Perth’s Heliwest Services, in collaboration with US-based Van Horn Aviation (VHA) and Bell Helicopter subsidiary Aeronautical Accessories, have installed a pair of composite main rotor blades to an Australian-registered Bell 206B JetRanger, which are said to extend the service life by as much as four times over the manufacturer’s original metal blades. Certified by the
Cairns-based Nautilus Aviation has won the contract to operate the Southern Region Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter, Australia’s first civilian search and rescue helicopter service, taking over the operation of the Surf Life Saving Australia-owned service. Nautilus has purchased Life Saver’s two BK117B2s, VH-SLA, call sign ‘Life Saver 21’ and VH-SLU ‘Life Saver 23’. The company
Northern NSW Helicopter Rescue Service contract begins
The Westpac-sponsored Northern NSW Helicopter Rescue Service commenced its 10-year contract to provide helicopter retrieval and rescue services in the state’s north, covering an area north of Sydney’s Hawkesbury River up to the Queensland border, on March 7 . NSW Minister for Health Brad Hazzard officially launched the service – which is part of the NSW
Raptor stars at Avalon
Making its second appearance at the Australian International Airshow, the United States Air Force’s F-22 Raptor demonstration team display is a definite show favourite with its thrust-vectored handling display. However, with Friday’s arrival of the Royal Australian Air Force’s first pair of F-35 Lightning IIs, the Raptor may be upstaged and relegated to second prize in
CASA certifies Bell Helicopter’s 505 Jet Ranger X
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has issued Australian type certification to Bell Helicopter for its new five-seat single turbine 505 Jet Ranger X. “We are excited that the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X can now be delivered to operators in Australia,” said Bell Helicopter’s Asia Pacific managing director Sameer A Rehman. “The Bell 505 will fundamentally
Airbus Helicopters deliveries up despite a difficult year
Airbus Helicopters recorded an increase in new helicopter deliveries during 2016 despite its chief executive Guillaume Faury describing the year as “probably the most difficult of the last decade”. With the continuing stagnation of the offshore sector and the fallout from April’s fatal accident in Norway which resulted in a world-wide grounding of the H225
