500 power-

plant for light singles. This all significantly

expands the market for “western” aircraft

throughout eastern Europe and Asia.

What will it mean for companies such as

PZL and Hindustan Aeronautics as unique

rotorcraft producers?

For our December issue, in addition to

our directory listing there is a new “prod-

ucts” feature. We asked our contributing

editors for their opinions on unique, can’t-

live-without products for helicopters and

their operators. Starting on page 19, you

will find our “Editors’ Choice” section with

a selection of those cool products. Also,

don’t miss Terry Terrell’s column, “High

Wire Act” on page 62. His column talks

about wire strike avoidance, an all-too-

preventable problem.

Don’t forget we have a helicopter forum

on the Aviation Professionals Network (or

AvProNet) at www.avpronet.com and

encourage your participation there. If you

hear of a job opening or want to ask advice

from your peers in the field, this is a great

place to share and ask.

We a r e a l s o p l e a s e d w i t h o u r

advancements in the e-media realm

this year. We have a Facebook page at

www.facebook.com/pages/Rotor-

Wing/108354174813?ref=ts . Please

join more than 2,100 people in becoming a

fan and share your helicopter pictures with

us there. You can also follow us on Twitter:

@rotorandwing .

Looking ahead, we hope to bring you

information-packed webinars and other

e-media to enrich your rotary world knowl-

edge in the coming year. Here’s wishing you

the best as we move on to 2010.

heard many say they can’t wait for

this year to be over. In general, cer-

tainly in reference to the economy,

I have to agree. Looking back over the year

in rotorcraft there have been some highs

and lows.

One issue has to remain top of mind.

Crashes in the helicopter emergency medi-

cal services (HEMS) industry, especially

those with fatalities, continue to occur

with a frequency that is unacceptable, in

spite of focused attention this year from

the National Transportation Safety Board

(NTSB), FAA and the industry itself.

A medical transport helicopter crashed

in South Carolina in September, killing

all three crewmembers on board. The

helicopter had just dropped off a patient at

a hospital in Charleston and was flying to

Conway, about 90 miles to the northeast,

when it crashed. Just days before we went

to press there was another fatal crash near

Reno, Nev. The crash killed all three crew-

members aboard the Susanville, Calif.-

based helicopter. Again in this accident, as

with the September crash, the helicopter

had just dropped off a patient at a hospital

in Reno and was returning to its base.

NTSB hearings in February and Sep-

tember drew national attention to the

HEMS industry and numerous recom-

mendations have been made. But all

the hearings in the world aren’t going to

change a thing if the industry and the

individuals in it, do not respond. “Man

must cease attributing his problems to his

environment, and learn again to exercise

his will—his personal responsibility,” said

Albert Einstein. This should be a mandate

for all in the HEMS arena. Change must

start with the individual.

Another pressing issue impacting the

helicopter industry this year was the credit

market. Accessibility to financing for all

aircraft, not just helicopters, became dif-

ficult to obtain, especially for smaller, bou-

tique operators in the civilian world. This

credit crunch has seriously stifled growth

in the marketplace. Watch for our helicop-

RotoR & Wing magazine | DecembeR 2009

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