http://www.aviationtoday.com Aviation Today en-us 2010 Tue, 9 Feb 2010 15:41:13 EST Products | Airframes Assembly of the initial Sikorsky S-76D airframe—s/n 761004—has begun at Aero Vodochody in the Czech Republic. The first production unit is scheduled for an April 2010 transfer to Sikorsky Global Helicopters’ facility in Chester County Airport (MQS) in Coatesville, Pa... http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/personalcorporate/exectransport/Rotorcraft-Report-Sikorsky-Starts-S-76D-Assembly_65945.html Mon, 1 Feb 2010 0:00:00 EST Commercial | Offshore VIH Cougar Helicopters will use the AW139 for offshore transport in the Gulf of Mexico. Courtesy AgustaWestland During a recent... http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/personalcorporate/exectransport/Rotorcraft-Report-AW139-Delivered-to-VIH-Cougar_65949.html Mon, 1 Feb 2010 0:00:00 EST Services | Financing Although helicopter financing is in the doldrums compared to the boom years, some experts predict a recovery beginning in the second half of this year. The current chill followed a prolonged period of hot and heady days from 2004 through much of 2008, when user demand and helicopter... http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/personalcorporate/personalac/Helicopter-Financing-Tight-But-Not-Terminal_65928.html Mon, 1 Feb 2010 0:00:00 EST The following was adapted from an NTSB preliminary accident report: “On Sept. 25, 2009, at approximately 11:30 p.m., a Eurocopter AS350B2 was substantially damaged when it crashed near Georgetown County Airport (GGE), Georgetown, S.C. The certificated commercial pilot and two others on board were... http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/commercial/ems/Stay-Proficient_65926.html Mon, 1 Feb 2010 0:00:00 EST Way back some 35 years ago, with the ignorance of youth and a bank account unhindered by responsibility, I decided to learn to fly a helicopter. It wasn’t like I was planning on a career as a helicopter pilot, I just wanted to experience what it was like to move in all three dimensions with a freedom... http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/commercial/ems/Helicopter-HUMS-update-2K10_65929.html Mon, 1 Feb 2010 0:00:00 EST Products | Technology Researchers at NASA Langley have tested a “deployable energy absorber,” by dropping a helicopter from 35 feet above the ground. The device, which features an expandable honeycomb-design cushion, was tested with the help of a U.S. Army Applied Physics Laboratory-donated... http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/commercial/ems/Rotorcraft-Report-NASA-Drop-Tests-Helicopter-Landing-Cushion_65952.html Mon, 1 Feb 2010 0:00:00 EST Public Service | EMS Carolinas Medical Center (CMC) has selected EMS Sky Connect’s Fleet satcom system... http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/commercial/ems/Rotorcraft-Report-Sky-Connect-Chosen_65959.html Mon, 1 Feb 2010 0:00:00 EST February 20–23: Heli-Expo 2010, Houston, Texas. Contact Helicopter Association International (HAI), phone 1-703-683-4646 or visit www.heli-expo.com March 17–19: Association of Air Medical Services (AAMS) Spring Conference, Washington, DC. Contact AAMS, phone 1-703-836-8732 or visit www.aams.org... http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/commercial/ems/Coming-Events_65969.html Mon, 1 Feb 2010 0:00:00 EST The EC175 fills the gap between Eurocopter’s EC155 Dauphin and EC225 Super Puma. While the initial flight of the helicopter was on December 4, company officials introduced the model during a ceremony on December 17. The Eurocopter EC175 medium twin helicopter was officially introduced on December 17 in... http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/commercial/offshore/Eurocopter-EC175-Takes-to-the-Air_65927.html Mon, 1 Feb 2010 0:00:00 EST Commercial | ATC Air traffic controllers in Houston have started using automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) to monitor, manage and separate aircraft over the Gulf of Mexico. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood notes the... http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/commercial/offshore/Rotorcraft-Report-ADS-B-Goes-Live-in-Gulf-of-Mexico_65951.html Mon, 1 Feb 2010 0:00:00 EST