rotorcraft professional march 2009

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http://www.max-vis.com

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www.sagemavionics.com

2 ROTORCRAFT PROFESSIONAL • March 2009

C O N T E N T S

FEATURES

18 Statement of John Allen

24 U.S. Coast Guard Helicopter Operations; Part 1

32 Congrats Kid You’re A Pilot... NOW WHAT?

18

32

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www.downlinkexperts.com

www.tanisaircraft.com


www.flightcell.com

PUBLISHERTim Smith

[email protected]

NATIONAL SALES MANAGERDarian Weaver

[email protected]

SALES DIRECTORJack Hartsfield

[email protected]

SALES EXECUTIVE Brendhan Mackin

[email protected]

MANAGING EDITOR Ron Whitney

[email protected]

COPY EDITOR Amanda Bahakel

CREATIVE & PRODUCTION DIRECTORDana Maxfield

[email protected]

CIRCULATION DIRECTORPam Fulmer

PRESIDENTTim Smith

Executive and Advertising Offices3100 Lorna Road, Suite 302, Hoover, AL 35216

toll free: 877.768.5550 fax: 205.978.2925www.rotorcraftpro.com

Rotorcraft Professional™ is published twelve times ayear and mailed out on or around the 20th of the month be-ing covered by Mosark Enterprises, LLC, Barbizon Build-ing, 3100 Lorna Road, Suite 302, Hoover, AL 35216.Rotorcraft Professional™ is distributed free to qualified sub-scribers. N on-qualified subscription rates are $57.00 peryear in the U.S. and Canada and $84.00 per year for foreignsubscribers (surface mail). U.S. Postage paid at Birming-ham, Alabama and additional mailing offices.

Rotorcraft Professional™ is distributed to qualifiedreaders in the helicopter industry. Publisher is not liable forall content (including editorial and illustrations provided byadvertisers) of advertisements published and does not ac-cept responsibility for any claims made against the pub-lisher. I t is the advertiser’s or agency’s responsibility toobtain appropriate releases on any item or individuals pic-tured in an advertisement. Reproduction of this magazine inwhole or in part is prohibited without prior written permis-sion from the publisher.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Mosark Enter-prises, LLC, 3100 Lorna Road, Suite 302, Hoover, AL 35216

P R I N T E D I N T H E U S A

C O N T E N T S

DEPARTMENTS

6 Editor’s Letter

8 Company Profile- EuroAvionics

10 Hangar Talk- Pilot Induced Emergency

Deviations- How to Handle the

Phone Interview- HAI Roundup

16 Pilot Tax Tips

20 Company Profile- EuroAvionics

30 Company Profile- Air BP

36 Product Profile- Kipper Tool- Merit Apparel- Merlin Simulation, Inc.- H.W. Farren Co.

42 Final Approach- Vector Aerospace- Aero Products- Max-Viz- Robinson- Aviation Specialties Unlimited

48 Ad Index


8

30

20

41

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www.euroavionics.com

From the Editor’s Desk


E D I T O R ’ S L E T T E R

Ron WhitneyManaging Editor

Have you ever had the feeling that there just aren’t enough hours in the day, or days in themonth, to get “it all” done? The good news is that we are indeed busy and that our industry, whilefeeling some effects of the economic downturn, is doing well, all things considered. The mood atthe Helicopter Association International show was very upbeat and optimistic. Nearly everyone we

spoke with or who visited with us felt the industry as a whole would survive the cur-rent situation and be well positioned when the recovery picks up some momen-tum.We agree but hope the ball starts rolling in the right direction soon.

Feature ArticleThis month, as promised, we present a feature on Helicopter Operations in the

U.S. Coast Guard. Lieutenant Brad McNally, the author of the article, has written avery comprehensive accounting of the role of helicopters throughout the Coast Guard’shistory. It is so comprehensive that we will publish Part Two in our April issue.

FAA PositionIn an effort to be fair and present all sides to the EMS/NTSB hearing issue, we have

included the full comments of Mr. John Allen, formally the Deputy Director of Flight Standards atthe FAA and since designated the Director of the same office. Mr. Allen’s comments detail theFAA’s position on EMS safety and the need, or lack thereof, of any additional regulatory require-ments. As I have indicated before, the industry looks to the FAA for leadership. Personal opinionsaside, please take the time to read Mr. Allen’s comments and draw your own conclusion. There isa great deal more work to be done if we hope to have a positive impact on safety, in not only EMS,but all aspects of rotorcraft flight.

In this IssueEach month we try to bring forth interesting and entertaining articles that we feel would interest

our readers and advertisers. We have two articles this month that should be of interest to those read-ers who have recently completed their training or those who find themselves back in the job mar-ket. Lyn Burks, a regular Contributing Editor to RPM, continues his Professional Developmentseries with an article covering “The Phone Interview”. In addition, we have a first time contributor,Carl Reynolds who has a very interesting article entitled, “So, You’re a CFI”.

Your Opinion CountsWe need your help. Recently the FAA made some changes to Operations Specifications 021 and

050, Helicopter EMS Operations and Helicopter Night Vision Goggle Operations. We have heardfrom many of the operators and association on this subject, but we are more interested in how thepilots feel these changes have affected safety, if indeed they have. Tell us how you feel, and don’tpull any punches; we will publish it the way you write it, guaranteed.

Thank YouThere is nothing better than positive feedback. I would like to thank those of you who took the

time to track us down at the HAI show to tell us how you feel about our magazine. Your commentsare always welcome and will always have an impact on the way we do business. We also appreci-ate your suggestions as to how we can improve. Soon you may see a few changes as we work tomake our publication the leader in the industry.

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http://www.helipod-international.com

In February 2007, Rotorcraft ServiceCenter of Hamilton, MT, acquired all theassets of Garlick Helicopters, Inc. and es-tablished an FAA repair station at the pre-decessor’s 45,000 square foot facility.Rotorcraft’s capabilities include compo-nent and engine overhaul and repair,structures repair with airframe and tailboom jigs, avionics and electrical repair,and complete airframe refurbishment in-cluding rewire and custom paint.

The steadily growing staff of twentyexperienced aircraft mechanics and sup-port personnel has many years of experi-

ence with Bell products and the skillsneeded to produce exceptional work - ontime and on budget.

One of the many strengths of RotorcraftService Center is the engineering supportprovided by an affiliate, Rotorcraft De-velopment Corporation (RDC). RDCholds all of the TCs and STCs formallyheld by Garlick. With one of the largestrepositories of technical data and draw-ings for the UH-1 in the world, RDC ismoving forward with enhancements to theUH-1 with the ultimate goal of improvingsafety, performance, and the availability


C O M P A N Y P R O F I L E

Rotorcraft Service Center is Positioned to be the Leader in Bell Medium Helicopter Repair, Overhaul, and Refurbishment

of parts. Additionally, RDC is workingwith a major aerospace company in aPMA assist relationship to help them es-tablish a parts manufacturing program forthe UH-1. “This is an exciting program,”states Devlin Talkington, VP of ProductDevelopment, “because it is anothermeans of helping customers with avail-ability of parts and with reducing directoperating costs at a time when costs areincreasing rapidly.” Talkington says RDCplans to develop its own PMA program tofill the gap in the market and add value toRSC’s product.

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Reference Door, and Dual External CargoMirrors. Many other exciting STCs areon the drawing board to enhance perfor-mance, reduce direct operating costs, andpromote safety.

RSC isn’t limited to former military air-craft. Currently in process is a completerefurbishment and upgrade of a Bell205A-1++ for delivery on a six monthtimeline— yet another project showcas-ing RSC’s capabilities and emphasis onquality and delivery.

The end of year number two is rapidlyapproaching, and according to Mark Stin-son, RSC’s president and CEO, “RotorcraftService Center has made great strides inmeeting our strategic priorities of assistingcustomers in meeting their operationalneeds, helping customers efficiently meettheir objectives, develop and care for ourworkforce, use smart business practices toprovide quality services at the best value,and ensure we have the right equipmentand people to provide future services.” ❚

www.ROTORCRAFTPRO.com • March 2009 9

RSC builds UH-1’s to customer speci-fications using in-house Restricted Cate-gory Type Certificates (TC) andSupplemental Type Certificates (STC).STCs available include the Vertical FinSpar for the UH-1, the 212 Style LiftBeam, and Lift Link with the 212 trans-mission center case. STCs in process in-clude a Dual Battery Box, a Vertical


www.imtbc.com


H A N G A R T A L K

Most pilots are aware of Section 91.3 ofthe Federal Aviation Regulations (Title 14in the Code of Federal Regulations), whichallows a pilot-in-command to deviate fromany Part 91 flight regulation when “an in-flight emergency requiring immediate ac-tion” occurs. On commercial flights,section 135.19 gives similar permission todeviate from rules relating to aircraft andequipment and weather minimums, as re-quired to meet the emergency.

However, the authority to deviate doesnot mean deviation is not without conse-quences, especially not when the emer-gency situation was caused by the pilot’sown actions. In a recent opinion, the Na-tional Transportation Safety Board upheldthe suspension of a pilot’s commercialhelicopter license for 45 days because, inthe Board’s view, he caused his ownemergency situation. The Board’s deci-sion reaffirms a long-standing principlethat a deviation is not justified if it resultsfrom an emergency situation caused, evenremotely, by something the pilot did ordid not do.

In this case, the pilot of a Bell 206L-3Longranger in Pennsylvania ran into someunexpected inclement weather. While try-ing to orient himself, he entered Class Dairspace without establishing and main-taining radio communications. S ection91.129(c)(1) of the FARs requires that,before entering Class D airspace, eachperson operating an aircraft must estab-lish two-way communication with theATC facility providing air traffic servicesfor that airspace. O nce established, hemust maintain contact while operatingwithin the airspace. Here, even though asingle regulation was broken, the FAAcharged the Longranger pilot with sepa-rate infractions for failing (1) to establishtwo-way communications and (2) tomaintain two-way radio communications.The FAA views Section 91.129(c) as cre-ating two separate responsibilities.

As soon as he realized where he was,the pilot took immediate and appropriateaction, and exited the airspace withoutfurther incident. During the certificate ac-tion that followed, the pilot defended him-

self by claiming he acted reasonably un-der the circumstances. Once he realizedwhere he was, he immediately called theairfield tower, established radio contactand maintained it until he was able toleave the controlled airspace without in-cident. Even though the pilot never de-clared an emergency, the Board viewedhis defense to be based on section 91.3:the pilot encountered an emergency situa-tion and did what was necessary to savehimself and his passengers.

The NTSB held that an emergency de-fense was not applicable here. In assertingan emergency defense, the pilot in com-mand must show the emergency situationcaused the departure from the regulatoryrequirements. Here, the NTSB held thePIC’s own actions caused the “emergency”he experienced because he did not takesteps to reduce the risk of an airspace in-cursion. The weather report showed mar-ginal visibility, yet the FAA established thepilot did not have a proper contingencyplan in place for inclement weather. Thefact that he encountered such conditionsunexpectedly showed a lack of prepared-ness and awareness, the NTSB held.

Other situations where the NTSB hastaken a similar hard line include airspaceincursions resulting from unorthodoxqueries from ATC, loss of radio commu-

Pilot Induced Emergency DeviationsHave ConsequencesBy W. Hunter Old


www.xinsurance.com

nication in the cockpit, and flight into asudden snow storm. In each case, the pi-lot’s entry into controlled airspace whiledealing with the “emergency” resulted inpunishment for the incursion. While thesesituations all appear to have occurred when

commercial pilots were flyin g privately,there is no reason to think regulators wouldtreat a defense under section 135.19 anydifferently. Indeed, the reporting require-ments for deviations under Part 135 aremandatory, while reports for deviations un-

der Part 91 are not required unless re-quested by the FAA Administrator.

Of course, you should take every pre-caution to protect your passengers andyour aircraft in any situation you view asan emergency. However, if somethingyou did or did not do can be fairly linkedto the emergency, be aware the FAAlikely will not view the infraction as justi-fied. Your best defense is adequate prepa-ration before you leave the ground. ❚

Hunter Old is a partner in the law firmof Kaufman & Canoles, P.C.

in Williamsburg, Virginia. He holds a

commercial,rotary-wing license

and representsaviation-based

businesses as well asindividual pilots and

mechanics. His e-mail is:

[email protected].



www.rotorcraftsc.com

Last issue, we left off with the impor-tance of the resume, along with severaltips for “spooling up” your resume to ahigher level of professionalism. Assum-ing you did everything right and your re-sume has convinced the hiring authoritythat you may be the person for the job;you may now be facing a new hurdle. Thephone interview.

As discussed in previous career devel-opment articles, given the fact the heli-copter industry is a National market,phone interviews are a must for most po-sitions. Geographically, we are spread allover the place and this makes it difficult,if not impossible, to do face to face inter-views with initial applicants. Remember,each step of the hiring process is a chancefor you to fall on your face. The phone in-terview is the second chance for you tostumble, so getting it right is important.Phone interviews are to be consideredequally important as the face to face in-terview, if not more important.

Hiring authorities have several goals inmind when conducting a phone interview:

Determine your likeability. Yes, you read that correctly. “Like-

able”. As in polite, good natured, positiveattitude. It is a fact that people who havethese “likeable” characteristics make bet-ter employees. Given the choice, an em-ployer would take a person with lessexperience and a great attitude over theopposite.

Ask questions specifically aboutyour experience for which yourresume may not have answered.

Typical areas which might receive extraattention could be gaps in work experi-ence, the appearance of job hopping, orflight hours that do not add up.

Assess your basic jobknowledge and ability to bearticulate through questioning.

This questioning can be as specific as,“How would you handle a low oil pres-sure light in flight in an XYZ helicopter?”

or as generic as “Tell me where you planon being 5 years from now?”

Introduce you to the Companyand the details of the availableposition.

Then gage your real interest in work-ing for the Company. This is very impor-tant. If you are truly interested in theposition and everything seems to be go-ing well, let them know how interestedyou are. The phone interview is no placeto play hard to get. Save that for the faceto face interview. The last thing the Com-pany wants to do is pay $600 to fly insomeone who does not sound genuinelyinterested in the position.

Phone Interview Tips

Tip 1 – When the Company emails youto coordinate an interview time, they mayask you something like, “When would bea good time for you take a phone call todiscuss this opportunity?” Here is whatyou do not say, “Any time will be fine.”Now you may be thinking to yourself thatthis answer indicates a flexible candidate.But what I have learned is that “anytime”

is most often not agood time at

all. I havebeen in themiddle of aphone inter-view, only tohear the helicopterlanding in the back-ground and asked bythe candidate if I mindholding while they goout and refuel the heli-copter. Give a specific dateand time that you are free toparticipate without distractionsor interruptions.

Tip 2 – Make sure you are availableand answer the call at the agreed upontime. If you want a sure fire way to re-duce your “likeability” before you evendo the phone interview, just try and not

answer the phone when the interviewercalls. Interviewers understand that thingsdo happen, but you should have a verygood reason for not making the interviewtime. If you think that there might be is-sues that would cause you to be late ormiss the appointment, make it knownwhen setting up the interview. For exam-ple, I have had people whowere traveling prior tothe interview andthrough no fault oftheir own theywere not able touse their phone. Ifthey let me knowthey will be trav-elling in advance,I will be preparedto understand whythey are not an-swering theirphone.

Tip 3 – Take theinterview callat a goodtime


H A N G A R T A L K

How to Handle the Phone InterviewBy Lyn Burks

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• Do not swear during the interview.Once you feel comfortable with the inter-viewer, it can be tempting to let downyour professional guard and throw in aswear word or two. Avoid that temptationas you never now how it will be receivedon the other end.

• Lastly, but most importantly, DONOT bash your previous or current em-ployer. This comes up often when the in-terviewer asks, “Why did you leave yourlast job?” Keep all answers regarding pre-vious employers’ positive. Most oftenpeople leave for better opportunities ormore responsibility. However, if it was formore ominous reasons, and it does come

up, candidates would do just fine to indi-cate that there were simply differencesthat could not be resolved.

In the end, just like anything else in ourbusiness, your success mainly hinges onproper preparation. There is a list of 100commonly asked interview questions in adownloadable EBook available fromwww.thehelicopterstore.com. The EBookis titled “Your Resume vs. the HelicopterIndustry, a Guide to Resume Writing forHelicopter Pilots and Mechanics”. Theguide includes resume templates, keywordlists, interview questions, and personal ad-vice from the hiring authorities of severallarge helicopter operators. ❚

and a good place. Set yourself up so thatyou can take the call with few distractions.I have interviewed folks who have inter-rupted the interview to yell at their chil-dren while at the shopping mall or a kid’sbaseball game.

Tip 4 – When answering questions,whether technical or personal, followthese guidelines:

• Answer the question directly and re-sist the temptation to ramble and ventureinto other areas. In other words, only an-swer the question asked.

• Be articulate and positive in stickyareas. The interviewer may ask you toughquestions like whether or not you havebeen fired or have had any accidents.

• Be totally honest in your answers,but do not spill your guts. I once inter-viewed a gent who indicated he wasfired from a job about 20 years ago. Heindicated he was going through a toughdivorce at the time which in turncaused him to have problems at work. Ifelt it was an honest and acceptable an-swer, but before I could move along,he launched into a tirade about how he

caught that lying, cheating, (placeexpletive here) with his neighbor,

which prompted the divorce.Too much info can be a

bad thing.


About the Author:Lyn Burks is the owner/developer of Justhelicopters.com andVerticalreference.com. Additionally, he is the producer of theHeli-Success Seminar and author of several helicopter career

development E-books, as well as a recruiter in the industry. Heis an ATP/CFII with nearly 6000 hours helicopter experience.


www.hwfarreninc.com

The 2009 HeliExpo, hosted by the He-licopter Association International, washeld in Anaheim, California, February 20-25, 2009. Attended by just under 18,000industry professionals, the 2009 showranked right up there with the all timebest. Five hundred and fifty exhibitors,representing every conceivable segmentof the rotorcraft market, were on hand toshow off their products and services.

The MajorsUsually the HAI show is the time when

all the major helicopter manufacturers an-nounce their blockbuster sales of the year.Although all of them have confirmed thatthey still have very strong order books andback logs, none of them reported a majorsale. Economic times being what they are,it was quite surprising that many of the pastlarge aircraft orders were not canceled or

amended. Aircraft deliveries were reportedto be on schedule, or slightly behind. MDHelicopters CEO Lynn Tilton reported that,“Although MD ended the year solidly inthe black, we missed our production goalsby ten airframes, primarily due to our sup-plier’s inability to secure credit.” Ms.Tilton gave a very comprehensive reporton the status of MD Helicopters, which wewill feature in our April issue.


HAI RoundupBy Ron Whitney

H A N G A R T A L K


Job Fair

This year, thirty five companies wererepresented at the HAI job fair, anotherrecord. Considering the show was heldon the West Coast, a surprising numberof job seekers, over five hundred and fifty,were present at the job fair. All repre-sented companies are hiring or acceptingresumes for future openings. “We’re hir-ing,” said Jim Palmer of Bristow Heli-copter’s Air Logistics. “Although theprice of oil has weakened, we expectdrilling and exploration to continue.” TheEMS business segment is also looking op-

timistic. “Air Evac Lifeteam will con-tinue to recruit high quality pilots to fillour current bases and the new bases wewill open in 2009,” said Jay Sherrill, AirEvac Lifeteam’s Corporate Recruiter.

Upgrades and RebuildsOne expected result of the economic

downturn is that upgrades and rebuilds areon the upswing. Companies that nor-mally would invest in new airframes al-ready equipped with the newesttechnology are opting to retrofit or rebuildtheir aircraft. The credit crunch has be-come quite evident, especially with some

of the newer smaller companies.

Optimism AboundsEconomic turmoil, depressed oil prices,

and an increased scrutiny on the EMSbusiness have all had an adverse impacton the industry. What the immediate fu-ture will hold is anyone’s guess. Most ofthose in the know believe the rotorcraftindustry has tolerated the present issueswell and will be well prepared for growthwhen conditions improve. We remainvery hopeful that our government will re-store some sanity to Wall Street and its fi-nancial businesses soon. ❚




clude decreased deductions—medical ex-penses are deductible to the extent theyexceed 10% of AGI, not the regular 7.5%;eliminated deductions—standard deduc-tion, personal exemptions, real estatetaxes, personal property taxes, and stateand local income taxes are not deductiblein AMT; and preferences—depletion, tax-exempt interest, and other items.

First, you must figure your regular tax;then, you refigure your AMT income byadding and subtracting the adjustments,preferences, etc. Generally, the recalcu-lation of the adjustments and preferenceswill result in amounts that reflect the dif-ference between the regular tax items andthe AMT items. Exemption levels (seearticle in January 2009 issue) are appliedto the AMT income to arrive at taxableincome. Then, the AMT applies differenttax rates to a broader base of income thanunder the regular tax system.

The AMT liability is basically calcu-lated as follows:

• AMT income minus Exemptionamount equals AMT base.

• AMT base times AMT rate equalsTentative AMT.

• Tentative AMT minus Regular Taxequals AMT liability.

The AMT rate is generally either 26%or 28% depending on the level of AMT

income. Your AMT liability is comparedto your regular tax liability and you paythe greater.

Middle income taxpayers are inc reas-ingly affected by the AMT. By 2011, ahigher percentage of taxpayers with in-comes between $50,000 and $100,000will be subject to the AMT than for tax-payers with incomes exceeding $500,000.Situations that increase the likelihood ofhitting the AMT include: taxpayers with3 or more children because of the loss ofexemptions; taxpayers with large medicalbills because of the 10% floor; taxpayersin areas with high state and local incometaxes because of the loss of this deduc-tion; and married couples. Under the reg-ular tax system, married couples are taxedat a lower rate than singles. However, un-der the AMT, tax rates are identical formarried and single taxpayers and the ex-emption amounts are not proportionallydoubled for couples like the standard de-duction is. Also, AMT exemptionamounts are eliminated entirely if AMTincome exceeds $400,200 for joint filers;$282,500 for single and head-of-house-hold filers; and $200,100 for married tax-payers filing separately.

There are various strategies for mini-mizing the AMT liability generally re-volving around the timing of income anddeductions and avoidance of certain de-ductions and preferences. For individu-als who are near the threshold of theAMT, pushing income or deductions in orout of one year into the next may keepyou in the regular tax system one yearwhile creating a lower AMT liability thenext year.

While it would be impossible for me toexplain all the intricacies of the AMT inthis article, I can only hope that you willbe able to determine if you are affectedby it or not. If you think you may be af-fected by the AMT, I suggest that youcontact an experienced H&R Block taxprofessional to prepare your taxes and toexplain what you can do to shift income(from the distribution of retirement fundsor the selling of stock) or expenses (busi-ness purchases) into another year to lessenthe overall effect of the AMT over time.

Information for this article was takenfrom Alternative Minimum Tax: A Grow-ing Problem, an H&R Block LearningCenter course for tax professionals. ❚

P I L O T T A X T I P S

Last month, I began a discussion of the“dreaded” Alternative Minimum Tax(AMT). Hopefully, by the end of this ar-ticle, you will have a better understand-ing of what it is, how and when it canaffect you, and what steps you can take tominimize that effect.

As stated earlier, the original purposeof the AMT was to prevent taxpayers withsubstantial income from avoiding all taxliability through the use of exclusions, de-ductions, and credits. It is a separate taxsystem paralleling the regular tax systemand is imposed on individuals, corpora-tions, and estates or trusts. In 1969, theAMT applied to fewer than 200 taxpay-ers. Today, hundreds of thousands of tax-payers may be liable for the AMT.However, in 2001, the IRS revealed thatabout 4,500 people with incomes of morethan $200,000 still did not pay either theregular income tax or the AMT.

Many reforms have been applied to theAMT over the past 40 years, but none ofthe Congresses have indexed the AMT forinflation! Consequently, Congress has be-come dependent on the income that theAMT brings into the federal coffers. Nowthat we see the problem, let’s see how thiscould apply to you.

Income for the AMT is your regulartaxable income increased by certain ad-justments. Some of these adjustments in-

By Helen Dunnavent



www.flyit.com

are working with the NTSB to close theloop on an industry that is safe but not assafe as it could be. Mr. Chairman, weshare your concerns and are working dili-gently to enhance the level of safety.BChairman Sumwalt, thank you for focusing attention on medical transport

using helicopters. I appreciate the opportunity to testify before theChairman and the members of the Board of Inquiry.

As you know, these operations takeplace in critical environments, and as such,are dependent on the pilot’s judgment atall times, especially when weather or otherconditions put flight delay or cancellationon the table. In my 30 years of experiencein aviation, the first rule never changes:the pilot in command makes the call on goor no go. That’s the linchpin of a safe sys-

Before I continue, I must say publiclythat as the FAA’s lead official for flightsafety standards and a veteran pilot withmore than 4,800 hours, I am first and fore-most concerned with the human toll thataviation accidents leave in their wake. Myheart goes out to those whose lives havebeen touched by these tragedies. The ac-cidents and fatalities that bring us here to-day are not abstract numbers on a chart ora trend-line. These are people in great dis-tress who rely on the pilots, emergencyservice providers and the FAA for safetyenhancements that save lives. From whereI stand, even one accident is one too many.Our goal, as always, is safe flight. Withthat said, you have my firm commitmentthat we are taking steps to enhance thesafety of emergency transportation ser-vices.

To put this issue in context , there aremore than 83 0 air medical transportationhelicopters in service. The vast majorityof these helicopter operators are over-whelmingly safe. Indeed, there is a lengthylist of those who not only have never ex-perienced a fatality during medical trans-port, but they also have an unblemishedaccident record, flying for years without asingle accident. The bottom line is that we

Statement of John Allen


F E A T U R E

Director of Flight Standards Before the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)on Safety of Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) Operations

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dual-prong approach to safety enhance-ment. But all of this is hinged on the es-tablishment of a safety culture. A safetyculture is the indispensable context for en-abling technology. When a managementteam establishes a corporate culture thatsupports the decision-making skills of thepilots and treats each flight as safe passen-ger transportation and not as an emergency

evacuation mission – the risk of an acci-dent is reduced dramatically. This is theexample we need to hold up to the entireindustry.

Plainly, this is a call for leadership.From the pilot. From the medical indus-try. From the operators. And from theFAA. You have my commitment to leadby example. Thank you. ❚


tem. The pilot must have the fortitude topostpone a flight when necessary. There’san aviation adage that bears repeating:“There are old pilots, and there are boldpilots, but there are no old bold pilots.” Tome, bold pilots are those who take unnec-essary risks, who become complacent orworse, cavalier, or who fly impaired by fa-tigue or illness. By that same token, theoperator must create a safety culture andenvironment that promotes and supportsthe safety decisions and good judgmentexercised by the pilots.

The accident numbers show that wemust intensify our efforts. As a result ofan FAA/industry task force created in2004, several air medical transport safetyinitiatives were put in place. Because ofthese safety initiatives, the period from2004 through 2007 showed a drastic re-duction in helicopter air medical transportfatal accidents. Therefore, the FAA did notpursue any new regulations. We believethe existing regulatory structure is safe.The numbers prove it. However, the up-ward trend in 2008 has prompted a moreaggressive response to this problem. It isimportant to remember that rulemaking isbut one tool we use to advance safety.

We have also used other tools of volun-tary acceptance. We have chartered a newtask force with industry to create and im-plement safety initiatives designed to mit-igate hazards in medical transport. Webrought together the Association of AirMedical Services, HAI, the National EMSPilots Association and industry operatorsto set the stage for the implementation ofseveral additional safety programs.

Recently, we revised operations specifi-cations with the HEMS community sup-port to the use of increased weatherminimums. We asked for advice on the ap-propriate guidance for the use of night vi-sion goggles, as this tec hnology evolves.Industry and government agreed that bothof these were the right approach.

We also set a technical standard orderin place for terrain awareness technologyfor helicopters — H-TAWS. We’ve pro-vided incentives for operators to equipwith night goggles and the terrain aware-ness technology.

In closing, I must emphasize that tech-nology alone does not and cannot solve theproblem. As you know, we routinely seekvoluntary compliance on safety advanceswhile we are considering rulemaking as a


www.devoreaviation.com


EuroAvionicsucts and indeed in 1995the first internally devel -oped and dedicated air-borne navigation aid, theEuroNav I, was born.

Even today the core ofthe EuroNav system, after a

lot of technology leaps, remains a verypowerful Moving Map processing engine.Both software and hardware are tailoredto present a stack of layers of informationin the most ergonomic way to the airborneoperators. Literally all map formats aresupported by the EuroNav system: Rastermaps, vector maps, terrain maps, satellitemaps, aerial photographs, Jeppesen AirNavigation data, etc. Also other informa-tion databases are supported and can bestored inside the system in dedicated userdatabases (hospitals, power lines, oil rigs,man-made obstacles, landing sites, etc.).Whatever geo-referenced data that isavailable on the commercial market orwith the (end-)customer can be installedin the E uroNav system. I n most cases it

can even be installed independently, with-out the interference of EuroAvionics.

The current EuroNav V offers best-in-class Moving Map performance (30Hz),the most versatile interfacing capabilitiesto o ther a irborne s ensors a nd i s t rulyunique in terms of configurability and flex-ibility. Moreover the EuroNav V softwareapplication is developed according to DO-178B Level C, the hardware is DO-160qualified and t he t otal holds an EASAETSO C113 certificate. This is why theEuroNav V system is a logical choice formost Helicopter OEM’s and System Inte-grators. The EuroAvionics products arefactory installed on the EC135, EC145,AS365N3, E C225, A 109 G rand, A 109LUH, AW139, S-92 and UH-60. Besidesinstallations b y t he O EM’s, t he E u-roAvionics products are installed in thewidest variety of civil and military heli-copter retrofit platforms and also fixed-wing applications are gaining share. Theinitial target markets were EMS, SAR,Offshore, Law-Enforcement, Military,


From the startin 1993, EuroAvionics has

only one focus: offer the best possibleSituational Awareness to the cockpit. Inthe early days EuroAvionics distributedthe early airborne GPS systems but itquickly realized that there were some spe-cific needs that were not addressed withthe at that moment available technology.The experiences and frustrations of thefounder Mr. Rüdiger Klaschka, himself ahelicopter pilot, were poured into thegrowing EuroAvionics engineering teamwith the task to find a solution that wouldenhance safety. Challenging German en-gineers is often leading to fantastic prod-

RCP_0309_p20-22:Hangar Talk 4/2/09 1:13 PM Page 20

Firefighting, e tc. b ut t oday t he E u-roAvionics Situational Awareness Systemsare recognized more and more as a vitalsafety instrument for every airborne plat-form and every airborne mission. The verycompetitive price of the EuroNav V sys-tem is obviously futile compared to theloss of lives or machines in case of mid-air collision or Controlled Flight Into Ter-rain (CFIT).

EuroAvionics was part of the RTCASpecial Committee SC212 to create theDO-309 Minimum Operational Perfor-mance Standard (MOPS) for the upcom-ing Helicopter Terrain Awareness andWarning System (H-TAWS). It is ex-pected that FAA will issue a dedicated H-TAWS TSO in the coming 12 months butthe H-TAWS functionality is already partof every Series Production EuroNav Vsystem (including a DO-200 terrain data-base). Other warning functions that areincluded in the EuroNav V application arethe obstacle warning, the traffic warningand the airspace warning function. Where

the traffic warning is related to the TCASsensor information and the obstacle andairspace warnings are based on databaseinformation.

The power of the EuroAvionics Digi-tal Map Generators (DMG’s) is the factthat they can be used for either very ba-sic Moving Map installations or in verycomplex Mission System architectures.The EuroAvionics hardware and softwareare conceived to use the DMG’s as stand-alone Moving Map systems (there is astandard internal 16 channel GPS) but it isas easy to connect more sources of air-borne sensor data to the DMG’s:

• Flight Management System (FMS),

• Electro Optical Sensor (EOS) or FLIR, • Radar Altimeter,• TCAS, • Search Radar, • AIS, • Iridium SatCom, • ADS-B In, • Direction Finder, • Link 16, etc.

This to make the EuroAvionics systemthe core of a (Tactical) Mission System,Mission Management System, Task Man-agement System or Situational AwarenessSystem, whatever the system name is thatis preferred by the end-customer. Al-though offering COTS products, Eu-roAvionics always offers full SystemIntegration support and training to delivera solution that is exact ly configured andspecifically for each respective end-cus-tomer or project. This without expensivere-qualification or re-certification, justthrough clever configurability.

Throughout the


Continued on page 22


www.amintl.net

years, EuroAvionics also developed nu-merous internal generic functions or func-tions to support very specific needs forspecific markets (SAR, Law-Enforcement,Military, Oil & Gas, etc.):

• H-TAWS,• Obstacle Warning,• Traffic Warning,• Airspace Warning,• Flight Plan engine,• SAR pattern engine,• Flight Pattern Recording,• Intervisibility,• Growing Rings,• SatCom control, • Datalink via SatCom, Link 16 or

AIS,• Automatic position reporting for

tracking,• Fuel Range Rings,• Vertical Profile window,• Event recorder,• Screenshot recorder,• Checklist generator,• Geo-Pointing control,

• Database search engine,• Cyrillic version for the Russian mar-

ket, etc.

Another stronghold of EuroAvionics isthe PC software tooling product range thatis created to offer (if needed) on-groundmission preparation and de-briefing capa-bilities, data uploading/downloading capa-bilities, independent map conversioncapabilities, (data) communication capa-bilities and training or simulation capabili-ties. Again, the tools can be used fullyautonomous or they can be integrated intoexisting Ground Stations or Simulators and

all tools are obviously fully compatiblewith the airborne EuroNav V system andcan share the same map data and databases.

Today, EuroAvionics offers two low-weight (<3kg), low-power (<50W) hard-ware platforms that host the EuroNav Vapplication. The RN6 is the referenceDMG that is tray mounted and the com-pact RN6 CM (Cockpit Mounted) that isDZUS installed in the cockpit console orinstrument panel. The hardware platformsare functionally identical and can interfaceto the same third-party avionics sensors.Where the RN6 has a current maximumMass Memory capacity of 320GB, theRN6CM is limited to 160GB due to thephysical mechanical envelope of the tinyCockpit Mounted box. Both Hard-Disk orFlash-Disk Mass Memory technology issupported and qualified on both DMG’s.

Due to the wide range of third-partyavionics sensors that need to be supportedthere is a variety of standard interfacesavailable on the DMG’s: ARINC429,RS422/485, RS232, Ethernet, USB, ana-log inputs, discretes, PCMCIA, etc. Onthe output side, there are multiple videostandards supported (PAL, NTSC,STANAG3350 B/C, RGB HS VS (up toXGA resolution) and LVDS) and theDMG’s can drive multiple outputs to con-nect several displays at the same time.

In terms of Man Machine Interfacing(MMI), the EuroNav V offers a menu-structured interface that can be controlledwith a dedicated (NVIS compatible) Eu-roAvionics Cockpit Control Panel or analphanumeric keyboard. Besides the verycomplete menu-structured MMI, Eu-roAvionics also developed an “Opera-tional” MMI that only focuses on thefunctions that are used during flight. TheOperational MMI can be controlled by atouch screen display or via the displayLine Select Keys (LSK’s). Both ManMachine Interfaces run independentlyand in parallel.

From the first GPS positioning infor-mation displays in the cockpit in 1993 tothe EuroNav V information stack on thecockpit mission displays in 2009 is a seri-ous evolution in terms of SituationalAwareness. With the EuroNav V systemEuroAvionics offers a very complete andpowerful solution for all helicopter opera-tors that want to make the highest missionefficiency and highest flight safety as astandard. ❚




www.aerometals.com


www.leadingedgeavn.com

U.S. COAShelicopter operations

F E A T U R E

Significant Events in the Historyof United States Coast GuardHelicopter Operations

The Coast Guard has been involved inaviation since the Wright Brothers’ firstflight at Kitty Hawk, NC. Members of theU.S. Life Saving Service Station KillDevil Hills, NC, befriended the WrightBrothers when they first came to town, of-ten helping them assemble their aircraftand acting as the ground support for the

This paper discusses the cases, people, and aircraft that have significantlyinfluenced United States Coast Guard rotary wing aviation from the 1940suntil the present day. Significant events are detailed, starting with thestruggle to include helicopters in Coast Guard aviation and the advancesthat early Coast Guard helicopter crews achieved. The history is traced upthrough the helicopter’s initial success as a search and rescue platform,through the Vietnam War, and into the expansion of helicopter operationsto include counter narcotics and homeland security operations. Theaircraft that have served the Coast Guard are discussed along with thehistory of the Coast Guard’s elite community of helicopter deployedmaritime survival experts known as “Rescue Swimmers.”



By Brad M. McNally - Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Daytona Beach, Florida - Department of Distance Learning

ST GUARDpart one

historic flight on December 17, 1903(Price, n.d.). The U.S. Life Saving Serviceeventually became part of the CoastGuard, and these men would becomeknown as the first ground crew. The CoastGuard would play a significant role in thebirth of another mode of flight, rotary wingaviation. One visionary Coast Guardsmanwould risk his career to fulfill a dream hehad to see the unique abilities of a heli-copter used to save lives. Coast Guard avi-ators would work alongside Igor Sikorsky

and make major contributions in the areasof shipboard helicopter operations, heli-copter flotation systems, helicopter hoists,and helicopter search and rescue proce-dures. Brave pilots and aircrew undertookdramatic rescues that would prove the abil-ity of the helicopter to accomplish searchand rescue missions that could not be doneby another type of aircraft. Once the heli-copter was universally accepted for searchand rescue missions, many more brave pi-lots and aircrews would fly increasingly

complex missions at home and abroad ac-complishing astounding rescues. CoastGuard helicopters would become increas-ingly capable and operations would ex-pand beyond search and rescue and playpivotal roles in the war on drugs and inhomeland security operations.

Captain William Kossler andCaptain Frank Erickson

LT Frank Erickson first heard about helicopters in 1941 Continued on page 26




while serving as a Coast Guard seaplanepilot based at the naval air base in PearlHarbor, HI. The recent death of one of hisfriends in a seaplane crash, along with sev-eral other high profile crashes, had sparkedhis interest in alternative methods to rescuesurvivors. LT Erickson was serving as thebase duty officer on the morning of De-

cember 7, 1941, as the Japanese bombedPearl Harbor. He spent several hours thatday in the aircraft control tower, where hewatched helplessly as thousands of mendied. Many of them were in the water butwere unrecoverable by small boat or sea-plane (Beard, T, 2004). From this tragicday in American history was born Frank

Erickson’s lifelong devotion to de velop-ing the helicopter as a tool for search andrescue.

That same year, thousands of milesaway in Washington, D.C., CaptainWilliam Kossler was serving as the Chiefof Aeronautical Engineering at CoastGuard Headquarters. He witnessed ademonstration of a Sikorsky XR-4 andwas immediately convinced that the heli-copter could accomplish many missions inboth the Navy and the Coast Guard(Beard, T., 2004). After the attack on PearlHarbor, LT Erickson was transferred toFloyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, NY,where he began to collaborate with hisfriend Captain Kossler about how to makethe novelty of a helicopter a reality inCoast Guard Aviation. At the time the na-tion was at war and the Navy was incharge of buying all the Coast Guard’s air-craft. In order to get the Navy to obligatethe necessary funds, Erickson made thecase for the use of helicopters as ship es-corts in the North Atlantic primarily foranti-submarine warfare. Erickson was ableto convince the Navy to allow the CoastGuard to begin testing helicopters and de-veloping anti-submarine warfare tactics.At the time, all the helicopters being pro-duced were being delivered to the Army,so the Coast Guard had to borrow severalArmy helicopters to start its program.

Merchant shipping continued to be dis-rupted by German submarines promptingthe Navy to increase its interest in the he-licopter as an anti-submarine warfare tool.Captain Kossler was appointed as the headof the Coast Guard’s helicopter program.He quickly arranged to have LT Ericksontrained at the Sikorsky helicopter factory.In June of 1943, Erickson qualified as thefirst naval helicopter pilot (Beard, T.,2004). Erickson worked directly with IgorSikorsky to conduct the first shipboard he-licopter operations, which were flown offof the tanker Bunker Hill by an Army he-licopter and crew (Browning, n.d.). OnJanuary 3, 1944, the USS Turner was an-chored in the Ambrose Channel outsideNew York Harbor when it suffered sev-eral magazine explosions causing it tosink. More than 150 men were transportedby boat to a hospital in Sandy Hook, NJ.The hospital quickly exhausted its supplyof blood treating the injured men. All theairfields in the area were closed due tosleet and 20 to 25 knot winds. Delivery by

F E A T U R E


www.kippertool.com

car would have taken hours, and the hos-pital was in desperate need of more blood.Erickson tied two cases of blood plasmato the floats of a helicopter and flew theplasma in low visibility from Manhattanto Sandy Hook, where he landed right atthe hospital, in less than 14 minutes. Thisis widely believed to be the first helicopterrescue mission, and it highlighted the heli-copter’s unique capabilities. Erickson alsobegan to develop new tactics and equip-ment that would allow the helicopter tohoist a person while hovering. He demon-strated his new procedures in Jamaica Bay,NY, in August of 1944, when he pickedup a man floating in the water, and alsoone in a life raft, in 10 to 15 knot winds(Browning, n.d). Several months later, af-ter perfecting his technique, he picked upfour men one at a time and delivered themto a nearby ship in less than 10 minutes.Around this same time, Coast Guardsmenalso helped pioneer helicopter “sonar dip-ping” and insect spraying.

In 1943, the British placed a large orderfor helicopters, and Captain Kossler sawthis as a chance to expand the CoastGuard’s helicopter program. He proposedthat the Coast Guard stand up a helicopterschool for pilots and mechanics. On No-vember 19, 1943, the Chief of Naval Op-erations designated Floyd Bennett Field asthe first helicopter training school. Erick-son was not only put in charge of trainingnew pilots but also had to recruit CoastGuard instructors from the fixed wingcommunity. This second task proved to benearly impossible as no one wanted to riskhis career to be part of the helicopter pro-gram, which was looked at as having vir-tually no future. In 1944 and 1945, theattacks on merchant shipping began to de-crease, and the war began to wind down.The interest once shown in the helicoptergreatly decreased due to the decreasingsubmarine threat. The once large heli-copter order by the British went from athousand to just several hundred aircraft.The Coast Guard helicopter school wasclosed out of lack of necessity. In the twoyears that the school operated, it hadtrained over 200 mechanics, 96 CoastGuard, 12 Navy, two British, two Armyand four civilian pilots (Browning, n.d.).Funding for helicopter procurement anddevelopment dried up co nsiderably. TheCoast Guard was left with only a few air-craft and trained pilots. A fundamental di-

vide in Coast Guard aviation developedover whether or not the helicopter had anyfuture in the Coast Guard or if the seaplanewas the way ahead. This divide would lastfor more than 10 years until the helicopterwas able to prove itself.

Rescues Make Helicopters a Reality

After the end of World War Two therewas not much need for helicopters in mil-itary aviation. The technology had notreached a point where the cost of these air-craft could be outweighed by their utility.Captain Kossler passed away in 1946, and

this left Commander Erickson on his ownto promote the use of helicopters in theCoast Guard (Beard, T., 2004). Despite thefact that the other services began to realizethe importance of a helicopter program inthe 1950s, a large contingent in CoastGuard aviation still thought that amphibi-ous seaplanes were the most practical air-craft. After the Coast Guard helicopterschool at Floyd Bennett Field was closed,all that remained of a Coast Guard heli-copter program was a small test unit com-manded by Erickson in Elizabeth City,NC, and several helicopters at various AirStations. There





was no formal training for these heli-copters; they were manned by crews whowere already qualified and used only as asecond option. Coast Guard aviators wereable to muster enough support to keep thehelicopter program from becoming extinct.That is until several high profile rescuesforever cemented the helicopter’s place in

the Search and Rescue community.The first rescue occurred in 1945 after

11 Canadian airmen were stuck on aLabrador mountain after their planecrashed. It was spring time and the groundwas so soft that neither conventional norski equipped fixed wing aircraft couldland, and the nearby lake was still partially

frozen, which prevented a landing by sea-plane. A rescue plane crashed attemptingto land, leaving its crew in need of rescueas well. A two seat HNS-1 trainer heli-copter was disassembled and transportedto the nearest airport to conduct the res-cue. The only other alternative would havebeen to wait for the winter months when aground based rescue team could be sent toretrieve the survivors. The HNS-1 madenine trips over 3 days to the crash sitewhich was 125 miles each way, and eachtime one survivor was transporte d back(Beard, T., 2004). In order to have enoughgas to complete the mission, the pilot Lieu-tenant August Kleisch, strapped five gal-lon gas cans to the floats. He landed onsnow covered lakes to refuel. This heli-copter had been pushed to its limits andsaved nine men.

The second rescue occurred in 1946,when a Sabena Airlines DC-4 crashed intoa mountain outside Gander, Newfound-land. Again the terrain prevented fixedwing aircraft from landing at the crash site.An Army ground rescue crew hiked theseven miles from the nearest lake capableof supporting an amphibious landing to thecrash site and built a helicopter landingplatform with lumber that had been airdropped in. Two Coast Guard helicopterswere disassembled and flown via fixedwing aircraft from New York to New-foundland, where they were reassembled,tested, and flown to the crash site (Beard,B., 1996). These helicopters hoisted 13survivors and the 14 Army rescuers fromthe crash site and transported them to thelake, where they were transferred to floatplanes for the trip to Gander. This case re-ceived worldwide news coverage andgreatly enhanced the views on helicoptercapabilities and utility.

A dike outside Yuba City, CA, wasweakened by rising storm waters. On thenight of December 23, 1955, it burst, let-ting loose a wall of water that forcedmore than 100,000 people from theirhomes, injured 500, and killed 100(Beard, T., 2004). The death toll wouldhave been worse had it not been for oneCoast Guard helicopter a H04S and fourcrew members from Coast Guard Air Sta-tion San Francisco. This aircraft wasflown almost non stop for nearly 29 hoursand rescued 138 people. These rescuesand others demonstrated the helicoptersunique abilities and erased the doubts

F E A T U R E


www.aviationinsurors.com

LT Brad McNally is a 2001 graduate of the United StatesCoast Guard Academy. After serving a ship tour

and working in the Office of Naval Engineering at US CoastGuard Headquarters in Washington, DC, he attended Naval

Flight Training in Pensacola, Florida. He is currently aMH-65C Dolphin Helicopter pilot stationed at United States

Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, New Jersey, wherehe resides with his wife Monica and son Brett.


about whether or not a helicopter couldbe useful in Coast Guard aviation.

Coast Guard Rotary WingOperations in Vietnam

In 1964, the Joint Chiefs of Staff or-dered that search and rescue forces wouldbe sent to Southeast Asia to assist the U.S.forces fighting in the region. The Air Forcewas tasked with fulfilling this requirementand began sending both fixed and rotarywing aircraft and aircrews to fly these air-craft to the region. As the war in Vietnamescalated, the Air Force realized that it wasflying more search and rescue operationsand was in desperate need of experiencedsearch and rescue pilots. In 1966, the AirForce approached the Coast Guard aboutstarting an aviator exchange program, anda memorandum of agreement was signedbetween the two services in March of 1967(Coast Guard Aviation in Vietnam, n.d.).Three Coast Guard helicopter pilots ar-rived in Danang on April 3, 1968. Threemore arrived in 1969, followed by twomore in 1971 and two more in 1972. All10 Coast Guard helicopter pilots whoserved in Vietnam were assigned to the37th Air Rescue and Recovery Squadronand flew the HH-3E or the HH-53B, or“Jolly Greens” as the Air Force rescue he-licopters were known. Within 11 days ofreporting, the Coast Guard aviators wereflying combat search and rescue missions.In all, Coast Guard helicopter pilots wereawarded 14 Distinguished Flying Crosses,77 Air Medals, 4 Silver Stars, and 1 PurpleHeart (Coast Guard Aviation in Vietnam,n.d.). More importantly, though, these 10men earned the admiration and apprecia-tion of their Air Force counterparts and themany soldiers, airmen, and marines thatthey rescued.

There was one combat casualty fromthis brave group of 10 pilots. LT Jack Rit-tichier was shot down and killed in 1968while piloting Jolly Green 23, an HH-3Ewhich was attempting to rescue a downedMarine Corps fighter pilot (Coast GuardAviation in Vietnam, n.d.). LT Rittichierand his crew were posthumously awardedthe Silver Star for gallantry in action. In2003 LT Rittichier’s remains were uncov-ered and returned to the United States,where he was laid to rest in Arlington Na-tional Cemetery. A hangar at U.S. CoastGuard Air Station Detroit is named in hishonor. ❚


http://www.sei-ind.com


rect secure supply, and exceptional cus-tomer service. Today, Air BP customersin the US and Canada work with a team ofprofessionals who have extensive, valuablehands-on experience in aviation as pilots(GA and commercial), charter manage-ment, FBO management, line service, andline support. This experience in aviationmakes the team at Air BP better equippedto address the real life day to day experi-ences that customers face—there is a senseof understanding that you just don’t getwithout that real life aviation experience.

When it comes to a relationship with anFBO, Air BP provides a team that works tocover all the critical aspects of a brandeddealer’s business: marketing and sales;safety and risk management; training; andtechnical, operational, and financial proce-dures. There is clearly a sense of partner-ship between Air BP and the network ofover 400 Air BP branded dealers in the USand Canada. It is far more than a fuel sup-plier vendor relationship with branded deal-ers. A sense of commitment to thepartnership is evident to FBOs through ef-

forts like Air BP’s Compass processing sys-tem, which allows FBOs to provide a betterend user experience, save on back officebookwork, and much more. Together, AirBP and dealers continue to work to maxi-mize efficiencies and resources while keep-ing the primary focus on customersatisfaction, safety, and quality control.

Sometimes people make an assumptionthat all fuel providers are essentially thesame, but with Air BP, there is clearly anoteworthy difference. The commitmentAir BP puts toward safety and quality con-trol makes a difference that has an impactfar greater than anyone likely realizes.There is no way to measure the lives thathave been saved, damage to aircraftavoided, and overall impact of having thehighest standards and commitment to qual-ity control of any aviation fuel provider.Several times a year, Air BP conducts in-ternationally recognized quality controltraining seminars. These seminars bringAir BP branded dealers, pilots, airport of-ficials, corporate fl ight departments, andothers together to learn about proper fuel

In 1926, Air BP made its first recordedsale of aviation “spirit” (the original namefor aviation fuel) under the parent com-pany of the BP brand in the Middle East.Early annual reports included referencesto aviation fuel sales of a mere 2,582 gal-lons with a notation that “while the off-take of this product is small…weanticipate the sales will show a steady in-crease.” Needless to say, with fixed wingaircraft still largely a novelty and any sortof practical helicopter at least 10 yearsaway, seeing any growth in aviation fuel inthose early days was somewhat amazing.

As aviation grew, so did Air BP, in-cluding its first appearanc e in the US in1980. In February 2002, Valley Oil Com-pany, LLC and Air BP established a jointventure and became Air BP Aviation Ser-vices. This merger brought together thesupply and reliability strengths of a majoraviation fuel refiner with the flexibility andresponsiveness of a smaller supplier.

Air BP Aviation Services combines thebest attributes of two business models intothe perfect hybrid, offering flexibility, di-



handling and testing methods, correct fuelreceipt procedures, quality control require-ments, refueler and fuel farm inspection,maintenance guidelines, and countlessother critical topics. For Air BP, safety andquality control are not things you just talkabout—they are reinforced at all levels ofthe company and with all branded dealers.

In addition to the reputable Fuel Han-dling and Quality Control Training Series,Air BP also offers Equipment Mainte-nance Training, 14 CFR 139 Section 321Certification, Customer Service Training,and in response to industry requests, RampSafety and Security Training and Trans-portation Quality Control. Supporting thisextensive list of classroom training is anonline training program designed to sup-port the training needs of FBOs and otherswithin the aviation industry. Clearly,training is something that Air BP sees as acritical part of who and what the companyis and the commitment Air BP has tosafety in the general aviation industry.

Whether at an Air BP FBO or throughoff-airport location deliveries, working tomeeting the fuel needs of helicopter cus-tomers is another important part of Air BP.Through experience in helicopter fuelneeds within fire fighting, logging, lifeflight, corporate, and off-shore helicopterbusinesses, Air BP is able to quickly re-spond to the unique needs of each of thesesectors. The 24/7/365 customer supportAir BP offers makes a tremendous differ-ences in meeting the often immediate andsometimes unexpected fuel needs of heli-copters across the US and Canada.

The company is certainly passionateabout being known for more than fuel.“AirBP is a good fit as a fuel supplier for anyhelicopter operation because we do morethan just sell fuel. We offer greater peaceof mind by providing resources that loweroperational and financial risks. W hetheryou need company training for fuel han-dling, on or off-site billing flexibility, oreven fixed pricing options, we give heli-copter operators a reason to feel a totalsense of security and confidence when itcomes to aviation fuel,” says Steve Mc-Cullough, Vice President of Sales andMarketing for Air BP Aviation Services.

Corporate flight departments (fixed wingand helicopter fleets) turn to Air BP for theoptions of fixed pricing, contract fuel, fuelfarm support, and other needs on a case bycase basis. Flight departments can count on

the continuity of the team at Air BP andthe clear understanding they have of rou-tine and unique requests--whether it is aspecial billing process or simple fuel sup-ply need. Instead of giving the customeroptions on how to do business, Air BP em-ployees listen to what the customer needsand finds the best way to meet those re-quirements. One of the first things new em-ployees at the company learn is the extremefocus placed on customer satisfaction, andthis way of doing business is very evidentto Air BP customers.

Air BP’s proprietary commercial creditcard, Sterling Card, offers the ideal tool tocustomers looking to manage their fuelpurchases through a fleet card. This indus-try leading card is accepted at more than400 FBOs across the US and Canada andis accepted at Air BP locations around theworld. The card’s 24/7 customer service,swipe and go convenience (no fuel releaseneeded), preferred pricing, and convenientonline account management makes thecard an extremely valuable tool. The com-

pany offers a branded Air BP Visa cardfor use by GA pilots looking for a way tomanage their private purchases with theconvenience of a credit card and value ofsome of the highest reward incentives inthe credit card industry.

No one can tell the true story of Air BPbetter than the customers that depend onthe company every day.”Air BP’s commit-ment to on-time performance, safety, andcustomer service has distinguished them ina very competitive market. All of these at-tributes make Air BP a valuable part of theColumbia Helicopters, Inc. team,” saysChris Hansel, Director of Materials.

The Air BP story features a rich historythat has evolved alongside the aviation in-dustry. The company is a partner to manyin the industry and as is constantly lookingto do more to exceed the high expectationsof existing and potential customers. Youcan learn more about Air BP Aviation Ser-vices at www.airbpaviation.com or connectwith an Air BP team member for more in-formation by calling 800-752-9220. ❚



http://www.asu-nvg.com


Congrats Kid You’re a Pilot...

F E A T U R E

By Carl Reynolds

NOW WHA


II wasn’t done. Silver State Helicoptersfolded the next day; it was gone, and withit, scores of open CFI jobs for the low-time pilots. Not only that, but a huge scarwas placed on the names of everyone af-filiated with SSH. So, what were the op-tions for the low-time CFIs now? Youcould find a school that’s hiring and willlook past your former school’s name, theschool that you just happened to call thevery instant that they needed a CFI andwho hired you on the spot. This resultedin a move across the country for you andyour family and a job that pays 13 bucksan hour for three hours a week. Hasn’tyour family already sacrificed enough

time and money for you to fulfill yourdream? When does the labor and cost offlight training end and the fruitful job be-gin? The results of all this are studentsgiving up on their life-long dreams of fly-ing and robbing the helicopter industry ofsome much needed and very good pilots.Surely, someone has addressed this issue.

No one has addressed this issue (anddon’t call me Shirley). The answer to thequestion “What does a low-time pilot doto get hours that doesn’t involve flighttraining?” seems to be “Keep on paying.”Pay for hours building, pay for advancedtraining, buy your own helicopter, pay,pay, pay. Any flight



On Saturday February 2, 2008, I sat smiling in the left seat of the R22. I hadto complete the approach without the use of the governor to get mySFAR 73 sign-off in the R22, that was it. My CFI check-ride was complete.The months of training were complete. The constant competition betweenfamily life, career, and flight training was complete. When those skidstouched down on the ramp and I received the thumbs up from theexaminer, the 60 grand I spent was justified. I was done. AT?


www.specializedheli.com

school can take your money and get youto pass your commercial check-ride, butthere are few that will land you that firstjob. Even more advanced schools will lureyou in with promises of needs for flightinstructors and commercial pilots withintheir organization with the added com-ment, “We usually hire students that gottheir ratings here.” This should be trans-lated as, “You may be able to buy a jobhere but I never said for sure.” Some saythat being a helicopter pilot is like being adoctor and the CFI years are like a resi-dency, yet I have never heard a doctor tellsomeone that they would perform surgery

on them for free to get experience. Thereare CFIs out there who would train peoplefor absolutely free; there are CFIs whowould sweep out the hanger of a com-mercial operator with a paintbrush for theopportunity to hover in a Huey for tenminutes, just to get some turbine time.When are the dues finally paid? At whatpoint do low-time pilots get to fly with-out paying? Does anyone have the an-swer?

No one has the answer. At Heli-Expothis year in Anaheim, I heard the sametwo complaints. From the low-time pilots,they couldn’t get a job, and from the op-

erators, they couldn’t find pilots with theexperience they wanted. It may be just myopinion, but if the operators know whatthey need in a pilot and there are hundredsof pilots that are willing to do anythingfor a job, we should get these guys to-gether. There are so many commercialoperators out there that need pilots, andthe pilots that meet the experience re-quirements already have jobs. Why aren’tthere more opportunities for low-time pi-lots with commercial operators? Thiscould be a huge boon to the commercialoperators, an employment pool of cleanslates. I don’t want a company to toss a200-hour pilot behind the stick of Air-Crane flying 6000 pound buckets of con-crete over elementary schools. But, alow-time pilot should be able to log PICtime with a commercial operator duringless complicated operations such as ferry-ing aircraft, long tours, maintenance run-ups, and other such operations. The besthelicopter pilots in the world work for thecommercial operators in the United States.


F E A T U R E

There are so many commercial operators out there that need pilots, and the pilots that meet the experience requirements already have jobs.

Why aren’t there more opportunities for low-timepilots with commercial operators?


http://www.breeze-eastern.com

www.firstfueling.com

They have thousands and thousands ofhours of flight time, and with a seasonedpilot like this in one se at, why can’t t heother be occupied by a newbie learningthe ropes? Why can’t this happen?

Commercial operators will say it’s dueto insurance requirements. There must bea way around this. If a 300 hour CFI canteach a 10 hour student pilot to perform a180 degree autorotation and be insured,why can’t a 10,000 hour Chinook pilotteach a 300 hour CFI straight and level? Iam not an insurance expert, but they haveclauses for everything, and I think thatflights like these can get covered. And be-sides, don’t the insurance companies ulti-mately work for the commercialoperators? Isn’t that the way it should be?After all, whose industry is this?

Or, they may say it’s too expensive totrain a low timer. Helicopters cost mil-lions of dollars; hell, matching seat cush-ions will run you 5 grand. Isn’t the mostimportant piece of equipment in the cock-pit the smelly guy wiggling the sticks? Ifthere can’t be an investment in the pilotsby anyone but the pilots themselves, thenwhat is the incentive for them to remainat a particular company? If there werecompanies out there that offered trainingfrom the CFI level to commercial opera-tions level, most would be inclined to stayin a place like that. So far, I’ve only comeacross six, and five are the branches of theU.S. armed forces and the other one islocked in bankruptcy court in Nevada.

That is why many people went to SilverState; the risk of finishing flight schoolwithout a job to look forward to was min-

imal. They constantly had job openingsfor CFIs, commercial pilots, and even jobsfor students while they were training.When I passed my CFI check-ride, I hadfour Silver State Flight schools that Icould have taught in. Now there is noth-

ing. Say what you will about that com-pany, but they did have good intentionsand made good pilots. Most important,they gave the fledgling CFI the first job.It’s time for someone to take up that idea,to take a person from a student pilot to a1000 plus hour aviator. The industryneeds someone to take the bull by thehorns and get the low-time pilots work-ing. Only this time, do it right

Lots of people out there are looking forthat first helicopter job- CFIs, commercialpilots, and good people- and so far there isno light at the end of their dark tunnel. Thisproblem should be seen as an opportunityfor commercial operators to get fresh bod-ies in the seats of their aircraft, pilots thatthey can train the way they want themtrained, with mentors that have decades ofexperience. These pilots shouldn’t be seenas suckers for the next guy who says, “Payme this much and I guarantee you’ll get ajob… Maybe.” Something must be done tohelp these low-timers, or someday that’sall that will be left. ❚



www.gradientlens.com


P R O D U C T P R O F I L E

Kipper Tool is a woman-owned smallbusiness based in Gainesville, Georgiaproviding over 250,000 items from 450manufacturers including:

• High-quality industrial tools• Fall protection and safety equipment• Custom tool kits and systems• Engineered industry solutions• Assest management with Radio Fre-

quency Identification (RFID) tech-nology

• Office products

Kipper Tool is currently expanding toserve the aerospace, oil and gas, energy,rail, construction and mining industries.We bring the same dedication and com-mitment to excellence that has made usthe industry leader for managed tool sys-tems to all of our customers worldwide.

Kipper Tool: Upgrading the Army’s Motorpools Worldwide

By

RCP_0309_p36-48:Product Focus 4/2/09 12:42 PM Page 36

This provides the highest level of securitytool asset management available.

Our system is also compatible withexisting RFID technology. The MobileTool Facility can accommodate any stor-age system(s) to include our patentedlight weight tool racking system. LetKipper Tool assist you in controllingyour tool costs with one of our completetool systems. ❚


tool systems worldwide to military andcommercial markets. Our large t ool sys-tems are engineered to support construc-tion, and energy/nuclear sites, miningfacilities, and maintenance depots

Pictured below is the Standard Automo-tive Tool Set (SATS) Kipper Tool devel-oped with the US Army. We were awardeda 1.2 billion dollar contract to upgrade allof the Army’s motorpools worldwide.

This system contains 1,900 items andCNC foam storage forrapid inventory. Inven-tory that normally took3 days has been reducedto one hour.

Kipper Tool has com-bined resources withWinWare Corporationto develop this Mobi leTool Facility utilizingWinWare’s latest in Ra-dio Frequency Identifi-cation (RFID) tool assetmanagement software.

Master Mech I - 51” Roll-Around Tool Chest

General Mechanics A pre-packagedtool kit usually contains tools an end-userdoesn’t need and doesn’t want to pay for.All of Kipper Tool’s custom tool systemsare developed with our customer to opti-mize the tool load, eliminating unneces-sary spending. We offer entry level toolsystems specifically designed to supportthe aviation, construction, energy/nuclear,and automotive industry,maintenance de-pots/shops, and service trucks.

All systems are supplied with CNCroutered color foam inserts, securely hold-ing tools and providing easy inventory.We also offer laser etching to include yourcompany name or logo and MAP 2D bar-code matrix for low level security tooltracking. All of our systems are compati-ble with existing MAP 2D Barcode ma-trix tools.

Kipper Tool is taking our proven suc-cess now offering our “Kipper Kits”™


www.aeroseatsandsystems.com

I’ll admit it, I love gadgets. All types ofgadgets, especially the type that can makemy life, or my job a little bit easier. Whilestrolling the aisles at the 2009 Heliexpo Iran into Rob Hamers, owner of Merit Ap-parel of Vero Beach, Florida. Merit Ap-parel has been around for quite some time,actually they have been in business for overthirty years. Specializing in custom Gal-let™ flight helmets, Nomex™ gloves, com-munication systems, lip lights, and all theparts, pieces and upgrades you can possi-bly imagine. In the past few years they’veadded cell phone adapters to their productlineup. The first few versions of thesehandy devices included a few extra cablesto make the necessary connections. Whilethese adapters worked great, extra cablescan create more clutter in your cockpit, orcabin than you really want. Well, now wehave a product that eliminates the clutter,interfaces with every Bluetooth™ enabledcell phone or MP3 player, and allows handsfree communication right through your ex-isting headset or helmet, the Blulink™Wireless Cell phone adapter. It will evenallow you to listen to your Bluetooth en-abled MP3 player as well. What sets thisdevice apart from other cell phone adapteris that it has a mute feature which will mutethe phone call, or interrupt the music if anintercom transmission, or radio transmis-sion is sensed.

I know the rules concerning the use ofcell phones aboard aircraft, and do not con-done breaking, bending, or otherwise abus-ing the regulated use of these devices.However, anyone who has been around theblock at least once knows well the limita-tions of “line of sight” communications sys-tems, they don’t always get the job done.For those times, while on the ground, whenyou just have to contact the FAA, FSS, orany other agency the Blulink™ Cell phoneadapter fits the bill quite nicely.

Typical Uses• File, cancel or close your flight plan• Obtain your full flight briefing• Obtain your IFR clearance



Cool Tools-Blulink™ Wireless Cell PhoneAdapter from Merit Apparel

By Ron Whitney



• Call WxBrief or ASOS/AWOS• Call to coordinate aircraft servicingThe adapter, which weighs 4.2 oz is fit-

ted with two quick release cables that makethe connection between the aircraft andyour headset or helmet. Two AA batterieswill power the unit for approximately 15-20 hours of use, 100 hours in the standbymode. Setup is simple and if followed cor-rectly will have you up and running in just afew minutes. Once you have the unit setupall you have to do is turn it on and it willautomatically connect to your Bluetooth™device. Another of the neat capabilities ofthis adapter is that you can take it with youwhen you leave the aircraft and still wantto make a call through your helmet or head-set. This is especially useful for EMS med-ical crews who need to call their medicalauthority from an accident scene.

The Blulink™ adapter is manufacturedby Pilot Communications, and can be or-dered through Merit Apparel by visitingwww.meritapparel.com, or calling772.563.0002. ❚


www.foxtronics.com

www.skybooks.com

Merlin Simulation, Inc. receives Ad-vanced Aviation Training Device (AATD)approval for its New Generation, Re-Con-figurable Pro Series Helicopter FTD Mer-lin Simulation is pleased to announce theapproval of its truly affordable, new gen-eration Pro-Series Schweizer 300CAATD. The FTD is scheduled to be offi-cially introduced at Heli-Expo February22nd in Anaheim, California.

New Generation means new featuresincorporating advanced technology, supe-rior visual imagery, and true flight mod-eling previously found only in high endtraining devices.

A distortion free visual of near 180°field of view is the largest in the industryfor this class of product. Coupled to anaeromodel developed through a rigorous

flight test program “the device is not onlyan accurate representation of the flightcharacteristics of a Schweizer 300, but apleasure to fly” stated Mike Fyola – ChiefPilot/Owner of Rotors of the Rockies.Given the quick responsiveness and steeplearning curve of helicopter training, thenew 300C AATD finally provides thenecessary feel, look, and flight character-istics of the actual 300C for serious train-ing,” reported Ken Zimmerman, Presidentof Merlin Simulation.

Other advanced features include:• High Fidelity graphics • High Fidelity Cockpit • High Fidelity Systems replication, in-

cluding engine start up and shut down• A new easy to use instructor station

with record/playback


Merlin Simulation, Inc.Pro Series FTD Gains FAA Approval


• A high fidelity replication of aircraftsystems failures

• Simulated Garmin 530GPS/Nav/Comm unit (moving map)

• Unique instructor and testing tools

The reconfigurable device is modularin design and may be upgraded to includethe Schweizer 333 which is planned forintroduction in May of 2009. Other mod-els are available upon request.

Merlin Simulation, Inc., with offices inVirginia, Colorado and Michigan, pro-vides high level Man-in-the-Loop Train-ing Devices, simulators and simulatorcomponents for both Government andcommercial application.

For further information visit their web-site at www.MerlinSimulation.Com. ❚


Mission Statement: To provide safe, ef-ficient transportation of aircraft, airframes,structures, engines, and manufacturingequipment throughout North America andthe world.

H.W. Farren is a New Jersey based cor-poration with strategic warehouse loca-tions in the United States.

We are a bonded carrier with both USCustoms and Canada Border ServicesAgency. In addition, we are a partner inthe US Customs C-TPAT/FAST program(Customs Partnership Against Terrorism/ Free And Secure Trade).

We operate all air ride specially de-signed equipment, most of it designed tobe compatible with manufacturers’ speci-fications for their aircraft.

With the aircraft manufacturers, wehave developed special wheel cradles to

reduce dimensions and protect the aircraftduring their overland transport.

We have developed a special multi-lay-ered protection packaging which has al-lowed us to transport highly valuableprototype aircraft to venues or test areas.This has been proven with our transportof the Prototype UH-60M, the Comanche,the prototype S-76D, the X-2 to and fromHeli Expo 2008, and for AgustaWest-land’s Icing Trials in Duluth, Minnesota,Fairbanks, Alaska, and Muskegon, Michi-gan with all aircraft delivered in pristinecondition.

We have developed specialized slingsfor the installation of aircraft componentsonto tooling.

We have also developed special slingsfor aircraft recovery to minimize existingdamage and eliminate any further damage

to an aviation mishap.Our specialized equipment allowed us

to transport the first Sikorsky S-92 produc-tion helicopter to Heli Expo 2004 in LasVegas, the X-2 to Heli Expo 2008, and theS-76 D V VIP airframe to Heli Expo 2009.

Our personnel are trained under theguidance of our Safety Director, GlennWargo, a Licensed Aviator, CertifiedConstruction Safety Health Specialist, andOSHA outreach trainer. He also preparedthe loading and transportation manual forSikorsky Aircraft and Structures.

Our President has designed and fabri-cated a special group of trailers to trans-port the Sikorsky Blackhawk helicoptersbetween Sikorsky manufacturing plantsand their flight development center. ❚


H.W. Farren Co.By Philip Antonucci


www.ahlersaerospace.com

www.aircraftbelts.com


O N F I N A L A P P R O A C H

Vector AerospaceDelivers S61 “Short” to Billings Flying Service

VECTOR AEROSPACE HELICOPTER SERVICESNORTH AMERICA, the world’s largest inde-pendent provider of helicopter maintenance,repair and overhaul (MRO) has delivered ashortened and modified Sikorsky S61 heli-copter to Billings Flying Services (Billings),a family-owned and operated company witha 20-year history in the aviation industry.The aircraft successfully underwent hoverchecks and test flights, and was handed overto Billing on March 4, 2009.

Al Blain, President of Billings says,“Billings Flying Service is very pleasedwith the quality of workmanship providedby Vector, and with the project coming inon budget, and ahead of schedule. The Vec-tor team was grea t to work with over theentire scope of the project, and due to theexceptional job they performed, we knowthis modified S61 is going to be a valuableasset to our operations. Congratulations ona job well-done!"

Phil Kemp, Vice Pre sident of Sale s forVector explains the modification process asfollows: “Removal of the ‘plug’ (a fifty inchsection of the main cabin fuselage behindthe cockpit and forward o f the engine in-takes) transforms the S-61 into a shorter he-licopter; yielding a lower empty weight andresulting in increased external lifting ca-pacity and enhanced flight performance.”In addition to the plug removal, the modifi-cation process requires all engines, tail rotorand emergency throttle cables to be short-ened and reinstalled; fluid lines are modi-fied; internal aircraft wiring is changed andthe primary flight controls are modified uti-lizing custom-designed, civil Parts Manu-facture Approval (PMA) parts. Kempemphasizes the Vector team did a superbjob, surpassing its own expectations by de-livering the S61 more than two weeksahead of schedule.

“Billings is a utility helicopter operatorspecializing in aerial fire suppression, seis-mic drill operations, construction lift workand helicopter charters at locations acrossthe globe,” says Gerhart Blain, Vice Presi-dent of Billings. “I am extremely pleasedwith the outcome of the S61 modificationperformed by Vector, and anticipate puttingthis helicopter back to work very soon.” ❚



AERO PRODUCTS COMPONENT SERVICES, INC,a leading global helicopter support com-pany, announces the opening of a newcorporate headquarters located near thepristine White Mountains in Show Low,Arizona. The 26,000 square-foot / envi-ronmentally friendly 2- story structure issituated on two acres adjacent to the ShowLow Regional Airport.

The move consolidates the Company’soverhaul, parts, and accessory divisionspreviously housed in 2 different com-plexes in Tempe, Arizona.

"In undertaking the daunting task oftransferring all aspects of our business to anew location it was imperative that weprovided seamless and uninterrupted ser-vice to our customers. Through carefulplanning and coordination we were

pleased to have accomplished our goal”,said Ted Johnson, President of Aero Prod-ucts. Our new location not only offers agreat working environment for our em-ployees, but we now have the ability tofurther provide our customers with evenbetter service.”

Aero Products new modern facility fea-tures increased warehouse space, an ex-panded overhaul shop, environmentallyfriendly / citrus based parts cleaner, 8fully equipped overhaul workstations, acustom designed paint booth with in-creased capacity, and much more.

“Despite our troubled economy, AeroProducts has made a sizeable investmentin its future, because we truly believe cus-tomers are an investment. More impor-tantly, it demonstrates once again our

firm commitment in delivering extraordi-nary value and benefits to our customers”commented, Brad Martin, Director ofMarketing.

Aero Products was founded in 1986and specializes in Bell spares support,component overhauls and is also the as-signed U.S. Distributor for the world-renowned Aeronautical Accessoriesproduct line. Globally recognized for itspersonalized customer service, AeroProducts dedicated workforce providesround-the-clock support to customers op-erating Bell helicopters in 30 countries,on 6 continents.

For more information contact AeroProducts, 551 N. 40th Street, Show Low,AZ 85901 (928) 537-1000, or visitwww.aeroproducts.com. ❚

Aero ProductsCompletes Move; New Facility Opens


www.atriummed.com

www.maintenancestands.com


O N F I N A L A P P R O A C H

MAX-VIZ, INC. announced the award byEurocopter Deutschland GmbH of a con-tract for 23 EVS-1500 Infrared Night Vi-sion Devices.

These Max-Viz equipped EurocopterEC-135 aircraft will enter EMS service forthe National Ministry of Health in Poland.This order represents the first installationof Max-Viz Enhanced Visions Systems onEuropean operated EC-135 helicopters anddemonstrates a high commitment to in-creased flight operations safety and opera-tional innovation for both Eurocopter andthe Polish Ministry of Health.

The Max-Viz EVS-1500 is the only

EVS product featuring pilot selectable op-tical wide angle and telephoto views andis the most popular EVS on the market.

“We are proud and honored that ourproduct has been selected by both Euro-copter and the Polish Ministry of Health,”said Elliott Troutman, president of Max-Viz, Inc. He added, “We believe the se-lection of EVS by these two leaders in theHelicopter and EMS industry validatesour belief in the life saving safety attrib-utes, better value and performance of EVSover alternative Night Vision Devicessuch as NVG’s and TAWS in helping toreduce EMS accidents.” ❚

Max-Viz Awarded EurocopterDeutschland’s Order of 23 EVS-1500

Infrared Night Vision Devices

Robinson Breaks Own ProductionRecord- 893 Built in 2008

ROBINSON HELICOPTER COMPANY managedto defy the odds as 2008 drew to a close,producing even more helicopters for civiluse than the Torrance, CA, company ac-complished in record-setting 2007.

Robinson held onto the title of world'sleading manufacturer of civilian heli-copters, building 893 civil helicopters in2008, beating the prior record-setting yearof production by 70 aircraft, due largelyto continued strong sales overseas. As ofJuly 2008, a full 70 percent of Robinson'ssales were to non-US customers.

A full 80 percent of the company's saleswere models of the four-seat R44. Intro-duced in 2002, the Raven II, a more pow-erful version of the original R44 nowaccounts for 60% of the company's air-craft sales. The original R44, later desig-nated the Raven I, accounts for roughly20% of aircraft sales.

Making up the difference was the R22two-seat training helicopter. With 164ships produced in 2008, Robinson says the

R22 still maintains its niche in an increas-ingly competitive market.

With a wary eye towards global eco-nomic conditions, Robinson says its fo-cus for 2009 will continue to be product

development -- including bringing itslargest model to date to market, the RollsRoyce RR300 powered turbine heli-copter-- and maintaining its record-breaking production. ❚



EAST BAY REGIONAL PARK District’s AirSupport unit’s (4) pilots and (12) aircrewmembers completed the night vision ini-tial training course conducted by AviationSpecialties Unlimited.

Upon completion of the course, the Re-gional Parks Unit, located in Hayward,California was quick to implement andemploy the use of the new equipment.Five days after completing their training,Police Officer Pilot Kevin Iocavoni andTactical Flight Officer Gary Hirata wheredispatched in search of overdue hikersconsisting of three adults and four chil-dren. Ten minutes after initiating thesearch the hikers were found.

Pilot Officer Iocavoni stated that underthe night vision goggles, they were able

ASU Training Course Completed by EastBay Regional Park District’s Air Support

to spot the hikers who were utilizing a penlight to signal the helicopter. The light,being shined through a dense grove oftrees would have been nearly invisible tothe naked eye. Pilot Officer Iocavonistated that he was certain the search would

have taken much longer if it had not beenfor the use of the goggles. The ground unitassisting in the search was amazed by theshort amount of time it took the Air Sup-port unit to locate the hikers.

Aviation Specialties Unlimited, Inc.(ASU) was the preferred vendor in the im-plementation of Regional Park’s Night Vi-sion Goggle operation. Utilizing the ITTNight Vision F4949 Pinnacle Night Vi-sion Goggles and ASU’s FAA ApprovedFlight Training program, Regional Parkswas able to implement this critical safetycomponent to their flight operations unitwith turn-key results. East Bay RegionalPark District is the 230th helicopter baseto be trained and certified by ASU andtheir highly qualified Instructor Pilots. ❚


www.inscousa.com

www.meritapparel.com

THE NEWLY ANNOUNCED partnership be-tween Regional West Air Link and MedTrans Corporation has already begun tobear fruit. As a result of the partnership,Air Link and Med Trans recently intro-duced a Bell 407 helicopter for emergencymedical air transport.

With the newer aircraft comes newertechnology. Equipped with the latest insafety features, Air Link will be the firstcivilian medical transport program in Ne-

braska to actively use night vision gog-gles (NVG) along with other valuablesafety tools and technology.

In 2008, a series of accidents nation-wide drew attention to the medical trans-port industry as a whole. As a resultCongress is expected to make mandatorysafety measures that were previously vol-untary. Air Link and Med Trans Corpo-ration are taking a proactive stance andare far ahead of the curve in providing pa-tient and crew safety in the standardequipment.

“The safety of our crew and patients dur-ing each and every flight colors all deci-sions made regarding our service.” saysSusan Cozine, Director of Air Link, Emer-gency Department and Intensive Care.

“From highly-visible paint schemes, toequipment and flight training requirements,and our policies for accepting missions, thedesire for everyone to return home safelydrives research based choices.”

Night vision goggles were first widelyused by the military, but have made a suc-cessful transition into the civilian air trans-port arena. They enhance vision of darknighttime landscapes by magnifying staror moonlight to illuminate the ground, as

well as natural and manmade obstaclesthat could cause problems in flight. “Thegoggles can illuminate natural terrain,things like basic power poles or towersthat were previously very difficult to seein low light or dark situations,” says AirLink Base Manager and pilot Gil Watkins.“We fly half of our missions at night, andthis technology helps us to do our jobs bet-ter and more safely than we could before.”

The goggles are incorporated onto theflight team’s helmets and run from a bat-tery pack attached to the back of the hel-met. Each crewmember, in addition to thepilots, spends multiple hours training onthe art of vision with the goggles. “It’s anadjustment, but one we’re willing to makein return for the added safety of our crews


Have a product you wantfeatured in Rotorcraft

Professional Magazine?Submit a press release and

and image (300dpi) [email protected] then just watch for it in

an upcoming issue.

O N F I N A L A P P R O A

Med-Trans CorpAir Link Flight Team First in

Nebraska to Use NightVision Goggles


www.borescopesrus.com

and our patients,” said Chief Flight NurseLaurie Soper. “We’re honored to be thefirst in the state to have this technologyand look forward to incorporating thegoggles into our existing safety protocolsand training.”

Covering over 23,000 square miles inNebraska alone, the helicopter is an inte-gral part of the only comprehensivetrauma system west of Kearney. The sys-tem serves important volunteer and paidground crews, and medical staff in Criti-cal Access Hospitals in the panhandle,eastern Wyoming, southern South Dakotaand northeastern Colorado, linking themto the referral center and its specialists atRegional West Medical Center.

Med-Trans Corporation, headquarteredin Dallas, Texas, is a leading provider ofair ambulance programs in selected loca-tions throughout the United States, focusedon establishing partnerships with leadinghospital systems, medical centers andEMS agencies to provide customized airmedical programs through specialized de-

livery formats, including alternative deliv-ery models, community based models ortraditional hospital-based models. Thecompany’s extensive fleet of helicoptersdelivers teams of highly trained medical

and flight professionals to patients requir-ing emergency medical care and transportsthe patient to the appropriate medical fa-cility. The company has grown from fourto 30 programs over the past six years. ❚


A C H


www.justhelicopters.com


Advertiser Name PG#

A D I N D E X

Advertiser Name PG#

ABI ..................................................................................41AEROMETALS..................................................................22AERO SEATS & SYSTEMS................................................37AHLERS AEROSPACE .......................................................41AIR BP AVIATION SERVICES ............................................IBCALL METAL STANDS........................................................43ATRIUM MEDICAL CORP ..................................................43AVIATION MANAGEMENT INT...........................................21AVIATION SPECIALTIES UNLIMITED..................................31BORESCOPES R US .........................................................46BREEZE EASTERN............................................................34BROADCAST MICROWAVE SYSTEMS .................................2CHOPPER SPOTTER.........................................................48DEVORE AVIATION ..........................................................19EURO AVIONICS.................................................................5FEC HELIPORTS...............................................................48FIRST FUELING SYSTEMS................................................34FLIGHT CELL ..................................................................IBCFLYIT...............................................................................17FOXTRONICS ...................................................................39GRADIENT LENS ..............................................................35

H.W. FARREN CO.............................................................13HELIPOD............................................................................7INSCO .............................................................................45INTERNATIONAL MACHINE TRANSPORT.............................9JUSTHELICOPTERS.COM .................................................47KIPPER TOOL...................................................................26LEADING EDGE AVIATION.................................................23LEADING EDGE INSURANCE.............................................28MANHANDLER DOLLIES...................................................48MAX-VIZ .........................................................................IFCMD HELICOPTERS ...........................................................BCMERIT APPAREL ..............................................................45ROTORCRAFT SERVICE CENTER ......................................11SAGEM..............................................................................1SEI INDUSTRIES...............................................................29SKY BOOKS .....................................................................39SPECIALIZED HELICOPTERS.............................................33SURVIVAL PRODUCTS......................................................48TANIS AIRCRAFT PRODUCTS .............................................2XINSURANCE ...................................................................10


www.survivalproductsinc.com

www.helicopterdolly.com

www.fecheliports.com

www.chopperspotter.com


www.airbpaviation.com


www.mdhelicopters.com

rotorcraft professional march 2009

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