Darwin based CareFlight helicopter pilot Jeff Konemann and his crew assisted police and RAAF ATC to locate a man who was allegedly pointing a laser beam at aircraft landing at the city’s airport late on March 31. Numerous pilots reported being targeted by a laser beam including the CareFlight crew whose BK117B2 was hit by
India’s Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) prototype made its first flight on March 29, performing a series of low speed, low altitude checks during its 20 sortie from the company’s Bangalore helicopter complex. The 5.5 tonne LCH is a tandem two-seat attack helicopter, derived from HAL’s Advanced Light Helicopter, powered by twin HAL/Turbomeca Shakti
China’s Avicopter, part of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) group, flew its AC313 prototype heavy-lift helicopter for the first time on March 18 from its Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, facility. The 13.8 tonne AC313 flew for about half an hour in company with a chase Changhe Z-8 and AS350 Squirrel, televised live on China
The first customer delivered Bell 429, N911ED, began EMS operations in late March with Mercy One Air Ambulance in Des Moines, Iowa. The 429 performed its first medical mission on March 29 when it was tasked to respond to a car accident involving a police vehicle late in the afternoon. A male police officer was
Two Army C Squadron CH-47D Chinooks have returned to Afghanistan, bolstering the International Security Assistance Force’s heavy lifting capabilities for the approaching summer. The Chinooks arrived by RAAF C-17s in early and mid March and are embedded with the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade based at Kandahar Airfield, southern Afghanistan, for an eight month deployment over
Bell Helicopters has appointed Larry D Roberts as its senior vice president commercial business, with responsibility for the sales, marketing and program development of Bell’s line of commercial helicopters. Roberts is joining Bell from American Eurocopter, where he served as vice president of sales, marketing and customer support. He simultaneously served as director of US
