HAI HeliExpo No News is Good News

Robinson R44

At the age of 88, Frank Robinson no longer attends HeliExpo but his product will go on for ever, or if not for ever for a lot longer than him. His son Kurt did the ever popular press briefing and, like all the other companies, Robinson had done better than ever last year, the economy and sequestration nowhere to be felt.
Robinson sold 517 helicopters last year, 191 were R66s and they now produce 5 or 6 R66s a week and the same number of R44s. And this is before they get Russian, Canadian or EASA certification. Think what it will be like when they do. That should be soon, we were glad to hear, as the FAA have accepted ELAS on the hydraulics so the exemption has been lifted and other governments will now be prepared to look at the product. More will clearly be coming on this in the next few months.

Mr Gou

Enstrom Helicopters have been bought by Chung Ching China, and the company's Mr Gou signed the agreement to purchase 10 more 480s (they already have 6) at the show. After this the incredibly named Chung Ching China company will buy another 15 helicopters, effectively filling up the production line for the foreseeable future. Training helicopters are clearly dearly needed in China.

The other interesting thing of the day was Scott's Bell 47. While Scott's PR writer suffered a little from hyperbole insisting that the show was all talking about their collaboration with Rolls Royce to produce the new Bell 47GT6, it is certainly a lovely idea, and well supported. This, like other things at the show, will be ongoing for many years.

Day One Heli Expo Las Vegas 2013

As usual the first day at HeliExpo was busy but fascinating, though I would not suggest there is much real news. However, in this case, I would say No News is Good News.

Eurocopter had a good year in 2012. Revenues were up 15%, not because they sold more helicopters, in fact they sold fewer, but because the ones they did were more expensive and because they have improved their customer service side so much that it brought in 40% of the revenue. They are continuing with their ecological helicopter drive and this time 'launched' the EC145T2.

EC145T2

Lynn Tilton, MD Helicopters, had also had a best ever year. This is, she said, because she had finally managed to achieve all the Ps: product, people and process. She always had a good product, but now she had brought in the best people and this led to a good process. There is an element of repetition here, as I remember her wonderful team being praised a few years ago; only then they were a different team.
She has a good shot at the Armed Aerial Scout contract, and she also believes that "this is the year of the NOTAR" and that the MD902 will finally come into its own. At the moment there are around 100 out there, but this is the time to push forward and create more opportunities.
Dress wise, as this is always a Tilton issue, she was wearing an army fatigues dress made by one of her '75 companies'. Someone asked, "didn't it used to be 77?" Or at least 76?

Lynn Tilton and her managers

Sikorsky had had a good year - blimey no one has been affected by the economy or sequestration, how lucky they all are!
2012 profits were up 100 million $s. Oddly, in spite of that Jeff Pino the former CEO got the heave ho, but the new chap Mick Maurer seemed to know his stuff at least and performed well.
Sikorsky are looking at three challenges:
a. The Combat Armed Helicopter,
b. The Presidential Helicopter
c. The Armed Aerial Scout.
They think they have a good shot at all of them. The Presidential Helicopter suits Sikorsky well because they are looking for a basic helicopter into which they can add the necessary software without putting up the price to Heaven. Of course, they will win that one but Agusta only really have themselves to blame for losing the last contract by allowing the price to rocket and not doing anything to keep it down. Perhaps they were stuffing too many brown envelopes even then!

Agusta also had a good year, needless to say, after all what is a prosecution here and there. But it is hard for me to say much more about them at the moment as I fell asleep in the press conference along with the rest of the journos. Say what you like about old Orsi and his fast moving hands but he kept one awake at least.

More tomorrow and in the magazine Helicopter Life out in Spring - late March, early April.

Press Day HeliExpo Las Vegas

On the roof tops a abseiling demo

Good day at HeliExpo. A Bell conference, John Garrison recaped the doing and successes of 2012.

A Goodrich /UTC abseiling demo on the roof of the Encore Hotel. The demo was brilliant and well arranged for the photographers, however finding how to reach the car park on the roof from the Convention Centre was a test of intuition. But, thanks to the power of the voice (I asked lots of people) I found the way.

Also, as I was awake at 3.30 and up and about by 5.30, I took a trip on the Monorail to the Strip and took some photos of Las Vegas in all its nutty glory.

New York Las Vegas style

Paris, Nevada

HAI HeliExpo 2013 Las Vegas

Well here we are in Las Vegas, ready for the 2013 helicopter show which starts on Tuesday, but has a press day today, Monday, to prepare us for the excitements ahead.

Already, Las Vegas has excelled itself. I had dinner in a coke bottle last night ! Well, almost. The elevator/lift (multilingual!) was in a green coke bottle and you ascended or descended viewing The LV Strip through a strange green tinge - I don't say greenish, as nothing in Las Vegas is understated. This was real strong bottle green and you like it or leave!

So, on to the show. Today, a trip to the convention centre, register, see press schedule and then a quick buzz over to the Whirly Girls meeting at the Springfield Suites, to give them my magazines - I am donating a two year subscription to Helicopter Life - and to hear the doings of the year.

More through the week. Hurrah it is HeliExpo again.

Dinner in a green coke bottle

Helicopter Life HonEd Jennifer Murray Atacama Race

At the beginning of March, grandmother Jennifer Murray, best known for flying round the world both East and West and North and South, will set out to overcome age, injury and her critics when she takes on the toughest footrace on the planet, the Atacama Desert in Chile, in the hopes of raising £50,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support.
Jennifer ran straight in to the record books once more as is the oldest woman ever to have attempted this race, and is the oldest competitor in the race by ten years.
This is no ordinary race, and along with running partner, Head of Macmillan Support Line, Blanca Fernandez, Jennifer will be racing across a vast Chilean desert that is 50 times drier than Death Valley and widely known as the driest place on earth. The race itself is an epic 250km self-supported race lasting six days, in other words a marathon a day for six straight days in temperatures reaching as high as over 40C.

Jennifer said: “Macmillan Cancer Support is a wonderful organisation that offers every type of support for people affected by cancer. My darling cousin Sophie died of cancer when she was just 18 years old, so I know firsthand how devastating cancer can be. Age is just a number to me, and I am determined to take on this final epic adventure and complete this ultra marathon for myself and for Macmillan”.

Jennifer is a trained helicopter pilot who learnt to fly aged 54. She solo circumnavigated the world in a helicopter in 2000 and in 2007 co-piloted a helicopter to circumnavigate around the poles, a trip that crossed 25 countries, lasted 171 days and had never before been accomplished. The 2007 trip was a second attempt, after Jennifer and co-pilot Colin Bodill suffered a near-fatal accident and severe injuries during the first.

To donate to Jennifer’s desert marathon attempt for Macmillan go to www.justgiving.com/Jennifer-Murray2 .

London Helicopter Accident

On Wednesday 16th January 2013, a helicopter on the way from Redhill, south of London, to Elstree, north of London, ran into bad weather and was diverted into Battersea Heliport in Central London. At some point, most likely on his approach into the heliport, the helicopter hit a crane which was obscured by the cloud. The helicopter came down in a clear area near the base of the crane but unfortunately both the pilot and one person on the ground were killed. Because the helicopter also hit a couple of cars there was a fire and all the emergency services were called.

Because London is a major city and these kinds of incident are very rare, this accident created a lot of press coverage and all the networks were fighting for 'helicopter experts' to explain what might have happened. As editor of Helicopter Life I was asked by Sky News, Canadian TV, Radio Derby and The Times of London to give my advice on what might have happened and what affect the crash might have on helicopter flying in London.

I talked on the various networks and did my best to try and give a sensible and calm view of the matter. These accidents are incredibly rare. Aviation is a highly regulated business and pilots have stringent and frequent checks both on their flying skills and on their health. The weather is, however, an important part of this and many other accidents and as ever it is important to think about how we pilots, when we find ourselves inadvertently in bad weather, may get out of it quickly and safely.

This is a matter I had recently been discussing with the CAA, although not in relation to London. We were discussing the necessity to reassure pilots that if they do something that was otherwise illegal (such as landing in a built-up area without permission) because it was necessary to save life, they would not be prosecuted. I would like to bring up this position again and to relate it to London in particular. Had the pilot felt it was possible to land somewhere in London immediately the weather got too bad to continue flying, would he have done so? It does take quite a psychological leap to land in, for example, a park in London, knowing there will be people around and that their safety must also be taken into account. There is also the question of Battersea Heliport and the equipment that is there. Would it be a good thing to modernise the only general heliport in central London. This certainly seems like a good idea.

Whatever happens in the future, one thing is certain, there will now be considerable discussion on the subject of helicopter flying over London. I hope there will not be any immediate and automatic reactions which will lead to greater legislation which may not have any affect on safety.

Helicopter Life Winter 2012

Helicopter Life Winter 2012

The latest edition of Helicopter Life has gone to press and will be out later in December.
In this issue we have : test flight of the Bell 407GX, with its new Garmin 1000 instrument panel; training for the special services; Guardians of the Golden Gate, US Coastguard in San Francisco, AMREF Flying Doctors and many other stories.

Both the recession and the weather are making helicopter flying in Europe pretty quiet at the moment. After yesterday's UK budget, with its revised forecast for the downturn to continue until 2018 or beyond it seems likely that this will continue. However, on the bright side more companies are using helicopters and the oil and gas industry continues to thrive. And, of course, outside Europe and the USA the number of helicopters and helicopter owners is growing...