SERVING MANY INDUSTRIES—SAVING MORE THAN TIME

www.nehc.org April 2011

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Dear NEHC Members,

March 11, 2011 is a day the world will not soon forget. As we now know, a massive earthquake centered off the coast of Japan triggered a tsunami which resulted in extensive catastrophic damage. The Japanese people are struggling to acquire water, food, and shelter while simultaneously attempting to contain radiation from the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Sim-ilar to other such disasters, the world has come together to provide material and monetary aid, rescue teams and condolences to ease the burden on the Japanese people. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Japan.

Did you notice how helicopters have responded to this disaster? Within moments after the tsunami warning was broad-cast, helicopters were in service, flying over coastal communities, advising residents to evacuate. Helicopters were seen rescuing people as the tsunami washed ashore. In the hours after the initial damage, helicopters were used in a number of critical roles; search and rescue, aerial survey, transporting rescue teams and basic necessities to the hardest hit areas along Japan’s east coast.

Helicopters are truly amazing machines; capable of operating from remote areas in austere conditions, flying high to survey large areas, flying low and slow for close up reconnaissance, able to remain stationary in a hover to hoist stranded people to safety or to lower material and supplies when there’s no suitable landing area. If you watched the reports on national news or saw video clips posted on YouTube, it’s easy to conclude that these were all easy, routine, operations. It’s true that properly equipped helicopters flown by trained professional crew make difficult tasks look ‘easy and routine’. Those of you who have done such flying know that hoisting people off roof tops and operating in unprepared areas requires considerable concentration. And, there is nothing ‘routine’ about dropping load after load of water on a damaged nuclear reactor. Our colleagues in Japan have done a tremendous job using their helicopters to help their countrymen in the aftermath of Japan’s greatest natural disaster.

Every helicopter pilot knows that helicopters are relatively low-speed machines. Without getting technical, forward speed is limited by blade stall on the retreating side of the rotor system and the effects of compressibility of the advancing blade. Engineers have made a number of incremental advancements to allow helicopters to fly faster. The ‘holy grail’ for helicopter de-signers is to create a design that retains the helicopter’s most desirable feature, that is its ability to hover, and then be able to ‘dash’ from point to point at high speed. The helicopter industry has probably already started analyzing the helicopter’s role in response to the tsunami in Japan. This study should provide useful data to justify the ongoing development of faster helicopters.

One of the 1st generation, high speed helicopters was the Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne. The Cheyenne was developed over 44 years ago and attempted to satisfy the military’s requirement for a high speed attack helicopter. Since then a number of ad-vancements have made high speed helicopter flight a reality. Bell-Boeing’s V-22 Osprey is now in service with the US military. The Osprey is a tilt-rotor; for takeoff and landing it typically operates as a helicopter with the engine nacelles vertical and rotors horizontal. Once airborne, the nacelles rotate forward 90° for horizontal flight, converting the V-22 to a more fuel-efficient, high-er-speed turboprop airplane. Bell and Agusta have entered into a joint venture to bring a civil tilt-rotor, the BA-609, to the mar-ketplace. Other manufacturers are taking different approaches to create composite, high speed helicopters. Piasecki Helicopter Company has designed and flown a derivative of the UH-60 Blackhawk, the SpeedHawk. In this edition of the newsletter, you will also read an article that describes Eurocopter’s high speed prototype, the X3,Hybrid Helicopter.

Speaking of fast helicopters, please join us for our spring membership meeting to learn about Sikorsky’s success with their X2 TECHNOLOGY™ demon-strator program. Several years ago Sikorsky initiated a development program to achieve high speed helicopter flight by creating a counter-rotating coaxial-rotor design, for low speed flight and handling, coupled with a pusher propeller to pro-vide the thrust needed for high cruise speed. The X2 has successfully flown at 250 knots! We plan to start the evening with a short business meeting followed im-mediately by the feature presentation. Please join us at the Tewksbury Country Club on April 13. It promises to be a great night and you won’t want to miss it!

W. Gregory Harville President

Sikorsky X2 Technology Demonstrator™ On exhibit at Heli-Expo 2011.

Picture courtesy of Wes Verkaart

2

A Major Milestone for Eurocopter’s X3 Hybrid Helicopter Step 1 speed objective of 180 kts is attained

ahead of schedule for this innovative rotary-wing aircraft.

On November 29th, Eurocopter’s X3 high-speed hybrid helicopter demonstrator, which performed its maiden flight on September 6, 2010, reached the program’s Step 1 speed objective: attaining a true airspeed of 180 kts (333 km/hr) in level flight at a reduced level of engine power. This performance was obtained at the DGA Flight Test base in Is-tres, France.

In the flight testing performed thus far, the flight envelope has been opened with and without autopilot to validate

the basic hybrid demonstrator aircraft’s stability and handling characteristics. The X3 has reached an altitude of 12,500 feet (3,810 meters) and performed maneuvers with left and right turns at bank angles of up to 60 degrees.

The X3 flights to date were performed by Eu-rocopter test pilot Hervé Jammayrac and flight test engineer Daniel Semioli at the French DGA test facility in Istres.

“The X3 has performed extremely well, demonstrating handling and flight qualities that are exact-ly in line with our ground-based simulator evaluations,” Jammay-rac said. “This helicopter is real-ly built for speed, and our test team looks forward to taking the X3 to the next steps of its flight regime.”

(Continued on page 3)

Granite State Aviation LLC Agusta A109E Power Elite

Luxury Helicopter Charter Service

Managed by Air Carrier FTYA033E

JBI Helicopter Services

For Charter Information 603-225-3134

3

Contributed by: Cecile Vion-Lanctuit & Scott Dodge NE Regional Technical Representative scott.dodge@eurocopterusa.com  

Need A Lift? Call JBI Helicopter Services

Specialists in aerial application of dry and liquid materials, power line patrol, rooftop HVAC installation, concrete pouring and construction support, mountaintop radio antenna construction & maintenance, and forest fire fighting.

JBI Helicopter Services is a Bell Helicopter Customer Service Facility for Bell 206B, 206L, 407 and the 427 model helicopters.

FAA Repair Station # FTYR033E

720 Clough Mill Road, Pembroke, NH 03275TEL: (603) 225-3134 FAX: (603) 224-9050

sales@jbihelicopters.com

Having already surpassed the speed of a traditional helicopter, the next milestone for the demonstrator is the Step 2 phase at Eurocopter’s headquarters in Marignane, France, where the X3 will enter a second set of flight tests during which it is expected to reach sustained cruise speeds in excess of 220 kts.

The X3 utilizes a Eurocopter Dauphin helicopter airframe. It is equipped with two turboshaft engines that power a five-blade main rotor system, along with two propellers installed on short-span fixed wings. This hybrid configura-tion creates an advanced transportation system that offers the speed of a turboprop-powered aircraft and the full hover flight capabilities of a helicopter. It is tailored to applications where operational costs, flight duration and mis-sion success depend directly on the maximum cruising speed.

The X3 combines excellent vertical takeoff and landing capabilities with fast cruise speeds of more than 220 kts. Eurocopter envisions a wide range of applications for this concept, including long-distance search and rescue (SAR) missions, coast guard duties, border patrol missions, passenger transportation and inter-city shuttle services. It could also be well-tailored for military missions in Special Forces’ operations, troop transportation, combat SAR and medical evacuation – benefitting from the hybrid aircraft’s combination of higher cruise speeds with excellent verti-cal takeoff/landing performance.

(Continued from page 2)

For more information on the Eurocopter X3 high-speed hybrid helicopter demonstrator discover the film illustrat-

ing this important X3 program milestone by connecting to either www.eurocopter.com or www.youtube.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxhogYKwV7Y http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPYKktIdvoM&NR=1

SAFETY ALERT

If your travels take you to the W30th Street Heliport (KJRA) be aware that reported surface winds are between 90 degrees and as much as 180 de-grees off the actual wind direction. There appears to be a calibration er-ror with their anemometer.

The heliport manager has been made aware of this anomaly.

Apple iPad 2 may soon replace paper charts in airplane cockpits

On Feb. 1, the FAA granted the first approval for professional cockpit use of the iPad to Executive Jet Management. The company has made 250 flights as part of the certification process with maps and accessories created for the iPad by Jeppesen.

The FAA has already granted approval for the use of “electronic flight bags,” or computers for aviation purpos-es. The move to allow iPads in cockpits stems from the popularity of the device, its wide acceptance by the aviation community and the increasing availability of aviation specific applications (apps).

(Continued on page 15)

4

The military services have been flying with NVGs on low altitude helicopter and fixed-wing mis-sions for some time. NVG usage is growing in civilian aviation sectors, and this equipment will be finding newer nighttime applications and in-creasing acceptance in the years ahead. NVGs promise greater operational capability but, like any new technology, they have their own unique risk profiles.

The technique in general military technique has the pilots using NVGs to maintain an outside scan while the copilots scan the flight instru-ments inside the cockpit. Certainly, with these divided responsibilities, task definitions and communications protocols need to be defined with some clarity—a new CRM chapter covering NVGs.

In the world of civilian helicopter flying, many night operations are flown by a single pilot. How can NVGs be used effectively, and what precautions are necessary for safe flight? The answers require knowledge of the technology’s capabilities and limitations.

The primary NVG advantage is that the pilot is able to see objects at night that could not otherwise be seen by the naked eye. Some small degree of ambient light is necessary but, remarkably, even starlight can be intensified enough for NVGs to produce an electronic image of terrain and obstacles.

However, operational conditions can severely limit NVG effectiveness. Citing NTSB report WPR09LA125, the Eu-rocopter AS350 approached the dirt parking lot landing area for patient pickup. The pilot received area obstacle in-formation from the onsite fire engine crew and asked if the dirt landing area had been watered down. He received a negative reply but was told that it “looked damp.” Wearing NVGs and descending through 30 feet above ground level the pilot noticed dust circulating. At 15-20 feet he experienced a brownout and at 10 feet lost all visual reference due to the fire truck lights that illuminated the landing area. An out-of-control hard landing damaged the helicopter. A double whammy—loss of ambient lighting followed by glaring external light that can cause flash-blindness and pro-duce afterimages.

Another example is found in NTSB ANC06TA047. On a dark night this A350 helicopter landed on a frozen lake car-rying a rescue team for a missing person ground search. There was a snowfall during the hour-long unsuccessful search. On departure the pilot wore NVGs and, during transition from a hover to forward flight, “blowing snow [whiteout] from the main rotor momentarily reduced the pilot’s visibility, and he lost all visual reference with the surface.” The takeoff was aborted and the terrain collision resulted in substantial damage. Significantly, the pilot re-

ported he not received any formal training in the use of NVGs.

It has been reported that helicopter pilots are more susceptible to spatial disorientation than fixed-wing pilots. It is easy to envision that the severity of this very real human factors problem is increased when NVGs are being used. NTSB DEN05LA053 provides an example. The A350 pilot and only occupant was conducting a posi-tioning flight on a dark night under overcast skies. The pressure to get the helicopter back to its home base for maintenance was self-induced, and he chose to follow a highway with landing, taxi and searchlights illuminated. Although NVG trained with some flight experience, he had never flown with this degree of external lighting. He became “confused and disoriented,” switched

(Continued on page 8)

Night Vision Goggles

5

Survival Systems USA Inc, the world’s leader in underwater egress and survival training, is proud to announce the completion and grand opening of their state-of-the-art Sur-vival Training Simulation Theatre at their headquarters in Groton, Conn. This facility is now home to the most up to date and sophisticated underwater egress, surface water survival, and environmental simulations available. Students can now experi-ence rain, wind, thunder, lightning, fog, and the downwash from a rescue aircraft.

After more than 12 years in business, SSUSA has trained over 100,000 individuals from every corner of the globe. The Modular Egress Training Simulator (METS™) will still be the backbone of their training, but the environmental simulations are sure to make this the most realistic and hands on training the company has ever offered

All members of the NEHC are invited to observe training and take a tour of the facility on April, 14, 2011. Demonstrations of the METS™ and the new training theatre will run at 9:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM.

Please contact Tracy Whitehead for more infor-mation and to schedule a tour of the facility.

888-386-5371

www.survivalsystemsinc.com

FAA Issues Bulletin on Garmin 400/500 TAWS Function

The FAA is recommending that owners and op-erators of helicopters equipped with Garmin 400/500-series GPS navigation systems deacti-vate those units’ Terrain Awareness and Warn-ing Systems (TAWS) designed for use in fixed-wing airplanes.

Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin SW-11-24, issued March 18, recommends “that if the TAWS function is activated in your rotorcraft, you deactivate that function by means of the options selectable procedure described in the Garmin installation manuals … until an ap-proved HTAWS system can be installed in your rotorcraft.”

The FAA issued the bulletin, which is for infor-mation only and whose recommendations are not mandatory, to address “an airworthiness concern regarding operation of a rotorcraft with an alert system not designed or intended for use on rotorcraft.” It notes that “at this time, this airworthiness concern is not an unsafe condi-tion.” It does note that “the Garmin 400/500 TAWS installation manuals clearly note that the TAWS function is not designed nor approved for use in rotorcraft.” For more information please visit:

www.airweb.faa.gov

6

Clarification

Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for many of us pilots to have a line of copy in the Limitations box on our Medi-cal Certificate that reads “ Must have available lenses that correct for near vision”.

Presbyopia is the culprit (consult the internet for detailed cause information if you need it) but cheer up – technology to the rescue. The biggest problem I found was making the right choice … what would work BEST for a helicopter pilot.

I just got my new glasses with progressive lenses and anti-reflective coating and they are the best solution I have found to correct Presbyopia for flying the helicopter. My journey to this solution was not direct so I thought docu-menting it might save other pilots some time and money.

Initially I was able to get by with inexpensive half-glasses … the kind you may see airline pilots wearing so they can read checklists. These will help with charts, checklists and possibly even your GPS. If you are lucky you may even find them at Ocean State Job Lot for $3 including a case.

After a couple of years I found the panel instru-ments more difficult to read and realized two dif-ferent levels of correction were now required (Panel distance & close-up for those checklists, charts and cell phone …… after landing, of course). I went and got an eye exam and had them make me a pair of tri-focals …. Clear glass on top and the two levels of correction set lower than they usually make them. These worked great in the daytime but I hated them at night because of reflections.

I lived with those for a couple of years and at my next eye exam the doc convinced me to try the new multi-focal con-tact lenses. This should get rid of the night reflections problem.

Like everyone else, I hated sticking something foreign in my eye but learned how to do it and tried them for a month before concluding they were not as advertised. DO NOT believe the ads. Multi-focal contact lenses are a HUGE compromise. You give up crisp distance vision and close-up vision so you can have an in-focus range of a few feet to something less than infinity ……. obviously NOT a good choice for a pilot. With them you will STILL need reading glasses. So it was back to the tri-focals, but this time with anti-reflective coating and a slight astigmatism correction for distance as well. The astigmatism correction sharpened up far distant objects OK (now I could read the tail logos on those jets departing Logan) but they created situational distortion when I turned my head side to side …… took quite a bit of getting used to.

Refusing to give up my quest for the perfect solution I decided to give progressive lenses a shot. Computers have made these complex optical wonders possible and even at many hundreds of dollars (be sure to get the anti-reflective coating option for night flying) they are still a bargain in the aviation accessories world. For us pilots they are “professional tools” so even if you can’t get your employer or insurance to pay for them, at least they are tax deducti-ble.

I just completed 45 minute day and night flights with my new progressive lenses and they are the best solution I have found so far. I found it easy to move from outside to inside the cockpit and perform normal instrument scans. I did “brain training” with them for a few days before flying and found they are also great for driving a car (similar visual ergonomics to your helicopter) and for watching TV. On the down side, they are not good for using with a computer or reading a book where small eyeball scanning movements work best, so I will continue to use cheap readers for those tasks. Progressive lenses require you to use larger muscles so you point your nose at the visual target …… sounds weirder than it is in practice.

A few final notes on glasses construction: 1) be sure to have them set the correction portion lower than usual, 2) choose lens with a lot of vertical height … allows larger areas of correction (mine measure 1 3/8”), 3) choose frames with very narrow and flexible side arms so they fit easily under your headset …. better ear-cup sealing.

I hope this is useful input but feel free to contact me for further clarification …. Yeah, I meant to say that.

Contributed by: Wes Verkaart

7

Helicopters in the Movies

What do these two pictures have in common? Both show heli-copters that are working ‘In-the-Movies’. Helicopters serve many industries and the movie business is no exception. We all know how useful helicopters are in moving people and ma-terial from point to point, often landing in remote sites inac-cessible by other types of transportation. The movie business relies heavily on helicopters, in part for such transportation and more importantly because of their versatility for air-to-air, air-to-ground, and ground-to-air cinematography, aerial coor-dination, location scouting, for use as ground props, and many other jobs that constitute modern movie-making. The As-355 Twin-Star on the left is working as an aerial camera. Helicop-ters can also be actors such as the one pictured below. It may look like a military OH-58 Kiowa but it’s actually a Bell JetRanger. This particular helicopter is based in Norwood, Massachusetts and is owned and operated by Aerial Produc-tions, LLC, New England’s leading aerial production company and an operating member of the NEHC.

Aerial Productions’ Mike Peavey, a member of the Screen Actors Guild, has worked on many feature films, commer-cials, television productions and documentaries. Here is Mike’s description of the activities depicted in these two pictures.

The night time shot is N37WA in Navy gray with a Nightsun® working on the Angelina Jolie movie SALT on Long Island. The other picture ship in the background is a civilian Blackhawk from Firehawk Helicopters in Florida. We also had a TwinStar as the camera ship and I flew 4 nights until 2 or 3 in the morning. The TwinStar with Wescam is what we used for 5 days on Ben Affleck's movie, THE TOWN. You might recog-nize that the LZ is at the old Revere Sugar facili-ty in Charlestown.

For more information please visit:

Aerial Productions, LLC www.aerialproductions.com

Internet Movie Database www.imdb.com

Firehawk Helicopters, Inc. www.firehawkhelicopters.com

AS-355, TwinStar with nose mounted Wescam Cinematography Camera

N37WA in military paint scheme with nose mounted Nightsun®

SH 19B Chickasaw

If you look closely you can see David Jarratt in the cockpit.

8

from NVG vision to normal vision and back to the NVGs, was unable to gain control and crashed (escaping unin-jured). The report cited improper use of NVGs and choice of external lighting that may well have contributed to his disorientation.

Many other NVG issues need to be examined and understood—more than can be covered in this brief message. But even this introduction raises the caution flag with respect to operational employment of night vision goggles. Cer-tainly comprehensive ground and inflight training is required before complex nighttime missions are undertaken, with NVG recurrency standards being defined as well.

An interesting subject to explore further. It you would like to contribute your experiences using NVGs please contact Bob Jenney.

(Continued from page 4)

Join us at the membership meeting on April 13. Identify yourself as a CFI-H and be our complimentary guest.

Join the New England Helicopter Council and help grow our helicopter community.

Open Invitation to All Helicopter Flight Schools and Flight Instructors

Contributed by: Bob Jenney (rmj@aviation.org), Aviation Safety Connection

For More Information Visit http://aviation.org

IMPORTANT NOTE FROM NBAA As you may all be aware, under the Hudson River Park Act, West 30th Street Heliport (JRA) is in serious jeopardy of closing. The Easter Region Helicopter Council (ERHC) is staging a valiant effort to prevent its closure. ERHC has engaged a lobbyist to mitigate the closure. Not only is JRA at risk, but other airports as well, within the state of New York and nationwide.. ….. SMO, BDR as well as the restrictions being placed on helicopter routes over Long Island

Sound. On 7 April from 11:00 to 13:00, ERHC is host-ing a meeting at 295 Lafayette Street (New York Uni-versity 2nd floor) in New York City. This meeting is geared toward aviation managers. If you would like to attend please RSVP to Alex Dadurian at alex.dadurian@ge.com or Dean Saucier at dsauci-er@nbaa.org. Thank you. Dean Saucier, NBAA Regional Representative

9

NEHC Spring Membership Meeting

Wednesday April 13, 2011

7:00 PM At the

Tewksbury Country Club 1880 Main Street

Tewksbury, MA 01876 (978) 640-0033

Heavy hors d’oeuvres and Non-alcoholic beverages will be served. Cash bar. Free admission for mem-bers and $10 fee for non

members, which is waived if you join NEHC on the

night of the meeting

Any members interested in flying into this meeting should contact Marc Ginsburg 978.640.0033 to make arrangements. Happy Flying!

Special Guest:

Vaughan W. Askue

Senior Marketing Analyst

Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation

A couple years ago, Sikorsky initiated the X2 TECHNOLOGY™ Demonstrator Program to advance the de-sign of counter-rotating coaxial-rotor helicopters. The program was intended to establish that a helicopter can maintain 250 knots comfortably while retaining key attributes that make helicopters so desirable, such as excellent low speed handling, efficient hovering and safe autorotation, and be capable of a simple transition from hover to high speed. Join us to hear how the X2 TECHNOLOGY™ achieved these goals.

Going Fast In A Helicopter — The Story of the Sikorsky X2

In addition, Bill Carroll, NEHC’s 1st Vice President, would like to ‘bring-us-back-to-our–roots’ and host an inter-active discussion to help our group identify and solve local hazards, safety issues, ATC concerns, or other such problems that may affect NEHC members. We look forward to your participation in this discussion.

About our guest speaker: Vaughan has been with Sikorsky for 41 years. Before joining the marketing team, he

worked in experimental flight test and advanced design. At various times during his career he has contributed

his engineering expertise to the UH-60 Black Hawk, S-64 Skycrane, the MH-53D Sea Stallion, and the S-72 Rotor Systems Research Aircraft. His responsibilities have included studying and understanding Sikorsky's competitors including, at that time, helicopters produced by the Soviet Union. He is currently responsible for all technical data and marketing publications to support Sikorsky’s sales teams. Vaughan holds a private pilot certificate with air-plane single engine land and glider ratings and is author of the book "Flight Testing Homebuilt Aircraft."

10

Mystery Helicopter

Can you identify this aircraft?

The first person to correctly identify this aircraft will win a coveted NEHC ball cap, as well as im-portant bragging rights. Please tell us who built the aircraft and something about its history.

Answers can be submitted on line at info@nehc.org or drop us a note addressed to:

New England Helicopter Council

P.O. Box 80047 Stoneham, MA 02180-0001

Helicopter Puzzles

Fill the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3 x 3 box con-

tains the letters

H E L I C O P T R

Fill the grid so that every row, every column, and every 2 x 3 box con-tains the letters

C O P T E R

Food for thought -

Famous last words in aviation, “Why is it doing that”, “I have an idea!”, and “Hey, watch this!” (Anonymous)

Never fly in a cockpit with someone braver than you. (Anonymous)

Never trade luck for skill. (Anonymous)

The only truly discretionary decision a pilot makes during any particular flight is whether to takeoff. Once airborne, landing is a certainty and may, or may not, be at the place and time envisioned during preflight planning. (Retired Army Aviator)

A pilot who doesn't have any fear probably isn't flying his aircraft to its maximum. (Jon McBride, astronaut)

If you're faced with a forced landing, fly the thing as far into the crash as possible. (Bob Hoover, aerobatic and test pilot)

C—O—P—T—E—R Sudoku

T

C P T R

E P

E C

R T O E

T

H-E-L-I-C-O-P-T-R Sudoku

I L O

O T C L

E C P O T

P T I

C

E L I

R P C T E

T O E I

H T O

11

New 407 Helicopter Variant Features Advanced Integrated Glass Cockpit

Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company, has announced the introduction of the 407GX, a new version of the Bell 407 equipped with the innovative Gar-min G1000H Integrated Flight Deck.

The Garmin G1000H glass flight deck provides critical flight information at a glance for greater situational awareness, improved operational capability and increased safety. The advanced cockpit features, as standard, two 10.4” high-resolution LCD displays with an intuitive, easy to scan layout and an integrat-ed avionics system that presents flight instrumentation, position, navigation, communication, and identification information. Airport frequencies are auto-matically loaded into standby upon airport code selection. Integrated safety attributes include Traffic Information System (TIS), HSVT Synthetic Vision Technology, “Pathway in the Sky”, moving NAV map, Helicopter Terrain Avoidance Warning System (HTAWS) and range ring, as well as tail rotor

camera system, for aircraft and public safety. There are also engine and crew alerting systems including power situation indicator (PSI), fuel flow as well as range calcu-lation, and automatic power assurance check. The ad-vanced suite also features critical flight parameter storage on a SD card for post flight analysis.

There are numerous optional kits that can be added to the already outstanding standard 407GX for even more ex-traordinary performance. These integrated options in-clude Garmin GDL 69AH XM Weather and Radio; Gar-min GDL 59H WiFi Datalink and Flight Parameter Re-corder; Garmin GSR 56H Iridium Voice/Data Transceiv-er; Garmin GTS 800 Traffic Advisory System (ADS-B In Capability); ELT; Radar Altimeter; and more.

“The technology found on the Bell 407GX is unique in the helicopter industry,” said Gary Kelley, Vice President, Marketing, Garmin International. ”While many of these features can be found on fixed wing aircraft, the highly scalable G1000H takes cockpit operations and safety tech-nology to the next level.” An example of this is “Listen in 3D”. Advanced processing in the GMA 350 adjusts audio in the headset to mimic how the human ear normally hears and registers sounds in space. When this future improvement is fully certified, the 3D Audio feature will make it seem as though different audio sources are com-ing from different directions around you, allowing for easier focus and help the pilot understand one particular source from among many.

The well-appointed 407GX, as well as the entire 407 fami-ly, includes such operational features as a choice of maxi-mum internal gross weights, high main rotor clearance (8 ft), excellent hover performance, powerful FADEC con-trolled engine, comfortable seating for seven, and optional Quiet Cruise kit. Blade fold capability, cargo hook, and a host of OEM kits and customizing offerings make this aircraft ready for any mission.

Bell Helicopter Launches the 407GX

For More Information Contact: Jeanette Eaton

203-876-8760 (office) – 203-200-9776 (mobile)

Jeaton@bellhelicopter.textron.com

Bell Helicopter Textron Inc., Post Office Box 482, Fort Worth, TX 76101-0482

http://www.bellhelicopter.com

12

Think it’s just Big Oil paying damages for oil and chemical spills? Think again. This issue is poised to change the avia-tion industry. While you may not be a big oil company, you soon may be required to carry environmental liability cover-age. Really. With the world becoming more ecologically aware, land owners and managers are seeking to promote “green” spaces and tighten pollution requirements and coverage. Helicopter owners and aviation operations profes-sionals need to know the basics of environmental liability issues and coverage to prepare themselves. Environmental liability coverage describes insurance designed to provide protection for the liability exposures that result from dam-age, injury and in some cases, cleanup costs associated by pollution. If you operate an aircraft, own a fuel farm / fuel tank or provide fuel-ing or de-icing services, this requirement may land on your desk someday soon. While insurers do not issue a broad form environ-mental liability policy, they do write specific policies to address a range of environmental and pollution issues.

Why would this coverage be required? The answer to this question depends on the scope of your operation.

If you own and/or operate an aircraft stored in a hangar that you lease, as a tenant, you may be contractually required to carry an environmental liability policy in the event your aircraft leaks fuel or fluids inside the leased hangar. More and more Hangar Ten-ant Lease Agreements are requiring tenants to be financially re-sponsible if pollution or contamination is found anywhere on the premises being leased. And while most aviation insurance poli-cies are comprehensive in coverage, they all contain a gap in cov-erage for environmental pollution liability unless that pollution is a result of an insurable aircraft accident. You may need to purchase a separate pollution legal liability insurance policy to provide proper coverage and meet your contractual obligations.

If you own and/or operate a fuel farm or fuel tank, the airport, city or owner of the land on which it sits may require you to carry an environmental liability policy in the event your tank(s) leak fuel. Therefore, you may need to purchase a storage tank liability insurance policy in order to provide proper coverage and meet those contractual obligations.

If you provide fueling or de-icing services, the airport, city or land owner may contractually require you to carry an environmental liability policy in case the fuel or fluid that you are dispensing ends up traveling to an area it was not in-tended to be. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been very proactive with making sure operators are properly controlling the dispensation of these products and the areas in which they are doing it. Therefore, you may need to purchase a contractor’s pollution legal liability insurance policy to provide proper coverage and meet your contractual obligations.

Helicopter operators and aviation operations professionals need to be aware of their contractual obligations and the environmental pollution requirements that they may face in the very near future. The federal government and EPA are also pushing hard to control environmental exposures. As a result, everyone should be aware of how to fully protect their businesses and assets from potential fines and penalties.

Contributed by: Doug Tibbs NationAir Aviation Insurance

Interested in experimental and homebuilt aircraft?

For More Information Contact Penny Bowman

EAA106.Penny@.gmail.com.

More information on environmental liability coverage is available from Doug Tibbs, Manager for the New Hamp-shire, NationAir Aviation Insurance Branch, dtibbs@nationair.com. Doug is a licensed ASEL and AMEL fixed wing commercial pilot with flight instructor ratings. He has flown as an airline pilot, charter pilot and flight instructor.

Environmental Liability: Not Just for Oil Companies Any More

13

From Our Friend and Author David Jarratt

Colleagues: You may or may not know that last year I overcame a bout of lung cancer. Everything looked and sounded good whenever I had a check-up. Well, on December 21st I rushed myself to Mass. General for what ap-peared to be a metastasis to my right brain. After 3 days of lying on a gurney in the halls, I was able to have the ob-ject removed. An MRI shows it was all removed; never the less, I had 14 days of cranial radiation to make sure! I tell you this, not to gain sympathy, but rather to alert you all to the possibility of a similar occurrence. As lung can-cer is a cumulative thing, I believe the cause to be many, most of which are associated with flying helicopters, i.e., fuel fumes, hydraulic fumes in the cockpit, synthetic oil fumes, JP4, etc. etc. In my case, with the SH-19B, CO2, the hydraulic reservoir and transmission were mounted directly behind my head. Also being married to a smoker for 15 years, sharing an office at Ft. Devens with 12 smokers, etc. etc., ad infinitum. Just beware, and pass the info to the VA, because I think it is important for all of us. Never mind Agent Orange, but just the mundane day to day stuff....

I love you guys. All the best in 2011, “author” David Jarratt, Cancer survivor!!!!!

David can be contacted at http://dajarratt.com

NEHC Members, Let's go racing ....... At F1 Boston!

DATE: SUNDAY AFTERNOON MAY 8th, 2011 Wes Verkaart has been in touch with F1 in Braintree. His vision is to reserve the track for an NEHC member road rally. To reserve exclusive use of the track we need 12 confirmed participants at a cost of $80 per driver. As expected, the most popular days for F1 Kart Racing are, in order, Saturday, Sunday and Friday evenings. Will need to book ahead to lock in a date .... and put down a 50% deposit. Drivers will participate in three 10-lap races plus a 15-lap, ‘grand championship’ final race. If you have never before driven F1 Kart cars, you are in the majority. Please speak to Christian or Wes if you would like detailed information of what it is like to zoom around on these fun little machines. Like the game of golf, it’s more fun if you don’t get too “serious” about trying to be the big winner but rather just do it for the experi-ence. F1 Boston makes this easy and fun for every-one. Please email Wes w.verk@verizon.net to sign up. Reservations will be accepted in the order received. Maximum is 12 people so reserva-tions beyond 12 will be placed on the "standby" list in case of cancellations.

For more information please visit

http://www.f1boston.com/

14

December 2010 marked the 81st year of Flying Santa flights to New England's USCG stations and lighthouses. This holiday tradition was established in 1929 by Capt. William Wincapaw, a Maine seaplane pilot, as a ges-ture of appreciation to the light-house keepers, lifesaving crews and their families who stood vigil

along our coast. On Christmas Day, Capt Bill would take to his plane and drop packages of holiday treats for the ded-icated folks at these isolated outposts. The tradition was carried on for many years by maritime author and historian Edward Rowe Snow, who sometimes visited lighthouses as far off as the West Coast and Bermuda.

Friends of Flying Santa contin-ues these flights today, using helicopters to make visits to over 30 stations and lighthous-es from Jonesport, ME to Jones Beach, NY. An all-volunteer non-profit organization, the Friends hold fundraising events during the year to cover the costs of the program including scholarships for Coast Guard dependents. Each December, during three days of flights, we visit with and deliver toys to over 600 CG children. The role of Santa was shared by two Coast Guard Warrant Officers, Tom Guthlein and Dave Waldrip, and Senior Chief David Considine.

The long list of pilots, all current and past members of the New England Helicopter Council, has helped make this annual tradition a huge success. Friends of Flying Santa remains extremely grateful to pilots Carl, Evan, George, and Greg, & Cannon Aviation, Granite State Aviation, and JBI Helicopters for their past, present and future support of this 81-year-old tradition of good will to the families of the USCG.

To view all the photos from December's flights please visit Photo Galleries at www.flyingsanta.org

FLYING SANTA 2010

15

Robinson R44 ‘Raven’ — A Quiz

For our members who own and operate Robinson helicopters, the newsletter quiz in this issue pertains to the operation of R44 Raven helicopters. Except for the extra credit question, the answers to the questions in this quiz can be found in the Pilot’s Operating Handbook for the R44 II helicopter.

1. The Robinson R-44 II helicopter is equipped with -

A. a Lycoming IO-540-AE1A5, six cylinder, horizontally opposed, direct drive, air cooled, fuel injected, normally aspirated engine.

B. a Lycoming O-360 air-cooled, carburetor-equipped engine.

C. a Rolls-Royce RR300, twin-spool, turbo shaft engine.

D. a Lycoming O-540-F1B5, six cylinder, horizontally opposed, direct drive, air cooled, carbureted, normally aspirated engine 2. A pushover (forward cyclic maneuver) performed from level flight or following a pullup causes a low-G (near weightless) condition which can result in catastrophic loss of lateral control. To eliminate a low-G condition -

A. immediately apply full aft cyclic.

B. should a right roll commence during a low-G condition, apply gentle aft cyclic to reload rotor before applying lateral cyclic to stop the roll.

C. immediately apply forward cyclic.

D. lower the collective and increase rotor RPM. 3. The red cross hatch marking on the airspeed indicator signifies -

A. an operating limit. The pointer should not enter red during normal operation.

B. a precautionary or special operating procedure range.

C. power off Vne.

D. normal operating range.

Answers and 8 more ‘R44’ questions are posted on the NEHC Website.

www.nehc.org

Attention—Military Aviators A number of NEHC members are current, or former, military helicopter pilots. We

want YOU to be a member, too. Please

join us at the membership meeting on April 13. Identify yourself as a military aviator and be our complimentary guest.

Typically, pilots carry a number of binders filled with pa-per versions of the instrument approaches throughout the United States. Thanks to the new apps, pilots can carry all the approaches throughout the entire world on an iPad, without carrying the weight of all the paper books. Chart updates are a simple matter of downloading a current data-base.

There are a number of high quality apps available for avia-tion use. Please visit www.jeppesen.com, www.foreflight.com and http://aviatorapps.com for more complete information about the aviation software options for your iPad.

(Continued from page 3)

P.O. Box 80047

Stoneham, MA 02180-0001

THE NEHC ORGANIZATION

What do YOU want to see in the Newsletter? Please send any comments and/or submis-sions to info@nehc.org. We look forward to hearing from you and continuing to improve and expand our newsletter!

Board of Directors Paul M. Montrone Chairman Darryl Abbey Chris Harrington Greg Harville Bob Jesurum Joe Miara Doug Sherman Rob Smith Christian Valle

Officers President Greg Harville

Vice President Bill Carroll

Vice President Wes Verkaart

Treasurer Christian Valle

Secretary Deirdre O’Conner

Affiliate Members/ Director Designees Aero Club of New England Deirdre O’Connor

Boston MedFlight Suzanne Wedel

Friends of Flying Santa Brian Tague

AirSure Limited

Helicopter Association International

Tewksbury Country Club

Industry Members/ Director Designees Agusta Aerospace Chris Sirkis

American Eurocopter Scott Dodge

Bell Helicopter Textron Jeanette Eaton

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. Vaughan Askue

NEHC Operating Members

Aerial Productions, LLC Avtrak, LLC

Cannon Aviation Group Inc. Granite State Aviation LLC

JBI Helicopter Services Massachusetts State Police Air Wing

NationAir Aviation Insurance New York State Police Air Wing

Port City Air Inc./New Hampshire Helicopters Salem Five Aviation

Survival Systems USA, Inc. United Technologies