Vector Aerospace Helicopter Services-North America, a subsidiary of Vector Aerospace Corporation, was recently granted a Transport Canada Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for an Integrated Cockpit Display System (ICDS, or “glass cockpit installation”) for the Bell 205 series helicopter. The STC applies to the following Bell Helicopter models: Bell 205A, 205 A-1, 205A-1 (H1SW) Bell 205B, 205B (...

DART Helicopter Services is pleased to announces that its subsidiary partner Apical Industries has received EASA approval of its Cable Cutters Kit for the EC145 (MBB-BK 117 C-2). FAA approval has been previously received. Transport Canada approval is pending. The Cable Cutters Kit provides a means of protecting the helicopter during a wire strike by providing the capability to cut a cable or wire...

The Helicopter Foundation International (HFI) is planning its second annual scholarship fundraising golf tournament at HELI-EXPO 2011. The tournament is set for Friday, March 4th, 2011 at the Grande Pines Golf Course in Orlando, Florida. There will be a 12:30 p.m. Shotgun Start with a scramble format. Put together your own foursome or sign up as an individual and you will be put in a group. The...

R. Fred Polak | Editor Visit an operator or an MRO, and you will hear talk from flight crew and maintenance specialists about the proposed Safety Management System (SMS), and how it will affect their responsibilities and how they perform them. Since SMS is essentially a done deal, now is a good time to highlight just what SMS is and get everyone on board with its basics. According to the FAA, the...

R. Fred Polak | Editor Today’s modern airborne weather radar systems are lightweight, multicolor digital systems designed to provide flight crew with weather location and analysis. The intent is to detect and avoid storms along the flight path of the aircraft. These weather radar systems have come a long way, showing much more today than when they first arrived on the scene some 40 years ago...

The staff of HeliMx magazine attended the NBAA 2010 trade show this past October in Atlanta. Although the show is not specifically focused on helicopters, we saw it as a good opportunity to see some of the latest products and services that apply to both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. The Georgia World Conference Center (GWCC) where the show was held is huge. From the street level to the...

“The helicopter is much easier to design then the aeroplane but it is worthless when done.” Attributed to Wilbur Wright, 1909 Witnesses and photographs recorded the Wright brothers’ first flights at Kitty Hawk in 1903, establishing a historic moment in time. Each aviation technological advancement traces its origin to 1903, specifically the progression of fixed-winged aircraft. No such “moment in...

Putting the “You” in Utility I had never given public use aviation much thought at the start of my career, because nobody ever mentioned it as a potential job avenue. My public use education began when I came the base mechanic for a company that had a contract to maintain a California Highway Patrol helicopter. Since then I have had the opportunity to work in almost all aspects of public and...

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 20 years, the proliferation of advanced composite materials in the rotorcraft industry cannot have escaped your attention. Throughout the 1990s and even into the new millennium, it seemed that with every new model helicopter introduced, yet another portion of the structure that we were accustomed to being made from aluminum was suddenly made...