Rotor & Wing Magazine :: Commercial :: ENG
Displaying 281 - 300 of 301 stories.
January 1, 2006
Best Kept Secret in Helicopters Sixty years ago, Michigan lumberman and mechanic Rudy Enstrom dreamt of manufacturing his own helicopter. Aided by experienced aircraft designers and backed by local business people, Enstrom realized his dream in the 1960s when the R.J. Enstrom Corp. (established in 1959, and renamed the Enstrom Helicopter Corp. in 1971) began building and selling the F-28 light helicopter...January 1, 2006
The Helicopter Assn. International is honoring "all companies, organizations and individuals" who participated in the relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina with this year's Igor I. Sikorsky Award for Humanitarian Service. The award is traditionally given to an individual or individuals "who best demonstrates the value of civil rotorcraft to society by saving lives, protecting property...October 1, 2005
Unprecedented Helicopter Force Takes Field in Katrina's Wake Hurricane Katrina destroyed, and helicopters by the score swept in behind her to save and bring succor. In the wake of that devastating Aug. 29 maelstrom and the flooding that followed it, helicopter owners and operators of every size and stripe flew to the grief-stricken regions of Louisiana and Mississippi to help in any way they could. Nearly...June 1, 2005
Manufacturers Await USAF's PRV Solicitation The major manufacturers are waiting for the other shoe to drop in the U.S. Air Force's pending competition for a Personnel Recovery Vehicle (PRV) helicopter to replace its existing combat search and rescue (CSAR) helicopter fleet. One candidate has bowed out, while another possible candidate is sitting on the fence waiting for the request for proposals to be...February 1, 2005
Charter, Air Tour Operations Going From Bad To Good BUSINESS APPEARS TO BE ON THE upswing this year for charter and air tour operators, who are finally surfacing from the ashes of September 11th. The economy is recovering and confidence in air travel is returning, with the U.S. Office of Travel and Tourism Industries predicting 5 percent more international visitors, offsetting three consecutive years of...January 1, 2005
A Quarter Century of Engineering Excellence Over 25 years ago, Heli-Dyne Systems was founded to provide helicopter owners/operators with the same high quality of modification and completion services offered for fixed-wing aircraft. Since then, HDS has performed more than 600 major helicopter modifications and completions for functions as diverse as air medical, law enforcement, electronic news-gathering...October 1, 2004
We are approaching the end of what may come to be known as a year of transformation for the helicopter industry. The year opened with Eurocopter laying the physical and political foundation for its pursuit of more U.S. sales with construction of an assembly facility in Mississippi, home of two powerful senators. In February, cancellation of the RAH-66 Comanche scuttled the widely held assumptions about the...October 1, 2004
Switzerland has some 42 helicopter operators registered, of which only two have more than 10 helicopters in service and only four with ten in service, according to Markus Herzig, a Swiss aircraft statistician. The largest is Air Glaciers with 28 helicopters, of which 21 are currently in operation providing services ranging from air taxi and charter to heli-skiing and sightseeing. Second largest is Rega...October 1, 2004
Apples vs. Oranges In reference to Tim McAdam's September column on density altitude ("Watching Your Ps & Qs--and DA," Safety Watch, page 62), helicopters come in two basic flavors--piston engine and turbine engine. The power available from these two types of engines is affected differently by the atmosphere. The power output from a piston engine is dependent on density altitude, all other...October 1, 2004
Sikorsky Aircraft, built on the 100-year-old dreams of one pioneering man, is turning to a company created by a family of aviation pioneers to help it prosper in the 21st century. The Stratford, Conn. unit of United Technologies Corp. expects by now to be starting the process of integrating Schweizer Aircraft into its own operations. The two companies reached an agreement in August that allowed Sikorsky to...October 1, 2004
Brazil's 3.3 million sq. mi. territory includes six different main eco-regions, most of them well known, such as the Amazon Forest in the northwest and the Atlantic Forest following the Brazilian coastline. An area less well known is the Cerrados woodland savannas, a 0.8 million sq. mi. area in Central Brazil. However,this is changing, primarily because of the huge agribusiness development, such as soybean...October 1, 2004
Australia Picks NH90 for AIR 9000 program Australia has ordered 12 NH90 helicopters for the Australian Army as part of its AIR 9000 program, increasing the total order book to 357. The helicopters have been designated the NH 90 and will be marinized to operate from the Royal Australian Navy's amphibious ships. The new MRH 90 "is purpose built for amphibious operations and includes extra corrosion...October 1, 2004
It doesn't take a moment or two for anyone in the helicopter industry to know that our business is, and has been for many decades, one of the true "multi-national" businesses. We all know that most countries around the world follow the same standards for the design and construction standards of our helicopters and their parts. The helicopter industry knows most countries have very similar...September 1, 2004
The Canadian government has selected the S-92 over AgustaWestland's EH101 Cormorant for its maritime replacement helicopter. The announcement was made July 23. Final contracts will be signed this fall and the first helicopter must be delivered no later than 2008. Deliveries thereafter are to commence at a rate of one per month. The Canadian Forces have christened their new S-92 replacement helicopter the...September 1, 2004
Purists become realists in quest to understand helicopter dynamics. Dr. Inderjit Chopra, Ph.D., has spent 30 years of his professional life trying to understand helicopter dynamics and how they affect vibration and noise. He's nowhere near finished. "We can predict helicopter vibration with 50 percent accuracy," Chopra said, "and we cannot predict noise at all." While today's design...September 1, 2004
Today, Sao Paulo state represents almost 34 percent of Brazil's gross national product, with this huge participation in most of the countries' activities reflected in the helicopter market. Of Brazil's nearly 1,000 civilian helicopters, roughly 455 are flying in Sao Paulo State. Of those, about 380 are in Sao Paulo city, where there is often 20-30 helicopters flying at the same time in a single 45 sq. mi...September 1, 2004
There is every possibility that either the Marquis d'Arlandes or Pilatre de Rozier sent down some news of the surrounding countryside on that first aerial flight by humans back in 1783, going aloft in the Montgolfier brothers' hot air balloon. Thaddeus Lowe and his staff certainly gathered news about the Southern Forces during the Civil War from their helium-filled balloons, and even Napoleon used balloons...August 1, 2004
Unlike its fixed-wing brother, the European civil helicopter industry is somewhat less than thriving. Without a doubt, the business aircraft industry in Europe is in fine shape, with a very positive outlook based on a rapidly growing economy, according to Fernand Francois, the outgoing CEO of the European Business Aviation Association. Every indication, including record attendance at the recent European...August 1, 2004
Almost anyone in the world who has tried to borrow a large sum of money quickly learns the modern proverb: "A bank wants to lend you money only when you can prove you do not need it!" So, how do average helicopter owner/operators prepare for the task of showing the bank or leasing company the now and the future value(s) of the object of their affection? Preparation, information and organization...March 1, 2004
Mideast nations are proving to be growing markets for civil , public-service, and paramilitary helicopter applications. The helicopter has Long served primarily as a military aircraft in the Middle East. It is now branching out into more civil and paramilitary uses, ranging from executive transport to search and rescue. The growing commercial traffic in the Gulf States, combined with business opportunities...
Rotorcraft Jobs
Do you receive The Collective?
This weekly e-letter features an in-depth Story of the Week, Top News Picks, Helicopter Jobs and commentary from our Facebook page.
Sign up now and stay up-to-date about all the happenings in the rotorcraft world.
Sign-up now for The Collective, it's free!
Join us on: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn