Issue 46 - HeliOps

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M A Y
THE MAGAZINE FOR THE CIVIL HELICOPTER INDUSTRY
I S S U E 46
I N T E R N A T I O N A L
ISSUE 46
C O N T E N T S
cover: The Cyprus Police
Air Wing’s Bell 412 is
kept busy over the summer
months fighting fires.
30
22
alan norris
54
42
r e g u l a r
f e a t u r es
cover feature: Multi-tasking in the Med
From the Editor
3
Cyprus Police Air Wing – not just your typical police air support
5
operational area, and an unrivalled diversity of roles. New Products and Services
Legal Counsel – Fact and fiction
unit. ALAN NORRIS discovers a unit with an enormous
22
The Ice Makers
on workplace violence
13
They’re the specialist ice testing team at the US Army Aviation
Maintenance Update – Lubrication
15
that most pilots would rightly avoid. GREG DAVIS reports on
Safety Column – Write it Down
17
Flight Dynamics – The Rotor Blades
19
Technical Test Center, and they fly regularly into icing conditions
the team’s recent testing of Agusta-Westland’s AW-139.
30
action Station in Alaska
Hostile and extreme weather conditions are just a few of
the many challenges faced by the US Coast Guard Air Station
Personal Profile – Roy Knaus,
CEO Knaus Helicopter, St. Johann, Austria
HeliOps Subscription Form
21
36
based in Sitka, Alaska. TED CARLSON visits their operation
and is impressed with the variety of demanding and risky
missions that are inherent in their everyday duties.
42
Rhino by Airmail
The Last Word – “Hey Kid, can you
give me a hand?”
64
MIKE REID joins the Wildlife Rhino Capture Unit in Africa to get
a first-hand look at the crucial part helicopters are playing in
bringing back the black rhino from the brink of extinction.
54
f r om t h e e d i t o r
I have
CEO
Neville (Ned) Dawson
PUBLISHER
Cathy Horton
by mark ogden
some operators
Annex 13 (Aircraft Accident and Incident
coming up for audits soon,
Investigation) states in part, “The
and in setting the scope
accident investigation authority shall
of the audit an interesting
have independence in the conduct of
question was raised about
the investigation and have unrestricted
the “competency of the regulator”.
authority over its conduct, consistent
An interesting question and one that
with the provisions of this Annex.”
takes some figuring out how to answer,
Some States have the regulator and the
deputy editor
Rob Neil
especially as some non-aviation managers
investigator being the same, which on
mistakenly believe that in having
the face of it does not really meet with
US EDITORs
Aaron Fitzgerald
Greg Davis
operators “comply with the regulations,”
the independence noted in the Annex,
these companies are “safe”. Because
and some even delegate the investigation
many regulators are attempting to shift
the operator involved in the occurrence!
compliance monitoring onto the industry
Additionally, some have accident
or even onto customers of aviation
commissions that make the separation
services (through their own standards
between the judiciary and the investigator
and auditing practices), it seems there
extremely fuzzy.
EDITOR
Mark Ogden
legal EDITOR
Robert Van de Vuurst
european EDITOR
Sarah Bowen
technology editor
Nick Lappos
safety editor
Phil Croucher
is potential for a serious disagreement
So what’s the issue here? Well,
between what customers of aviation
customers of aviation services need to
services expect they will get and what
understand that relying on the regulations
they actually receive.
as the sole safety standard can be fraught,
ICAO has an agreed set of standards
especially when other higher standards
that are established in a series of Annexes.
exist (such as ICAO or industry-based
These Annexes should form the basis of
like those developed by the OGP); and
each signatory nation’s regulations. This
if using auditors, I believe they need to
of course is an attempt to establish a
ensure their auditing scopes adequately
ITALIAN CORRESPONDENT
Damiano Gualdoni
common set of standards and practices
address issues such as the competence
for both intra and inter-national aviation.
of the regulator. I am also a firm believer
scandinavian CORRESPONDENT
Rickard Gilberg
Call me a cynic, but having seen how
that while the regulations may form
bureaucracies work, and despite the
the basis of “standards”, customers of
best efforts of many fine people working
aviation services need to ensure that they
in ICAO, these Annexes are really a
understand what they want – not only the
compromise among the signatory states.
level of service required, but also the level
Maintenance editor
Russell Goulden
proofreader
Barbara McIntosh
DESIGN
Graphic Design Services Ltd
Even so, States have a way out. Those
that don’t fully implement the standards
of safety needed.
Yet while some customers do dictate
are obligated to register their differences
greater standards of service and safety,
with ICAO and despite this “out”, it is
unfortunately they do not like to pay the
quite surprising how many do not go to
extra for those higher levels. This does
EDITORIAL ADDRESS
the trouble of registering their differences.
nothing to encourage improvements
Oceania Group Intl
PO Box 37 978, Parnell
Auckland, New Zealand
PHONE: + 64 21 757 747
FAX: + 64 9 528 3172
Additionally, some of these differences
in the industry and investment in new
can have quite significant impacts on
equipment and even encourages some
the aviation safety. For example, ICAO
operators to fudge flying hours when it
PRINTING
Print World
comes to maintenance. With the pressure
on the helicopter industry associated
with the high demand for services,
EMAIL
info@heliopsmag.com
ever-lengthening times for parts
and overhauls and pilot/engineer
WEBSITE
www.heliopsmag.com
is published by Oceania Group Intl.
Contents are copyright and may not be reproduced
without the written consent of the publisher. Most
articles are commisioned but quality contributions
shortages starting to appear, those
companies that are implementing
improved standards, introducing
on
ntion Aviation
onve
il
The C tional Civ
a
Intern
xes
Anne
new equipment and paying proper
wages should be encouraged.
18
1 to
Anyway, enjoy this issue and
fly safe! n
will be considered. Whilst every care is taken
Oceania Group Intl accept no responsibility for
submitted material. All views expressed in HeliOps
are not necessarily those of Oceania Group Intl.
atio
Intern
nal C
ivil Avi
ation
Orga
nizatio
n
3
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Geneva growth
Geneva Aviation has told
HeliOps that it has received
STC/PMA approval for a new
line of Modular Equipment
Racks designed for the
206/407 and AS350/355. It
aero relocates with parent –
reb technologies
Aero Instruments, an FAA approved aviation instrument
repair and overhaul facility, recently relocated from Dallas
Love Field to the south entrance of DFW International
Airport in Bedford, TX. Aero Instruments now shares a
New helicopter
composite
structures –
R&D cooperation
commences
facility with their parent company, REB Technologies at their
The Cooperative Research
new location. Co-locating both companies has resulted in
Centre for Advanced
REB Technologies relocating to a 45% larger facility which
Composite Structures
accommodates 13 full-time employees (combined) and
(Composites CRC) and
projected global increases in production, support and sales
its new partners have
for both companies. The new facility is an 8,000 sq ft building
commenced the detailed
alternative that provides
which will improve efficiency and streamline logistics for
planning phase of their
operators with a safe and
both companies who share the same executive management
new three-year, AUD$10.3
dependable solution for
team, and whose primary business is the modification of
million R&D program to
securing up to 38 lbs of ENG
aircraft instrumentation and displays to accommodate the
support the emerging
equipment. Rated for up to
use of NVG for both Mil-Spec and FAA approved STC aircraft.
helicopter composite
also received approval of its
Camera Control Mounting Box
for the 350/355. The Modular
Equipment Rack offers a
convenient, lightweight and
uniform equipment mounting
50 lbs, the Camera Control
structures industry centred
Mounting Box provides
in south-east Queensland.
The leader of the industrial
FLIR and other camera
INDia oks copter service
to boost tourism
models. Consistent with
Looking to boost tourism in the area around Ramanathapuram
new facilities for helicopter
Geneva’s goal of providing
in India, the State Government has given its approval
production in Brisbane.
simpler and smarter
to start helicopter services to connect important tourist
Australian Aerospace has won
solutions, the Camera Control
destinations. The State has directed the officials of the
Box has been designed to
the Government’s AIR 87 and
Tourism and Finance Departments, Collectors of Madurai,
easily fold down, allowing for
AIR 9000 programs for new
Ramanathapuram, Dindigul and The Nilgiris and other
easy access and maintenance.
military helicopters, which
stakeholders to expedite steps to create infrastructure for
The company is also nearing
are substantially constructed
operating helicopter services. Pawan Hans will operate
completion of its new center
helicopter services from Madurai to Rameswaram,
from advanced composite
for development, engineering
Kodaikanal and Udhagamandalam. Nearly 25 acres at a place
and prototyping of newer,
between Rameswaram and Dhanushkodi was identified
more advanced systems. The
for establishing a helipad. Other facilities such as hangar,
new engineering center will
visitors’ room, ticket cabin, air traffic control room, rest
replace an existing facility
room for crew will also be established. Construction work is
with completion and move
planned to start in October. Private helicopter operators will
expected in July.
also utilize the proposed infrastructure.
for gyro-stabilized camera
control devices for Cineflex,
team is Australian Aerospace
which is developing major
materials. The Composites
CRC has worked with
both the Queensland and
Commonwealth Government
to obtain substantial support
under their respective
schemes known as the Smart
State Innovation Fund and
the Cooperative Research
Centres Supplementary
Funding Program.
The program is expected to
AS-350/355 FAA/EASA Certified Mount
150 lb payload capacity,
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new p r o d uc t s a n d se r v ices
DART News
DART has advised HeliOps of a number of product
innovations it has made over the past month or so. Its
affiliated partner, Apical Industries, has received FAA
approval for their Emergency Float System (EFS) for the
R44 and R44 II. EASA and Transport Canada approvals are
pending. The Apical EFS provides a lightweight and easy to
The Apical Emergency
Float System (EFS)
has received FAA
Approval for
installation on the
R44 and R44 II. In
addition to the benefit
of increased personal
safety in the event of
install solution for R44 Raven operators who fly over water.
an emergency water
The system is also suitable for installation on R44 Clipper.
landing, the EFS will
The system includes two cylindrical forward and two
cylindrical aft floats, engineered to be mounted on float or
standard skid tubes, and a mechanically activated inflation
system. Each float is manufactured using a lightweight
allow the aircraft
to be towed to safety
after an emergency
water landing.
urethane-coated nylon fabric equipped with inlet check
and combination manual topping/pressure relief valves.
Maintenance and overhaul requirements are minimal;
certification. The company says that the crosstubes are durable
consisting of an 18-month inspection/leak and three year
and robust and have been specifically engineered to withstand
inspection and inflation tests. The floats are replaced “on
deterioration.
condition” and do not have to be returned to the factory for
As improved safety continues to become an integrated component
recertification although an Apical recertification service is
of all helicopter operations, DART and Cargo Net Innovations have
available upon request.
added innovative Fire Resistant Cargo Nets to their selection. They are
Dart also received STC approval of the Heli-Utility-Basket
constructed using 100% Du Pont 728 nylon netting, a high strength,
from Brazil’s ANAC (Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil),
high tenacity, light and heat-stabilized material known for its low
designed for the AS 350/355 and EC 130. The company has
shrinkage and retraction, fatigue resistance and adhesion properties.
told HeliOps that the basket:
During the manufacturing process, the nylon is treated with
•
Offers a practical solution for operators looking to
increase cargo capacity, without compromising cabin
space.
•
Installation is quick and easy using either bolt on or
optional pip pin kits.
•
It is designed to be LH/RH interchangeable, or operators
may choose to install one on each side of the aircraft for
added utility.
•
Constructed from stainless steel with a high gloss,
scratch-resistant finish, and completed with a self
locking handle, the basket is ideal for operators servicing
contracts for heli-skiing and forestry services operations.
The baskets are available in different configurations
including:
•
High Volume
–
200 lb load capacity. (L/W/H) 96”x23.5”x19.5”.
Weight 88 lbs (AS 350/355)
–
220 lb load capacity. (L/W/H) 96”x23.5”x19.5”.
Weight 120 lbs (EC 130)
•
Low Volume
–
200 lb load capacity. (L/W/H) 57”x23.5x23.5”.
Weight 65 lbs (AS 350/355)
The Heli-Utility-Basket is also available for the A119,
AS350/355 (Lightweight Version), 206 series, 407, 205, 210, 212,
214, 412 and UH-1.
The company has also gained FAA and Transport Canada
Approval of Stainless Steel Wearplates & Wearpads for the
206/407 Round-I-Beam Float Skidtubes. The incorporation of
stainless steel wearplates and wearpads into the Skidtube
design will considerably minimize premature corrosion in
marine environments. Maintenance costs and downtime are
reduced by the increased landing gear inspection interval
from every 100 hours to every 300 hours.
Dart’s new 350/355 crosstubes have received FAA/EASA
Granguard NF fire retardant to meet the requirements of the National
Fire Protection Association (USA), and has been tested in accordance
with the UL 723 – Test for Surface Burning Characteristics.
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new p r o d uc t s a n d se r v ices
New ATP Tools
ATP has announced
new time-saving tools
available on the industry
leading ATP NavigatorV
solution. NavigatorV now
offers faster access to
products and changes
in their ATP libraries.
Online reference links to
selected manufacturer
websites provide for more
Aviation Specialties awarded
FAA Training Contract
New helicopter
maintenance base
Aviation Specialties Unlimited has won a multi-year
Specialist Aviation Services
training contract for Night Vision Goggle pilot training of
(SAS) has opened its doors to
FAA personnel. The course will provide both initial and
customers at its new Newcastle
recurrent training to helicopter-rated FAA inspectors
maintenance base this month.
and pilots.
The Gloucestershire-based
ASU’s flight facility is located in Boise, Idaho and has
group which specializes in
training areas that can vary from high desert, to rolling
Part 145 maintenance for
hills, to high mountainous terrain that match the
private and commercial
geographical areas of Part 135 EMS operations nationwide.
helicopter operators, has
taken on the lease of a newly
comprehensive research
approved hangar facility at
and information gathering.
Joint venture in Zhangjiakou
Newcastle Heliport and will
of all documents used for
Hiller will set up a plant in Zhangjiakou in North China’s
twin turbines. It can provide
a specific aircraft or work
Hebei Province, to produce civilian helicopters. Hiller and a
ad-hoc maintenance services
order, save highlighted
new Chinese aviation company have apparently agreed to
for private owners, as well as
documents in HTML format
invest US$15 million in a joint venture to produce civilian
manage maintenance contracts
and keep it in one place
light helicopters used for spraying pesticide, fighting forest
for commercial operators.
so it’s easy to access and
fires, rescue operations and other projects.
Helicopter types currently
track. Users can also link
Construction is expected to kick off this year and the plant
covered by the company
to Form 337 online so they
will begin working next year to produce five helicopters
approvals include AS 355 Twin
are always current with
in its first batch. The plant will reportedly be capable of
Squirrel, Bell 206 as well as the
the FAA.
producing 500 helicopters annually after three to five years.
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new p r o d uc t s a n d se r v ices
Libyan Air
Ambulance
New Jersey State Police SAR
helicopter
Second EC145
for saving lives
Al-Zawia Educational Hospital
Keystone recently delivered a S-76B to the New Jersey State
Police. It will be used for medivac while supporting the state’s
homeland security programs. Keystone has now delivered
(and provides maintenance support) three S-76s to the NJ
State Police. The company converted the latest helicopter
from an executive transport to a full medical interior
including sliding cabin doors for patient transport. The
aircraft also has command and control capabilities including
a FLIR with full microwave surveillance down linking. An
AeroComputers mapping system and Technisonics FM
systems round out the avionics suite.
Eurocopter has advised that
has opened the country’s first
ambulance heliport with the
recent landing of the first
helicopter ambulance. The
hospital emphasized that the
heliport will help upgrade
the level of medical services,
including being able to deal
with all other hospitals within
the range of the ambulance
services.
Denel gets the nod
Eurocopter has formally
certified South Africa’s Denel
Aviation as a Eurocopteraccredited maintenance,
repair and overhaul facility
for dynamic components on
Oryx aircraft.
System recently received its
second EC145. West Penn
Allegheny’s Life Flight air
medical program currently
serves the community
within a 130 mile radius
of Pittsburgh, PA, flying an
estimated 2,500 missions
annually. West Penn Allegheny
chose the Single-Pilot-
aircraft to provide prompt and
best free-of-charge medical
West Penn Allegheny Health
IFR-certified EC145s for its
Enhancement to Moving
Map system
usable space within the
Flight Management Systems has developed a new feature in
their Moving Map System that allows air crews to easily and
quickly identify a fire perimeter without having to fly through
the dangerous downwind smoke of the fire. The feature gives
the crew an immediate readout of the area of the fire, and
allows easy downloading of the fire footprint for evaluation
and planning on the ground. This feature will be included
with all new Moving Map Systems. Existing customers will
receive the feature at no extra charge with their subscription
service annual updates.
level of care to the patients
cabin, allowing two flight
nurses to provide the highest
they are transporting. The
EC145s will be used for air
ambulance missions, interhospital transport and as a
flying intensive care unit. The
second EC145 delivered today
is scheduled to be located at
Life Flight’s base in Indiana,
Pennsylvania.
legal counsel
It is with a heavy heart that I write
survey found that goods-producing
this column. I’m from Blacksburg, Virginia,
industries had a higher percentage of
you see – Blacksburg High School Indians,
co-worker workplace violence than did
Class of ’79 – and the utopian little
service industries, for example.
by robert van de vuurst
town in which I was so blessed to spend
HeliOps’ legal counsel columnist
my formative years has been indelibly
stained – now forever to be known and
FACT AND FICTION
ON WORKPLACE
VIOLENCE
immediately associated with the mass
murders at Virginia Tech. But in addition
to being a Hokie, I am also a pragmatist,
l “Employees who are injured on the job
by an act of workplace violence can sue
their employers and recover damages in
tort” – Mostly Fiction.
If someone is injured while “in the
and out of this tragedy springs the
course and scope” of their employment,
opportunity to share some insights on an
more likely than not their sole remedy
issue that any company should be aware
is going to be under the workers
of – workplace violence. It’s certainly not
compensation laws which, as most of you
aviation-centric, and I apologize for that.
know, provide limited non-tort remedies
But it is useful nonetheless, and I’d wager
in exchange for an almost-automatic
a fair sum that the events of this past
recovery. There are certain exceptions to
week have led a lot of you to consider the
this, but recovery outside of the workers
possibility of somebody “going postal” at
compensation realm is relatively rare.
your company (and isn’t it a sad state of
affairs that everyone knows what that
little term means without explanation).
Let’s take a look at some common
assumptions on workplace violence and
separate the Fact from the Fiction.
l “Workplace violence incidents most often
occur between co-employees, and are not
committed by third parties” – Fiction
(If one uses the term “violence” in the
l “Employees who refuse to work, or
curtail their work, out of fear of workplace
violence cannot be fired under any
circumstances” – Fact and Fiction.
This situation can get really tricky
for an employer, so if an employee
ever refuses to work under these
circumstances, call a good employment
attorney before you do anything. In the US,
traditional criminal sense). A US Bureau
OSHA, for instance, does not specifically
of Justice Statistics long-term study on
state that an employee can refuse to work,
workplace violent crime determined that
but an accompanying regulation arguably
workplace violence victims were accosted
gives that right under certain limited
by outsiders 56 percent of the time, and
circumstances. For those of you who have
a whopping 84 percent of workplace
union shops in the US, the National Labor
homicides were committed by non-
Relations Act gives certain employees
employee third parties.
protection under certain circumstances.
l “Domestic disputes account for the
Finally, don’t forget the myriad of
vast majority of workplace homicides” –
Fiction.
“whistleblower” statutes that prevent you
from retaliating against an employee who
According to the same study, only
might complain about an act of workplace
three percent of workplace homicides
violence. The details of these statutes and
resulted from a dispute
issues go far beyond what I can set forth
between an employee and
in this column, and each case will sit on
If you have an
an ex-boyfriend, spouse, or
its own facts so, again, don’t do anything
significant other. Of those,
without consulting an attorney.
employee that
however, interestingly, it
“worries you,” then do
something about it.
learned from this tragedy, it is always
28 “domestic” workplace
be vigilant and observant. If you have
homicides during the
an employee that “worries you,” then do
six-year period studied,
something about it – employers are far
nearly all of them were
committed by men coming
to the workplace and killing their ex-wife
or girlfriend, not the other way around.
* Many thanks to my friend and partner,
Jack Matchulat, who did the original work and
research on this topic.
Finally, and if there’s anything we’ve
was the fact that of the
from being hamstrung when it comes
to workplace safety, and even the most
stringent privacy statutes will not prevent
a proactive move on your part if it’s
l “The incidence rate of workplace violence
handled in the right way. So consult with
differs greatly by occupation” – Fact.
your counsel early in the process, and stay
A 2005 Bureau of Labor Statistics
safe out there. n
13
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safety column
Both situations highlight the
that instead of the six hours it actually
fact that the whole of aviation runs
took, a little over four hours should be
on trust, which should not be abused.
used to fit in with the servicing schedules.
Although manufacturers do their best to
These are not isolated incidents, as I’m
help, it is the operator’s (and the pilot’s)
sure you are aware. It is also common
responsibility to maintain accurate
in some parts of the helicopter industry,
records, such as entering defects at the
such as cattle-mustering, not to charge the
end of a trip rather than just mentioning
customer for positioning flights, which is
them to the engineer on duty who often
fair enough (it’s done elsewhere too), but it
My last column concerned
forgets to do anything about it and then
is also very tempting not to mention it in
the putting of too much
the aircraft is left to carry unrecorded
the tech log as well, although the regulator
snags that shouldn’t be there.
and investigator in Australia have made a
by PHIL CROUCHER
WRITE IT DOWN!
information into personal log
Similar to log books, the information
valiant effort to get a grip on this by going
placed in the tech log is the only basis
through the fuel records. It is a tribute
on which engineers can do their work
to the designers of those machines that
putting enough information
properly. It is after all the formal method
they can take such punishment without
into other documentation,
of communication between them and
mishap.
pilots. If the hours are not put in correctly,
books. This one is about not
such as technical logs.
One grey area is work that involves
the aircraft won’t get serviced on time.
several short sectors, such as pleasure
Parts that are only stressed for a certain
flying. It used to be (and probably still is)
number of flying hours may end up doing
generally accepted that, assuming you log
much more than their allotted lifespan, as
from first takeoff to last landing, you could
many R22 owners have found after lending
deduct a third and put the remainder in
their machines to other operators. There
the tech log as airtime. Although I used to
are many that will borrow a helicopter,
prefer using a stopwatch, I found that it
fly the backside off it, then hand it back
wasn’t all that far out. The FAA assumes
having accounted for only a few hours in
that 10.5 percent of the operating time of
the paperwork. This is not only financial
the R22 will be in auto-rotation, run-up,
fraud, but it is morally fraudulent and
or shut-down, so if you use the standard
potentially life-threatening.
hour meter activated by the collective,
There are many other examples. An
the values recorded must be multiplied
AS 350D was collected in Peru which,
by 1.12 with regard to certain life-limited
according to the paperwork, mysteriously
omponents, such as the main rotor blades.
appeared in Canada having really flown
Engineers however consider that wear
over 18 hours to get there! I once had to
and tear is taking place all the time the
position a machine from the North of
engines are running, and it is a better
Alberta to Calgary, and it was suggested
procedure to log all that time in the tech
log. If you do this, you will find that the
machines don’t break down so often
and, consequently will probably help the
company bottom line better than trying
to put in the minimum time, because the
components will not be working so hard. n
There are many that will borrow a
helicopter, fly the backside off it, then
hand it back having accounted for
only a few hours in the paperwork
15
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MAINTENANCE UP D ATE
can monitor engine wear from the low-to
high-tech. We will start with the simple
and work our way up.
by RUSSELL GOULDEN
Pass That Lube Over...
Lubrication – a vital key to ensuring
your aircraft stays in the air.
Without it, everything could come
to a sudden stop very quickly!
Whenever we place two metallic
elements next to each other and move,
slide or rotate them, there will be friction.
This friction leads to wear; the wear
causes removal of small metallic particles
depending on the frequency, force and
vibration levels between the two metals.
Of course an engine or transmission
designer can almost eliminate friction by
the use of oils, greases or dry lubricants.
Additionally the oil can be used as a
coolant as it absorbs heat and then it
flows to a cooling system.
We are asking a lot of oils in modern
gas turbine turboshaft engines found in
today’s helicopters:
• First, we have to lubricate the engine
and all parts required by a pressure oil
delivery system.
• Second, the oil has to have good loadcarrying ability.
• Third, we need to provide an oil
that is stable under the operating
temperatures it will experience in its
environment. If oils are taken beyond
their designed temperature range they
will be prone to carbon formation.
This is not good as that in itself
leads to a reduction in oil flow, with
a corresponding further increase in
temperature.
Now having given you a brief intro,
the Maintainer and the OEM want to
know how the engine is performing with
respect to internal wear; the Maintainer,
so he/she can carry out the required
maintenance and know that there is
nothing amiss in the engine, and the OEM
for such things as engine life expectancy,
warranty calculation, fleet analysis and
possible life extension.
There are two simple ways that we
CHIP DETECTOR
decreases as the particle size gets bigger.
For SOAP to be any use at all it needs
to be conducted in a scientific manner.
The reason being is that where the OEM
requires SOAP tests or offers the test
as a possible maintenance alternative
to other inspection or component
removal / disassembly, it is based on
a known sampling frequency, coupled
with acceptable levels of metallic
concentration.
A big advantage of SOAP is that it will
analyze all the metal elements found
in the oil including the NON-magnetic.
Typically the metals being sought
could be as below, together with limit
thresholds in parts per million:
Either by simple magnetic plug or a
magnetic plug connected to a warning
light in the cockpit, chip detectors give
us a simple picture of what we see on the
plug itself at maintenance, but they don’t
give us a sense of history or timeline
unless the results have been recorded
into the appropriate log book.
The particles on the chip detector can
be identified visually and it is experience
and OEM advice that gives the observer
an idea of the source metal.
Bright shiny hard
Metal Material
Parts Per Million Typical Sources
particles could most likely
be bearing race, roller or
Al
Aluminium
10 ppm
Gearbox, Inlet Housing
surface material, whilst
Cr
Chromium
5 ppm
Power Turbine Shaft
Cu
Copper
05 ppm
Bearing Cages, Oil Pump
dark hard particles are
Fe
Iron
06
ppm
Gears, Bearings, Liners
likely to be gear or spline.
Ag
Silver
05 ppm
Bearing Cages
There has been a
Mg
Magnesium
10 ppm
trend in the past to use
( T HIS TA BL E IS FOR I N FOR M AT ION ON LY. NOT TO BE USED )
aftermarket “fuzz burners”,
which the pilot can activate;
these pass a small electric current
The wear we find with a SOAP test
through the chip detector, theoretically
is usually parts fretting or chafing away
burning any small or nuisance debris
producing very fine particles in the oil
away. This leaves the detector free to
Some DOs and DON’Ts with SOAP
show a light again in the event of more
include:
debris and another chip light activation.
4 DON’T take a SOAP sample after changing
Some OEMs have now incorporated these
the oil. It’s best to take it while the engine
is “used” and still warm, so any particles in
fuzz burners in new system detectors.
the oil will be in suspension.
The above is all OK if the particles
4
DON’T pull an engine or transmission
that the engine is producing are
based on a first result unless obviously
magnetic. If they are non-magnetic,
correct – check all results and retest.
“There will be Chips Jim, but not as we
4 DON’T stir up the bottom of the tank when
know them”.
inserting the sampling hose as you may be
These will be floating around the oil
disturbing a large sludge concentration.
system until caught by the filter(s). As
4 DO make sure that the sampling hose
a rule of thumb as the particle size gets
and equipment used are clean and not
smaller, the efficiency of this method
contaminated from another use or source.
gets less. To bridge the “gap” (pun
4 DO take the sample at the specified
frequency.
intended) we need another means of
4 DO take note of exactly how many hours
inspecting the oil.
use the engine oil has done till sample
SOAP
(Spectrometric Oil Analysis Process)
This process uses Spectrography and
very briefly involves the burning off of a
sample of the oil and measuring the light
wavelength that is given off. Because
every element gives off a different wave
length of light, the actual material can
be exactly identified, together with the
volume, measured in parts per million.
We know what and how much!!
The SOAP measurement efficiency
time; and you should know how many
liters of oil have been added during the
sample period.
With the above tests, and using a little
“horse sense”, a Maintenance Technician
can make accurate assessments of the
engine’s internal wear. Additionally the
technician could take a further test at
any time he /she suspects something
amiss – such as an unusual oil colour, or
smell of the oil. This is where the horse
sense helps! n
17
flight dynamics
In my previous column, we began to
examine those attributes that make
helicopters what they are, and see why
by nick lappos
The Rotor Blades
heli designers sometimes have trouble
sleeping!
In this issue, we look at the rotor blade
– whose systems vary tremendously as to
the structure (metal or composite), airfoil
shape, number of blades, blade chord
Rotor blades – something
(width), rotor diameter and rotor tip speed.
often taken for granted by
conflicting need for high-speed capability
pilots – but these involve
The devilish trade-off is between the
and hover performance. To achieve best
high-speed maneuverability and reduce
some extraordinary design
retreating blade stall, the total blade area
and technology efforts.
airspeed of the blade tip are selected to
(number of blades times chord) and the
get the maximum lift available. Often,
the designer will use increased tip speed
lift, so the lift is more evenly distributed
to squeeze more lift from a rotor that has
and less unevenly delivered to the
too few blades. That is why a two-bladed
fuselage. Dynamics engineers laugh at
Huey has a very high tip speed (listen
this explanation, but when they speak,
to the sound of a Huey slapping its way
only Greek letters and calculus come out!
across the sky as the rotor tips are briefly
A major influence on hover
supersonic!) Paradoxically, the greater the
performance is rotor diameter, because
high-speed maneuverability, the worse the
the rotor is most efficient when it moves
rotor is at low-speed hover performance,
a vast mass of air to a slower downwash
since too much blade area and too much
velocity in the hover. The greater the
tip speed robs power and reduces hover
diameter for the gross weight (called disk
lift (since very wide blades use a very low
loading, in pounds per square foot) the
angle of attack, but have high drag in the
more air that is influenced, and very much
hover.) Hovering favors skinnier blades
lower is the hover power required. This is
moving slowly, and high-speed wants
a big driver on rotor design, and why the
many wider blades spinning quickly. The
800 hp H-19 at 8,500 lbs gross weight had
delicate balance of hover performance
a rotor the same diameter as the 21,000 lb,
against high-speed maneuverability is the
4,000 hp Black Hawk!
designer’s dilemma.
Often, the designer tries to select the
From the above factors, one can see
that a light trainer helicopter, which needs
number of blades very pragmatically - it
to be inexpensive to buy and operate,
is very difficult to package many rotor
wants fewer blades, and so might favor a
bearings around a small rotor head while
teetering or low-offset rotor. On the other
keeping the hinge offset fairly moderate.
hand a large military helicopter might very
Therefore, great numbers of rotor blades
well favor wide chord, multiple blades and
are usually seen only on large machines
high offset rotors so that it has powerful
like the seven-bladed CH-53E Super
controls and high combat maneuverability.
Stallion or the Mi-26. Systems with
This discussion of the different detail
fewer blades usually weigh less, so that
design points is never heard when one
the number of blades is often kept to a
compares a fighter jet to a Cessna trainer
minimum, and the cost per blade usually
because airplanes never allow themselves
favors fewer blades as well (since bigger
to be lumped into one name. When will
blades cost proportionately less.) More
helicopters earn different names for their
blades tend to be smoother at cruise
different configurations to help avoid
speed, since the normal vibration of the
confusion?
rotor head drops significantly with each
In the coming issues - the fuselage
additional blade. One might think of it
and landing gear, engines and
as if the greater number of blades each
transmissions, anti-torque systems, and
deliver a smaller percentage of the total
flight controls! n
19
Roy Knaus
personal profile
CEO Knaus Helicopter
from the accident and also supports me as the
chief of the ground crew - but he cannot fly
as he wanted before the accident. With Saskia
supporting me in the management role I’ll be
able to take over flight operations.
St Johann, Austria
In 1994 Roy became the
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE?
youngest commercial
I don’t intend to grow the company bigger than
12 helicopters, but we want to increase the
hours we are flying annually.
helicopter pilot in Austria.
HOW WOULD A NEW PILOT START OUT
WORKING FOR YOUR COMPANY?
Tragically, three years later
Today the company has
When young pilots apply for a job they first
have to work for a few months as a member of
ground staff. This way they learn to understand
the jobs, get used to the places, and meet the
customers. We have had very good success with
this system and I think that it works very well
operationally and is also good cost-wise. Once
they have done well working as ground crew for
a while they get either a rating for a Lama or B3
in order to perform ferry flights for the company,
or alternatively they can go on to obtain these or
other ratings at their own expense.
a fleet of 12 helicopters
DO YOU TRAIN YOUR PILOTS IN-HOUSE?
he lost his father, founder
of Knaus Helicopter gmbH,
in an accident and has
since taken on the role
of running the company.
operating out of three
locations in Austria,
and Roy’s vast flying
experience has taken the
company from strength to
strength.
This meant I was left to run the company on
my own. At that time I did not yet have enough
flight experience to take on all the work, such
as external cargo by myself, so I hired in some
new pilots. After the accident we only had one
Hughes 500D and one MD 520N left, so I bought
two Lamas, a Bell 407, and later an AgustaBell 212. It emerged recently that my father’s
accident had been caused by a maintenance
failure from a third party maintenance shop.
WHAT IS YOUR FLEET TODAY?
HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE HELICOPTER
INDUSTRY?
It was through my father, who started flying
at the Austrian Air Force. After eight years he
left and started to fly for a private company
called Heli-Austria in Salzburg. He also flew in
Spitzbergen, Ethiopia and Surinam for them as
it was a sister company of Heliswiss. In 1981 my
father moved to Heli-Air and in 1983 he flew
Pope Jean Paul II in a Bell 212 through Austria,
which led to him get the nickname Pope-Pilot!
Shortly afterwards he founded his own company,
starting with a leased Hughes 530F, buying his
first 500D in 1985 and later growing to three
500Ds in 1989. Whilst attending my business
school in 1992 I obtained my private helicopter
pilot’s licence (PPL) in California. I went on to
do a turbine transition and also got the PPL, and
two years later I was the youngest commercial
helicopter pilot in Austria.
We have one Bell 204B, two AS 350 B3s, two AS
355Ns, two AS 355Fs, two SA 315B Lamas, two
MD Explorers and an MD 520 NOTAR.
HOW MANY HOURS DO YOU HAVE AND
ON WHICH TYPES?
By next year I’ll have logged 5,000 flight hours.
This year I turned 30 and by my next birthday I
should hit another record for being the youngest
in this country to have 5,000 hours. This is
probably not all that special in other countries,
but it certainly will be for us in Austria. I hold
ratings on all the types in our fleet, as well as the
AB 212 and 412, Bell 205 and 407, ALIII and R22.
WHAT KIND OF FLYING DO YOU DO?
Our operation is mainly aerial work, long-line,
construction, flying supplies in the mountains,
and EMS. Besides that, we also operate VIP flights
and TV and cinema productions. We recently
flew with Paris Hilton, and we have done work
for movies where they have used up to three or
four of our helicopters at once.
SO WHEN DID YOU GET INVOLVED
WITH THE COMPANY?
WHAT ARE YOUR ROLES IN THE COMPANY
BESIDES FLYING?
My father died in an helicopter accident in
1997, and my brother was seriously injured, so
he had to stay in hospital for a very long time.
I am also CEO, but since this year I have my
fiancé Saskia to support me in the management
of the company. My brother has partly recovered
I had some bad experiences in the past with
giving pilots their ratings, and thus I would
rather have them pay for their first rating
themselves. We don’t really do training inhouse, as we prefer to send them over to the
manufacturer or to a good training facility. For
advanced long-line training we even send our
pilots abroad to gain experience.
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES IN SENDING
YOUR PILOTS ABROAD?
I like to send my guys to another school in
another country so that they don’t develop too
narrow a view of training in the same place and
by the same people. We have introduced a new
system whereby we send our young pilots to
Canada for long-line training on a Bell 47 with a
piston engine. Although here in Austria we are
operating high performance turbine-powered
helicopters, when moving heavy loads you have
to fly just as smoothly as you would do with a
low-power, heavy piston. At the same time those
pilots benefit from mountain flying training
in Canada. They also learn about weather and
decision-making from other pilots, get used to
operational limits, flying up to altitudes of up to
12,000 ft and much more.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO YOUNG
PILOTS TRYING TO GET INTO YOUR LINE OF
WORK?
Personally, I would recommend young pilots to
take some long-line training before they apply
for a job doing what we do here, so those guys
would have an advantage over all the other
applicants. On the other hand, I know how
expensive it is to obtain a license and to invest
the necessary money in getting the ratings - it is
a very hard road for young pilots and they need
some kind of luck to progress from one job or
opportunity to the next, and to build up enough
hours to be attractive to companies doing
commercial flying. n
21
c o v e r f e at u r e
At first glance the Cyprus Police Air Wing may sound like a
typical police air support unit, but look a little closer and it soon
becomes obvious that the unit is anything but typical. With an
enormous operational area and a diversity of roles, this is no
PHOTOS by Alan Norris
ordinary operation, as ALAN NORRIS discovered recently.
top: The Air Wing has been
a department of the Cyprus
Police, headquartered in
Nicosia, since 1960.
above: The lakes and dams
of Cyprus provide water
during the fire-fighting
season.
right: SAR is a major part
of life for the Air Wing and
Military commanders have long
they always carry a rescue
recognized the importance of Cyprus, and
as a result this Mediterranean island has
been fought over throughout the ages by
the great and powerful civilizations of the
world. The Persians, Egyptians, Romans,
Byzantines, and Ottomans have all spilt
blood over Cyprus. The British entered the
fray in the late 19th century, occupying
the island in order to better watch over its
sea routes to India via the Suez Canal.
In 1940 the British built the first
airfield on the island at Larnaca, and
after the Second World War established
the Cyprus Flight Information Region
(FIR), covering 17,600 sq km. Starting in
swimmer and winchman as
part of the crew.
24
the west on the boundary with Greece,
close to Rhodes and Crete, the Cyprus FIR
stretches up to Turkey in the north, all
the way to Syria in the east, and down
the coast to Lebanon, Israel and Egypt.
It remains the largest FIR in the eastern
Mediterranean.
Cyprus gained independence in 1960
and with it inherited the FIR. The British
retained two “Sovereign Base Areas” in
the fractured but newly independent
Republic of Cyprus, and search and rescue
within the FIR was still the responsibility
of Britain. That responsibility was
borne by the RAF’s No. 84 Squadron,
stationed at Akrotiri in the west, until
1995 when Cyprus took over the SAR
duties within the FIR.
The Cyprus Police Air Wing was
established in 1990 with two aircraft – a
Bell 412SP and an Islander BN-T2. This
was followed seven years later by the
arrival of a second helicopter, a Bell 412EP.
All three aircraft are IFR-equipped and
are fitted with the same basic equipment:
a weather and search radar, marine
and police radio, loud hailer, Nite Sun
searchlight, and one of the earlier model
FLIR systems. Both helicopters have a
hoist fitted – the 412SP internally and the
412EP externally.
Based at Larnaca Airport, the Police
Air Wing is responsible for controlling
the territorial area of Cyprus, with the
unit supporting the police in the whole
remit of their operations – highway
patrol, tracking thieves, air cover for
the drug squad, and frontier patrol.
Combating activities such as terrorism,
drug trafficking, smuggling of contraband
and illegal immigration also falls within
this primary role. The Wing’s secondary
mission is SAR, and there are two Rescue
Coordination Centers (RCC) – one at
Akrotiri which controls all military flights
to the British Sovereign Bases, and a
second in Larnaca. If that was not enough
for any unit to undertake, since 2000 the
Cyprus Police Air Wing is also responsible
for fighting fires across the island.
In its SAR role the unit is on call
24 hours a day, although the current
facilities have no provision for the crews
to sleep over. Once the call from the RCC
is received, the Islander is usually the first
aircraft to be sent out, as the aircraft’s
endurance enables it to act like an air
bridge between the location and the base.
The Islander can relay information back
after locating the casualty and assessing
the emergency before committing the
helicopters. From the very start of SAR
operations the unit has not tried to
re-invent the wheel, instead adopting
and adapting the methods of other SAR
organizations around the world. The unit
is happy to follow any good example
of SAR practice and this has resulted
in an eclectic mix of rescue styles and
equipment modeled upon the USCG and
RAF, to name but two.
The unit is also unique in that it is one
of only a few police air support units that
operate using NVGs, although they were
initially accused of changing their role
to a military one when the goggles were
From the very start of
SAR operations the
unit has not tried to
re-invent the wheel,
instead adopting and
adapting the methods of
other SAR organizations
around the world.
25
Summer is a busy fire season in
Cyprus. Captain Andreas Loannou
approaches the waters of Lefkara
Dam to take on another water load.
26
Mixing fire-fighting, SAR
and police work during
the summer months is
normal practice for the
Air Wing.
top left: Normal operations require
a four-man crew with a mechanic on
hand to fit any external equipment
before flight.
left: All Cyprus Police Air Wing
aircraft are IFR-equipped and are
fitted with the same basic equipment:
a weather and search radar, marine
and police radio, loud hailer, Nite
Sun searchlight, and one of the
earlier model FLIR systems.
above: Superintendent Marios Pouras
is the first pilot to be assigned to the
post of Commander for the Cyprus
Police Air Wing.
introduced. Used in SAR and fire-fighting,
NVG use is limited to only very serious
incidents – typically at the water pick-up
point during fire-fighting, but not when
on the scene of the fire as there is usually
enough light generated by the fire.
“It’s a big plus to safety,” explains
Superintendent Marios Pouras, the unit’s
Commander. “We do not have autohovering and [the NVGs] have greatly
increased our safety margin, [making]
it less hazardous when we’re picking up
water and when en route to the fire. They
are a great help during SAR missions as
well,” Pouras adds.
The unit always operates the
helicopters with a crew of four – a pilot,
co-pilot, rescue swimmer, and a hoist
operator. The hoist operator is also the
crew chief and in charge of the cabin.
As one would expect, the Air Wing’s
busiest time is in the summer at the peak
of the tourist season – but an increase
in rescue missions comes not from
visitors to the island, but from cruise
ships passing by Cyprus. Evacuating
heart attack or stroke victims from these
liners is the most common task that the
crews perform, followed by assisting with
scuba diving accidents. The helicopters
have even taken fuel or batteries out to
marooned pleasure craft.
27
In the winter months the seas can
become quite rough and the unit is often
kept busy recovering injured fishermen.
Winter also brings snow to the Troodos
mountain range, which occupies most of
the south-western part of Cyprus. With
the snow comes skiing and car accidents.
The helicopters do not carry paramedics
and see themselves as just an ambulance
– if a doctor is needed, the crew pick one
up from the nearest hospital.
The Wing’s roles are many and varied;
recently it was asked to monitor the large
oil slick created by the Israeli bombing
of a Lebanese oil tank during the recent
conflict, with the Islander flying out on a
daily basis to track the slick’s progress.
In April 2007 the Cyprus Police Air
Wing will move into a new phase of its
development when it moves into a new
hangar facility and takes delivery of two
new Mi-172 helicopters. Manufactured
by Kazan Helicopters, the primary role of
the Mi-172s will be fire suppression, with
SAR as a secondary role. Both helicopters
will have a minimum water-carrying
capacity of 4.5 tons, an external hoist, an
underslung hook, and a rear ramp. On the
flight deck, the Mi-172s will be fitted with
Honeywell’s Electronic Flight Instrument
System (EFIS), which includes the Primus
II Integrated Radio System, VG14/DG14
Attitude and Heading Reference System,
P700 Color Radar, and the DFZ-706 Flight
Director System.
External fuel tanks will extend the
helicopter SAR capability into the whole
of the FIR, and the Cypriot Government
is about to open another tender for two
medium range helicopters purely for SAR,
with delivery aimed for 2008.
The unit has flown over 16,000 hours
and carried out 1,266 missions since 1990
and the role of the Cyprus Police Air Wing
has developed and grown continuously
since its conception. With a new base and
new helicopters this year, the unit sees a
bright future for itself. n
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For more than 30 years the specialist ice testing
team at the US Army Aviation Technical Test
Center, the “Army Icers”, has regularly flown
into icing conditions that most pilots would
rightly avoid. With an unparalleled safety
record and a one-of-a-kind JCH-47D Chinook,
the Army Icers are now more in demand than
ever. Greg Davis reports on the team’s recent
testing of Agusta-Westland’s AW-139.
PHOTOS by greg davis
An AW-139 moves
in to an ice cloud
created by an
JCH-47D Chinook.
An AW-139 flies in icing
conditions created by a
JCH-47D Chinook of the US
Army near Lake Superior
during a test mission.
32
The Agusta-Westland AW-139
helicopter is in the final phase of “cold
blade” icing tests as the manufacturer
progresses towards obtaining limited
icing certification from the European
Aviation Safety Agency. To obtain this
certification, the AW-139 must be flown
into both artificial and natural icing
conditions to verify flight characteristics
and to establish flight limitations and
go/no-go parameters for the type’s future
operations. Icing conditions encountered
during testing closely reflect actual
conditions in the North Sea, foreseen as
one of the primary duty locations for the
AW-139 in the off-shore oil field support
role. Agusta-Westland has contracted
with the Army Icers to complete the tests.
As the manufacturer pushes ahead
for certification, its approach can only be
described as technically and financially
sound. According to Enrico Bellussi,
the AW engineer responsible for the Ice
Protection System on the AW-139, AgustaWestland is working with the Army
Aviation Technical Test Center and its
specially modified JCH-47D Chinook to
save time and money. The overall system
used to make ice is called the Helicopter
Icing Spray System, or HISS. “We work
with the HISS because it’s unique. It’s
the only ice spray system existing in
the world.”
By contracting with the US Army
for the use of the Army Icers, AW has
essentially purchased the best test and
evaluation equipment and crews that
money can buy.
“It’s not just a question of money, but
of time,” says Bellussi. “With natural ice
we run the risk of chasing conditions over
many years. We need to have a system
that verifies function. With HISS we cut
drastically the development time. Natural
ice is where we demonstrate (function) for
final certification.”
The US Army has used the HISS
system for over 30 years and has
unmatched expertise recognized the
world over. As this is the first time AW
has worked with the Army Icers, Bellussi
says his team has had a lot to learn. “[But]
it’s been a very positive experience,”
he adds, and the Army team has been
“extremely cooperative ... teaching us
about icing.”
The Army Icers are a specialized
group from the US Army’s Aviation
Technical Test Center at Fort Rucker,
Alabama. To actually make the ice that
An AW-139 flies near the shore of
Lake Superior in the United States.
What makes the Army
Icers’ unblemished
safety record even more
remarkable is that they
work to purposely put
aircraft into dangerous
icing conditions
– conditions that most
pilots in their right mind
would avoid.
33
gives the group its name, a JCH-47D
Chinook helicopter is employed – the ‘J’
denoting a permanent modification to the
airframe. The US Government considers
this helicopter a “national asset” because
it is the only one of its kind in the world!
What makes the Army Icers’
unblemished safety record even more
remarkable is that they work to purposely
put aircraft into dangerous icing
conditions – conditions that most pilots in
their right mind would avoid.
JCH-47D, serial number 90-0180, is
actually the third aircraft fitted with the
HISS system since the program began.
The first aircraft was the JCH-47C 6815814 and the second was the JCH-47D 8424159. The current JCH-47D was converted
for HISS operations in 2004.
HISS modifications are apparent even
to the uninformed observer because the
test equipment is painted bright orange.
The orange double-trapeze that creates
the spray below the aircraft is locked in a
safe position beneath the fuselage when
not in use and while the aircraft is on the
ground. Once the Chinook is airborne,
the trapeze is hydraulically lowered and
mechanically locked into position. The
lowered trapeze has little impact on the
overall flight characteristics, according to
one of the test pilots, Marty Anderson.
The largest component of the icemaking aircraft could be easily missed
because it’s hidden from view. Squeezed
into the fuselage is a 1,800-gallon
water tank, which takes up almost the
entire volume of the JCH-47’s cargo
compartment. This tank supplies water
to the special trapeze that swings down
and below the aircraft in-flight. Water
droplets are released through 97 nozzles
distributed on two crossbars. The size
of the droplets and rate of flow can be
precisely adjusted from inside the aircraft
by a Flight Test Engineer (FTE) to produce
the icing conditions sought for the test.
A full tank of water takes the aircraft
to within a few hundred pounds of its
absolute operational weight limit. As
safety is a major consideration for all
involved, there are three different ways to
release the water carried in the tank. The
first is through the HISS double-trapeze
using the maximum flow rate. This takes
over five minutes and would be used
when the aircraft doesn’t have to set
down immediately. The second method
is through two manual release valves at
the aft end of the tank. This takes two to
three minutes to drain the tank. The third
and most immediate way is through an
emergency dump door that releases the
entire contents of the tank in a matter
of seconds. Should an emergency arise
that prevented the trapeze from being
hydraulically retracted before the aircraft
landed, it can be forced up during a rollon landing.
If it weren’t for the large intake and
exhaust pipes protruding from the left
side of the forward fuselage, another
important HISS modification might go
unnoticed. The intake and exhaust ports
are associated with two auxiliary power
above: This JCH-47D is a one of a kind
aircraft because of the extensive modification
called the Helicopter Icing Spray System (HISS).
Parts of the HISS are painted orange to denote
their ‘test’ function. Inside the aircraft is an
1,800 gallon water tank that supplies
the system.
above left: Kimberly Hanks, a Dept of the
Army Civilian Flight Test Engineer working for
the US Army Aviation Technical Test Center,
looks over paperwork at a test station in-flight.
left: The morning brief takes place around a
large planning table inside the hanger offices
at Duluth, MN with personnel from the US
Army Aviation Technical Test Center and those
from Agusta-Westland.
units (APUs) used to keep the water
piped through the trapeze from freezing.
Because the JCH-47D must fly in subfreezing temperatures, the pipes that
make up the trapeze are actually filled
with hot air produced by these two APUs
to keep the water in its liquid state as it
flows through a smaller, internal piping
system. These two APUs are in addition to
the single APU that powers the aircraft’s
mission systems.
Another important modification to
the Chinook is an otherwise obscure
panel above the rear cargo-loading ramp
and door. This panel holds a pair of radio
altimeters that are tied into the signaling
system mounted beneath the JCH-47D.
Much like a modern refueling tanker, this
system of red, yellow and green lights
allows the pilots in the test aircraft to
fly in the optimum position behind the
Chinook. The lights resemble a threelens traffic light, and may in fact be just
that, mounted horizontally against the
underside of the aircraft.
One of the Flight Test Engineers in
the rear compartment during the mission
we are on, DAC Ken Barnes, dials in the
preferred distance (130 ft) on the radio
altimeters to put the AW-139 in the icing
and safety sweet spot. The optimum
distance is 130 ft behind the JCH-47D,
If it weren’t for the
large intake and exhaust
pipes protruding
from the left side of
the forward fuselage,
another important HISS
modification might go
unnoticed.
35
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or about 150 ft from the point where the
water is released from the trapeze. Too
close, and there’s an increased chance of
running into water that has yet to freeze,
plus the cloud of ice hasn’t yet fully
formed. Too far back, and the ice cloud
has diminished and more time must be
spent in the air. Stylized vinyl letters on
the panel read, quite appropriately, “Ice,
Ice, Baby!”
A typical icing mission could best be
described as one of meticulous planning.
This planning usually starts by reviewing
the weather forecast late in the day prior
to the mission. Once it’s determined
that conditions are favorable for the test
points sought, a briefing time – usually
0 Dark 30 – is set for the next morning
at the operations hangar located at the
Duluth, Minnesota, airport. The briefing
takes place with all concerned gathered
around a large table and is led by the
mission director, Lynn Hanks, and his
equal on the Agusta-Westland side, Nigel
Talbot. During our visit Hanks leads
each meeting with a strict concern for
meeting mission objectives – but, more
importantly, safety. It becomes clear
from an outside observer’s point of view
that testing unproven aircraft in icing
conditions isn’t something anyone takes
for granted.
After determining the mission
parameters, with input also coming
from Jim Correia, the US Army Test Pilot
assigned to fly in the AW-139 as an Army
representative for the tests, and Enrico
Bellussi of AW, everyone breaks off to
prepare themselves and their respective
aircraft for the mission.
In most cases, the aircraft are
mission-ready, as maintenance is
performed after each mission. Now the
people have to prepare themselves for the
mission. This is relatively easy for those
operators who will be in a pressurized
cabin like that of the JRC-12G. For those
flying in the JCH-47D it takes a bit longer
as everyone, especially the two flight test
engineers who will work in the back with
an open ramp and door, puts on thick,
heavy coveralls, gloves and winter-weight
boots. Most also put chemically activated
warmers in their gloves and boots to help
fight the extreme cold.
The first aircraft to launch is the JRC12G, an airframe that in its former life
flew reconnaissance and exploitation
missions for the US Army in overall
grey paint. Today, the aircraft wears a
smart orange and white “Navy style”
This Chinook, from the
US Army’s Aviation
Technical Test Center
flies with the HISS
in the deployed
position and making
ice at altitude over
Minnesota.
paint scheme. All of the reconnaissance
mission equipment has been removed
and replaced with sensors capable
of detecting and measuring specific
environmental conditions – ice included,
of course. A Flight Test Engineer monitors
the equipment and conditions at a
workstation in the aircraft’s cabin. Once
the conditions sought for the day’s tests
are found, then and only then will the
other two aircraft, the JCH-47D and AW139 (test article), even start their engines.
For the tests in Duluth, the best area
for testing icing conditions seemed to
be either near the western shore of Lake
Superior or southwest of the city near the
ice-shelf covering the semi-frozen bay of
the lake. In most cases the pilots flying
C-12 take the aircraft directly to one of
these two spots, put it at the prescribed
altitude and into the conditions they seek
If the test conditions are
to be accurate then the
key element is to find an
area with temperatures
that not only match
those desired, but that
can be sustained over
an extended distance.
37
so the sensitive equipment being operated
by a third crewmember, the Flight Test
Engineer, can verify them. This takes
time in some cases, but the experience
of the icing crews and familiarity with
the local weather patterns allow them to
quickly find the conditions they want.
Natural icing depends, obviously,
on being able to fly through clouds
long enough to build up ice. If the test
conditions are to be accurate then the
key element is to find an area with
temperatures that not only match those
desired, but that can be sustained over an
extended distance.
If the test is to be conducted using ice
from the HISS system, then the JRC-12G
will wait in the area for the JCH-47D to
arrive and then instruct its crew to start
making ice.
The first step in this process is to
hydraulically lower and mechanically
lock the trapeze into place below the
Chinook. Once water starts flowing, the
JRC-12G positions itself in the ice cloud
and uses its onboard sensors to verify
the conditions before allowing the test
article to move into position. While the
test article moves into position, and
throughout the icing test, the JRC-12G
acts as both a safety chase plane and
a photo platform, shooting high-speed
photo and video of the operation. (A
bright yellow dye is added to the water
to aid in the visual and photographic
identification of ice build-up.) As each test
flight looks very similar to the one before
it in photo/video documentation, a simple
way of telling the missions apart is done
by simply taping an 8.5x11-inch piece of
paper carrying the mission number to the
cabin windows.
The most remarkable thing about
the Army Icers, or ATTC in general,
is the high level of experience each
team member brings to the mission.
Approximately 90 percent of the ATTC
roster are civilian employees with a
military background. These civilians are
either Department of the Army civilians, ➤
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Most of these employees have extensive
military backgrounds and the associated
operational flying that comes from military
service. Some are military test pilot school
graduates and have a wealth of experience
in that capacity as well. All told, the level
of experience in ATTC well surpasses that
of the civil sector and is a step above other
military test organizations.
Worn proudly by virtually every
member of the Army Icers is a patch
designed by aviation artist Hank
Caruso celebrating the HISS program’s
30th anniversary (in 2003), which has
“ITCWWBI” stitched into the patch. There
is, of course, an interesting story behind
these letters, as those closely involved
with the HISS program reveal. It appears
there wasn’t always a high level of
enthusiasm and command support for the
HISS program. In fact, it seems there was
a point in time where the components
for the HISS system were removed from
JCH-47D, serial # 84-24159, and little
emphasis was put on modifying the next
HISS aircraft (0180) as there appeared to
be a lack of customers. The commander
WECO
HeliOps
adisApr05.fh8
3/3/05 for
1:46his
PMlack
Page 1
at the
time
remembered
of initiative in the turning of a popular
saying on its head: “If they come, we will
build it”. Ultimately, however, JCH-47D
0180 was modified and has been busy
every season since.
Some of the aircraft tested with the
HISS JCH-47D over the last few years
include the C-17A Globemaster III, EH-101
and S-92.
A one-of-a-kind asset and program
with highly skilled, experienced
engineers like those associated with
the HISS will surely be in demand for
years to come. In fact, there will likely be
more programs than they can support,
as demands from the civil and military
sector increase with the fielding of new
aircraft and systems.
The HISS portion of the AW-139 test
program wrapped-up on March 17, 2007.
Agusta-Westland expects to finish its
natural ice tests by mid-April 2007, but
it will be back soon. “We are extremely
happy with HISS,” concludes Bellussi.
“We are absolutely convinced that this
is a good strategy to arrive at testing
certification, shortening time and costs.”
Bellussi finishes by saying that AW
intend to use HISS to develop the full ice
configuration of the AW-139 next year. n
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY CMY
The author wishes to thank the
following personnel for their
assistance in the preparation
of this article:
ATTC: Col Sullivan, ATTC
Commanding Officer, LTC
Douglas Miller, ATTC Executive
Officer, “Butch” Wooten, Maj
Todd Buhr, Marty Anderson,
Lynn Hanks, Paul Reynolds,
Kimberly Hanks, Ken Barnes,
Jim Correia.
Agusta-Westland Helicopters:
Nigel Talbot, Enrico Bellussi,
Grimaldi Gianluca and the rest
of the AW-139 maintenance
and support team.
Ft Rucker: Charles “Chuck”
Widener, an outstanding Public
Affairs Officer.
K
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South-east Alaska boasts
some of the world’s most
stunning scenery, but
also some of the most
extreme and hostile weather
conditions. TED CARLSON
visits the US Coast Guard Air
Station in Sitka, whose role is
to provide vital coverage for
this unspoiled frontier.
PHOTOS by ted carlson
AMT3 Nick Rhodes rides the
hoist from a Sitka-based MH-60J
Jayhawk off the coast of Alaska.
The frigid water temperatures
around Alaska show no mercy
and without a survival suit, an
individual may have only minutes
to survive before succumbing to
exposure and hypothermia.
A Jayhawk taxies out
for a mission as Mount
Edgecumbe looks on. A
large part of their rescues
involve working around
high mountainous terrain.
One such harrowing but
successful rescue was
performed at Devil’s
Thumb during extreme
weather conditions.
44
The topography and geography
of south-east Alaska bestows upon it
more than its fair share of poor weather,
and while the summers are mild, with
sunlight present until as late as 10.30 pm,
the winter brings extreme and hostile
weather with frigid seas and extreme
cold. Darkness can stretch from 3.30 pm
to 8.30 am, and heavy overcast or rain can
extend that even more. USCGAS Sitka,
with its three permanently assigned
Jayhawks, 15 pilots and 50 air-crew is
on 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week
readiness to fulfill the wide range of roles
tasked to the US Coast Guard. At Sitka,
more often than not, that means rescue
missions!
A few years ago, the Coast Guard
was realigned and now reports to the
Department of Homeland Security. The
entire USCG fleet of 41 HH-60Js is slated
for conversion into MH-60Js as they go
through PDM at Elizabeth City, North
Carolina. A door gun mount, police-
style blue light located on the belly, and
additional sensor wiring to the collective
will be added specifically for the “airborne
use of force” homeland defense mission. A
newer capability that the unit has become
involved with is vertical insertion/delivery
– being able to fast rope troops quickly.
Other mission-types include pollution
control, law enforcement, and fisheries
enforcement. The unit also supports
navigation aids, systems and components,
performs buoy work, lighthouse
maintenance, day boards, etc.
Sitka’s Jayhawks include a pair of HH60Js and a single MH-60J. In addition to
its internal tankage the Jayhawk carries
two 120-gallon external fuel tanks, giving
the helicopter about five hours endurance
with its maximum fuel load of 5,500 lbs.
The helicopter is powered by a pair of
T700-GE-401C engines, each rated at
1,980 shp, giving it plenty of power and an
excellent hover capability. A prominent
feature of the Jayhawk is its surface-
LTs Walter Horne, AMT3 Chauncey
Mehn, and LT Pete Melinick head
back for debrief on the ramp
at Sitka following a mission.
Sitka crews have performed
numerous heroic rescues
and affectionately
call the Jayhawk
the “Big Iron” due
to its’ toughness
and durability.
We have a lot of high
winds in the 70 and
80-knot category and
the winters are long
– making for extended
night-time operations.
search/terrain-avoidance/weather radar.
The Bendix-King RDR-1300 radar is a great
tool for the USCG role in Alaska, and is
instrumental in keeping the aircraft safely
clear of rising terrain and helps in locating
ships. A typical Jayhawk crew consists
of four members: a pilot, co-pilot, flight
mech’ and a rescue swimmer. Crews use
ANVIS-9 NVGs, which are crucial items of
equipment in the dark winter hours and
poor weather.
The Coast Guard received its H-60s
between 1990 and 1996. It typically
operates an aircraft for 20–25 years, so
half of the H60s’ expected service life has
already passed. All Jayhawks are slated
to go through a service life extension
program, becoming MH-60Ts in the long-
term, and when they emerge, they will
essentially be new aircraft. The Tango
models will receive a contemporary glass
cockpit and the prototype is slated to
make its debut at Elizabeth City, North
Carolina followed by Mobile, Alabama
in 2008. This program will extend the
Jayhawk service life for another 20 years,
giving the H-60 an expected Coast Guard
service-life through to approximately the
year 2040.
Sitka is commanded by CDR Harl
Romine, who has been the CO for the past
two years. When I ask him about his unit
he says, “Working from Sitka can be a bit
more challenging compared to most other
air-stations since Alaska has significant
and rapidly rising terrain along the
coastline, and the weather is notoriously
poor. We have a lot of high winds in the
70 and 80-knot category and the winters
are long – making for extended night-time
operations.”
Cdr Romine goes on to point out
that, with the Canadian border being
relatively close, Sitka carries out joint
rescue operations with the Canadians.
This works extremely well as training and
operational procedures are standardized,
allowing crews to work effectively in
any location, with any other personnel.
Resources are shared and separate units
can readily assist one another. As a good
example of the value of this principle,
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the USCG hangar force was deployed in ➤
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LCDR Karl Frey and LCDR Bill
Timmons fly a MH-60J through some
of Alaska’s majestic and unspoiled
mountainous terrain. Unique to the
Sitka Air Station Jayhawk community,
they have developed “road visibility
routes”; a network of flight profiles that
are designed to help crews navigate
through straights and dangerous
areas. These predetermined roads
can be safely flown in just about any
kind of weather and the system aids in
mission efficiency.
support of hurricanes Katrina and Rita,
and crews were mixed together from
all areas and still functioned normally.
“That’s the beauty of our standardization
program – the taxpayers get a lot of ‘bang
for the buck’,” says Harl. “We also support
cruise ships, Navy submarines and
warships, usually performing medevacs.
We even participate in maritime defense
exercises.”
Rescues in Alaska can be extremely
difficult and intense due to the remote
and rugged terrain, poor weather, and
the scarcity of other supporting rescue
agencies. The most common types
of missions flown are medevacs that
occur at small villages around southeast
Alaska, but other relatively commonplace
rescues include supporting mariners or
fishing boats in trouble, searching for
lost hikers and climbers, and responding
to aircraft crashes. The unit has an alert
crew standing by 24 hours-a-day, sevendays-a-week. The alert crew is ready to
launch and often during holiday periods
a second crew will be poised as a backup.
There are barracks on base that house
crews overnight, allowing them to be
ready in a rested state. With the frequent
bad weather and limited alternatives
available, Coast Guard H-60s can usually
get to the scene faster than anyone else.
Because they operate in such extreme
conditions, the H-60 crews wear dry-suits
and polypro liners to combat the frigid
water temperatures should they be forced
to ditch. They also carry a “dry-bag” filled
with their personal survival gear. Jayhawk
pilot Lt Pete Melnick has over 2,000 hours
in the H-60 and spent four years based at
Rescues in Alaska can
be extremely difficult
and intense due to the
remote and rugged
terrain, poor weather,
and the scarcity of
other supporting
rescue agencies.
47
J ayhawk crews
routinely practice
rescues as seen here
with a Coast Guard
vessel. It helps keep
their skills honed and
fluently prepared.
top left: The unit supports lighthouse
maintenance as shown here, navigation
aids, systems and components, performs
buoy work, day boards, and more. Many
support areas are not accessible by boat,
so the Jayhawks are invaluable tools for
accomplishing much of the work.
center left: A MH-60J cruises off the
shoreline with Sitka being noteworthy
in the background. All HH-60Js and
MH-60Js will eventually be modified into
MH-60Ts that will include an all-new
contemporary glass-cockpit.
48
San Diego before being posted to Sitka.
He comments on the shock of moving
from a warm-weather unit to a posting
where mastering the anti-ice and deice equipment was paramount. Pete is
well aware of the importance of being
prepared for the extreme conditions,
and tells of spending three days at Cape
Spencer lighthouse waiting for parts and
support maintenance personnel after a
hydraulic fluid loss caused an emergency
set-down. “We did have food delivered,
but it was a reminder how long assistance
can take in such a remote land!”
Consideration of some of the rescues
performed by crews flying out of Sitka
gives an idea of the incredible variety
of challenges and risks inherent in their
demanding duty.
LT Melnick tells of the time a hiker
was trying to make it across Baranoff
Island and became disabled in an ice
field. Flying in snow and ice conditions
can be disorienting, so great care must
be taken. Unable to climb high enough
due to the weather, Melnick and fellow
pilot Lt Cdr Bill Timmons dropped off a
mountain rescue team in an ice-valley to
proceed higher on foot. The pilots had to
ensure the fog didn’t close their entrance,
potentially trapping them without an
escape route. The rescue team located the
hiker, provided shelter, and warmed him
up. Melnick and Timmons returned the
next day and everyone was successfully
extracted.
Pete Melnick says the Jayhawk is
perfect for their needs and ends up
Cummy–nullaorem
veliquat.
handling a lot of abuse
the elements,
Ostio corer
augait
saltwater, wind, waves,
andsitso
on. luptat
ut ad
atof
nonsequat
To illustrate the point,
heexer
tells
the
occasion he and his crew were eating
on board from the local Sitka search and
rescue team, flew to Petersburg, dropped
three members of the rescue team off
there, and kept two on board. Dieter
Close, a good friend of the victim who was
at Petersburg, indicated that he would like
to go since he knew the area like the back
of his hand and had been there before. ➤
S
pe ma
rt
ra
tio
H
oo
ns
k
Ti
p
#1
1
helicopter couldn’t make it – there was
also some discussion of having ground
teams go up the mountain. District 17
SAR coordination headquarters tasked
us to see if we could find him, open up
communications with him and ascertain
his condition.
We took off with five additional people
O
lunch in the office when the SAR alarm
sounded. They scrambled immediately,
flying to the aid of a wooden fishing boat,
the Hermes II, which was full of salmon
and taking on water. “When we launched,
he was still talking to us and then when
we arrived on scene, we found a boat that
was half out of the water with a huge
debris field. We did not see him, began
searching, and finally located him. He
had donned his survival suit and jumped
in a raft, but due to the wind and strong
currents, he was already five miles away
from the scene when we located and
hoisted him up.”
A rescue that turned out to be
particularly harrowing, not only for the
victim but for the USCG crew as well,
took place on a 9,000 ft-high peak called
Devil’s Thumb, located southeast of Sitka.
A climber was making a first winter
ascent and fell into a snow crevice. The
rescue flight was commanded by LT
Walter Horne, who has over 2,000 hours
in the Jayhawk and, like LT Melnick, flew
from San Diego before being posted to
Sitka three years ago. The following is
LT Horne’s own account of the mission,
giving an insight into not only the intense
demands on the rescuers, but also the
incredible courage and stamina of the
climber, Zac Hoyt.
“The Devil’s Thumb rescue was
some of the most demanding flying I’ve
done. Zac did a solo summit ascent at
over 9,000 ft and was skiing back down
a glacier when the ice gave way. He fell
into a 100-ft deep crevasse, along with
his sled and gear, tore his rotator cuff and
became pretty banged up from the fall. He
landed on a ledge inside the crevice and
fortunately was able to pitch his tent.
He spent the night there and had to
get up every two hours to shovel snow
away from the entrance so he didn’t get
buried. He tried to climb out the next
morning with an ice axe and backpack
on but he couldn’t do it. He returned
back down, dropped his backpack and
tied a rope to it. He was then able to make
it out and anchor his line with the ice
axe. He rappelled back down and
retrieved his gear and tent, all with the
torn rotator cuff.
He made a satellite phone call to
a friend just before his batteries died,
forcing him to rappel back down again to
get more batteries. His hands were nearly
useless at this point due to frostbite. His
friend had a Temsco helicopter attempt
to fly up and retrieve him, but the
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above left: AMT3 Don Berry and
EM1 Joe Miner are seen on a mission
that involved carrying a large external
battery load to a remote lighthouse
that was an hour away by air. When
carrying externals, crews fly the aircraft
a bit slower and with great care.
right: The crews frequent remote areas
often where communication signals are
marginal. In the event that a helicopter
breaks down or has a problem, it could
be days before help arrives.
We flew up Bear Glacier, past Witches
Cauldron to Burkette Glacier, and then to
the ice field. We orbited for a few minutes
at about 7,000 ft, there was an icefall
there, and a ground blizzard with winds
blowing about 50 mph, so everything was
snowy white creating a severe “white
out” condition. Zac had a VHF radio, he
contacted us and we talked with him. We
quickly established that he was in bad
shape and desperately needed help. We
flew from the edge of the ice field, flew
over his tent and we were at 90-percent
power.
As I tried to turn the nose into the
wind, the aircraft began significantly
buffeting and the air temperature was
extremely cold, minus 30°C (the low end
aircraft limit is minus 40°C). With no
heat and hovering, while waiting for him
to try to get his boots on, we caught a
downdraft. Lt Cdr Timmons yelled out NRNR! The gauge was buried in the red and
I immediately dumped the collective and
50
did a right pedal turn that was a turn
that happened to be towards a close
mountain, but we had just enough room.
The NR returned, we did a 180 and
performed an instrument takeoff in a
clear route we found. Then we returned
back to the scene.
At one point after performing some
other functions in the cockpit, I looked
back up to see the attitude indicator
showing that we were 30-degrees nose
down and at 70 knots. LCDR Timmons
was riding the controls with me and we
yanked back hard, as a granite wall was
coming at us. We rolled the helicopter
45° right wing down and regained our
composure. The visibility improved some
and we talked with the victim again. We
told him on the radio we were only going
to have one shot at making an attempt to
get him. We had a flight mech’ on board
that day, who did a fantastic job. He put
his visor down but it instantly frosted
over, so he put it back up and the wind
and snow were pounding him in the
face. Yet he managed to get the basket
on the deck right by the tent, so that Zac
had to take only six or so steps to get
in. Once the victim was in the basket
we started to get “white out” again, and
while we were exiting the site the basket
below hit a serac, engulfing Zac and
rolling the basket. Zac, clinging on for his
life, managed to stay in the basket and
we were all relieved to see the basket
rematerialize with him still aboard.
Once we were clear of the area and
returning home, our GPS, MFDs, and CDU
all locked up, probably as a result of the
extreme cold. We had problems with our
radios, other systems were awry, and
nothing seemed to be working for us. We
were late making contact with the base
but finally we ended up connecting. We
had to navigate the return trip using the
compass, charts and visual landmarks
since our navigation systems were dead.
That was both a breathtaking and hairy ➤
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mission, and you just have to take such
great care in situations like that. With no
horizon or reference points, you can’t tell
where the snow and horizon meet, and
throw in swirling, snowy winds.....!”
Walter also tells of a search for a
missing DeHavilland Beaver aircraft about
three years ago. The blue-painted Beaver
took off from Sitka and flew towards
the northern part of the island in poor
weather. Lt Horne was training at the
base at the time, and watched the Beaver
disappear from view. The call for launch
came two hours later when the Beaver
was reported overdue, and soon a pair
of H-60s were airborne. They searched
for four and a half hours for the missing
aircraft without success. SAR flights
continued daily for another week and
over a hundred hours were logged in the
Jayhawks, looking for the Beaver and any
survivors. To this day, the five people
and that aircraft remain missing, and
each time he flies Lt Horne still keeps a
watchful eye out for a blue Beaver that
could be hanging from trees somewhere
in the expansive wilderness.
Another aircraft that crashed,
involving the Sitka crews in the rescue
effort, was a twin-engined Cessna 421
that ran out of fuel twelve miles from
their destination, at 2,500 ft. The Cessna
pilot radioed a mayday call and gave a
close approximation of his location. He
dead-sticked the aircraft down and was
trying to make it to a beach, but could not
stretch the glide that far. He ditched in
the ocean, and with a water temperature
of only 38°C there was virtually no
chance of surviving more than an hour
before succumbing to hypothermia and
drowning. Of the six people on board the
Cessna, only two survived and they swam
to shore, from where they were picked
up three hours after the accident by a
Jayhawk.
Missions such as these are the “bread
and butter” work of USCGAS Sitka and
while many have a tragic outcome,
many more result in remarkable rescues
and inspiring sagas of courage, tenacity
and commitment. As vast and wild
as south-east Alaska may be, it would
seem greatly more dangerous and bleak
without the knowledge that stations
like Sitka, with their rugged and capable
Jayhawks, existed to provide aid to those
in desperate need. n
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Acknowledgements:
Cdrs Harl Romine, LCDRs Karl
Frey, Ryan Griffin, Bill Timmons,
Lts Walter Horne, Pete Melnick,
Marc Tunstall, AET1, Matt Talley,
AMT3s Don Berry, Chauncey
Mehn, Nick Rhodes, AST3 Blake
Arnold, EM1 Joe Miner, and the
many others of USCGAS Sitka.
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In the wild and harsh African bush, black rhino are making
a hard-fought comeback from the threat of extinction.
MIKE REID joins the KZN Wildlife Rhino Capture Unit in
KwaZulu Natal to get a first-hand look at the crucial part played
in the black rhino’s resurgence by rotary-wing operations.
PHOTOs by mike reid & KZN Wildlife
top: Ground crew prepare the cargo net
We make our way to the hangar as the
for extracting the black rhino, which can
first rays of the day crack through a low
layer of cloud on the eastern horizon,
promising to take away the chill of early
morning. Our legs are soaked by the
heavy dew that hangs on the grass, and
we speculate about where the first rhino
will be found by the spotter team. The
team left half an hour ago for their C182
at the reserve’s bush strip, and would
soon be in the air. We head for a Hughes
500 which had been upgraded to a “D”
model, with an “E” model nose cone
added for efficiency, from its original “C”
specification. I find out that the enclosed
area in which it is housed is intended to
protect it from elephant and rhino that
might wander around during the night!
I ask pilot Vere van Heerden if he
be seen lying sedated in the shade to
the right. The SA330J Puma waits in the
background. Teams must set up quickly
as there is limited time allowed under the
strong immobilizing drug.
above left: The sedated black rhino lies
on the net ready to be lifted.
above right: The tension on the net is
taken up with the Flight Engineer carefully
pattering the pilots all the time. Spacer
bars keep the rhino from being crushed
by the net. This part of the lift is carefully
supervised by ground crew to ensure the
rhino is not injured or suffocated during the
short flight to the operations base.
56
ever tires of this line of work. He has
been flying helicopter live animal
capture for the Natal Game, Parks and
Fish Preservation Board (NPB, now KZN
Wildlife) for more than 20 years, and
before that worked as a shooter, and then
pilot for a South African venison hunting
and processing operation. With more than
10,000 hours on helicopter game capture
operations under his belt he answers me
in the typically quiet, confident manner
of someone with nothing to prove: “I have
never got tired of this. I love my 500. It’s
just like owning a fine horse – it’s a very
personal thing!”
Wheels are attached and jacked
up, and we push the aircraft out onto
the small helipad. After so many years
experience Vere has the pre-flight
above: A black rhino is lifted under
the Russian Mil 8, and operated by
UT. This aircraft was taken from fire
bombing operations in the province
for this specialized operation.
left: The Puma SA330J prepares to
lower the black rhino gently to the
waiting rhino capture teams at the
operations base. From here the rhino
will be revived and loaded into a
container for transport to the capture
bomas by road.
preparations down to a fine art, so I don’t
interfere. As he busies himself with the
inspection, I discuss arrangements to fly
with him to obtain air-to-air photos of
the black rhino extraction. I can hear the
Cessna gaining altitude on its way to the
wilderness area, and excuse myself. With
the spotter team on its way I need to get
up to Mpila camp quickly to chat to the
pilots about the heli’ extraction timings,
and have planned to catch up with Vere
again when the first rhino has been
darted.
Twenty long minutes later, after being
held up by a group of elephant on the
road, I turn my vehicle onto the dirt track
leading up to the Mpila camp soccer field,
which is to be the base of operations
for the next few days. The rhino will be
brought here by Puma helicopter and then
loaded into trucks for transport to the
game capture centre.
The pilots and flight engineer
are already busy around the aircraft,
removing tie-downs, checking strops,
ropes, separator frames, and nets, and
talking with park rangers. The Puma is
supplied by Starlite Helicopters based
in Durban and is commanded by Eddie
Brown, a former South African Air Force
helicopter pilot with years of operational
experience. The co-pilot, Leon, is also
from Starlite. Mark “Bart” Bartholomew,
a SAAF flight engineer, has taken leave
from his SAAF duties to work as flight
engineer on this operation.
The Cessna arrives and flies low over
us on its way to where Quinton wants
“I have never got tired
of this. I love my 500.
It’s just like owning a
fine horse – it’s a very
personal thing!”
57
above left: Horns are measured, the tips
removed to ensure safe transport, and
transponders are inserted for tracking and
identification.
above right: Two essential components of
a successful uplift of rhino from a wilderness
area – the Hughes 500D (with an “E” nose
cone) used for darting the rhino, and the
Russian Mil 8, used for lifting rhino out of
the wilderness area, causing no damage to
the pristine environment.
left: Rhino capture teams are highly
professional operators. They need to work
fast and efficiently to prevent overstressing
the animal, all the time monitoring vital
signs for indications of capture trauma. A
blanket covers the eyes to prevent injury or
damage from sunlight.
them to look for the first rhino. Quinton
Rochat is a second-generation ranger with
15-years’ experience in field operations,
including rhino and live animal capture.
His father, Ken Rochat, had been one of
the pioneers of Operation White Rhino
during the 1950s, and Quinton is the
ranger responsible for managing this
rhino capture operation. Everyone is set
to go, and now we wait around the radio
for the announcement that the rhino has
been found!
This rhino uplift is a unique operation
structured around a unique area in
Imfolozi Game Reserve, in the heart of
Zululand. During the early 1950s two
significant developments took place in
the Natal Parks Board, the organization
responsible for protecting wildlife
parks in the province of Natal, South
Africa. Both were initiated by renowned
international conservationist Dr Ian
Player, then a senior ranger in the Natal
Parks Board.
At that time rhino were virtually
extinct in Africa, and the trend was
worsening. Responding to this wildlife
crisis, Player, with great visionary
foresight launched “Operation White
Rhino”. This large scale, logisticallychallenging project was aimed at bringing
white rhino back from the brink of total
extinction by diversifying concentrations
of rhino around the world. Live capture
of rhino was pioneered, initially using
lasso’s and horses and progressing to
darting animals using advanced chemical
capture methods from vehicles, horses,
on foot, and eventually helicopters. The
operation was a resounding success and
white rhino are now off the endangered
list. The principles and methodologies
developed during those days are still
in use today, and the success story
continues.
During the same period, Player and
a group of rangers came across the
writings of wilderness pioneers in the
59
USA including Aldo Leopold, John Muir,
the Sierra Club, the Wilderness Society,
and others. Once again with visionary
foresight, and after a long and difficult
process trying to convince the Board,
Player had benchmark wilderness areas
set aside in Imfolozi Game Reserve and
the St Lucia Wetland Park.
Everything
we do
flies.
The basic premise of designated
wilderness is to have areas set aside
where Man is not in direct control,
human interference and utilization is
kept minimal, and natural processes are
left to take their course. No buildings,
roads, or infrastructure are allowed to
remain, and no motorized transport
Light helicopters. Covert
surveillance aircraft. Unmanned
aerial vehicles. Rapid prototyping.
Subcontract components and
assemblies. At Schweizer Aircraft,
everything we do flies. It’s been that
way since our company was founded
in 1939, and our new association
with Sikorsky Aircraft means our
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for many years to come. Today, as
we prepare to deliver our 6,000th
aircraft, the future has never been
brighter. In fact, you might say
things are really looking up.
Schweizer. Everything we do flies.
U.S. Navy imagery used in illustration without endorsement expressed or implied.
www.sacusa.com
is allowed to operate within the area.
The challenge came when these
two proven concepts were forced to
come together in the interests of rhino
conservation. Rhino had to be captured
and moved out of the wilderness areas.
However, motorized transport could not
go in there to extract them. The areas
are too large to drive the rhino out, and
vehicles may not go in to recover darted
animals. In keeping with the wilderness
principle of minimum human impact, the
obvious choice was to use helicopters.
A black rhino weighs just under a
metric ton (900 kg/1,980 lbs), and a white
rhino two tons (2,000 kg/4,400 lbs), and
so appropriate helicopters had to be
sourced. The obvious choice was the
Mil-8 and the Aerospatiale Puma
operating locally in fire fighting
operations. These have become the
standard helicopters for the extraction
operations. However, there is more to
rhino capture than just extraction. The
rhino has to be found and darted, and
teams of eight to ten ground-crew with
their equipment, have to be taken into
the darting site to prepare the rhino for
extraction. Wilderness capture soon
developed into a three aircraft operation:
a fixed-wing Cessna to locate the rhino, a
light turbine helicopter to dart the rhino,
and a large twin turbine helicopter to
transport crew and extract the rhino.
Back at Mpila, we all wait in the
shade in lazy expectation, until the radio
crackles into life. It’s KZN Wildlife fixedwing pilot, Greg Nanni. With over 8,000
hours on the Cessna 182, Greg has been
flying for NPB for nearly 15 years. There
is not much he doesn’t know about the
wildlife, the parks, and bush flying in the
area. He and his spotter team have found
two mature black bulls in the wilderness
area. They are moving towards the open
areas below Mohobosheni and should be
easy to dart and keep in the open for the
extraction. Greg will continue to circle
high and keep in visual contact until the
MD500 arrives to dart the animals.
Everyone springs to life. Groups
of ground crew lounging in the shade
jump up and move quickly to the Puma,
making final checks of their nets and
other equipment as they climb into the
aircraft. Quinton quickly gets everyone
organized while he finalizes details of
the darting and extraction with Head of
Game Capture, Jeff Cooke, over the radio.
Jeff is in the MD500 with Vere and will
do the darting. His voice carries over to
The challenge presented
to rhino conservationists
was to safely and
efficiently remove rhino
weighing up to two
tonnes from a pristine
wilderness area without
using any motorized
transport on the ground.
Helicopters were the
obvious choice.
top: Preparations are intense. Every
element of the rhino capture is discussed
in detail. On this operation, 5 black rhino
were safely airlifted from Imfolozi Game
Reserve.
left: In another recent capture operation,
the waiting crew: “Ok, we’re airborne
and going in for the darting. We have the
rhino visual, and will dart shortly. You
can get the Puma started!”
He gives details of the location over
the radio, and these are passed to the
waiting pilots. The sudden whine of
large turbine engines spooling up breaks
the monotony of the already muggy
morning, while the large blades start to
rotate slowly. Waves of heat from the
exhausts turn the backdrop of trees to a
shimmering haze as the engines scream
and the blades spin to a dizzy blur.
“The first rhino is darted. Jeff is
moving to it. Let’s go!,” Quinton shouts
out to no one in particular, and gave two
thumbs up. Mark peers out the open door
to patter the pilots into the air. After a
short flight across the wilderness area,
Eddie sets the Puma up for the approach.
Mark patters the pilots expertly between
the trees to a landing near the downed
rhino which is lying on its side in a small
clearing. Jeff has placed a cloth over its
head to calm the animal.
Quinton is first out of the helicopter.
He holds his drug box firmly, crouched
low and races through the scrub to attend
to the preparations for loading. Ground
crew throw out ropes, nets, strops and
other extraction equipment and then
race away from the chopper, instinctively
crouching low as they drag the bulky kit.
With everyone clear, the aircraft lifts
and moves far enough away from the
rhino to avoid overly-stressing it. The
pilots kept the engines turning while the
ground preparations are being made. The
teams work quickly and efficiently, and
soon the rhino is ready for the lift.
Quinton runs to the chopper, puts on
the headsets and speaks to the pilots.
Mark does a last visual check of the cargo
equipment, jumps into the open door
and lies on the floor to begin the patter.
Responding to Mark’s patter, Eddie Brown
lifts the Puma smoothly, taking up the
slack on the strop with clouds of dust and
dirt swirling around the rotor system and
carving elaborate patterns in the air. I
run across to where Vere has landed in a
clearing, and strap myself in. We take off
and fly around the Puma as they prepare
for the lift.
Soon the helicopter is lined up over
the rhino which now lies on its side on
a cargo net. All strop connections are
this Mil-8 was used in relocating 15 black
rhino from the Imfolozi and Greater St
Lucia Wetland Park wilderness areas.
right: The rhino is lowered onto the
Mpila Camp staff soccer field which is
used as operations base for the Imfolozi
rhino uplift. The usual crowds of interested
onlookers gathered quickly around the
perimeters behind a safety fence.
checked and the aircraft climbs smoothly.
With the strop-slack taken up, the net
tightens progressively around the rhino,
holding it firmly in place with spacer
bars preventing it from being crushed.
Clear of trees, the helicopter smoothly
tilts forward and heads for the Mpila
soccer field – the rhino swinging gently
outwards in the turn and then settling
under the fuselage in level flight.
Eddie flies slowly past the tourist
camp, over the main road where a line
of cars have stopped to watch, and then
slows to a high hover over the soccer
field. He lowers the rhino gently onto
61
the ground near to the awaiting rhino
transport container where a cluster of
capture crew wait. Already a crowd of
Reserve staff, press and media crews,
capture crew, and casual onlookers have
gathered at the edges of the field.
Once again Quinton is out first and
racing across to where he busies himself
monitoring vital signs and overseeing
preparations for loading. Ground crew cut
the tips off the horns to prevent injury
during transport, and later during the
period of acclimatization to captivity
in the bomas. With everything ready,
Quinton administers the antidote to the
anesthetic. Black rhino are notoriously
highly strung and aggressive, and can
be extremely dangerous when feeling
threatened. The rhino lurches up
untidily, snorting loudly in frustration
and aggression, and steadies himself.
He stands uncertainly for a few seconds,
and suddenly launches forward into the
waiting container entrance – his decision
to go assisted by the shock of an electric
cattle-prod on his rump. The door slams
behind him.
So far everything has gone smoothly
and Jeff radioes to say they are setting up
for the second rhino. The crew are already
gathering up their equipment and moving
towards the helicopter which has landed
and shut down at the edge of the field.
Fuel drums are being rolled away from
the aircraft after a quick re-fuelling, and
the equipment was loaded. Greg Nanni’s
voice breaks radio silence: “We’ve got
another rhino, very close to the last site.
It’s in the open, and Vere is on his way.
We’ll orbit high up and out your way.
Good luck guys!”
Ground crew sprang to life, Quinton
runs across to the Puma, and the turbines
start to whine...
Decades ago, while major conservation
initiatives moved white rhino all over
the world, a catastrophic poaching wave
erupted in the 1970s and ‘80s, effectively
wiping out 96 percent of Africa’s wild
black rhino population and leaving them
critically endangered within 20 years.
At the lowest point, there were just
2,500 black rhino left, although intensive
protection efforts have brought that
number to around 3,500. Trans-locating
rhino has become an essential strategy in
modern wildlife management.
After an acclimatization period in the
capture bomas, the rhino are sold to
private buyers, fetching up to $100,000
per animal, and these proceeds are
ploughed back into conservation to fund
essential wildlife management projects.
In the operation about which I write,
five black rhino (Diceros bicornis minor)
were airlifted safely from the wilderness
area of Imfolozi Game Reserve in two
days. In another recent wilderness
capture operation, the Mil-8 was used
to extract 15 black rhino from Imfolozi
and the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park
(a World Heritage site), This was part
of the Black Rhino Range Expansion
Project – a groundbreaking project aimed
at increasing black rhino numbers by
increasing private land available for their
conservation. Now wilderness extractions
take place annually and more than 50
Black Rhino have already been airlifted
in this manner, as well as a number of
white rhino.
These unique operations, with their
complex logistics and significant expense,
show a deep commitment on the part
of KZN Wildlife to both protecting the
integrity of Wilderness areas, and taking
bold steps to ensure black rhino will
always be there for future generations to
enjoy. As is so often the case in remote
and difficult operational areas, the
helicopter’s versatility and practicality
make it a vital component in this worthy
and challenging cause. n
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the la s t word
“Hey Kid, can you
give me a hand?”
Louis flitting across the rooftop at 2 miles
the purchase of a fleet of helicopters
a minute, passing right in front of him,
for the oil patch. By then, he had flown
blotting out the sun and nearly stopping
thousands of hours, had explored the
his heart as Lindbergh rocketed into
back country of a dozen unpronounceable
history.
regions, personally helped Lindberg set
Years later, he wandered by the
world records, and earned a spot in the
airport to regain that excitement. This
history of helicopter aviation. He was in
The path our lives take
trip seemed better, different. He had
turn a helper, a mechanic, a crew chief,
never seen a machine like the one the
an engineer, a manager and finally the
is probably not predictable,
mechanic was working on. By its angular
Regional Executive for Europe. In a fine
cloth-covered exterior, it looked like an
gray suit, with silver hair at his temples,
airplane, but it had no wings, just a large
Stewart Hill had come a long way from
propeller-like mechanism sprouting from
that lazy afternoon when he pushed the
somewhere behind the pilot’s seat.
fence aside! That boy who waited with
but with aviation
it can be predestined.
Many of my friends have a
story.....
“Hey, Kid, can you give me a hand?”
glistening eyes for Lindbergh spent his
the crew chief called out. Without a
life doing what his soul demanded, like so
second thought, the lad pushed aside the
many of us.
chain link fence, instantly and irrevocably
How many of us took the same
scrapping all the plans his parents had
general path, following our love of aviation
for him. Stepping into his future, he
even as we struggled to know what it
took that wrench, and formally entered
really was? From the age of about 8, I lived
the world of aviation. That, he told me,
and breathed airplanes, carving models,
depression. The bored lad was leaning
was his interview for a job at Sikorsky.
building plastic kits (and sacrificing a few
against the fence outside an airplane
Igor Sikorsky’s first helicopter was his
with fireworks, I must admit). Control
company. Stratford, Connecticut was
classroom from now on, and he was an
line airplanes, model rockets, gliders,
a pretty boring place for a tall, gangly
apt pupil.
parachutes, balloons and kites - if it flew, I
It was
1938, the end of a long economic
kid. Eighteen years old, he was curious,
and easily entranced with mechanical
Forty-two years later, that kid was
in Alan Bristow’s board room, settling
built it. Gradually I learned about the value
of strength, light weight and clean lines.
contraptions. He was down by the airport
My fingers carried the smell of castor oil
yet again, hanging around just listening
engine fuel. My hands still carry scars
to those powerful engines, and watching
earned from whining, nasty propellers
the flimsy aircraft slip into the air. School
wasn’t nearly as interesting as the ramp
he was on, and so he voted with his feet
two hours ago, and just walked out of high
school to where the action was. He was
watching the mechanic adjust something
on the strange aircraft.
The sounds of propellers in the
distance evoked for him that sunny day
eleven years earlier when he sat in his
wheelchair, his broken leg mending after a
trolley accident, atop a hospital in Dayton.
He spent many days on that rooftop that
summer of 1927, thumbing his scrapbook
of photos and articles about his hero,
Charles Lindbergh. The excitement of the
trans-Atlantic flight still buzzed in his
head and filled his dreams. Alerted by the
newspaper headlines, he waited on that
rooftop hoping to see the small craft as
it winged westward, greeting people at
hundreds of stops, surrounded everywhere
by the celebration of its success. He heard
an engine. His eyes strained and blinked
in the sun. There it was! It flew overhead,
the shadow of the famous Spirit of St.
64
“Hey, Kid, can you give
fifty years ago.
me a hand?” the crew
toward aviation careers as if driven on
chief called out. Without
a second thought,
the lad pushed aside
the chain link fence,
instantly and irrevocably
How many of us moved inexorably
rails? How many of us have aviation
twisted so firmly among our chromosomes
that there was no other choice? How
many of us get this magazine and flip
it open hungrily to drink in those shots
Ned takes, to learn a bit more about our
game, to see what it looks like in some
exotic site where helicopters are the only
trail of breadcrumbs back to civilization?
Does your television automatically jump
scrapping all the plans
to Discovery Channel and “Twelve O’Clock
his parents had for him.
the stick, or running your hands over
Stepping into his future,
Hughes Air Racer’s smooth lines look to
he took that wrench,
High”? Do you dream of pulling back on
a classic aerodynamic surface? Do the
you like a violin sounds?
You know what I mean. I can’t listen
to that guy at every party who says, “Yea,
and formally entered the
I loved aviation, but instead I went to
world of aviation.
years living, breathing, learning and loving
Pharmacy School.” After I have spent 50
flying machines, I know that guy did not
really love aviation, did he? n