Issue 42 - HeliOps

2 0 0 6
N O V E M B E R
THE MAGAZINE FOR THE CIVIL HELICOPTER INDUSTRY
I S S U E 42
I N T E R N A T I O N A L
ISSUE 42
C O N T E N T S
24
38
48
57
Philip Knaus captured this
unique angle of his brother
Roy long-lining in the Austrian
mountains near St Johan.
long-lining – learning the ropes
Long-Lining – probably one of the hardest,
most frustrating and humbling challenges
faced by a helicopter pilot. Sarah Bowen
talks us through some tips of the trade.
r e g u l a r
f e a tu r es
simulation – the new reality
From the Editor
3
As the world wonders how to (affordably)
New Products and Services
5
to reduce the number of helicopter
HeliOps Subscription Form
5
Training is already offering high quality
Personal Profile – Rich Nowland,
EMS Pilot, Rockford, USA
15
24
improve the standard of helicopter training
accidents, Dubai-based Emirates-CAE Flight
simulators to benefit not just UAE pilots –
but everyone.
38
Belts: the driving force
Legal Counsel – Reserve, Guard,
and Military Employees
17
For most piston-engined helicopters, and
indeed, some light turbines, rubber
tensioning belts are in effect, all that is
Flight Dynamics – The Universal
Emergency Procedure
Maintenance Update – Changing
Registry
Safety Column – Safety First, Ladies
19
between you and a power failure. We look
at how to minimize the risk from
something going wrong.
21
& Gentlemen of the Jury!
23
The Last Word – When Industry Strikes
64
48
performance in pLAIn english
One subject prone to misinformation is
“performance”. And knowledge of
performance is perhaps the most safety-critical
knowledge a pilot must posses.
Phil Croucher sets the record straight.
57
You can count on K-MAX.
Many missions require efficient heavy lifting. One helicopter does it better than the rest.
Conceived and designed to perform repetitive external lifting, the K-MAX excels, lifting 6,000
pounds while delivering unmatched performance and reliability. What’s more, K-MAX has the highest
availability rate and the lowest maintenance man-hour per flight hour of any helicopter in its class.
A fleet of hard-working K-MAX helicopters will be ready to respond to the most difficult missions — from
delivering supplies to clearing debris or rebuilding — any where, any time. You can count on it.
Kaman Aerospace · Connecticut USA · 1-860-243-7006 · frenchm-kac@kaman.com
f r o m t h e e d ito r
PUBLISHER
Neville (Ned) Dawson
The saga of Night Vision
Goggles and the civilian industry
seems to be an ongoing saga.
It seems that some regulators
EDITOR
cannot make up their minds
b
y
m
a
r
k
o
g
d
e
n
Mark Ogden
as to what is needed or
how things should be implemented. Mike
deputy editor
Atwood, probably the most recognized
Rob Neil
promoter of, and trainer in, the civilian use
of NVGs has been deeply involved in the
US EDITORs
regulatory development of this aid to flying.
Aaron Fitzgerald
He recently lashed out at the FAA regarding
its recently issued Handbook Bulletin for Air
legal EDITOR
Transportation (HBAT) which sets guidelines
Robert Van de Vuurst
policy for FAA districts and establishes
standards for FAA field inspectors.
european EDITOR
In a letter circulated to many in the
Sarah Bowen
industry, Atwood pointed out that the HBAT
was first going through revision, and he
technology editor
voiced concerns about the industry not
Nick Lappos
having an opportunity to provide input.
He said that there were recommendations
safety editor
forwarded for review and implementation
Phil Croucher
into the HBAT, but not one of them was
included. Another issue was that the FAA
Maintenance editor
had increased the NVG Initial Pilot training
Russell Goulden
time from five to eight hours representing a
sixty percent increase in the training. This
ITALIAN CORRESPONDENT
is interesting because, as Atwood highlights
Damiano Gualdoni
in his letter, in the eight years that the NVG
program has been running, there has not
scandinavian CORRESPONDENT
been one accident in the US attributable
Rickard Gilberg
to the use of NVGs. Among other issues
he noted, “One of the major problems that
PROJECT MANAGER
the FAA refuses to admit, is that industry
Cathy Horton
has taken the lead and has developed the
expertise and experience for civil NVG
proofreader
operations.” He also says that because
Barbara McIntosh
an individual flew NVGs in the military,
“this does not give them the knowledge
DESIGN
base, operational experience, and absolute
Graphic Design Services Ltd
qualifications for civil NVG operations,
especially if they have never flown civil
PRINTING
operations.”
Print World
Hallelujah! This, I believe, has been
one of the biggest problems with the
introduction of NVGs – the military
EDITORIAL ADDRESS
influence. Yes, the military has the
Oceania Group Intl
experience but in a completely different
PO Box 37 978, Parnell
environment and operating concept from
Auckland, New Zealand
that envisioned and conducted by the
PH ONE: + 64 21 757 747
civilian industry. This is not meant to
FAX: + 64 9 528 3172
belittle the military achievements – after
all it was the military that developed and
EMAIL
put into use the technology. But it has to be
info@heliopsmag.com
recognized that when it comes to training,
no one can afford to train like the military,
WEBSITE
and a more pragmatic approach is essential
www.heliopsmag.com
when it comes to the technology’s use in
the civilian industry, if we are to gain the
is published by Oceania Group Intl.
benefits of the technology. And after eight
years of accident-free NVG operations, you
Contents are copyright and may not be reproduced
would think that the FAA should be patting
without the written consent of the publisher. Most
the industry
articles are commisioned but quality contributions
on the back and saying, “job well done”.
will be considered. Whilst every care is taken
In Australia, the industry has been
Oceania Group Intl accept no responsibility for
struggling to get the country’s regulator,
submitted material. All views expressed in HeliOps
the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA),
are not necessarily those of Oceania Group Intl.
to come to a realistic determination on the
introduction of NVGs to civilian operations
there. Fortunately, after many false starts
over the past few years and having hopes
raised then dashed by the authority as it
continually moved the goalposts, there may
now be some semblance of reasonableness
arising. CASA in consultation with an
HAA NVG Industry Working Group finally
followed the intent of the CASA CEO’s (Bruce
Byron) vision of regulatory development
(despite prevarication by underlings). It
seems that NVGs will get the go-ahead soon,
and guess what? The training hours will be
five in five flights (one in low illumination).
This training is also based on a competency
standard of flying a helicopter into and
out of an unlit pad at night. Additional
training (hours) will be required for mission
competencies such as rappelling and
winching, low time night or IFR pilots. There
is an additional minimum 1.5 hours night
and instrument training for those pilots
without a command instrument rating.
Industry sees it as a positive development in
that the CEO’s vision prevailed.
It seems that even the staid UK CAA
may have had a change of heart and is
beginning to loosen its approach on the use
of NVGs, albeit not before time considering
that the AAIB (UK’s accident investigator)
first recommended their use for the police
air units over three years ago.
In New Zealand, two SAR/EMS operators
have been routinely operating NVG for all
night ops for over a year now. Both did
the NVG training course provided by Mike
Attwoods’ Aviation Specialties Unlimited
(ASU). Many other EMS providers put their
crews on this course as well, as did the New
Zealand CAA! ASU have run the annual recurrency training for the crews of these two
operators. The main issue it seems has been
the limited supply of goggles out of the US
State Department.
The availability of the goggles has meant
that NZ has enjoyed a slow and manageable
development of practices and procedures
with the industry there availing itself with
the best available civilian NVG initial and
recurrent training, and is now shaping up to
conduct its own NZ CAA-approved training
and maintenance programs. It is refreshing
to see the positive outcome of an authority
that monitors the industry, allowing it to
develop what is needed while making sure
nothing strays too far outside the bounds
of reasonableness.
Well, with HAI coming up in just a
few months and UK’s Helitech less than a
year away, the industry is moving along at
quite a pace and both these show promise
to be exciting industry events. But with that
increase in industry activity, comes increased
flying hours and a worrisome increase in the
number of accidents. Accident rates do not
matter; one accident is one too many and
hurts the industry in the eyes of the public
and if not more importantly in the eyes of the
industry’s customers (although their pressure is
sometimes a factor in the accident causation).
Please, fly safe and keep reading! n
3
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ne w p r o d ucts a n d se r v ices
Canam goes to
the World
Elite Simulation
Castle Tour
The approval by the UK CAA of the first Elite Simulation
PremiAir Aviation has
Canam Aerospace has chosen
Solutions helicopter simulator in the country is a
launched a new luxury
Dart Helicopter Services
breakthrough for the Swiss company. The UK FNPT II
historical tour, which allows
for worldwide commercial
approval is to JAR-SD 3(H) and the first UK unit is now
passengers to visit some of
distribution of their product
in use at Norwich International Airport. The Evolution
the UK’s finest castles, without
lines. That distribution
S623 simulator is configured to represent a single turbine
having to worry about time
excludes Japan, Norway,
helicopter based on the AS350BA. The use of an S623 to train
constraints or the hours
the U.S. Military and OEM
helicopter pilots in Australia and New Zealand, where it won
of queuing traffic on the
sales. Canam currently
approval two years ago, has helped to refine the design for
manufactures 14 products,
clearance in EU countries. The simulator has a 4-channel
specializing in remote cargo
external visual system offering 170o vision and features
hooks, electric swivels, long
a fully enclosed cockpit with a dual pilot instrument and
lines, carousels, grapples
control layout. It has full auto-pilot capability with a flight
and cargo nets. All Canam
director and navigation coupling to both VOR and GPS and
products are designed with
for the latter has a TSO C-129 certified system allowing GNSS
a sizeable safety factor and
(RNAV) capability with an auto-pilot NAV coupling.
every component produced
The open instructor station is at the rear of the enclosed
at the Canadian facility is
flight deck, which has an unobstructed view to the visual
individually tested prior to
scene via front windows. Hardware, such as switches and
shipping. All Canam Plasma
knobs, are in the same locations, of similar appearance
Long Lines are certified, pre-
and offer very closely the same responses as those of
stretched and pulled to 2.5
the AS350BA. Upgrade options include a King EFS40/50,
times the rated working load.
additional GPS receivers, a fully enclosed instructor’s
convenient to them and then
Plasma long lines are the
station and 3D models such as oil rigs. For flight training
flown by helicopter to the
highest strength synthetic
organisations with limited space in which to install a
historical destinations of their
rope available and are
simulator the S623’s external footprint is compact, at only
choice, or a suitable landing
chemical resistant
4m x 4m.
spot very near by.
motorway. The company has
created the ultimate day out
visiting Kenilworth, Thornbury,
and Berkeley Castles in a
single day, ending with dinner,
bed and breakfast in a top
suite at Thornbury Castle.
Up to nine passengers can
travel together. PremiAir can
also design other bespoke
helicopter tours to castles
such as Hever, Blenheim
Palace and Sudeley Castle.
Passengers can be collected
N O V E M B E R
2 0 0 6
from a departure point most
THE MAGAZINE FOR THE CIVIL HELICOPTER INDUSTRY
I N T E R N A T I O N A L
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I S S U E 42
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Subscriptions
The
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Experience
The first word on new products, new deliveries and happenings
in the civil helicopter industry. AIRMAILED TO YOUR DOOR
SUPPORT
JEFF SNYDER
General Manager,
Customer Support
“Our customers make their living in an
MD Helicopter. Our team of experienced field
service engineers is dedicated to keeping
our customers flying, and flying safely. Our
Spare Parts Department is in daily contact
with all MD Helicopters Authorized Service
Centers to serve our customers no matter
what hemisphere they’re in. We’re setting
new standards in technical publications,
customer training for pilots and maintenance
personnel. What’s more, we’ve put together a
Fast Response Team to handle our customers’
emergency support needs. We can now
respond to domestic needs within 48 hours and
international response within 72 hours. With
this level of support, we have reduced AOGs
by 80 percent. MD Helicopters have incredible
technology. Our goal now is to be number one
in customer support. We’re here for you.”
mdhelicopters.com
800-310-8539
American Pride Rising to New Heights. | Phone: 480-346-6344 | E-mail: customersupport@mdhelicopters.com
ne w p r o d ucts a n d se r v ices
Enhancing
Vision
Chelton and Kollsman will
collaborate on a new series
of products to combine
Chelton’s Synthetic Vision
Electronic Flight Instrument
System (EFIS) and Kollsman’s
General Aviation Vision
System (GAViS T). Both
companies currently offer
breakthrough products
in enhancing situational
awareness in the cockpit,
and in combination, will
offer pilots of the GA market,
light trainers and small to
medium size business aircraft
an integration of enhanced
vision and synthetic vision
systems. For example,
Chelton’s exclusive flight
path marker, Highway-in-theSky, and advanced head-up
symbology overlaid over the
GAViS real time images of
an IFR approach will make
landings in darkness and low
visibility easier and safer.
“Express Lane” maintenance
Premier Turbines, Dallas Airmotive’s Missouri engine repair
and overhaul division, has opened “Express Lane” service for
TFE731 and RR 250 engines. The service is up and running.
The company has established dedicated areas to handle nonstandard workscopes for TFE731 and Model 250 engines so
that operators needing immediate service will not have to
compete for priority with other engines undergoing standard
overhaul. The Express Lane concept is focused on limited
workscopes such as AOG, FOD, special inspections, and ADdriven campaigns where specific areas of the engine are
targeted for disassembly, inspection and repair. Dedicated
resources including separate work areas, tooling, machinery,
equipment, work force and pre-positioned inventory have
been established for each product line.
Leading Edge laser-marking
Leading Edge Aviation has invested in a UV laser wire
marking machine which allows the permanent marking
of wires without compromising the shielding. Each wire is
individually marked to the customer’s exact specifications,
this includes, font and font size, and vertical or horizontal
orientation. This equipment will also support cataloguing
each harness in a data base and allow customers to
standardize or upgrade their fleet over time without
further expense of duplicate engineering or re-engineering
processes. Each harness is accompanied by a detailed
schematic and material certification.
4th Generation
Rotor Blade
The 4th Generation blade
development builds on the
work done for Sikorsky’s
state-of-the-art Growth Rotor
Blade (GRB) currently used on
the UH-60M and S/H-92. The
CH-53K model wind tunnel
testing has shown a significant
improvement in forward flight
efficiency over the GRB. Earlier
in the year, similar model rotor
hover testing indicated large
gains in hover efficiency. The
performance of the advanced
blade compared to current
technology translates directly
into increased payload and
range. For example, based
on model rotor test results,
Sikorsky expect range
improvements of up to 90nm
over the GRB blade for similar
S-92A applications. Also, for
certain hot-high conditions, the
aircraft Max Cruise Speed will
increase from 135 to 146 kts.
ne w p r o d ucts a n d se r v ices
Sky Connect
update
Free Technical Manual revisions
The FAA has issued two STCs
revisions, free of charge, to registered owners for the life of
MDHI is now providing commercial Rotorcraft Flight Manual
to Sky Connect which permit
the helicopter. An electronic form is provided on the MDHI
installations of Sky Connect
web site to allow owners of MD helicopters to register for
equipment on the 206 and
the subscription revision service for these manuals and if a
S-76. The STCs include Sky
helicopter is sold or transferred, the new owner need only
Connect’s newest control
register on-line to continue receiving free Rotorcraft Flight
head called the Mission
Manual revisions. The company is also providing an FTP site
Management Unit, which
for free downloading of the commercial technical manuals
provides flight crews with
and revisions, in Adobe® Acrobat® PDF format allowing for
two-way text messaging
local printing of these publication. Free downloads will be
and unlimited phone calling
provided by registering and accessing the existing on-line
capabilities.
Electronic Technical Manuals (ETM) website. The on-line
ETM website provides web access to all MDHI commercial
More Approvals
for SkyTrac
SkyTrac Systems announced
today that it has added all
available derivatives of the
type certificate for the BK117,
AS365, and EC155 to its STC
installation approval list.
SkyTrac has also announced
that they will soon also have
the 206 and the AS350 B2 and
B3 installations approved.
technical and flight manuals.
Turbomeca
technical
training
Turbomeca and its partner
LCI are unveiling a new
training center at the Izarbel
Technopole (France), in close
proximity to the Tarnos site.
This center completes technical
training facilities for Turbomeca
customers in Europe, Africa
and the Middle East.
X-Tube
Dart has received the
Transport Canada
Turbomeca maintenance in
Russia
Certification for their
Gazpromavia and Turbomeca signed an agreement for the
AS355. The crosstubes are
maintenance of Turbomeca engines in Russia based in the
constructed of high-strength
Ostafievo airport near Moscow. Gazpromavia is the first
steel and feature Dart’s
Russian ‘Operator Support’ partner for Turbomeca. Turbomeca
is the first western helicopter engine manufacturer to create
a maintenance center in Russia, which will be certified to
European standards.
forward and aft Replacement
Crosstubes for the AS350 /
signature two-piece split
saddles. All the saddles are
identical, thereby reducing
replacement stock inventory.
C
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CM
MY
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ne w p r o d ucts a n d se r v ices
JetNet/AvData
shows off
JETNET/AvData has released
its STAR Report and helicopter
database which, according
to the company is an everimproving and vastly superior
helicopter database service,
covering some 26,000 rotary
wing airframes around the
world. Included are nearly 600
for-sale helicopter listings. The
largest and most complete
civil business helicopter
database available, this service
encompasses all relevant
piston and turbine-powered
helicopters. In light of the
burgeoning global helicopter
resale market the JETNET for
Helicopters service has been
welcomed by those who trade
in this unique market segment.
This helicopter database is
packaged in JETNET/AvData’s
highly popular Evolution
interface affording users a
vast array of sort and search
ability, fleet and market report
features, data export privileges
and all the benefits of a an
on-line and relational database
architecture.
EXTERNAL LIFERAFTS FOR THE 412
AirCell Certified
Apical Industries has Transport Canada approval of the
Emergency Replacement Mid-Float with Rafts for the 412. The
Apical system includes the patented externally mounted liferaft
system integrated in the mid-float. The system is the lightest
available system of its type, weighing only 112 pounds (net); a
72 to 133 pound savings when compared to jettisonable liferaft
systems. Each mid-float incorporates a twin tube full canopy
reversible ten man liferaft (with 15 man overload) and survival
kit. The supplied inflation system for the liferafts attaches to
existing aircraft fittings and is activated either mechanically
from the cockpit or by two externally mounted T-handles. Apical
has also received FAA certification for their Tri-Bag Emergency
Float System with Rafts and optional automatic water activation
on the increased gross weight Eurocopter EC 135T2i/P2i model
aircraft. Following the certification of the Increased Gross
Weight EC 135 earlier this year, a review of the original drop test
data and revised buoyancy substantiation report revealed that
the existing design could accommodate the increased gross
weight. The FAA has now certified the revisions to the reports
that substantiate the suitability of the flotation system at 2,910
kg without necessitating any changes to either the system
design or the kit part numbers. The increased gross weight will
be included in both the Transport Canada and EASA certification
applications. The Tri-Bag system provides the industry’s most
stable float platform and is designed to allow the aircraft to be
retrieved after water landing by towing. In addition, the external
liferafts are integrated into the forward floats, a design that
offers not only ease of use but also enhanced safety. The floats
may be deployed either manually by a cyclic mounted handle
or, optionally, electrically by fuselage mounted water switches.
One six-man Liferaft with survival kit is mounted on each of the
forward floats. Optional skid extensions are available to allow
use of the system with standard skid tubes.
AirCell has received FAA
certification for the wireless
functionality of AirCell Axxess,
the company’s flagship satcom
system. In addition, AirCell
has successfully completed
integration testing, allowing
operators to add their choice
of Inmarsat data connections
to AirCell Axxess. AirCell
Axxess provides an 802.11b/g
wireless hotspot aboard the
aircraft, enabling a number of
current and future capabilities.
When a broadband connection
(such as Inmarsat or AirCell
broadband) is installed,
passengers can use AirCell
Axxess’ in-cabin wireless
connection to seamlessly
operate laptops and other
802.11b/g Wi-Fi devices to
surf the Internet, use e-mail,
and log on to their corporate
VPN’s. Integration testing is
also underway on a variety
of COTS (commercial off-theshelf) smartphones. More on
that system capability will
be announced as compatible
devices become increasingly
available on the consumer
market in the coming months.
350FX
Honeywell Powered
Increased Cord Tailrotor
GenerationFX Tailboom Strake
Honeywell LTS 101-600A3-A, 350FX1
Applicable to AS 350BA
Honeywell LTS 101-700D-2, 350FX2
Applicable to AS 350BA or AS 350B2
GenerationFX Engine Controls
GenerationFX VFR Electrical System
200 AMP Electrical Generation
350FX1: 4,960 lbs IGW, 5,200 lbs EGW
350FX2: 4,960 lbs IGW, 5,700 lbs EGW
GenerationFX Digital Instrumentation
GenerationFX Electro Luminescent Lighting
Re-designed Cabin Ergonomics
Our 350FX Series STC, based on the AS 350BA/B2 AStar,
offers ease of maintenance, improved reliability and increased
performance meaning...
...loweroperatingcosts!
Just a few reasons why our Honeywell powered 350FX Series
STC, combined with our new GenerationFX product line will be
valuable to you!
Contactusforthecompletepicture
Ph: (905) 643-7334
Fx: (905) 643-7223
info@helilynx.com
www.helilynx.com
ne w p r o d ucts
Bell 412-EP NVG Cockpit
Aero Dynamix in coordination with Keystone
has delivered a Bell 412EP NVG STC’d cockpit
for the LA County Fire Department. The
aircraft NVG cockpit modifications included
avionics internal lighting modifications, cabin
lighting, caution panels, annunciators, overlay
panel with NVIS lighting to cover engine
and transmission instruments, eyebrow
lighting and NVG modifications to the
communications and navigation radio suite.
Power Sonix PA system
for AS350
Dallas Avionics has received an FAA STC for
its installation of the new PSAIR22A in the
AS350. Eurocopter installed the low profile
quad driver, dual horn liquid cooled speaker
array while Jet Source provided the 600w
amplifier. The company says that after testing
the system with comparable products, the
military/DHS found the Power Sonix, “able to
project sound with greater authority”. Sound
power level @ 1 meter is 148 dB while system
weighs only 18 lbs.
Air Cruisers Emergency
Flotation System
Air Cruisers now has Canadian STC approval
for its Emergency Flotation System for the
AS350 and 355. This innovative activation
system represents the latest in reliability and
Era Helicopters LLC, one of the world’s
leading helicopter operators, is now
hiring Pilots and Aircraft Maintenance
Technicians.
All pilot applicants must have instrument ticket and a
minimum of 1250 hours. Bonus paid for ATP Certification.
Bonus paid for flight hours and paid per diem. Era offers
a 14-day on / 14-day off schedule.
ease of operation by using compressed gas
to activate the inflation system rather than
cables or electricity. The many advantages to
this float system include:
•
Easier installation – installation time can
be as low as 6 – 8 hours because there
are no cable adjustments or electrical
connections necessary
•
Corrosion protection – the system has no
cable to be subjected to corrosion
•
Quality – same OEM quality floats
•
Calibrated activation – trigger will only
work at a calibrated force.
•
Carbon Composite Reservoir – greater
volume at a lighter weight
•
Quick Inflation Time – less than 2.5 seconds
The system is capable of in-flight deployment
at speeds up to 135 kts and altitudes of up to
6,600 ft. It is activated by a trigger mounted on
the cyclic without removing your hands from
primary flight controls.
Seeking experienced technicians with A&P License.
Experience with Sikorsky S-61/S76, Agusta A119/A109,
Eurocopter EC120/AS350 experience preferred. Field
Experience required for 14 day on/14 day off work
schedule with paid per diem.
Era offers a very competitive compensation and benefit
package which includes an employer sponsored 401k plan.
Please send resume and cover letter to:
Human Resources Department
Era Helicopters LLC
P. O. Box 6550
Lake Charles, LA 70606
or email to:
jfield@erahelicopters.com
Equal Opportunity Employer
Rich Nowland
EMS Pilot,
Rockford, USA
Flying EMS in a Bell 222
is not something that many
pilots will get to experience,
but for Rich Nowland,
since retiring from the
Army it has become his
day-to-day routine. Rich’s
job with Lifeline presents
new challenges and
sometimes potentially
difficult situations.
How did you get into flying EMS?
I am one of those guys who actually
never grew up dreaming of being a
helicopter pilot. I joined the army as
an 18-year-old kid where I was an
infantryman and parachutist. A friend
told me about the Army Aviation Warrant
Officer Program and I thought that would
be fun so I put in an application. After
passing all the required tests and the
physical I was accepted in 1983. I retired
from the Army in 1999 and have been
flying civilian EMS ever since.
What is your total time on helicopters?
Over 6,000 hours. Most of that was in the
Army Bell UH-1H, but I’ve also flown the
Bell 206, BK117, Schweizer 300, and currently
I fly the Bell 222, which I have to say is
my absolute favorite. It’s set up as a SPIFR
aircraft; it has lots of power and it’s a very
smooth ride.
What kind of flying have you done
during your career?
I’ve flown in Europe, South Korea, Thailand,
Hawaii and the United States. I’ve done
lots of low-level tactical stuff both during
the day and at night with NVG. I’ve flown
medevac, hoist operations, fighting fires
with Bambi Buckets, search and rescue, sling
loads and now EMS. I also did some flying
for a TV show called “Tour of Duty” .
What have you found most satisfying?
I really enjoyed teaching tactical flying and
instruments to new pilots while I was in the
personal profile
Army – I’m also pretty satisfied that I am
still alive after all that!
Have you had any eye-opening
moments on an EMS mission?
They are all eye-opening moments! The
first that comes to mind was a night scene.
My pager went off around 22:00 hrs. It was
only a seven-minute flight to the accident
scene, so en-route we tuned frequencies and
contacted the scene command on the radio.
They told us they wanted us to land in the
eastbound lane of a four-lane highway, and
that they would have the traffic stopped.
Once over the scene the flight crew and I
went to hot mike and circled the accident
scene to check winds, the landing area
for obstacles, debris and anything that
would endanger us on landing. We started
our approach with both a searchlight and
landing light on from 500 ft. Everything
looked good until at 30 ft we heard someone
say, “Wires!”
I stopped my decent and asked the med
crew if they had said that, but they replied,
“No, we don’t see any wires.” The nurse was
looking out and she told me not to back up
– there were wires just a few feet from the
tail rotor. I moved the helicopter forward
and down and landed. I shut the aircraft
down, and went to find the Fire Chief in
charge. I have to admit that I wanted to
chew the Incident Commander out, but
after looking at what he and his volunteer
fire department were dealing with (at least
five bodies lying in various places around
the accident scene), I decided to talk to
him later! This was one of the most chaotic
accidents I’ve been called out to at night. It
just shows that even with a landing zone
brief from the hard working guys on the
ground, in the chaos of an accident they can
miss things that can make it bad for us.
Has anything happened in flight that
you weren’t prepared for?
Yes, I was en-route to a hospital to pick up
a patient and we were cruising at 2,000 ft
on a very dark night. I had the autopilot on
when we heard a loud bang! I immediately
grabbed the controls and checked the
instruments. Everything was in the green
and I didn’t feel anything wrong with the
control of the aircraft. I turned off the
autopilot and flew for a few minutes to be
sure. I asked the paramedic, who flies up
front, to shine the flash light out the front
windscreen to see if he could see anything.
When he did, we discovered that it was
covered with blood, feathers and poop! We
had hit a Canada goose at 130 knts! His side
of the windscreen was completely covered
but luckily mine was still clear enough to
see through. We landed at the hospital and
after checking out the aircraft and cleaning
off all the remains of the goose, we found
no damage other than a piece of paint
missing from the nose. Lesson learned –
it seems geese fly IFR at night! Who would
have guessed!
What is the most challenging thing
you have had to do?
I did a hoist rescue from a 250 ft grain
elevator in Wichita, Kansas, one time, with
a single engine Bell UH-1V – a medevac
configured Huey. I had to hold a 100 ft
hover to lower the medic down to pick up
a badly burned patient. The winds were
gusting 35 to 45 knts. When we arrived we
observed a grain elevator complex with
close to 100 silos in one long complex – a
half-mile long and 250-feet tall, with a lot
of smoke and structural damage. Suddenly
a truck pulled into the center of the facility
and was unloading when a spark from the
vehicle ignited the dust in the facility and
literally blew the ends and the center of the
complex out. I circled and located the guy
they wanted us to rescue and I came to a
hover about 100 ft over the patient, who was
on the roof. I checked my power and it was
well within limits. I then picked a couple of
reference points to the front and side of the
aircraft to help maintain my position while
we lowered the medic. One of my biggest
concerns was that the downwash from the
helicopter might stir up more dust from the
feed that was in the silos and cause another
explosion or cause a portion of the building
to collapse. I had the medic call me on the
radio once he was with the man, and the
Crew Chief raised both the medic and the
man up and into the Huey.
What are your opinions of the EMS
industry in the USA?
There has been a lot of press about the
safety of EMS lately; I think we are moving
in the right direction but a lot more can
be done, like mandating the use of NVG
and autopilots. Training on decision-making
and operating the aircraft are also
important items. n
15
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LE G AL C O U N s e L
If you’re a US employer, the main
by robert van de vuurst
Reserve, Guard,
and Military
Employees –
Your Obligations
Under USERRA
then what are your obligations to your
Uniformed Services Employment and
pilot employee who is going overseas?
Re-employment Rights Act, otherwise
First, determine whether they’re eligible
known as “USERRA.”
for USERRA re-
Originally passed
employment benefits
in 1994, USERRA
provides leave and
re-employment
protection for
employees who
provide military
service, including
members of the
National Guard and
Reserves. It basically
seeks to ensure that
members of the
What are your obligations
military are entitled,
under USERRA when an
to return to their
employee is recalled to
active duty in the military?
Now that you know you’re covered,
thing to be aware of is a statute called the
as a matter of law,
civilian jobs upon
Assuming all of that
applies (and it usually
to start with. There
are five basic criteria:
Your employee must
be leaving a civilian
does), then what you’ll
job (that one is
have to do is re-employ
and they have to
the individual not just at
the job they left, but the
usually a no brainer),
give you notice
of the impending
leave (which can be
written or verbal).
job that they would have
The cumulative leave
obtained had they not been
in different segments
absent for military service.
time (which can be
at different times)
can be no longer
completion of their
than five years (and
military duties,
there are exceptions
that allow for longer
with full seniority,
status, and rate of pay, as if they had never
periods), and they must have been released
left to start with. Putting aside for now the
back to you via an honorable or general
obviously good policy foundations of the
condition discharge. Lastly, after discharge,
statute, which no one, including me, would
the employee must report back to work
ever criticize, it can put some significant
within certain time periods, or their rights
burdens on an employer. Here are some key
are waived.
features that you need to be aware of.
Assuming all of that applies (and it
usually does), then what you’ll have to do
First, remember that the coverage of
is re-employ the individual not just at the
USERRA is a LOT broader than what you’re
job they left, but the job that they would
probably used to dealing with in your day-
have obtained had they not been absent for
firm has been getting a lot of calls lately from
to-day company affairs. USERRA applies
military service. That escalation clause is the
clients who have questions about what to do
to everyone, regardless of the size of their
big kicker about USERRA, and can present the
when an employee is recalled to active duty
business. There are no “number of employee”
biggest issues. Under certain circumstances
Given the current situation in Iraq, my
in the US military.
limitations like there
you may even owe somebody a promotion
My own law firm
are in the FMLA
and a pay raise. They are also entitled to full
has been affected as
or ADA statutes. If
credit for retirement, pension, fringe benefits,
you’re an employer,
and health insurance, again as if they had
you’re covered -
never left. Lastly, and this will come as no
period. It also applies
surprise to you, USERRA gives employees
protection for employees
to voluntary military
a big stick to use against employers who
service commitments
don’t comply with the law. It authorizes
who provide military
in addition to
civil lawsuits against non-conforming or
involuntary call-ups,
discriminatory employers, and recoverable
which a lot of people
damages include punitive damages and
don’t realize. In other
attorneys fees. So let me repeat the advice
words, if one of your
that I give you in this column every single
employees decides to
month; call a qualified attorney ASAP if this
enlist in the Marines
issue comes up. n
well; one of our better
associates, who had
just retired from the
Navy JAG but was
still in the reserves,
was pulled back into
his uniform to help
prosecute the terrorist
detainees at Gitmo.
I thought it might
be timely then, to
give a little guidance
USERRA provides leave
and re-employment
service, including members
of the National Guard and
Reserves.
to aid in the war
on our obligations
against terror, he or
as employers when
these situations arise, as more than a few
she has certain re-employment rights under
of you have pilots, mechanics, and other
USERRA. More than a few of our clients have
employees who have either been called up or
been rudely surprised by that in the past
are subject to a call up.
couple of years.
* The discussions in this column are the opinion of the
writer only, and may not be relied upon as legal advice
without the expressed written permission of the author.
17
flight dynamics
by nick lappos
The Universal
Emergency
Procedure
Even though when we look
at the flight manuals for
various helicopters, there
seems to be no common
thread when it comes to the
basics of dealing with an
emergency, there is actually
a common set of emergency
procedures we can follow
that are universal, and almost
never wrong.
Here are some rules that are
“implied” if not directly stated in every
helicopter emergency procedure.
w Keep the rotor RPM in the green!
Simple enough, but nearly as important
as “Don’t forget to breathe.” Find the
RPM gauge and put one eye on it in every
emergency. You must act decisively,
positively, as if your life depended on
it. The best immediate control to obey
this dictate is the collective pitch, which
means keep the rotor from dropping too
low or from climbing too high. Use the
collective pitch to keep your helicopter
flying. Be ready to either lower or raise the
collective. How fast? The rotor is your life,
and being too slow to lower the collective
could mean that you lose control within
seconds. Failure to raise the collective
during a governor runaway could mean an
engine overspeed protection shutdown,
followed by dead silence and a guaranteed
trip to the nearest forced landing area,
instead of a simple flight home in a
wounded but very flyable helicopter. In
short, failure to keep the rotor happy
makes the first emergency only an
appetizer for the main course – a bigger,
meaner problem.
Pilots are reluctant to move the
collective up in a runaway, but to do so
is almost never bad, because too much
power (like being too rich or too thin) is
seldom a bad thing. OK, so you climb a bit
– see Rule #2.
w Keep your altitude if at all possible,
and maybe even climb! Second only to
rotor RPM, altitude is your friend. Why?
Because it can be cashed in later for
speed, or glide distance or radio range, or
obstruction clearance height. And it can
always be lost, since energy is easy to
dissipate, yet hard to get, especially when
you need it. Perhaps even more to the
point, altitude could be irreplaceable in a
wounded helicopter that can barely limp
home. The tips of ridges are littered with
aluminium from aircraft that didn’t quite
make it, proving that “didn’t quite make it”
is the same as just plain “didn’t make it.”
On instruments, a few hundred feet could
mean the difference between maintaining
the MOCA, or blundering along hoping
that you will prove the chart-maker wrong
on his estimates. If the chart-maker wins,
the noise is deafening, they say. Only
when you are on fire in flight or a gearbox
is about to seize, is altitude a bad idea, and
frankly that is rare enough.
w Keep your airspeed! Pilots instinctively
slow down during emergencies, the
standard back-cyclic and down-collective
quick-stop is a natural enough instinctive
movement, but many times it is not very
healthy. Remember, everything works
where you are, and if you slow down too
much, you will violate Rule #2. If you must
slow down, at least trade the speed for
climb, and put that energy in the bank,
subject to future withdrawal. Why not
slow down? First, you can always slow
down later, but you might not have the
power to speed up if you have already
slowed too much. You climb better, the
vertical fin helps in Tail Rotor failures,
auto entries are easier (when a little back
stick is part of the entry) and the aircraft
turns more slowly for a degree of bank, so
its flight path is easier to loosely govern
while you work out the situation.
w Leave the engine controls alone! The
number of immediate engine shutdowns
caused by checklist-itus is amazing,
sometimes leading to that dreadful
silence where your helo’s whisper voice
tells you that you just shut down the
only healthy engine, and bad things are
in the immediate future. If I had my way,
engine controls would be in the baggage
compartment, to be manipulated once
the helo was on the ground after the
fun. If an engine is dead, what good is
flipping its control off in the first minute
of the emergency? On the other hand,
while rushing to do something fast, what
are the chances of you or your sterling
co-pilot shutting down a perfectly good
engine? Based on the statistics, the odds
of throttling a healthy engine are about
10 percent! Auto entries, TR failures in
cruise, stabilizing in OEI flight – none of
these need to use the engine levers/twist
grips at all.
w Use your crew! Because we grew
up in small singles, we tend to think of
ourselves as the lone warrior, pitted solo
against nature, and measured by how
little we must depend on outside help.
Bull! Use anything and everything at
your disposal to help out, including that
sterling mind in the seat beside you. Once
you stabilize the RPM, hold the altitude
and airspeed, ask her or him, “So what
do YOU think happened?” If you ask it in
the right tone of voice, sort of bored and
maybe just a little petulant, they will write
songs about you in the ready room. If your
co-pilot has a bright idea, all the better,
because she or he can simply note what
happened, without the mind-sapping
burden of manipulating the controls. It
is surprising how much clearer things
appear to your co-pilot.
w Don’t smack the ground! Considering
that the above all concerns itself with
what to do when your helicopter has
had something break, please recall that
about 30 to 40 percent of all accidents
occur when a perfectly controllable,
healthy machine is driven into the earth
by a crew that didn’t know exactly where
the earth was. Since Controlled Flight
Into Terrain is the single major cause
of mishaps, perhaps we should invert
this article and spend 80 percent of the
words telling us all how to avoid CFIT. Ah,
another column!
w Do no further harm! The Hippocratic
Oath tells doctors this, and pilots should
take heed. Work slowly, precisely and
deliberately. If you have a second crew, tell
them what you think, ask them what they
think... and then decide. n
19
MAINTENAN C E U PDATE
4 Flight logs, maintenance records,
historical records.
by RUSSELL GOULDEN
Changing Registry
No, I am not talking about a
computer’s registry file, I am
talking about removing an
aircraft from the register in
one country, and re-registering
it in another.
By convention, an aircraft
– whether fixed-wing or rotary – can
only be registered in one country at any
one time. This is because the country of
registration is responsible for overseeing
the aircraft, its use, maintenance
and airworthiness, and also holds
responsibilities with respect to ICAO and
accident investigation. It therefore stands
to reason that an aircraft cannot be on
two different countries’ civil aircraft
registers at once.
Should you or your organization
be considering purchasing an aircraft
– regardless of its condition or state of
repair – there are some important facts
concerning ownership and registration
that need to be considered and verified:
➤ In which country is the aircraft
registered?
➤ If not currently registered, when was
it last registered?
➤ Can it actually be de-registered?
Without the actual deregistration
from its current registry state (country)
the aircraft cannot be registered in
another country.
If an aircraft has been sitting around
unused for some time, there are a number
of important things to consider that
can have a big impact on how much
it will cost to return it to service.
Remember time is money!
➤ Do you have all the logbooks
normally issued for that type of
aircraft?
4 Engine, airframe and propeller
logbooks.
4 Modification logbooks.
4 List of hours, cycles and calendar
time for all lifed items.
➤ Do you have the aircraft’s complete
history?
4 Has it been in an incident (e.g. overtorqued)?
4 Has it been in an accident (e.g.
damaged)?
4 Has the aircraft got a monitoring
system installed?
➤ Have the appropriate inspections
been done and correctly recorded?
➤ Have any components that are
subject to TBO or SLL been
overhauled or replaced at the
prescribed intervals?
➤ Are the logbooks properly filled out
with all the appropriate maintenance
entries recorded?
➤ For a low utilization aircraft that may
have been sitting for years, have any
storage inspections been carried out,
and if so, have they been recorded in
the logbooks?
All of the above items need to be
considered, otherwise the review of the
aircraft in its new destination country
for issue of its registration and certificate
of airworthiness would disclose such
oversights that could delay certification
or increase costs – or both.
Another important point to consider
is an aircraft’s modification state. If local
modifications have been made in the
country of origin, are all the relevant
documents available: modification data,
drawings, parts lists, flight manual
supplements, continuing airworthiness
instructions, approval documents and
Form 8130, or Form 337, Form 1 or
equivalent?
The absence of any of the above
usually results in delays in the process.
The path I suggest taking, especially
when an aircraft is being prepared
and shipped, is to apply for an export
certificate of airworthiness from
the aviation authority of the country
of origin.
This can be very important when
there are modifications to the aircraft
that cannot easily be removed or are
vital to the aircraft’s configuration (and
sale value). The export certificate of
airworthiness is a legal document issued
by the export country’s airworthiness
authority.
It is not compulsory from an export
point of view, but under some conditions
it can be highly desirable from an
importing country’s perspective and it
generally streamlines the importation
process at the destination country and
prevents costly delays. Broadly speaking,
an export certificate of airworthiness
is a document which shows that the
exporting country’s civil aviation
authority has reviewed the aircraft,
records and history. The exporting
authority also liaises with the destination
country’s authority to agree on any items
to be listed.
Always remember that if you are
a pilot or an engineer licensed in one
country, you cannot carry out tasks or fly
aircraft registered in a different country
without appropriate written approval,
authorization or licences.
A change of registry is certainly
an exercise where it pays to have the
legislator squarely on your side. In my
opinion, this is best achieved with an
upfront approach and a little research. n
➤ Are all the records for the aircraft
complete?
21
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safety column
Companies as well as individuals
are at significant risk in today’s climate
of zealous litigation. For example, if
something untoward were to happen
to a pilot working in a single-engined
by PHIL CROUCHER
helicopter when there was a twin
available, and were that pilot’s spouse to
sue the company for failing to provide
the safest possible work environment,
(i.e. the twin), it would matter little
how many expert witnesses the
company might produce to prove the
safety of a single-engined aircraft. There
is every chance the grieving spouse
would win, because it would be easy
Whenever we fly, we have
to convince a jury that two engines are
always better...right?
to abide by the laws of the
Similarly, it could be argued that the
H/V
curve isn’t relevant to an accident
various lands in which we
occurring on approach. However, the
mere existence of the curve could bias a
fly as well as aviation law,
jury against a pilot. The unfortunate truth
so it pays to consider how a
– something many people do not realize
– is that juries often disregard the law
jury – whose members will
and award judgments to suit themselves,
which can be a double-edged sword. One
not likely be aviation-minded
only needs to look at the sensationalist
portrayal of aviation by the general media
– might construe our
to realize that most people assume that
everybody who flies has money and is
actions or decisions when
heavily insured as a matter of course.
So what can you do to head off a
something goes wrong.
potential legal disaster?
First of all, consider all the
implications next time somebody asks
you to do something
that you are not sure
about; put yourself
in the position of
Put yourself in the
a juror and ask
whether what you’re
position of a juror
being asked to do is
really such a good
and ask whether what
idea! Would you give
yourself the benefit of
you’re being asked to
the doubt?
Try not to take
do is really such a good
short cuts. The
actions we often
idea! Would you give
take to “help the
job along” could be
yourself the benefit of
entirely misconstrued
(or cleverly twisted
the doubt?
by a lawyer) in a
courtroom.
Comply with
all the limits and
specifications contained in the flight
manual. Any contraventions of its
Safety First,
Ladies & Gentlemen
of the Jury!
provisions are automatically illegal
because they violate the Certificate
of Airworthiness, of which the flight
manual forms a part. While an insurance
company might consider it to be to its
long-term benefit to keep a
good customer happy and pay out, it
would be well within its rights to refuse a
claim in such circumstances. Is it worth
taking the risk?
Watch for problems with paperwork,
landing sites, equipment used incorrectly
or in the wrong environment – or even
being in the wrong environment!
Try not to take short
cuts. The actions we
often take to “help the
job along” could be
entirely misconstrued
(or cleverly twisted
by a lawyer) in a
courtroom.
A plaintiff’s lawyer will look at every
angle and sue everybody involved, from
the manufacturers of an aircraft to
the people who flew and maintained
it. Carefully consider the value of
public liability insurance if you are an
independent contractor or “freelancer”.
If you are an employee, a master-andservant relationship may be deemed
to exist, and might give you some
protection.
Start thinking up a suitable answer to
the statement: “If the passengers weren’t
in the helicopter, they wouldn’t have
been killed!” Passengers will not (usually)
have contributed to an accident, and it’s
a hard one to deny, although, presumably,
they wouldn’t have been there in the first
place if they hadn’t booked their flight!
However, you can’t claim their request for
a flight as a contributory cause.
Please be careful, and not just in your
flying! n
23
C O V E R F E AT U R E
If all helicopter pilots
learned to fly while
looking straight down,
flying long-line would
be a breeze! In reality
though, mastering the
skills can be tough,
and proper training
is vital for those
who want to become
successful, competent
and smooth long-line
pilots.
story by Sarah Bowen
PHOTOS by Phillip Knaus &
Ned Dawson
26
The widely accredited pioneer of longline operations is Wes Lematta. Lematta
developed a technique he called direct
visual operational control (DVOC) using
a long-line attached to a belly hook. This
involved looking out and down at loads
attached to a remote hook at the bottom
of his long-line. The technique allowed
him to move and place external loads
precisely with plenty of clearance from
obstacles – and created many more work
opportunities. The rest, as they say, is
history! Lematta and his small operation
grew into the present-day Columbia
Helicopters – arguably the world leader
in heavy-lift external load operations.
The DVOC technique is now in worldwide
use and is commonly referred to as
“vertical reference” – the ability to fly
without reference to the usual horizon for
orientation.
For those pilots willing to accept
the risk and inherent danger of flying
slowly and hovering out of ground effect
(HOGE), long-lining is a challenging yet
satisfying flying skill to master. It is all
about control, patience and finesse. It’s an
acquired skill that is well worth learning
if one is to become a true “utility”
helicopter pilot. It involves a number of
new concepts and tricks of the trade,
such as coping with oscillations, suddenly
having your personal center of gravity
outside the helicopter, and developing
the necessary quick reactions and the
ability to make decisions if something
goes wrong.
ABOVE: The specially developed bubble
window on the Bell 205 gives Roy Knaus
a lot better view of the load below.
opposite page: During mountain ops
flying the load is only part of the job, the
Learning the Ropes
pilot must also watch out for obstructions
An external load course qualification
is no guarantee of a job in the longline industry for a newly qualified
commercial pilot, but it certainly provides
more opportunities. The right training
could well lead to a career in logging,
construction, fire-fighting, or one of the
many other sectors of the helicopter
industry that rely on external load pilots.
Pete Gillies, Chief Pilot and instructor
with Western Helicopters in California,
joined the company in 1972 as a line
pilot. “We began teaching long-line in
1975 as the seismic era was beginning.
Very few pilots knew how to handle a
long-line with smoothness and precision
back then. It was an ability that Canadian
pilots had mastered through rigorous
flight training, but it was a rarely used
skill here in the United States,” Gillies
explains. “As seismic picked up, the
need for excellent long-line skills rapidly
increased, and we often found ourselves
training two or three students a week.”
Western Helicopters is based at
such as wires and the cliff face.
27
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Rialto Airport, an uncontrolled field
50 miles east of LA (elevation 1,455 ft).
From there, its students also train in
the nearby mountains, which top out at
11,455 ft, and, if training with a bucket,
at a lake located about 8 nm north of the
airport. The company conducts most of
its training in an MD500D, but it also has
a cargo hook-equipped Schweizer 300C.
“The 300C costs less to fly, but depending
on the density altitude and the weight
of the student and instructor, we may
not be able to use the 300C during the
warmer months. It’s not fun continuously
running at near full manifold pressure
during this sort of training!” says Gillies.
At the airport, Western utilizes a flat
area of ground north of the duty runway
for long-line training, where a number
of “targets” are located for students to
practice placing their loads. The practice
loads comprise concrete blocks weighing
between 30 and 100 lbs, which are carried
on slings from 50 to 150 ft long. Students
begin with a 50 ft sling and work their
way up.
Western helicopters uses synthetic
rope rather than steel cable for slings to
carry various types of loads including
power poles, pallets, tanks, pipe, nets and
water buckets.
Challenges
There are three major challenges
in learning to carry out accurate,
smooth and “happy” long-line flying.
The first is learning to fly the helicopter
smoothly and precisely while
looking straight down, as opposed to
looking ahead through the windscreen
or at the instruments. The second
is understanding and controlling
oscillations in the slung load; one must
learn how to stop them occurring in
the first place, but if they do occur,
how to almost instantly quell them.
The final challenge is the fine art of
feeling one’s way to moving a load the
last 30 ft to the target, without losing
control of it and having to start all
over. Hovering the helicopter has to
become second nature – as does
“flying the line.”
One aspect of long-line flying
that many pilots seem to enjoy is the
immediate feedback; a load will “tell” a
pilot whether he or she is flying smoothly
and accurately. However, as with any
skill, some learn faster than others.
Gillies says that the best pilot ever to
graduate from their school was a Swiss
mountain guide who took to long-line
“like a duck takes to water” – and, he
recalls, “she had the techniques mastered
in less than an hour!”
For those pilots who already have
some “500-time,” the average amount of
special training required to bring them up
to the level of skill and knowledge needed
to pass the USFS/OAS “VR” flight test is
around five hours. The test requires pilots
to be able to hold a load within a 10 ft
circle at the end of a 150 ft sling for up to
three minutes at a time. While training,
flights are limited to no more than one
hour as the flying is very fatiguing.
There are many factors that have
to be taken into account when flying a
long-line: rigging the load, sling length,
sling material, flight characteristics
(which depend on the type of load), safety
aspects including those that affect the
ground crew, hand signals, radio protocol,
density-altitude, load weight, flight path,
over-water operations, bucket work, tower
assembly, operations in tall trees, around
buildings, next to slopes, and so on – it is
a long list! After learning the theory and
gaining a rating, a pilot really only has
a license to learn – there’s nothing like
getting first-hand experience on a real job.
ABOVE: It takes a special skill to position
a load at the end of a 150 ft long-line.
opposite page: This Boeing Vertol 234
is one of two that Columbia Helicopters
operates in the PNG highlands in
support of oil exploration.
One aspect of long-line
flying that many pilots
seem to enjoy is the
immediate feedback;
a load will “tell” a
pilot whether he or
she is flying smoothly
and accurately.
Long-Line To a Career
There are few formal ways to gain
29
BV107 as a need arises, at which point
you become a 107 command-pilot and can
start logging. Eventually you could step
up to fire-fighting and construction jobs
in the 107, and as your career progresses
you are then eligible to be moved up into
the Chinook.”
The length of the line used varies
depending on the particular job, the
surroundings (much of the work is around
tall trees and large power lines), and the
size of the helicopter. If a line is too short,
a load can be affected by the downwash
and start to spin, which is not good on a
construction job. Columbia Helicopters
generally uses a 200 ft long-line. This
is mainly to ensure that the downwash
does not create an unsafe work area for
personnel under the helicopter. However,
according to Hutchings, Columbia uses
a 150 ft line for many of its construction
jobs – even with the Chinook – as crews
still need to be able to see the load as
well as watch for hand signals from the
ground crews. The 150 ft line is still
long enough to prevent the incredible
downwash created by the Chinook from
causing mayhem on the ground.
Hutchings also has a company called
Los Angeles Helicopters in Long Beach,
California which is currently putting
together a “Professional Long-line
Training Course” that will only be taught
by professional long-line pilots.
If a line is too short,
a load can be affected
by the downwash and
start to spin, which
is not good on a
construction job.
Getting down to business
accreditation. Some companies require
an external load training course,
while others prefer to do the training
themselves, starting with shorter lines
and easier loads then working their way
up. This is the route typically taken
by Columbia, which operates a fleet of
some of the world’s largest fully certified
helicopters. Command pilot Andre
Hutchings describes how he started with
the company. “I joined Columbia in 1996
as a co-pilot. The criterion then – as it is
now – was a minimum of 1,000 hours.
Back then you would be hired as a copilot and get sent to wherever Columbia
had a need for your services; this could
30
include overseas, Alaska, or pretty much
anywhere in the lower 48. Columbia was
not concerned if you had any long-line
time at all – most of us did not.”
Hutchings co-piloted for a couple of
years in both the BV-107 and -234, before
moving onto flying the “light” ships.
Columbia uses 500s, and back then, also
used LongRangers. The “light” ships
are support helicopters and tend to be
used for transporting crews as well as
supporting the larger helicopters. “This is
where you are first introduced to flying
a line,” Hutchings says. “Once you have
flown the 500s in support roles for a
while, they might move you up into the
Anyone thinking about starting their
own long-line business needs to comply
with certain regulatory requirements.
These vary from country to country.
David Ekeholm is one of the externalload instructors at Helicopter Adventures
Inc., which operates out of Space Coast
Regional Airport in Titusville near
Orlando, Florida. “One way to get into
the long-line industry would be to open
your own business. In order to do this
in the USA you would need to obtain
a Rotorcraft External Load Operator
Certificate,” he explains. “You must have
‘exclusive use’ of at least one helicopter
that meets the requirements of FAR
133.19; have the sole possession as an
owner, or have a written agreement
that gives you possession or control of
the helicopter for at least six consecutive
months. The person who applies for this
certificate needs to hold a commercial
pilot’s license or an airline transport
license, and needs to designate a chief pilot
for the operations. Before the certificate ➤
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This Swiss operated KA32 is
one of the most popular Russian
built helicopters used for longline work in the western world.
is issued, you or your chief pilot must
demonstrate enough skill and knowledge to
the Administrator i.e. the FAA.”
A typical knowledge and skill test
includes a survey of the flight area,
demonstrating correct methods of loading,
rigging and attaching a load, performing
performance calculations including weight
and balance, giving proper instruction to
ground crew, demonstrating satisfactory
knowledge of the Rotorcraft Load
Combination Flight Manual, as well as
more fundamental skills such as takeoffs
and landings, directional control during
hovering with a load, flight at different
airspeeds, moving a load into the release
position, and if a helicopter is equipped
with a hoist or a winch, demonstrating the
ability to operate that equipment safely
and efficiently.
Whether someone wants to start up on
their own, or train for a position with an
employer, they will need to demonstrate
the necessary competence and knowledge
and, depending on which part of the world
they will be doing their flying, obtain the
required ratings. Helicopter Adventures’
external load training is conducted under
FAR Part 61. Ekeholm explains what is
involved. “The Part 61 course consists of
ten hours’ minimum flying in a cargohook-equipped R22, using different loads
and cable lengths, from 12.5 ft to 175 ft.
In the initial phases we introduce the
student to OGE-hovering, settling with
power and vertical reference flying. The
subsequent lessons include load control,
swing and circle arrest, load pickup and
set down, s-layouts and circle-layouts with
different cable lengths and at different
airspeeds. We try to include as many
real-world scenarios as possible, like treeharvest, gully-walking, simulated search
and rescue, fire-fighting and quick-stops.
After 10 to 15 hours most students have
developed an understanding of how the
helicopter should be manoeuvred with
a load swinging freely underneath the
aircraft. It requires a lot more practice
before they are really proficient, but by
this time they have a general idea of the
basic concepts.”
One of Helicopter Adventures’ success
stories is Jarmo Hillberg, who graduated
from their external load course in spring
2000. “After graduating I worked as a
flight instructor and commercial pilot
in Virginia, where I gained a lot of good
experience. I flew with students and
performed other types of flight missions
such as ENG, power line and pipeline
patrol, and sightseeing. In 2002 I went back
home to Finland and converted my FAA
license to a JAA Commercial; I now fly an
AS350B2 for a Finnish company.”
Tips from the top
There is no substitute for experience,
so for aspiring pilots who haven’t yet
amassed experience of their own, it pays
to listen to those who have been there;
here are some top pieces of advice from
some established, professional long-line
pilots.
Brian Pilmer, command pilot at
Columbia says, “Be patient and stay focused.
Initially the hook will be all over the place, and
a pilot’s natural tendency is to chase it. Don’t
try to over-control the aircraft. Just try to be
as smooth as possible.”
Pat Farrand from Whistler in Canada,
pilots a Bell 205 and 212. He mostly flies
utility and fire-fighting missions. “Here in
Canada there is a lot of long-line work, so a lot
of us just sort of end up doing it – it’s
more the norm than the exception. When
➤
practicing, start with a fairly short line
33
A Superior Helicopter –
K-Max being used on the
Australian bushfires.
Don’t hurry. If you hurry,
your hook shot can go to
hell and you start beating up
the guys on the ground or
getting hung up in a tree.”
in a big field so you can’t hit anything; in fact
it can be better to start with no line on at all
– just stick your head out and look straight
down! It’s a completely different hovering
experience looking down than it is forward.
Practice holding steady, pick a spot on the
ground and work on going straight up and
down from say 10 ft to 100 ft.
“We tend to fly from the left seat to longline, because in the machines we fly, it would
be too much of a stretch from the right seat
to reach the collective and look out at the
same time. On the left side, the collective is
quite close to the outside of the machine, and
you can also lean on your elbow. We have an
elbow pad to put your weight on and a bubble
window, so it’s really much more comfortable.”
Matt Cole, Maintenance Crew Chief at
Columbia, initially started out as a logger.
Cole says, “Take your time. Don’t hurry. If
you hurry, your hook shot can go to hell and
you start beating up the guys on the ground or
getting hung up in a tree.”
Hutchings also gives some excellent
words of advice. “Trying to fly a long-line is
probably one of the hardest, most frustrating
and humbling challenges I’ve faced as a
helicopter pilot. I don’t think it’s possible to
ever truly ‘master’ flying a line, although I’ve
seen some of the guys I work with come pretty
close. It’s more a case of good and bad days,
and good and bad ‘hook shots’. There are so
many variables, but really no hidden secrets
to flying a line. There are, however some basic
fundamentals that need to be followed in order
to at least gain some consistency.
“Take your time, and use slow and smooth
movements. Make a good approach – into the
wind if possible – and set yourself up way
out from the target if you have that luxury.
Fly the aircraft; the line will still be
underneath you, straight underneath you
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approach. This is the key to a nice ‘hook shot’
or ‘load placement’.
“Don’t stare at the hook! Look towards
your target with occasional glances at the
load to check your altitude. It’s extremely easy
to become fixated on the hook only to find out
that you’ve already arrived at your target and
now have to bring the line to a halt, at which
point it starts to fly out in front of you. If this
happens you’ve just created a bunch of hard
work for yourself!”
Gillies adds, “Long-line is so simple – so
easy, yet so misunderstood!” He finds it
difficult to watch an “otherwise super” pilot
attempting to teach himself long-lining
if that pilot hasn’t attended ground
school or flown with a proper training
organization. “There are hundreds of excellent
long-line pilots in the world today,” says
Gillies, “but there are probably thousands more
who think they are good – but aren’t! Anyone
can learn to long-line – there’s no magic! Just
memorize these words - Don’t learn to fly the
load – learn to fly the helicopter!”
There is so much to learn and only
time and experience will improve a
pilot’s skills. So how does one identify a
competent, relaxed and smooth long-line
pilot? Easy – it is the pilot who brings a
load right to your hand with virtually no
“There are hundreds
of excellent long-line
pilots in the world today,
but there are probably
thousands more who
think they are good
– but aren’t!”
Peter Gillies, chief pilot and
instructor, western helicopters
oscillations, and who is outside the cockpit
both mentally and physically. You can
hardly see the tip-path move as he or she
makes ever-so-slight control movements,
with utmost concentration and precision.
It is someone who is in control, patient to
a fault, and has bugs on his or her teeth.
Bugs? Yes, from having a permanent
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story & PHOTOS by Rob Neil
Once the province of only major airlines, high quality
simulators now dominate every sector of aviation
– including the helicopter industry. As the world wonders
how to (affordably) improve the standard of helicopter
training to reduce the number of helicopter accidents,
Dubai-based Emirates-CAE Flight Training is already
providing a solution to benefit everyone – not just those
helicopter pilots flying in the UAE.
Every day, airlines and aircraft
top left: Entry to the Emirates-CAE
facility is through the adjoining
imposing façade of the Emirates
Flight Training Centre.
top right: Staggered, multi-level
design ensures a flood of natural
light into the training centre.
Here, the luxurious pilots’ lounge
overlooks a row of busy simulators
on the level below.
above: Senior Bell 412 simulator
instructor, Robert Klepper in the
412’s “driving” seat behind the
simulator flight-deck.
40
operators continue to face bigger and
bigger financial challenges as the margin
between profit and loss continues to
shrink. There are only a finite number
of options for operators wanting to
reduce costs and maintain some sort of
profitability.
The smaller the operator, the
fewer the available options to reduce
expenditure. Helicopter operators are
particularly vulnerable to market forces
and in particular the cost of fuel, which
is a major expense for every aviation
enterprise. Helicopter operators also
face hefty maintenance bills to keep
their complicated machines airworthy.
Another unavoidable, necessary evil is
the training budget. Once again, this is
a cost that affects helicopter operators
more than their (equivalent) fixed-wing
counterparts, because helicopters are
so much more expensive to operate per
flight hour than fixed-wing machines.
With rising fuel and maintenance
costs sucking the profit-life out of their
balance sheets, anything that has the
potential to reduce expensive time spent
in the air on non-revenue-generating
training must be worth serious
consideration for helicopter operators.
The bigger and more complex the
helicopter, the more significant is the
training budget for its operator.
With this in mind, Emirates-CAE
Flight Training (ECFT), a joint-venture
company based in Dubai, has taken
the lead in providing a JAA and FAAapproved level-D helicopter simulator
(the first to be approved by the UK CAA
to level-D standards) to cater for the most
prolific type likely to benefit from the
cost-savings offered by a simulator – the
Bell 412. ECFT’s Dubai-based Bell-412
simulator has the potential to save B412
operators thousands of dollars (perhaps
millions, depending on fleet size).
CAE is the world’s leading simulator
manufacturer. With annual revenues
of over $1 billion, it operates in 19
countries and currently provides over
80 percent of the world’s simulators.
CAE has sold nearly 700 simulators and
training devices to airlines, aircraft
manufacturers, training centers and
defence forces globally. Nevertheless,
despite being the market leader in
hardware, CAE long ago realized that not
every operator wanted (or could afford) to
purchase its own simulator. The company
saw an obvious need to diversify beyond
merely producing simulators – however
successfully – and began establishing
training centers around the world to cater
for such operators. CAE made a number
of acquisitions and began establishing
training organizations in joint-ventures
with companies like Iberia (in Madrid),
Alitalia (Rome), Singapore Airlines
(Singapore), China Southern Airlines
(Zhuhai, China), Aeroflot (Moscow) and
Air Asia (Kuala Lumpur). These are just
six of the 22 training centers that CAE
now has scattered strategically around
the globe.
Each joint-venture is a symbiotic
partnership that offers significant
benefits to both partners. In the case of
the various airlines, each receives the
benefit of CAE’s experience in simulator
technology and ability to provide the
highest quality training available. Both
CAE and the partner company benefit
from the ability to attract customers
from the respective regions in which the
training centers are based.
Heli Ops asked ECFT’s Senior
Sales Executive, Muhammad Usman
Mastan, why ECFT would be interested
in establishing a helicopter simulator.
Mastan explained that the decision
was purely a business one. The (joint)
company realized the growing need
for an appropriate simulator for the
rapidly growing helicopter market in the
Middle East.
So what was the reason for selecting
the 412? Mastan explained that the
company maintains a “census” of
world aircraft fleets and constantly
watches the order books of the world’s
aircraft manufacturers (fixed-wing
and helicopter) so that it can anticipate
demand for simulators. There have been
well over 400 Bell 412s produced, and
a large number of them operate in the
region.
With simulator training now being
strongly emphasized in the region,
operators were all faced with having to
send pilots to training centers across
the world. It made perfect business
sense then, for ECFT to follow the same
model they had with their fixed-wing
One of two rows of multimillion-dollar simulators
that equip the Emirates-CAE
facility.
simulators, and establish a regional
helicopter training facility in its Dubai
training center – already ideally located at
the business hub of the Middle East.
ECFT realized how much money local
operators would otherwise have to spend
to send pilots elsewhere for training.
It was obvious that a “local” simulator
would be a popular addition to its Dubai
facility; nevertheless, the decision was
not made lightly. The simulator that
the company has built and installed is
around US$20M, and is among the most
expensive single simulator in the facility.
This is a little ironic as the aircraft type
it replicates – the Bell 412 – is by far the
least expensive type of aircraft being
simulated!
So why are helicopter simulators
so expensive? For the same reason
that helicopters are so expensive – the
complexity of the helicopter! In addition
to the normal six axes of simulator
movement, the helicopter sim requires
the addition of a vibration platform
with its own three axes of movement. ➤
41
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In addition, the helicopter simulator
requires far more extensive visuals
and audio in order to qualify as level-D.
Where a conventional airliner
simulator has 180-degree horizontal and
40-degree vertical visuals, the helicopter
sim requires 220 degrees horizontal and
60 degrees vertical visuals plus the lower
chin windows in order to properly depict
the environment.
The UAE requirement for helicopter
simulators doesn’t specify level-D. Heli
Ops asked Mastan why ECFT elected to
install such an expensive simulator.
“All of our simulators are level-D,” he
said. “ECFT is committed to excellence
in training and service, it is what makes
us what we are that we only offer the
best in terms of technology, facilities and
instructors. There was never any question
that it would have been anything but a
level-D simulator.”
Wouldn’t a level-C simulator have
been cheaper for customers? “Not really,”
says Mastan, “not considering what we
offer our customers. Once the simulator
is up and running, there is not a huge
amount of difference in the long term
in ongoing costs and we make sure
we keep our cost to the customers
highly competitive. The big difference is
in the quality of the training experience
offered by having the best possible
simulator.”
ECFT’s 412 simulator has only been
approved since January and its full
courses were only approved in March
– although local approval was obtained,
and its first local training was carried
out in February. Since it has been fully
approved, the simulator has been used
every day and was already operating at
around 40 percent of its potential capacity
by July. Customers as of July included Gulf
Helicopters, Saudi Aramco, CHC Australia
and the Dubai Air Wing. ECFT is talking
with numerous other customers who
are interested in using the simulator for
regular long-term training, and already
there has been interest from well beyond
the “local” (Gulf) area.
The 412 simulator’s potential
customers include pretty much everyone
outside the US. Dubai’s location renders it
“central” to most other places, including
Europe, as well as the Middle East, Africa,
Asia and Australia.
As far as potential customers for the
simulator are concerned, quite apart from
the economic attraction of not having
to fly staff half-way around the world,
Dozens of well-equipped
classrooms rooms like this
are in constant use throughout
the training centre.
its location in Dubai is a particularly
attractive side benefit, as anyone who
has visited there will be aware. Many
of ECFT’s customers (fixed-wing as well
as helicopter) elect to spend additional
time in Dubai when “sims” fall due,
often bringing families with them and
vacationing in the city. Realizing this,
the ECFT team have eleven full-time
customer service account executives,
whose job it is to take care of all logistics
for those attending the training center.
Students at the training center all
receive “welcome packs” upon arrival
that detail, not only everything they need
to know about their courses, but also
everything they need to know about their
stay in Dubai – including such things as
available amenities, places and items of
interest and lists of local restaurants. The
ECFT staff will even make arrangements
and bookings at local attractions for those
that request them.
Standard services for simulator
customers include processing visas (if
required), and arranging and providing
limousine transport to and from the
training center each day. The limousine
transport is not a luxury, but rather, an
important tool that benefits students and
training center staff alike because it is
essential that briefings and sim sessions
run according to strict timetables.
Simulators are always carefully scheduled
to maximize their valuable time – exactly
like real aircraft. It would be costly and
disruptive for students to arrive late for
training, so the limousine service ensures
this does not occur.
In addition to the limousine service,
standard services include the availability
of heavily discounted rates at a number
of top quality hotels near the training
center. ECFT’s bulk-purchasing discount
allows the center to buy multiple roomnights at these hotels and make them
available at up to 50 percent less than
standard hotel rates in some cases.
For pilots attending the simulators
each day, a fully serviced lounge
(including Internet) is available
throughout the day for pilots to relax
between sims or classroom sessions. This
is in addition to a large cafeteria serving
all manner of quality meals.
Everything about the training center
is intended to ensure that pilots are able
to concentrate and focus solely on their
training – which, after all, is what they
are paying for. Every one of those other
“details” that travellers would otherwise
concern themselves with is taken care of.
There is no doubt about the quality
of the facilities. Classrooms, briefing
rooms, dining facilities, lounge areas
– everything is immaculate, roomy, and
classy. But what of the simulator itself,
and what of the instructors?
HeliOps engaged the services of Phil
Croucher to fly the 412 simulator and give
an independent verdict. Phil is a highly
experienced pilot with a great deal of
instructing and training experience and
is also the author of numerous helicopter
manuals and training textbooks.
Instrument-rated, and with a background
of both military and civilian flying, he is
currently flying Bell 212 helicopters in the
Middle East and thus ideally qualified to
give an independent opinion on ECFT’s
simulator.
ECFT provided its chief 412 instructor,
43
left: The nerve centre of the Bell-412
simulator where Klepper or the other
instructors can call up any of 180 faults
for students to deal with.
right: In addition to classrooms, there
are spacious and comfortable CBT and
procedural training areas set aside.
Robert “Bob” Klepper, to put Phil through
his paces in the sim.
Klepper did not take it easy on
Phil, despite Phil’s lack of familiarity
with the 412. (ECFT runs a highly
detailed “differences” course for 212
operators wanting to make use of the
412 simulator). While Klepper allowed
Phil to get airborne and make his way
to downtown Dubai (it was easy to
recognize all the landmarks, having spent
a few days in the city), once over the
city he proceeded to throw a few
problems at him.
Every one of the 180 faults that the
simulator’s software contains derives
from events that have actually occurred
– somewhere. Phil was quick to notice the
low oil pressure in one engine, and it was
here that the value of a simulator became
instantly clear. The simulator is not just
about teaching a “rote-learning” drill for
a specific circumstance, but more about
instilling the right thinking in pilots to
deal with emergencies appropriately.
After Phil sensibly decided to return to
the airfield, he also began contemplating
an emergency landing, which is the kind
of thinking Klepper looks for. When the
second oil pressure light illuminated,
Phil immediately made a “run-on”
landing into the sand alongside Sheikh
Zayed Road.
So realistic was the situation, that the
writer found himself frantically pulling
harnesses tighter and clutching tight
44
upon seat arms as the 412 neared the
ground. The solid impact with the ground
felt extremely realistic – truly as if the
heavy 412 had plopped into soft sand
alongside the road and slid to a halt.
In important ways, simulators can
thus provide more “realistic” training
than real helicopters, in that they allow
emergencies to be handled to their
conclusions, exactly as they would be
in the real world. An engine failure is a
perfect example. In the real world, few
organizations practice autorotations
to the ground. The risks to people and
helicopters are too great. A B206 pilot, for
example, will be aware that he or she
will be making a “power-on” recovery
and will therefore focus as much on
avoiding a torque-spike as on the correct
auto technique. In a simulator, it is a
real failure – all the way to its conclusion,
and it is up to the pilot to get it right if
the conclusion isn’t to replicate a crash.
It is human nature to revert to
training in the event of real emergencies,
and if “real” training doesn’t actually
prepare pilots to handle emergencies,
its value has to be questioned. In a
simulator, pilots can begin to gain the
necessary appreciation that emergencies
don’t always occur over nicely level, welllit, “safe” airfields or large open spaces.
A real emergency may well necessitate
“breaking” a helicopter to manage the
emergency properly and this is obviously
impossible to reproduce outside a
simulator. (Phil’s double engine-failure
and subsequent forced ditching was
another good example).
There are a great many emergencies
that can simply never be trained for in a
real aircraft, but the simulator’s ability
to allow pilots to learn exactly what
the “real” thing feels like, and how to
deal with it, may well be the difference
between surviving an unusual
emergency and becoming another statistic.
After a series of emergencies and
abnormal situations, Phil admitted to
experiencing the genuine “wobbly knees”
sensation so well known to pilots in real
aircraft, and the sweat was certainly
evident on his brow. Asked later for his
opinions of the simulator, he was in
no doubt. “This simulator is extremely
accurate – very good. When I made the
running landing into the sand, I could
feel the drag on the skids exactly as I’d
imagine and I could see the waves of
sand blowing around the machine.” He
then commented on the importance of
complete reality if a simulator was to
have real benefits. “There’s no point in
having a “nearly accurate” simulator
where an instructor needs to remind
a pilot to ignore something because it
wouldn’t be there, or wouldn’t do that in
a real machine,” he said. “This really is
a complete Bell 412 – right down to the
smallest detail.”
Klepper, who began his career as a
helicopter crew chief in the US army,
learned to fly helicopters with a cropdusting company. He has since spent
much of his life in the air and now has
around 19,000 hours – and still loves his
flying as much as he ever did. His passion
for training is refreshingly genuine. He
is a big believer that simulator training
is just another tool for instilling the
right attitude in pilots – the attitude
that encourages pilots to avoid putting
themselves in situations that require
significant piloting skill to subsequently
recover from!
He clearly appreciates the simulator
for what it offers pilots. “The sim allows
pilots to overcome the natural human
tendency towards “disbelief” in a real
emergency,” he says. “In a helicopter,
there just isn’t time for that – by the time
it has sunk in, it can be too late to do
anything about it. If a pilot has seen it
and done it in a sim, it is that much more
likely he or she will react automatically
– and correctly.”
Klepper firmly believes in the need
for strong CRM and feels this is also
a strongpoint for simulator training
because it trains a crew to become a
cohesive unit – and a cohesive crew
can minimize the effects of many
malfunctions. He also believes that,
in the interest of safety, it would be
beneficial to have crewmembers who
fly in a single-pilot aircraft, to attend
training as well.
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It was enlightening to hear Klepper
talk about single-pilot operations. “It
always interests me,” he said. “When
we get these guys in here, we fail the
autopilot unexpectedly and watch
what happens.” Klepper smiled before
continuing – the understated implication
clear. “It leads me to believe that it would
be a very good idea for them to train
more often.”
It was equally interesting to discover
that Klepper was not the sadistic brute
that simulator instructors are often
painted to be. He is clear that his goal
is to do everything he possibly can to
prepare pilots to keep themselves and
their passengers alive if the worst ever
happens. “If a pilot can’t learn from an
exercise, there is no point in it, so we
never set impossible tasks.”
Increasingly, insurance companies
are insisting on simulator training
as a condition of covering helicopter
operators. Klepper’s answer – an often
repeated quote – to those operators who
complain about the additional costs, “If
you think safety is expensive, try having
a crash!”
WECO HeliOps
ad Apr05.fh8
3/3/05 1:46
ECFT certainly
appears
to doPM Page 1
everything it possibly can to make the
It was equally interesting
to discover that
Klepper was not the
sadistic brute that
simulator instructors are
often painted to be.
simulator experience as cost-effective
and “painless” for operators as possible.
In addition to offering discounted
accommodation, CAE’s venture with
Emirates Airline allows ECFT to offer
some discounted airfares – although it is
entirely up to customers how they travel.
In addition, the training center
provides for customers to use their own
manuals and checklists, providing utmost
customization. It already tailors packages
C
M and
Y
CM
to suit its different customers
canMY CY
even help them to write manuals and
checklists. The company provides secure
on-site facilities for operators to lock
manuals and documents away between
training sessions, so that there is no need
to transport everything back and forth
between home and Dubai each time.
ECFT’s Bell 412 set-up is also an
approved Bell training facility. Any
operator in the region that buys a 412 gets
factory credits that can be used in Dubai
so that they do not have to travel long
distances.
David Barette, Managing Director
ECFT Dubai, is optimistic about the
future of his company’s 412 simulator.
The company has invested a great deal
of money in it, but he knows that there is
an increasing need around the world for
helicopter simulators. He is also aware
that helicopter operators – unlike their
airline and corporate aircraft brethren
– are unlikely to justify spending large
amounts on full flight simulators.
Having visited ECFT’s facilities, seen
their simulators first-hand and met the
people responsible for making things
happen, it is enough to make this writer
want to buy a 412 simply in order to
CMY K
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For most piston-engined
helicopters, and indeed, some
light turbines, rubber tensioning
belts play a major role in keeping
the aircraft flying. These belts are
checked consistently with every
story & PHOTOS by Sarah Bowen
walk-around, but the signs of
cumulative wear or damage can
sometimes be difficult to spot.
Taking these belts for granted is
not an option; it’s sobering to think that
in effect, all that is between you and a
power failure may be a strip of rubber!
That said, complete malfunctions of
belts are rare, and most wear-and-tear
related problems are usually identified
and resolved during maintenance. Belt
systems vary between manufacturers
but all rely on similar principles. It is
important to know what can be done to
prevent something from going wrong.
Schweizer, Robinson and Enstrom
machines each employ a rubber belt
system to transfer drive from the engine
to the main transmission. Robinson
uses multiple v-belts, similar to those
that drive the alternator on the average
car. On the R22, the engine’s rotation
is transmitted to the main gearbox via
two drive belts carried on “sheaves” or
pulley assemblies. Each belt effectively
comprises two v-belts joined together;
thus the pulley has four grooves. The
belts transmit the drive to a similar
pulley assembly mounted on the main
gearbox/tail rotor drive shaft. The belts
are designed to act independently
and offer redundancy in the event of a
single belt failing.
Enstrom’s piston helicopters make
use of a single serpentine belt that is 6.5
inches across and has approximately 35
ribs. It has a smooth non-driving surface
and a multi-grooved drive surface. A
jockey pulley, which sits between the
engine pulley and the gearbox pulley,
moves in and out to increase or decrease
pressure on the drive belt, providing a
“clutch” mechanism between engine
and gearbox; this is manually activated
by the pilot for initial rotor engagement.
The system incorporates an automatic
freewheeling clutch in case the engine
should fail. Even the turbine-engined
Enstrom 480 uses a rubber belt drive
system; the main difference being that on
this system the belt maintains tension at
all times.
The Schweizer 269C system is similar,
except that it uses eight belts and has an
electrically operated mechanism. Because
the eight belts move independently, if
one of the belts were to malfunction,
the remaining belts would continue to
transfer power to the main transmission
and tail rotor. The v-belts on the 269 are
exposed and not concealed behind a
fairing; any grit or FOD entering the belt
system is likely to fly out again rather
than getting caught up in the pulleys. On
the turbine Schweizer 333, a single poly
v-belt replaces the eight single belts. This
results in better mechanical efficiency;
on the eight-belt system the v-belts all
move at slightly different speeds, which
means that some work harder than
others, putting a higher strain on the
top left: The complete Robinson R44
drive assembly consists of upper and
lower sheaves, clutch actuator, lower
bearing and four V-belts; twice the
number of belts the R22 uses.
top right: R44 lower bearing assembly
showing the lower sheave and V-belts.
These are normally protected by the aft
cowling, which has been removed for
maintenance. The R44 belt system design
has proven exceptionally reliable.
ABOVE: The poly V belt used on
a S333 performs the same job as the
eight individual belts on the 269,
but tends to provide better mechanical
efficiency due to the whole belt
moving at the same speed.
50
drive system. This can be demonstrated
by drawing a line across the belts before
engine-start; the mark will almost
certainly not line up once the engine
has been shut down again. Harder work
means more wear-and-tear and shorter
belt life than the single poly v-belt, which
provides more reliability and less need for
maintenance.
One major advantage of belt
drive transmissions is a reduction
in maintenance costs as there is no
mechanical gearbox and no associated
seals, oil, gears or casings to maintain. A
belt drive is pretty much a “fit and forget”
system that requires very little in the way
of maintenance. A pre-flight inspection
of the condition of the belts and sheaves
offers an effective assessment as to
the serviceability of the system; more
complex mechanical systems give little
visual clue of impending problems other
than perhaps discoloured oil or a chip
light. The belt drive allows for a very
compact installation and is a much
cheaper option when it comes to the
initial design of the helicopter.
Andrew Wilson, an engineer for UKbased Total Air Management Services,
talked about the belt drive system on
the Schweizer. “Our personal experience
has been that the “poly-v” on the S333
– our fleet leader – is capable of lasting
more than 1,600 flying hours. Other
operators have had belts run to over 2,300
hours with no visual evidence to require
replacement.”
It is not unusual for an R22 or R44 to
achieve its overhaul life on its original set
of belts. Enstrom receives similar reports.
The belt drive system is also a very
effective way to isolate vibration from the
dynamic components to the engine and
vice versa, which improves the ride and
extends component life.
Although there have been few
incidents resulting directly from belt
failure, accident and incident reports
have helped manufacturers improve
their designs and procedures. One
consistent factor that has been identified
by manufacturers is the tendency for
nearly all failures to occur in relatively
new belts; those with less than 50 hours
– most with less than 20 hours time-inservice. This is because new belts are soft
and tend to grip the sides of the grooves,
increasing their tendency to “climb” out
of the sheave. Initiation is thought to
be either a belt strand coming out of, or
rolling over in a groove, leading to an
overload condition that ends up tearing
the belt apart. The most common causes
have been associated with high gross
weight power applications – occasionally
exacerbated by turbulence, sheave
alignment at installation or alignment
shifts caused by initial belt wear-in,
new belts that are fitted to worn or
corroded sheaves, actuator tension out
of specification, or excessive belt slack at
initial engagement, allowing a belt strand
to be outside either the forward or aft
grooves when tensioned.
Robinson Advice
In 1991, the pilot of an R22 approaching
to land heard a loud “grumbling” noise
LEFT: The S269 belts are in a relaxed state so
the black mark on the tenisioner is not lined
up. Phenolic guide rollers keep the belts on the
tensioner pulley as it moves through its arc.
TOP: Lower drive pulley and
tensioner arm pivot on a S269. The lower
belt guide helps prevent the belts jumping
out of the sheave.
bottom: An electrical clutch actuator tensions
the belts on the Schweizer 269.
and felt a “twitch” to the left. Assuming
the engine had failed, he lowered the
collective and entered autorotation. As he
turned into wind he raised the collective
to flare the aircraft, but the right
skid touched the ground first and the
helicopter rolled over. On examination
of the wreckage, one of the transmission
v-belts was found to be missing, and
there was evidence of rubber deposits
around the transmission compartment
suggesting the belt had flailed after
malfunctioning. The remaining belt was
still intact and appeared undamaged,
and there was no evidence of any other
pre-impact failure. It emerged that the
v-belts had been replaced just 12 hours
prior to the accident, highlighting the
vulnerability of low-time belts to failure
as a result of stretching after installation.
Stretching can cause the belts to partially
ride up out of the pulley grooves during
clutch engagement. This is the reason
for the five-second limitation for the
blades to start turning during start-up.
Although the clutch actuator should
always maintain the correct belt tension
when engaged, an abnormally long time
interval between selection and rotor
movement indicates that the actuator
is travelling further before the correct
tension value is reached, and this is when
damage can be caused.
In 1998, Robinson Helicopters issued
a safety notice recommending that
on R22s with newly installed v-belts,
during shutdown the clutch should
not be disengaged until the belts have
had a chance to stretch and properly
bed in. This procedure is said to relieve
unnecessary torsional stresses placed on
the drive train by new belts. Robinson
belts are manufactured and fitted
as matched pairs, and as part of the
manufacturing process, all belts are also
“broken in” for five hours at full RPM and
tension before shipment, making them
far more tolerant. They are maintained
“on-condition” and do not have a finite
service life. According to Frank Robinson,
the system is relatively maintenance-free
as far as the belts are concerned. He said
it works very well most of the time, and
on the R44 it has been practically troublefree. The R22 has had some problems
with the v-belts in recent years, primarily
because the aircraft was originally
designed for an engine of 108 hp, but this
has since progressively increased in power
to 150 hp, then 160 hp, and now 180 hp.
51
support the v-belt drives; we try to stay
on top of improvements to make sure
everything continues to perform reliably.”
Enstrom Equipment
ABOVE: Enstrom piston helicopters use a single
serpentine belt controlled by a lever and
cable that latches the mechanism over center to
prevent accidental belt clutch release.
ABOVE RIGHT: S333 upper pulley and
freewheel unit, lower pulley with oil cooler fan
duct, “H” frame, idler tensioning pulley, belt
guide and upper tensioner attachment.
“The biggest problem is that the
R22 has just grown and grown, but the
capacity of that v-belt design cannot be
increased simply because of space and
geometry limitations in the helicopter.
When we designed the R44 we started
with a clean sheet of paper and were able
to double the number of v-belts; this has
proved to be exceptionally reliable.”
Undoubtedly one of the most serious
– yet avoidable – causes of belt failure is
a disregard of the limitations set out in
the pilot’s operating handbook. “We have
always been dependent on pilots limiting
manifold pressure according to the tables
given in the manual so that they never
pull more than 131 hp during take-off and
124 hp max-continuous,” Frank Robinson
explains. “The only thing preventing
them from pulling more power is their
own restraint and skill as pilots. We have
had a number of cases – probably more
down in New Zealand and Australia
than anywhere else – where pilots have
ignored the published limitations and just
pulled whatever they want, thinking the
helicopter could take it.” Robinson said
this had led to failures of some v-belts
as well as other parts of the systems on
the R22. It is frustrating for Robinson
that a small percentage of pilots refuse
52
to follow the rules and limit the power
they use. Unfortunately, as Robinson
points out, the damage of fatigue failure
is cumulative and one pilot’s actions can
affect someone who flies the helicopter
later on – with potentially disastrous
consequences! “If you want to live to a
ripe old age, you need to fly safely and
stick to published limitations!”
The R22 system is very light, and
when flown within limits, works very
well. “The great thing about this system,”
says Robinson, “where we raise and
lower the upper sheave or pulley to
engage or disengage the belts – is that it’s
completely automatic; when you engage
the clutch it raises that upper sheave,
tensioning the V-belts until they reach
a particular load, then it shuts off. If the
tension load falls below a certain value
in flight, it automatically turns itself
back on and re-tensions the belts. This
has allowed a greater safety margin in
the belts themselves because we don’t
have to design for slack belts; we can
depend on the unit maintaining the
tension.” Robinson also noted that the
manufacturing process has improved.
“Originally we machined the castings.
We started out coating the sheaves
with hard anodides, but as time went
on – particularly with applications like
cattle herding in Australia – it became
clear that this just wasn’t good enough.
We then switched over to sprayed-steel
coatings and subsequently stainless steel
to improve the wear characteristics.
Nowadays, instead of making the sheaves
out of castings, we actually machine them
out of bar stock using CNC machines.
“We’ve also updated the bearings that
On Enstrom 280 belt systems, normal
maintenance consists of inspecting the
large roller and the actuation straps
carefully at the 100-hour inspection; the
top of the clutch capsule should also be
inspected as the bushing is subject to
wear. Enstrom has used this design since
the 1960s, and it has proved reliable.
Bayard Dupont, Director of Product
Support at Enstrom Helicopters said
that he had never heard of a belt failure.
“There is no risk of one belt coming loose
and causing other belts to come off. These
belts typically last 1,500 hours or 15 years
and can be run until pieces the size of a
US 25 cent coin are delaminating from
the insides.” The only time-limited parts
are two bearings in the large roller, which
need to be changed at 600 hours.
According to Enstrom’s service
information letter 0074, belt inspection
– carried out as part of every routine preflight check – should include observing
any damage, unusual wear or signs of
fatigue and separation of components.
All belt surfaces should be carefully
examined. Firstly, the back of the belt
should be examined for cuts, damage or
blisters, which may indicate separation
of the fabric plies; the belt should be
removed if there is any damage that
appears to penetrate the fabric cover. A
small crack in the back of the belt at the
fabric splice is not significant, however
the belt should be removed if there is
loosening or peeling of the fabric in the
splice areas. Secondly, the edge of the belt
should be examined for signs of wear;
this does not affect the belt directly but
would indicate that there is a tracking
or interference problem. Fraying of the
edge cord is not significant; however, if
an entire cord is beginning to emerge
from the belt, or if there is any sign of
separation or rubber from the cord it
should be removed. Finally, it is fairly
common to have horizontal cracks
across the belt; they are quite acceptable
provided the chording cannot be seen
when the belt is flexed back and the
crack opened up. Loss of small pieces of
rib section may accompany rib cracking;
generally speaking this is a random
occurrence, but the belt should be
replaced if three or more adjacent ribs are
lost for a length of two inches or more.
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Dupont said that one of the nice
things about Enstrom’s belt system is that
the belt can be disengaged on the ground,
allowing the blades to stop so that rotor
tracking and similar maintenance can be
performed with the engine running. He
also noted that belts can be quite noisy
during engagement, “but believe it or not,
this can usually be controlled by applying
talcum powder to the inside of the belt.”
Dennis Kenyon, ex-Royal Air Force
fast jet and bomber pilot, and now
instructor and examiner in the UK, has
been flying civilian helicopters, mainly
the Enstrom, since 1970. Kenyon, who
has also won awards flying the Enstrom
as a helicopter display pilot, confirmed
Dupont’s high regard for the belt system.
“The Enstrom system is very dependable.
In over 30 years flying this helicopter I
have not experienced a belt failure, nor
have I heard of a single occurrence.”
Schweizer System
When the Schweizer 269C engine is
started, the eight belts are not tensioned
and are free to slip, thus ensuring that
the engine is not connected to the drive
and not under load when started. After
starting, the engine is accelerated to
1,500 RPM and when the belt-tensioning
switch is set to “engage” the v-belts are
tensioned. When the engine RPM drop
by 100 RPM, the switch is moved to
“hold” until the engine again reaches
1,500 RPM. This procedure is repeated
until the needles on the RPM-gauge are
superimposed and speed synchronization
is achieved. At this stage there is no belt
slip and the belt-tensioning switch is
left engaged. The electrically operated
linear actuator transmits tension via a
clutch cable assembly to an idler pulley
acting on the v-belts. When the belttensioning switch on the instrument
panel is activated, the linear actuator
draws in and tensions the clutch cable,
which in turn draws in the idler pulley
and tensions the V-belts. This type of belt
system appears to be extremely reliable
and statistics reveal very few incidents
involving Schweizer belts; any problems
seemed to have been with the clutch
cable rather than the belts themselves.
System efficiency
It has to be more than a coincidence
that Robinson, Schweizer and Enstrom
have all adopted this system, which begs
the question; if belt drive transmissions
are so good then why don’t all helicopters
have them? Efficiency, is the simple
answer. The energy absorbed by a belt
from constantly forcing it to bend around
a pulley and then straighten is known as
“transmission loss” and is acceptable in
small helicopters. However, powerplants
in large helicopters are more robust
and would require larger belt drives to
transmit power; with this would come
larger transmission losses. There is a
point where the efficiency-cost graphs
cross over and the belt drive is no longer
the viable and cost effective option it is
with the lower-powered engine.
Clearly these rubber belts play a
significant role in the smooth running
of the helicopter, but they must be
respected. The vast improvements that
manufacturers have implemented have
contributed to a reduction in accidents
and incidents involving belt failure. If
pilots and engineers perform regular and
thorough inspections of belt condition,
and ensure that they adhere to published
power limitations, then the possibility of
belt failure can be minimized. n
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story by Phil Croucher
photos by ned dawson
Aviation shares a problem common to many other fields of endeavour – like computing – where
one person writes a procedure, but other people copy it into ops manuals or other documents –
each time changing the procedure subtly, until eventually the original meaning is lost, and people
end up working with incorrect data. One subject prone to such misinformation is performance.
HO1
HO2
HO3
HO4
Many accidents are performancerelated, particularly among those that
occur during takeoff and landing. This
is especially true when a helicopter is
heavy, and/or operating in high densityaltitudes. In trying to get a large, heavy
object (helicopter) into or out of a
relatively small place, the whole point
of performance calculations is to ensure
that the space required for taking off
and landing is not more than the space
available, taking into account an engine
power loss at the most critical moment.
The idea is to keep a helicopter’s mass
within limits during all phases of flight,
because the lower the weight of the
machine, the better it will fly in the
event of reduced power. The performance
charts in flight manuals tend to be
optimistic and are based on new
machines flown by skilled pilots,
so although the graphs provide a
maximum weight for the conditions,
it is wise to allow an extra margin
– remember, the maximum weight is a
limit and not a target!
For performance purposes, helicopters
are certified in one of three classes
(1, 2 or 3). These are different from
airworthiness groups or categories,
which only dictate a helicopter’s basic
ability to fly with an engine out and
withstand things like forced landings.
In other words, the terms Category-A
and Category-B (as opposed to Class 1 or
2) are for certification or airworthiness
purposes. The performance class,
which is an extra layer of operational
58
paperwork, determines the necessary
clearance that must be able to be
maintained during takeoff and landing.
People often refer to Category-A
performance when they mean Class-1
performance.
Here are some selected definitions
related to performance:
Clearway. An area at the end of the
Takeoff Distance Available (TODA) that is
unsuitable to run on, but which is clear of
obstacles, so you can fly over it. Although
it is not ground-based, you can include it
in your calculations, because you should
be staggering into the air towards your
screen height just before you reach it.
Although the graphs
provide a maximum
weight for the
conditions, it is wise to
allow an extra margin
– remember, the
maximum weight is a
limit and not a target!
Defined Point After Takeoff (DPATO).
In Class 2 operations, the point – during
takeoff and initial climb – before which,
the helicopter’s ability to continue the
flight safely, with the critical power unit
inoperative, is not assured and a forced
landing may be required.
Defined Point Before Landing (DPBL).
In Class 2 operations, the point – during
approach and landing – after which,
the helicopter’s ability to continue the
flight safely, with the critical power unit
inoperative, is not assured and a forced
landing may be required.
Distance DR. The horizontal
distance the helicopter has travelled
from the end of the TODA; used for
adding “fudge factors” to obstacle
clearances (for example, 0.01 of DR is
added when IFR).
Drift Down. The amount of height
that is lost between the time an engine
fails and when a pilot can fly away safely
under control.
Hostile Environment. Where a safe
forced landing cannot be made because
the surface is inadequate, the occupants
of a helicopter cannot be adequately
protected from the elements, SAR
response or capability is not consistent
with anticipated exposure, or there is an
unacceptable risk of endangering people
or property on the ground. The open
sea north of 45°N and south of 45°S, as
designated by the authority of the state
concerned, and congested areas without
adequate safe forced landing areas are
hostile environments.
Non-Hostile Environment. An
environment where a safe forced landing
can be accomplished, occupants can
be protected from elements and SAR
response or capability is consistent with
anticipated exposure. Congested areas
with adequate safe forced landing areas
are non-hostile.
Safe Forced Landing. An unavoidable
landing or ditching where there is a
reasonable expectancy that there will
be no injuries to persons in the aircraft
or on the surface. Thus, a congested
area without a safe forced landing area
does not meet the definition, since third
parties may be injured. Such areas are
hostile areas, as are forests, open seas,
and mountains, except that states often
turn a blind eye to mountains because
there are hardly any helicopters that
can maintain level flight over a high
range. The “safe forced landing” is
an ICAO concept that has been adopted
in JAR OPS.
Takeoff Decision Point (TDP). The
last point from which a takeoff may be
safely rejected, or flight continued after a
power-unit failure has been recognised.
It is the only point at which there is a
choice of action – before it, takeoff is
rejected. After it, takeoff is continued.
VTOSS. Takeoff Safety Speed in a
Class 1 helicopter (equivalent to V2 in
an aeroplane). It was developed because
it is below Vy, and is repeatable. It gives
a better angle of climb than rate of
climb, because you’re more interested in
clearing ground in a short distance than
in how quickly you’re going up.
VY. Best rate of climb, or the most
height in the shortest time. It corresponds
with the greatest difference between
available power and power required.
Airworthiness Categories
4 Category A
This provides for multi-engine
helicopters with engine and system
isolation, working under a critical engine
failure concept. Category-A allows
continued flight because of redundancy
(another engine) or a design process
that limits the probability of failure.
Engine isolation means that one engine
failure is unlikely to lead to a second,
and that fire in an engine compartment
can be detected and contained or
extinguished.
Category-A also specifies, for each
profile (see below), the flight manual data
to calculate required areas for landing
HO 5
(or re-landing) if an engine fails, together
with OEI obstacle clearance. More
comprehensive flight and navigation
equipment is also listed.
Profiles
A takeoff or landing profile is a set
of manoeuvres designed to provide
continued safe flight or a controlled
landing after an engine fails. Singleengine helicopters have profiles as well,
which are designed to avoid the height/
velocity curve by about 10 ft and 5 knts.
The usual JAR/FAR profile includes a
first segment climb performance of
100 ft/min at VTOSS from the end of
the takeoff distance required to 200 ft, a
level acceleration segment from VTOSS
up to VY (which may be combined with
the first segment climb), and second
segment climb performance of 150 ft/
min at VY at 1,000 ft above the takeoff
surface.
HO 1
The weight & temperature graph in
the flight manual (otherwise known as
the WAT curve) will provide a suitable
takeoff or landing mass, but it assumes a
standard lapse rate, so be careful if there
is a temperature inversion.
In practice, with both engines
performing as they should, you would
accelerate as quickly as possible through
TDP and climb away as normal (it’s better
for the passengers’ coffee, but you must
still take account of the height/velocity
curve in case you suddenly become a
single-engine helicopter). Only if an
engine fails (especially under IFR, where
you can’t see anything) would you hit
VTOSS, or takeoff safety speed (the
equivalent to V2 in an aeroplane), for
the best angle of climb, then adopt VY at
the prescribed height, for the best rate
of climb. In such a case, you must fly
the profile accurately to ensure obstacle
clearance!
4 Category B
This covers single-engine helicopters,
or multi-engine machines that do not
fully meet Category-A requirements.
They are not guaranteed to stay airborne
if an engine fails and a forced landing is
assumed.
Performance Classes
The performance class determines the
outcome after an engine fails.
You must not be heavier than the
performance regulations you choose to
work under. The performance data in
the flight manual – supplemented as
necessary – must be used to determine
compliance.
4 Class 1
This helicopter class requires no
forced landing provisions if the critical
power unit fails – the machine can either
land within the rejected takeoff distance
or continue (safely) to a suitable landing
area, depending on when the failure
occurs (that is, before or after TDP),
clearing all obstacles vertically by 35 ft
with an engine out (plus a percentage of
DR when IFR).
HO 2
The part of the takeoff up to and
including TDP must be completed within
sight of the surface, so a rejected takeoff
can be carried out visually if needed.
Thus, there should be no possibility of
an accident if an engine fails at any stage
of a flight.
There are three variations on the
Class-1 takeoff theme that comply with
Category-A:
Clear Area
As if taking off from a runway, with
nothing in the way. It satisfies legal
minima as long as you can maintain
100 ft/min at 200 feet with one engine
out, and 150 ft/min at 1,000 ft. A fixed
59
HO 7
The Defined Point
After Take Off (DPATO)
defines the point
from which OEI
obstacle clearance can
be assured.
HO 8
HO6
TDP is normally used because there is
nothing to restrict your ground run or
flight path.
the ground) the same applies, but you
have an extra space in which to drop
down and gather some speed:
HO 3
Restricted Area
With nearby obstacles that must
be cleared by 35 ft, and a surface on
which a reject can be carried out. A
steep or vertical climb is required before
proceeding forward over the obstacles.
The TDP can be varied to give an improved
clearance (or clear a higher obstacle), but
as its height increases, it is more difficult
to land back in the reject area.
HO 6 (Note: Taking the doors off might
invalidate the data for performance Class 1)!
HO 4
Helipad
The rejected takeoff area is the
helipad itself, so you must be able to keep
it in sight to re-land if the engine fails
before TDP.
For non-elevated heliports (i.e. at
ground level), the takeoff to TDP is a
rearwards climb, if there are no obstacles
behind. If there are (for example, on an oil
rig), TDP will normally be at or below 30 ft.
HO 5
For elevated heliports and helidecks
(e.g. oil rigs, or anything above 3 m from
60
Landing
This is a PC1/Category-A Landing
procedure:
HO 7
There are two requirements – all
obstacles must be cleared in the approach
to land, and the helicopter must be able
to stop in the distance available.
4 Class 2
Here, there is no ability to climb away
if an engine fails before DPATO (or after
DPBL when landing). If an engine fails in
the early stages of takeoff or late stages
of landing, you will be faced with a forced
landing. However, once past DPATO, or
up to DPBL, the same OEI performance as
Class 1 is available.
If surface conditions were acceptable,
a safe forced landing would be possible.
However, if not, there is exposure
– measured in seconds – during which
there is no guarantee of a flyaway or safe
forced landing. The maximum permitted
exposure time is a statistically derived
figure, during which the probability of an
engine failure can be discounted.
Operations in Class-2 do not specify
a rejected takeoff (although occupants
and third parties must remain uninjured)
when the failure occurs early in the
takeoff or late in the landing, so a
forced landing may be required, under
conditions that allow it, in terms of
weather, light and terrain. This is because
Class-2 assumes that all engines are
operating until the point at which you
should be able to sustain a Performance
1 climb. Thus, you have two sets
of obstacle clearance limits, since
Performance Class-2 is a mixture of
Class-3 (takeoff and landing) and Class-1
(climb, cruise, descent).
HO 8
The Defined Point After Take Off
(DPATO) defines the point from which OEI
obstacle clearance can be assured. At the
moment, it is quite difficult to calculate,
as not all flight manuals provide allengines-operating (AEO) data. Until you
reach DPATO, you must clear all obstacles
by 35 ft AEO.
You are assumed to be VMC until
➤
DPATO, so IMC is not allowed if an engine
fails, as the necessary climb gradients
will not have been established.
4 CLass 3
Multi-engine types operated in this
class may have to make a forced landing,
while single-engine types will. If you
are flying over water in a twin-engine
helicopter and don’t have enough power
to get back to shore if an engine fails,
Class 3 limitations and conditions must
be observed. Commercial air transport
operations must be conducted in sight
of the surface, by day, with a minimum
ceiling and visibility above the local
surface. In the cruise, you must be
able to maintain the minimum flight
altitude, and the mass must always allow
a hover IGE. Class-3 is not allowed in IMC
or at night.
Procedures
The performance group to which
you belong depends on certification,
max all-up weight and the number of
passengers carried. However, it may be
more commercially acceptable to operate
at a lesser performance level if it allows
the carriage of greater payload, which
makes more money – all that is needed is
a longer takeoff run or fewer obstacles. In
other words, the performance conditions
under which you operate determine
how heavy your aircraft can be and, as a
result, your payload. Over a whole trip,
the weight could be dictated by:
u Maximum weight
u WAT limits
u Space available
uObstacles
u The route
u Hovering OGE (you may have to accelerate
OGE off a rig or small site)
There are some principles with
performance calculations that remain
constant:
u Mass must not exceed that specified in the
flight manual for the conditions.
u You must maintain a minimum climb
gradient to keep you above the slope of
the obstacle clearance plane. If an obstacle
protrudes into the obstruction clearance
plane, it follows that a higher climb
gradient will be required and this will be
specified on the approach or departure
plate.
I hope this brief summary of some
important aspects of helicopter performance helps. In every aspect of flying, the
right knowledge is essential to safety, but
knowledge of performance is perhaps the
most safety-critical knowledge a pilot
must possess.” n
Note: Flying an instrument departure
u You can only plan to use 50% of any
reported headwind component, and must
use 150% of any tailwind.
u You must account for weight, altitude and
temperature (WAT) for the destination as
well. All may restrict your takeoff weight.
u Distances required must not be more than
distances available.
using a published procedure does not
guarantee obstacle clearance if an engine
fails. Therefore, you must limit the weight
of your aircraft in order to clear all obstacles
during takeoff in the event of a failure of the
most critical engine. However, there may be
procedures that allow obstacles to be avoided
laterally by making a turn (or a series of turns)
onto specific headings or tracks.
10681_HeliAd_HR_105x148.qxd
1/7/05
2:59 pm
Page 1
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Operator ALERT
Rolls-Royce: Commercial Engine Bulletin
This alert is to notify all operators of the Rolls-Royce model 250 engines that:
“Some power turbine outer shafts may have a manufacturing
error on the face of the curvics contact face and non-contact face.
This anomaly could lead to looseness of the nut and cause fretting
of the power turbine shaft resulting in reduced capability of the shaft.”
Note: The following is a list of engine series that may be affected by this CEB:
250 - C20 SERIES
250 - C28 SERIES
250 - C30 SERIES
250 - C20R SERIES
CEB A - 1398
CEB A - 72 - 2208
CEB A - 72 - 3278
CEB A - 72 - 4093
250 - C40B
250 - C47
CEB A - 72 - 5052
CEB A - 72 - 6060
Note: The cost of shaft replacement, performed by a Rolls-Royce approved maintenance facility will be
addressed as per the conditions specified in the CEB.
As per Section E: Part 2 - Compliance Code 4 of the CEB: To be complied with the next time the turbine module is
removed and the power turbine rotor is disassembled for any reason. Or no later than:
Series II - 1750 operating hours / 3000 cycles
Series III - 1500 operating hours / 3000 cycles
Series IV - 1750 / 2000 operating hours / 3500 cycles
As per Section E: Material Availability:
PART NUMBER QTY/ENGINE
NAME
SERIES
23037413
1
SHAFT, POWER TURBINE OUTER
II
23051646
1
SHAFT, POWER TURBINE OUTER
III
23038136
1
SHAFT, POWER TURBINE OUTER
IV
For information on how ACROHELIPRO Global Services, Inc can assist you in performing
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info@acrohelipro.com
www.acrohelipro.com
The world relies on you. You rely on us.
t h e l as t w o r d
I make my living leading groups of
aerospace folks to do difficult things
– like taking truckloads of materials and
components into a factory, and flying
them over the fence at the other end
by nick lappos
as completed helicopters. Miracles like
this do not happen by magic; they are
performed by teams of people who are
experts at what they do. I once told a
reporter that when I was eight years old
I had fun making airplanes, and that
things are no different now except that I
have hundreds of expert friends to help!
Recently two high profile
For this reason, I find strikes within our
aerospace industry giants
industry particularly disappointing.
I see a company as a team. The whole
have experienced long and
concept is somehow wrapped into the
word “company” itself, from the Latin,
unsettling strikes. This is
literally meaning those who break bread
together. When a company splits on
hard to comprehend in an
itself and walks out, or locks out its other
industry that relies so heavily
half, something has failed. Failure is an
option and nothing speaks to failure quite
on teamwork...
so much as when people bet their jobs
on an economic power play, a game of
corporate chicken where one side bets
their mortgage payments that the other
side will crash into economic chaos
sooner. Just as when adolescents play
“chicken” in speeding cars, the game is
not for the faint-hearted, and the outcome
can be disastrous. The helicopter industry
is much like a
delicate flower
that grows
A company is a team
on rocky soil,
perched in an
in which, each day,
environmental
niche where it is
mechanics and inspectors,
mostly a struggle
to keep on living
passenger handlers and
long enough to
seed the next
ops specialists, pilots and
generation. In
an industry
flight-line workers all play
marked by fierce
competition, low
their parts in an opera of
margins and slim
market segments,
delicate timing.
only the fittest
survive.
A company is
a team in which, each day, mechanics and
inspectors, passenger handlers and ops
specialists, pilots and flight-line workers
all play their parts in an opera of delicate
timing. One mistake can be disastrous
to the occupants of the machine and the
confidence of the customer. What does
it take to get a person to dare his boss to
When Industry
Strikes
64
fire him? What does it take for a manager
to set his jaw so firmly and say “no” to
requests from the workers he relies on?
When does the “can do!” that lubricates
every action of the team turn into “no
way!” on both sides?
Attitudes harden in strange ways.
I am amazed when former military
officer-pilots – normally as politically
conservative as Genghis Kahn’s division
staff – start talking like Jimmy Hoffa’s PR
agents. And I am equally amazed when
company executives who make a living
satisfying customer requirements call
them to say, “No can do.”
Two bastions of the helicopter
industry – Sikorsky and PHI – have both
experienced long and unsettling strikes.
The PHI strike is still unsettled as of this
writing. In both cases customers suffered,
as did employee morale, stockholder value
and community acceptance. It seems
that a strike, just like a war, is ultimately
a failure of diplomacy, a failure of
communication, and a failure of teamwork
in which everybody loses. I have flown
thousands of hours performing missions
planned by other people, in machines that
had been built and maintained by other
people in which I trusted to do their jobs
well. I trusted them with my life, frankly. I
guess that means that I know what good
teamwork is like, and I know that our
industry, perhaps more than most, relies
on good teamwork.
Standing on a rain-swept seawall
years ago, as I leant against a rusty railing
at the sea’s edge, my eyes stinging from
the spray, I watched a line of helicopters
flog against a stormy sky into the Oil
Patch. Big, powerful, rusty workboats in
the harbor below were firmly moored,
afraid to brave the conditions at sea.
Oblivious to the same conditions, the
flimsy helicopters crawled against
that fierce headwind, a thousand feet
above whitecaps and spray, to make the
schedule work, to keep the oil pumping,
to carry people and supplies to where
they were needed. That experience is one
of my fondest memories, because I could
see in my mind’s eye all the interlocking
promises that had to be kept to make
that scene unfold – all the people in
factories, gas trucks, pilots’ lounges,
operations shacks, executive offices,
safety conferences, even at keyboards,
contributing to that wonderful scenario.
Just the same way, I can see the failures
whenever a strike occurs. n