Bell sells five Bell 505s to private European operatorsnews Mike Stones 26 Jul 24 0Bell has signed purchase agreements for five Bell 505 helicopters to private operators across Europe. The orders were placed by clients in Spain, Switzerland, Poland,… Read more
HI Uplift: Heli help for a planet ‘literally on fire’. (Shame about rates) news Mike Stones 22 Jul 24 0Demand for firefighting helicopters has never been greater. Both the number and intensity of wildfires worldwide is fuelling the need for more aerial support –… Read more
Babcock delivers new H145 to South Australia emergency servicesnews Mike Stones 19 Jul 24 0Babcock has delivered a new Airbus H145 helicopter to the South Australia State Rescue Helicopter Service (SRHS). The aircraft – owned, operated, and maintained by… Read more
Safran signs support by-the-hour contract for German forces’ H145 enginesnews Mike Stones 8 Jul 24 0Safran Helicopter Engines has signed a big support-by-the-hour contract with Airbus Helicopters for the engines powering the German Bundeswehr’s new fleet of Airbus H145M helicopters.… Read more
First Airbus H160 enters US service with PHI Aviationnews Mike Stones 3 Jul 24 0The first Airbus H160 has entered US service with PHI Aviation. The aircraft is the first of an initial four H160 deliveries that will be… Read more
Columbia and Piasecki team up to upgrade 107 helicopternews Mike Stones 3 Jul 24 0Heavy-lift, tandem rotary specialist Columbia Helicopters is teaming up with Piasecki Aircraft to upgrade its Model 107-II aircraft. The new partnership will deliver more fuel-efficient,… Read more
Blueberry Aviation to be AW09 distributor for Central and Southern Europenews Mike Stones 29 May 24 0Blueberry Aviation is to become the Leonardo AW09 distributor for Central and Southern Europe, in a move revealed at the EBACE event in Geneva, Switzerland.… Read more
Milestone to lease two AW169s to Northern Rescuenews Mike Stones 15 May 24 0Milestone Aviation has agreed to lease two Leonardo AW169 aircraft to New Zealand air ambulance helicopter services provider Northern Rescue Helicopter Limited. Both helicopters will… Read more
HI Uplift: Bristow hails rising revenue from offshore & govt contractsnews Mike Stones 10 May 24 0Chris Bradshaw seemed in buoyant mood when he led Bristow Group’s First Quarter 2024 investors’ Call on Wednesday. It was not difficult to understand why.… Read more
Bell unveils heli lab to develop autonomous fly-by-wirenews Mike Stones 7 May 24 0Bell Textron has unveiled its Aircraft Laboratory for Future Autonomy (ALFA) based on its Bell 429 helicopter. The aircraft is focused on developing an aircraft… Read more
Airbus Helicopters’ Racer demonstrator makes maiden flightnews Mike Stones 1 May 24 0Airbus Helicopters’ demonstrator helicopter Racer has made its maiden flight at the manufacturer’s Marignane facility in southern France. The helicopter flew for about 30 minutes to… Read more
GDHF seals deal for 20 H175s for worldwide leasenews Mike Stones 25 Apr 24 0Dublin-based new helicopter lessor GD Helicopter Finance (GDHF) is to market 20 H175s after its parent company GDAT signed a contract with Airbus Helicopters. The… Read more
HI Uplift: NHV says ‘Upcycle offers opportunity for profit (and growth)’news Mike Stones 13 Apr 24 0A vital opportunity to generate profit and to plan growth. That’s how Thomas Hütsch, CEO, NHV Group sums up the opportunity offered by the current… Read more
H125s tasked with firefighting in Chilenews Mike Stones 10 Apr 24 0As the peak fire season closes in Chile, Airbus H125 operator Rotortec reflects on the lessons learned during another intense firefighting campaign. “In Chile we… Read more
Louisiana State Police to buy two Bell 407GXisnews Mike Stones 4 Apr 24 0Louisiana State Police has signed purchase agreements for two Bell 407GXi helicopters. The service’s Air Support Unit provides aerial support to local, state and federal… Read more
Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service makes senior appointmentsnews Mike Stones 4 Apr 24 0The Australian Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service has appointed John Fenwick as its new chair of the board of directors and Steven Underwood as its new… Read more
AutoFlight delivers first aircraftnews Yves Le Marquand 4 Apr 24 0AutoFlight has delivered its first Prosperity aircraft to a customer in Japan, marking what it says is the world’s first delivery of a civilian ton-class eVTOL. The… Read more
HeliSpeed and NHV agree training maintenance partnershipnews Mike Stones 28 Mar 24 0Helicopter training provider HeliSpeed and rotary services company NHV Group have agreed a partnership to deliver helicopter maintenance training. The partnership, drawing on HeliSpeed and… Read more
‘Batteries will open new markets but there are bottlenecks’news Yves Le Marquand 28 Mar 24 0There is value in putting batteries in aircraft and it isn’t all sustainability. Electrification will open up new markets in short-haul that have never been… Read more
Bell reveals next-gen retrofit flight display system for Bell 412snews Mike Stones 26 Mar 24 0Bell Textron has revealed it has gained FAA certification for its Basix-Pro Glass Retrofit Kit for Bell 412EP helicopters. The new glass cockpit retrofit kit… Read more
