Helitech International 2018 opens its doors shortly, with 150 international exhibitors and more than 3,000 visitors descending on the RAI Amsterdam to discover the latest emerging technologies and new advancements from the industry’s leading OEMs and suppliers.

Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company (NYSE: NYT), chooses to collaborate with BridgeIT on a five-year industrial cooperation project to develop and deliver software to Sikorsky field service representatives. BridgeIT will work together with Sikorsky to deliver a modern, mobile, digital workplace solution to employees to support Sikorsky commercial helicopter customers around the world.

The FAA approves Robinson’s R66 cargo-hook installation. The optional cargo hook carries external loads up to 1200 pounds and, for external load operations, the R66’s maximum gross weight increases from 2700 pounds to 2900 pounds.

Conklin & de Decker, a provider in aviation research, consulting and education, announces Life Cycle Cost (LCC) Release 18.2 is now available with even more aircraft and the latest operating cost data. The most innovative and comprehensive aircraft budget and financial analysis tool in the industry, LCC provides aircraft owners, operators, flight department managers and aircraft consultants with independently researched ownership and operating-cost data for more than 460 jet, turboprop, helicopter and piston aircraft.

Van Horn Aviation (VHA) receives a supplemental type certificate (STC) from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for composite main rotor blades installed on the Bell 206L LongRanger helicopter. Loosely based on VHA’s composite 206B JetRanger main rotor blades, which were certificated in 2016, the new VHA LongRanger main rotor blades have been approved with a 16,000-hour service life, which is four times the life of the current OEM metal blades.

Innovation and enterprise in the rotorcraft industry is at the heart of this year’s Helitech International when it returns in October with 10% more floor space and 13 new exhibitors joining the event for the first time.

Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company (NYSE: LMT), announces that Thai Aviation Services has accumulated 10,000 flight hours on its S-76D™ fleet in record time of less than two years. This milestone was achieved just a few months after TAS began operating as Sikorsky’s first customer support center in Thailand.

Med-Trans Corporation and Northwest Texas Healthcare Systems commemorate the 25th anniversary of LIFESTAR air medical transport service in the Texas Panhandle and surrounding states. Originating in one location with one helicopter, LIFESTAR now operates two helicopters and a fixed-wing aircraft from three locations.

The Los Angeles Area Helicopter Operators Association (LAAHOA) and the Professional Helicopter Pilots Association (PHPA) object to a proposal to discontinue a noise complaint hotline serving the Los Angeles region and sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Safran passes a major milestone in its hybrid electric propulsion roadmap with the first ground test of a distributed propulsion system. The test run took place at a Safran Helicopter Engines test facility near Pau-Pyrenees Airport in France.