JANUARY 2017 VOL 36
MESA POLICE AIR OPS IN THE EAST VALLEY
THE VISUAL DECISION POINT
SPANISH NAVAL AVIATION
POWER, SAFETY AND PERFORMANCE N O R D
H E L I K O P T E R
N O R W A Y
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INSIDE
THE JANUARY ISSUE SPANISH NAVAL AVIATION
THE OLD AND THE NEW IN SPANISH DEFENSE By Patrick Roegies, Paul Gross, Marco Dijkshoorn, & Hans Looijmans
MESA POLICE
AVIATION SECTION LAW ENFORCEMENT AVIATION IN THE EAST VALLEY By Mark Bennett
COVER STORY:
POWER, SAFETY & PERFORMANCE NORD HELIKOPTER NORWAY By Ross Ansell
34 54
MEET DANIELLE FULLER
YOUNGEST FEMALE DUAL RATED ATP TAKING THE HELICOPTER INDUSTRY BY STORM By Ryan Mason
GUNNAR Ã…KERBERG
SWEDISH AVIAION PHOTOGRAPHER MAKING BIG WAVES IN THE BUSINESS By Ryan Mason
COLUMNS & FEATURES
64 74
Helipix From the Desk of The Toolbox Whirly Girls Straight & Level Helinews Heliart Rotorheads Behind the Lens
6 16 18 20 22 24 53 64 74
PUBLISHER EDITOR Ryan Mason ryan@heliweb.com
DEPUTY EDITOR Ali Mason ali@heliweb.com
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CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: TIm Pruitt
Colt Roy
Seth Lasko
Jason Jorgensen
Dan Foster
Jeroen Vanveenendaal
Ralf Block
Roelof Jan Gort
Scott Dworkin
Ed Simmons
COPY EDITOR: Duncan Brown duncan@heliweb.com
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Ben Fouts
Jessica Kanellos
Brian Parsons
Lauren Brown
Jason Jorgensen
Matt Johnson
Dan Foster
Michael Rocks-Macqueen
Scott Dworkin
Tim Pruitt
DIRECTOR OF SALES Ross Ansell ross@heliweb.com
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HELICOPTER ART Marc Veenendaal marc@mpvdesign.com.au
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January Issue Cover: Nord Helikopter, a Norwegian helicopter operator, is currently undertaking one of the largest powerline operations assisted by helicopters in Norwegian history. Photo by Ross Ansell
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W W W . A V P R O J E T S . C O M January 2017 | 5
Life imitating art. Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office Chief Pilot Rob Steht and his talented daughter Ivy, who used a photo he took of one of the agency aircraft to paint this fantastic rendition of the Sheriff’s Bell 206.
A St. Mary’s CareFlight AS350 arrives on the pad in Broomfield, Colorado. Photographer: Dennis Pierce | heliweb 666| heliweb magazine heliwebmagazine magazine
#helipix Travis County, Texas based STARFLIGHT rescue arrives at the 2016 National Night Out in Austin, Texas in 2016 to celebrate police in the community. Photographer: Brian Papke
The Los Angeles County Fire Department’s AW-139 shot as it departed Long Beach Airport Photographer: Jason
| 7| |77 January 20172017 January 2017 January
A SennAir AS350B2 flies over the Austrian Mountains Photographer: Hermann Eder
8 | heliweb magazine
#helipix
January 2017 | 9
A capture of the Leonardo Helicopters AW189 demo ship. Photographer: Marco Bianchi
All fitted out for a commercial in German Military look is this BO-105 from FX Helicopters. Photographer: Chuck Aaron |heliweb 10 1010|| heliweb magazine heliwebmagazine magazine
Perfect timing to take a self portrait during a training flight with the Victoria Police AS-365. Photographer: Steve Hargrave
January2017 2017| |1111 January
#helipix
German Bund
| heliwebmagazine magazine 1212| heliweb
despolizei (Police) H155, H225 and two H145’s fuelling up in preparation for a training mission. Photographer: Sarah Pfannkuch
January | 13 January2017 2017| 13
www.maunaloahelicopters.com | 808-334-0234
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January 2017 | 15
C O L U M N | PUBLISHER
From the Desk Of...
The Media Effect
The recent results of the U.S election were
to our industry. In many cases, stories are reported
clear the manufacturer of fault. Something
an eye opener to many who blindly trusted
by someone with no knowledge of helicopters,
found in about 5 minutes of Google searching.
the news media. Their single news coverage
expected by their editor to form a story and
This is the kind of irresponsible journalism that
supporting one candidate over the other,
become an instant expert.
we as a publication never want to be a part of.
caught out multiple times collaborating with
What I am getting at is that just because an
who they thought would be the eventual
Faced with that reality, a reporter makes
incident occurs, doesn’t mean a helicopter
winner, seemingly without a care in the
assumptions based on commentary from others
company, pilot or manufacturer should be
world.
who may also have no aviation background.
immediately dragged over the coals before any facts are known.
What they failed to realize, was in their
Gone are the days when television and print
efforts to please the candidate, advertisers,
media would result in a rush to find an aviation
Do we report on current incidents? Sure,
and what they thought was their adoring
expert that they could talk to or consult before
often from first-hand accounts from the scene.
and clueless viewership, the mainstream
publishing a story to make sure it was factually
However, we do try to get as much information
media neglected to account for one thing;
correct concerning our industry. It is now a rush
as possible to get it right.
A complete and utter revolt of viewers
to be first.
switching off, never to return. Their
You might be saying in your head “well, he
reputation as a legitimate, fair, and impartial
Take the case of the recent Robinson R22
is just a Robinson fanboy.” However, I use
news source in tatters.
accident we reported on recently in Los
Robinson’s treatment as an example. Other
Angeles. Within hours, all four of the local
companies such as Sikorsky and CHC are being
Research has shown both before and after
affiliate stations were running stories.
dragged through the same mud of speculative
the election, people turning away from
In the same time-period, if you looked at several
reporting currently with the S-92, the same as
traditional news networks in the wake of
social media groups dedicated to helicopters,
Airbus and Bell have been on any one of many
apparent bias and supporting agendas
hundreds of comments had been posted about
situations previously. It is our job as an industry
versus reporting the news as it happens.
the incident.
to not further speculation without facts.
opinions on each story. Ignoring the
Some are already condemning Robinson as a
We are not interested in being first, we are
cornerstone ethics that shaped decades of
helicopter and as a company. As the wreckage
interested in being correct. This industry more
respected journalism.
was located, the headlines began again almost
so than others can be merciless when you get
immediately. Headlines like “Helicopters
things wrong, which is a good motivator to get
Reporters are now rushing to report the
manufactured by company in recent crash
things right. However, ethically, we also want
“collective feeling” around a situation instead
involved in multiple prior accidents” or “Brand
to do the right thing for everyone involved and
of any facts. Often rushing to a conclusion and
of helicopter used in flight that killed pilot and
not damage brand reputations through lazy
airing it during a broadcast.
photographer previously grounded in other
reporting or speculation. I wish the same could
The media no longer has a conscience
countries.”
be said for our counterparts in the mainstream
Choosing instead to interject personal
for consequences of reporting incorrect information.
media. These so called stories, going to great lengths to tie a manufacturer to crashes that occurred
In the Helicopter industry, we suffer the same
months, or years before. Some of the incidents
fate. Social media spreads news of a crash
mentioned, with reports from the NTSB that
Ryan Mason Publisher & Editor
faster on Facebook than a police officer can locate a family to notify them of the loss of a loved one before they see it online. The mainstream media is failing at actually verifying stories, especially when it comes
16 | heliweb magazine
Ryan has worked in the aviation media field for the last nine years. Providing video, photographic and written content for U.S and international aviation publications. Also a former police officer, Ryan has written for numerous law enforcement publications, specializing in technology, tactics, police equipment and airborne law enforcement. Ryan purchased heliweb with a goal of providing real stories on real issues in the industry and giving back to the industry through efforts to promote safety in helicopter operations.
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January 2017 | 17
C O L U M N |MAINTENANCE
T h e To o l b o x
Vibrat i on An a l y si s Here we are, 2017 is upon us, and I am sure it is going to be an exciting year. There are so many things that happened in 2016 to further the helicopter maintenance industry in the technology field it would seem to be limitless; the opportunities that are on the horizon. From advanced composite materials to unmanned helicopter drones, to automated engine controls and monitoring devices to synthetic vision on the flight deck. Helicopters are now being designed, and assembled piece by piece, system by system with computers long before the first rivet is ever bucked. Engineers can design and build a complete virtual helicopter and fly it with specially designed computer programs that allow them to test each component and system in a virtual world. This technology allows manufacturers to tailor their manufacturing process by “virtual assembly” thus eliminating assembly errors or design flaws long before the final design makes it to the assembly floor. Which in turn should improve delivery times and increase efficiency in the manufacturing process. For those of us that maintain these aircraft, we all know that “virtually” anything can happen in the not so imagined world of helicopter maintenance. With new technology and processes comes new maintenance issues and for those of us that are mechanics, that is a good thing. 18 | heliweb magazine
Manufacturers have increased the reliability and longevity of many dynamic components and at the same time eliminated many systems and sub-systems that were maintenance intensive with the introduction and use of elastomeric bearings and special composite materials such that is used in many modern rotor systems today. LED’s “Light Emitting Diode” have replaced incandescent light bulbs, synthetic oils and lubricants have replaced petroleumbased lubricants, increasing the oil change intervals, just to name a few. However, I feel it would be difficult and quite frankly, impossible to eliminate the maintenance component of helicopter operations. LED’s still need to be replaced, oil and filters need to be changed, and the elastomeric bearings will eventually wear out. Even with the virtual computer designs and modern systems integrations, maintenance is still very much a reality. I think it would be quite difficult to simulate all the conditions and situations that today’s operators are required to maneuver in. Things such as weather and environment are both key factors that will always be changing and affecting the lifespan of the installed components in numerous ways where we still must have someone who knows how to remove and replace the affected part.
Maintainers will know and can determine when a bearing or dynamic component has reached its maximum service life based on these operational conditions, regardless of what the manufacturer has predetermined to be the service life limit of the part. Determining that the part is bad or questionable is one thing, and most of the time a proper preflight inspection will reveal these issues. Knowing how to replace it correctly and promptly is something entirely different altogether, and that know how my friends cannot be imitated or imagined by a computer. Good maintenance practices cannot be simulated. We have all heard of Murphy’s law, and Mr. Murphy has a tried and true way of finding those who try to cut corners and unfortunately, his methods typically end in disaster. Using good sound judgment and following the manufacturer’s recommendations for maintenance will always help to ensure that the product or process you are producing will be safe and reliable when called upon to perform. Let me know what you think or a subject you would like to discuss, email me at Brian@heliweb.com
Brian Parsons is the Director of Maintenance for the Hillsborough County Sheriff ’s Office (FL) Aviation Section, where he also serves as a ReserveDeputy. Brian is a US Marine Corps veteran,and holds a commercial helicopter pilot certificate. Parsons’maintenance experience includes factory training on Bell, Airbus, and MD Helicopters, in addition to several engine types.
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January 2017 | 19
C O L U M N | WOMEN IN AVIATION
Whirly Girls
Future Aviators in 3...2...1 The Whirly-Girls are starting off Expo week engaging with the next generation of the helicopter industry. They may only be three or so feet tall, but they will someday be an asset to the progression of our helicopter community, and the Whirly-Girls believe that providing hands-on, innovative and educational exposure will make a tremendous impact on their motivation and ultimate success.
and tons of games, STEM activities and giveaways to ensure guaranteed fun for the entire family. Though our mission as an organization is to advance women in helicopter aviation - doing so with pride - when it comes to kids, we believe the best method of outreach is to include both girls and boys. Discrimination is something some of us have fought against our entire existence in aviation, and it is the last
We are not alone either, as Airbus and Bell will be our top sponsors giving the ultimate inspiration; free helicopter rides. We will also have static displays, a simulator
message we want to get in the way of teaching our kids and future aviators. We want you to join us. Mark your calendar for Sunday, March 5th, 2017 from 10:00-14:00 at Dallas Executive Airport and let us provide you with the ultimate platform to reach the next generation of aviation and show them how awesome the world of helicopter aviation is. Call Jessica Kanellos at 724-255-3688 for further details or to talk about sponsorship opportunities.
Jessica Kannelos is a certified helicopter flight instructor and the Vice President of Whirly Girls International, a 501(c) organization with the purpose of providing scholarships, mentoring and other programs to aid women in the helicopter aviation field. Jessica also heads up the organization of the Give it a Whirl event each year.
A Whirly-Girls International event committed to educating and introducing kids to helicopter aviation. Sunday, March 5, 2017 from 10am - 2pm Dallas Executive Airport Be a part of this amazing event. Contact Jessica Kanellos at wg1771@gmail.com or 724-255-3688 to learn how.
Give It A Whirl is a subsidiary of Whirly-Girls International
20 | heliweb magazine
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C O L U M N | FLIGHT TRAINING
Straight & Level
Instructor Development My first flight as an instructor came in 1998, and it was a tremendous learning experience. I was told to teach 180 autorotation training to a commercial student at an airport I had never been to. The company training for 141 instructor approval consisted of a joy ride in the hills and a pencil whip sign off saying “okay, you are good to go.” “Wow, this must be easy I thought.” I did not know any better, and I owe that student an apology for even taking the flight. He paid for an unprepared and unaware sack of potatoes to sit in the left seat that day. Yes, I had passed my check rides and had prepared relentlessly for them. The examinations were thorough and grueling, so I had the FAA blessing to be sitting there next to this student. If this were an airplane, it would be so simple. It is kind of hard to get into trouble flying planes. However, this was the R22, and this was an advanced maneuver that a struggling student needed help with. I was fresh and still unaware of the danger areas and the corners of the operating envelope of the aircraft. The good news is that we survived the lesson and though I was at times confused due to the out of trim nature of our descents towards mother earth, we did manage to return to base without damage to the helicopter. 22 | heliweb magazine
I was embarrassed and angry at myself at the same time. I value others and their investment in me. I felt I should have been more prepared and so I began to ask more experienced instructors how to prepare. It was eye opening to me that so many of the procedures seemed like tribal hand me down knowledge and not written in books and manuals. The helicopter training material available even today is weak. Instructors need training, and they need strong oversight and a committed Chief to be consistently successful. There is a dramatic difference between being a certified flight instructor and a competent flight instructor when it comes to teaching in helicopters. Many companies do not have CFI training courses for their instructors. After all, if you are the holder of a CFI certificate, what else should be needed? It costs money and it takes precious time from a chief instructor to train his pilots, so it is often neglected or ignored. One of the roles a new instructor must immediately step into without question or hesitation is being THE Pilot in Command. It comes down to controlling the environment and making a plan to mitigate
risk. You have a student now who is depending on you to make safe decisions. One false move or lack of intervention when needed and you could have made your last flight. The control of the environment is setting parameters for each flight. You must know your aircraft intimately well, and how to fly it conservatively. When a student begins to deviate from that envelope, you INTERVENE. While a flight manual may set the airspeed limitation as 102 knots at sea level, you know that is absurd to fly that fast especially in a training environment when a student is learning to fly. Though the gross weight limit is 1370 lbs, you operate no more than 1300 lbs and don’t fly with a large person that even though they are within the seat limit of 240lbs, is so big that they interfere with your ability to take control of the helicopter. You must develop your operating envelope that allows room for errors and slower reactions. Flight instructors are like Quarterbacks; a good one makes all the difference in the world to an organization. Invest in your greatest asset to your flight school. The rewards of a well trained and prepared staff are hard to put a value on.
Ben Fouts is a career helicopter pilot, business owner, successful entrepreneur, and passionate flight instructor. In addition to his role as an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner — a position he’s held for fifteen years, since he was just twenty-four years old — he is the owner of Mauna Loa Helicopters, operating three bases in Hawaii and one in Alabama.
Learning to fly a helicopter has its challenges, and all of us can remember the struggle to master the basic flight maneuvers as a student. Learning to hover is one of the most difficult and often takes 10 flight hours or more for a student to truly master the controls and maintain a stable hovering flight condition. My challenges were many during my initial training and one maneuver I remember specifically struggling to learn, was the steep approach. How hard could it be, right? Maintain an angle of approach approximately 15 degrees or by gun-sighting through the top of the instrument console. Manage the rate of closure with the cyclic, then transition to a hover as you approach the spot you picked out. It seemed so simple in my head- yet I found myself continually missing the place I wanted to set
the helicopter down. I was always concerned with getting into settling with power on an approach and this caused me to misunderstand how to fly the approach. I thought I had to keep thirty knots and watch my descent rate carefully. I had it so ingrained in my head from the Robinson Safety Video that there was a potential to get into a settling with power situation when my airspeed was below knots indicated airspeed, and my descent rate exceeded three hundred feet per minute. The video goes in-depth about the dangers of settling with power and that it was important to avoid the conditions that are conducive to it. This focus on instrumentation causes problems. Once a student turns final, the focus should not
be on internal instrumentation, but external reference points. You don’t drive your car towards a stop sign by watching your speedometer and ignoring the world around you. The same lesson applies to flying the helicopter. The whole point of the pre-landing checks is to confirm not only that you have oil pressure, proper temperatures, and fuel, but to verify that the wind conditions and landing spot you have picked out are appropriate for an approach. You will not get into settling with power if you are making an approach with a headwind component. The thirty knot and three hundred feet per minute guidelines given by the Robinson Helicopter Company in its video are instructions that will cause your student to focus inside the cockpit, not keep their head outside looking for those subtle cues that things may not be optimal for landing and you may need an alternative plan. If you are a flight instructor, teach your students to learn by visual
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C O L U M N | SAFETY
United States Helicopter Safety Team
P ay A t t e nt ion to th e Detai l s Life is for living. But it is riddled with distractions. All of us have family commitments and issues, and some days sail past in a blur in the rapid pursuit of just simply living life. Technology has significantly improved our lives and productivity. It has given us HD television, satellite radio, lightning fast computers, and smart phones that will do everything except cook our breakfast. The smartphone is perhaps the greatest revolution to come our way, but it can also be the worst distractor we have. We see it every day on the road: people weaving all over while being distracted by their so-called “cell phone.” We as aviators have to compartmentalize and even eliminate these distractors when we are around our aircraft, period. In 1980, I traveled to Fort Rucker, Alabama for Army helicopter flight school. For the first six weeks of the program, we only saw a helicopter when it flew over our classroom or barracks. The Warrant Officer Candidate Development Course (WOCD) taught us the basic skills we would need to become successful officers and gentlemen in the U.S. Army. But it also taught us other things, mainly “Time Management” and “Attention to Detail.” We were each given a non-generously sized cubical in the barracks with a bunk, desk and wall locker. For six weeks we primarily flew a wall locker. We had to have all of our Army issue gear in that wall locker to exacting specifications. Woolen green socks had to be rolled in a certain way with the “smiles to the aisles,” skivvies and T-shirts rolled to a tight four inches and starched so heavily you could take them out of the drawer and bang them on something without them unrolling. Everything had a place, and everything had to look a certain way. And we only had a certain amount of time to get it that way. 24 | heliweb magazine
Stress management was another objective of the exercise. We were evaluated on our entire cubicle, desk and wall locker presentation every day, and received demerits if things were not up to expectations. Our Tac Officers, who were seasoned Warrant Officers, would periodically pull us out of the barracks (usually very early in the morning or late at night) and perform instructional harassment drills that caused us to wear everything in our lockers, thus disrupting our displays. We would only have an hour or two to make sure everything was back in its place for a subsequent inspection. Now, why did they make us do this nefarious and inane exercise in “Attention to Detail,” you ask? In absolute misery at the time, I wondered the same thing. I graduated nine months later and reported to my first aviation unit located in South Korea. Shortly after I arrived, I was put on flight status and sent out to preflight a Huey. I worked my way down the right side of the helicopter like the checklist required, then around to the left. I opened up the access door to the tail rotor drive shaft just aft of the engine compartment and looked inside. I must have looked but not registered what I was seeing and closed the door. I made it a little farther up the left side, but a little voice in the back of my mind (experts call it the subconscious mind) made me go back and look back inside that door. What I saw when I looked again, was a loose tail rotor driveshaft hanger bearing bolt. It finally dawned on me what those salty ole’ Warrant Officers at Fort Rucker were up to with the Attention to Detail exercise. “That’s why they had us fly that
stinking wall locker,” I thought. “Those guys just saved my life.” And much to my chagrin, countless times over my thirty-six-year flying career, those salty ole’ WO’s have saved my life. I’m not suggesting that every new pilot is subjected to the same arduous training that I had to endure, but you can adopt measures to ensure you don’t become distracted during the critical periods of your life when you can’t afford to be distracted. It is of particular importance to remember that during your pre or post flight inspections if you receive any distraction, you could miss something critical, something so important that it could take your life and the lives of your passengers. It’s easy to let your mind wander to that “to do” list or to think about anything but what you should be doing. We are bombarded with information every minute of every day. Most of it is useless. Accidents happen when we fail to concentrate and become distracted. In a recent HEMS accident, the NTSB discovered that the pilot had received and sent numerous text messages before running out of fuel only one minute away from an airport. Although the NTSB didn’t say the pilot was texting at the time the engine quit, could the texts have distracted this pilot’s thought process or influenced him to continue to an airport that was 31 minutes away with only 30 minutes of fuel on board? Unfortunately, we will never know; everyone on board was killed. Flying has its associated risks, but clearly the most dangerous thing we do every day is driving to and from the heliport. Put those amazing smartphone devices away and watch out for those who don’t. But most importantly, pay attention to the details.
Mark Colborn is a Senior Corporal and Instructor Pilot for the Dallas Police Department Helicopter Unit, Colborn is also a retired Chief Warrant Officer Four (CW4) and former UH-60L Blackhawk Standardization Instructor Pilot and Safety Officer for the Texas Army National Guard. Frequently sought out due to his aviation knowledge, Colborn also writes for multiple publications and is a member of the USHST Join Helicopter Safety Analysis Team (JHSAT)
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January 2017 | 25
HELINEWS | OEM BRIEF
HELIBRAS DELIVERS MODERNIZED AS350B2 TO ARGENTINA GENDARMERIE Helibras announced on January 5th, 2016, that it delivered a modernized AS350B2 at the end of 2016, to the Gendarmerie Nacional Argentina. The helicopter modernization was completed in the Helibras factory, in Itajubá, Brazil. The deal is part of the company’s initiative to seek new markets in view of the economic slowdown in Brazil, and also continue the supply of aircraft for the international market serviced by the company in South America.
The modernized AS350B2 “Squirrel,” completed for the
Argentine Gendarmerie, was originally manufactured and delivered by Helibras as an AS350B model to Argentina in 1989 to to carry out missions in internal security and national defense overseen by Argentina to dissuade and respond to threats, crises, contingencies and security incidents . The Modernization effort saw the AS350 upgraded from a B version to a B2, the refurbishment of the helicopter installing a new Safran 1D1 engine, main and tail rotor Arriel blades, full modernization of avionics and gauges in the cockpit and also
included conducting a “C” check on the helicopter and a full repaint. The upgrade process performed by Helibras enabling larger fleets a longer service life for their aircraft for lower cost than that of a purchasing a new helicopter. “The Argentinian Gendarmerie operates eleven of our aircraft, six of which are the AS350. We expect to extend this service to the rest of the Argentinian Gendarmerie fleet and we stand ready to support these upgrades,” said Dominique Andreani, Helibras Vice President of Business and Services.”
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LEONARDO AWARDED AW159 WILDCAT CONTRACT BY U.K MINISTRY OF DEFENSE Leonardo announced from Rome on January 9th that it had been awarded a £271 million (approximately $329 million USD) contract by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) to deliver support and training services for their fleet of 62 AW159 Wildcat helicopters operated by the British Army and Royal Navy. The five year contract was announced by Harriett Baldwin MP, Minister for Defense Procurement, during a visit today to Leonardo’s Yeovil facility in South West England. The contract will commence 1st April 2017 and confirms the price the MOD will pay for Wildcat training and support for the next
five years of the 30 year WIST contract awarded in 2012. Leonardo delivered the last of sixty two Aw159 Wildcat helicopters to the U.K Military in 2016. The WIST contract includes a spares provisioning service, enhanced technical support services including aircraft safety management, as well as delivering synthetic and ground based training for both aircrew and maintainers. The contract directly sustains over 500
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January 2017 | 27
HELINEWS | OEM BRIEF
EASA ISSUES FINAL APPROVAL FOR R66 TURBINE MARINE On December 20, 2016 EASA issued final approval for the R66 Turbine Marine pop-out float installation. After tests conducted in July demonstrated the pop-out float installation meets Sea State 4 requirements, EASA officially approved the Marine to be used in emergency situations and for commercial operations. Sea State refers to the height, period, and character of waves on the surface of a large body of water. The tests were conducted in Spain at a facility capable of simulating the required conditions. Robinson is pleased with EASA’s decision and looks forward to expanding the Marine’s market
FLIGHTCELL INTERNATIONAL ACHIEVES ISO 9001 CERTIFICATION Flightcell International Ltd, a leading provider of airborne integrated communications, announced in January that it has achieved ISO 9001:2015 certification for the design and manufacture of communications equipment for aviationFLIGHTCELL. Achieving ISO 9001 means Flightcell has implemented processes and procedures to consistently deliver product and services that meet customer needs and regulatory requirements. Another very important aspect is that the quality is continually delivered,
28 | heliweb magazine
monitored and improved. “Certification means that every department and business aspect of Flightcell International has been strictly assessed for compliance to ISO 9001:2015, through in an indepth review of every category of our operations,” says James Mace, Quality Director, Flightcell International. “This is another significant milestone for Flightcell International and it provides assurance for current and prospective customers that we are a highly-qualified provider of high quality communications products, services and solutions.”
SWISS ROTOR SOLUTIONS RECEIVES EASA STC FOR MAXIMUM PILOT VIEW KIT Swiss Rotor Solutions recieved certification for the Maximum Pilot View Kit (MPVK) in January, the aerial work safety and visibility solution for the Airbus H125 / AS350 has received Supplemental Type Certification (STC No. 10060578) from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The Maximum Pilot View Kit revolutionizes pilot visibility and operational safety via a completely new design, providing the pilot with an uninhibited field of view below and to the right side of the aircraft. The modification adds a new single piece bubble door to the aircraft, offering a significant increase in lateral visibility, and pilot headroom when leaning to the right, even when wearing a helmet.
A large lower viewing aperture and transparent fuselage window fairing significantly increases the vertical field of view forward, aft and directly underneath the aircraft by a factor of ten, compared to existing solutions. “The MPVK dramatically improves the capability and safety to perform demanding operations such as sling loading, firefighting, SAR/EMS, confined area operations, aerial survey, seismic, law enforcement and any other tasks performed in close proximity to terrain, obstacles and ground crews or when operating at remote landing sites.� said Patrick Andri, Chief Operating Officer of Swiss Rotor Solutions.
The STC was obtained with t h e s u p p o r t o f, a n d t h r o u g h working closely with our EASA 21J certification p a r t n e r, G V H A e r o s p a c e , who will also support serial installations and continued airworthiness. Designed specifically for t h e H 1 2 5 / A S 3 5 0 h e l i c o p t e r, the kit comprises two main pieces, with the new door accompanied by the lower vertical window assembly and associated floor and fuselage insert/frame. The MPVK can be installed by any EASA Part 145 with Small Rotorcraft H125/AS350 authorization with Base maintenance c a p a b i l i t y.
January 2017 | 29
HELINEWS | OEM BRIEF
TURKISH AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES DESIGNATES NEW LIGHT UTILITY HELICOPTER T-625 Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), known for making their own variants of the Airbus Helicopters Tiger helicopter and the Sikorsky UH-60, the T-128 and T70 respectively, designated their new helicopter as the T-625 recently as they continue towards the goal of developing their own twin-engine helicopter that will accommodate up to 12 passengers. The helicopter, slated to enter the fiveton light utility class is being designed primarily in a military capacity, with the design also capable of acting in multi mission deployment for other functions in the civilian market, with goals of competing in the light utility export market once the aircraft is certified. The company aims to compete with the likes of the popular Leonardo Helicopters AW139, already widely used in the market.
TAI has spent considerable resources developing a supply chain that will allow all manufacturing to stay local over the last ten years, thanks to lessons learned from earlier procurement of the Sikorsky based T70 (from the UH-60) and Airbus Tiger based T129 which have seen obstacles over the years with efforts by TAI to market their variants internationally. The company has high hopes for the helicopter, initially projecting a total of eight hundred aircraft being sold over the aircraft’s lifespan, projecting four hundred of those sales to be export sales. Initial planning to design and build the T-625 commenced in 2013 with TAI being awarded the contract to develop a light utility helicopter prototype commissioned by the Turkish Government that would
have military and civilian applications as well as the economic boost of increasing jobs in the country through the local procurement of parts along with local production and ongoing maintenance to stay in Turkey, although nothing has been announced in relation to plans for third party support for any helicopters exported to foreign countries. TAI has committed to a flyable prototype being in the air in the last part of next year, with initial design and testing work already underway. To execute the full development locally of the helicopter, the company still needs to design its own main gearbox and transmission for the helicopter and has enlisted the services of Turkish Defense contractor Aselsan to develop the helicopters electronic components and flight displays. No announcement has been made by TAI if they plan to develop a conventional or fly by wire control system for the helicopter. Initially, the T-625 will be supplied engines by the Turkish Light Helicopter Turbine Engine Company, which is a partnership backed by the experience of manufacturers Honeywell and Rolls Royce who have slated the company’s T800 engine as the powerplant for the helicopter. TAI has eventual plans to develop their own engine for the helicopter with local supplier TUSAS Engine Industries.
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CAE USA WINS $450 MILLION U.S ARMY SIM CONTRACT CAE global announced January 12th that their CAE USA subsidiary was awarded a United States Army contract to provide rotary-wing flight training instructor support services. Under terms of the contract, which was awarded as a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for over US$50 million for the transition and base one-year period, CAE USA will provide classroom, simulator, and live flying instructor support services for the U.S. Army’s Aviation Center of Excellence (USAACE) at Fort Rucker, Alabama. The total value of the contract, including the one-year base contract and then eight oneyear options through March 31, 2026, is expected to be more than US$450 million.
to focus on long-term training services that leverage our training systems integration expertise.” The U.S. Army’s Initial Entry RotaryWing (IERW) training program is responsible for providing the training required to qualify new Army helicopter pilots. Approximately 900 students annually receive academic (classroom), simulator, and live flying training on TH-67 Creek and UH-72 Lakota helicopters. Following graduation from the IERW training program, aviators are assigned to continue helicopter
training on one of the Army’s frontline combat helicopters (UH60 Black Hawk, AH-64 Apache, or CH-47 Chinook) or transition to the Army fixed-wing flight training program that is also run by CAE. The Army’s IERW program also supports initial helicopter training for the U.S. Air Force. Approximately 300 people will become CAE employees and will be based at Fort Rucker. CAE will be supported on the program by small business subcontract partners, including Navigator Development Group and Cardinal Point.
“We are honored the U.S. Army selected CAE once again as its training partner to support the instruction required for its new helicopter pilots,” said Ray Duquette, President and General Manager, CAE USA. “This contract for rotary-wing training instruction follows a major contract awarded by the U.S. Army to CAE for fixedwing flight training that will see us open a new training center in Dothan, Alabama in March. This is yet another example of CAE’s strategy
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HELINEWS | OEM BRIEF
UC AIRCARE FLIGHT TEAM MAKES IT TO AMTC SIMULATION FINALS AMTC 2016 has come and gone, but the excitement for one flight team from the University of Cincinnati’s Air Care program continues. The industry’s premier tradeshow was held in Charlotte NC in December and included the annual patient simulation competition. “This annual critical care skills competition utilizes the latest in patient simulation and features ten teams competing head-to-head to showcase their real time, actual situation skills in front of the AMTC audience.” As stated on the Association of Air Medical Services website. (AAMS) Of all teams that competed this year the Air Care Team was one of only four that made it to the simulation finals. The AirCare team made up of Flight Nurse Katie Kroeger, and Flight Physician Charlie Kircher spent months
preparing for the competition under the supervision of Air Care Medical Director Dr. Bill Hinckley. “We trained hard,” said Kroger. “We even made fake blood and liquid plasma for our bleeding patients; simulating the cooler we carry on a daily basis on our aircraft.” This year’s event marked the first time an Air Care team has made it to the finals. Dr. Hinckley added; “There was no gamesmanship here - Charlie and Katie just ran those sim scenarios exactly as they would if they encountered them on shift today with phenomenal skill, I could not be more proud of these two.” The two-day simulation competition was held during the annual AMTC Conference. Although described as a lot of fun it was intense and has the team looking forward to competing in next year’s competition set to be held in Ft. Worth Texas. “We
showed up, we competed, we made the finals, and I think we had the most fun doing it; the whole team, competitors, and supporters, it was a great time - I am already excited for next year.” Said Matt Gunderman, Program Director of Air Care & Mobilecare and former Sim Cup competitor himself.
ELBIT SYSTEMS AWARDED $17 MILLION CONTRACT FOR BRIGHTNITE SYSTEM
Elbit Systems announced January 17, 2017 that it was awarded a contract to supply groundbreaking, multi spectral BrightNite system to an air force in a NATO country. The contract,valued at approximately $17 million, will be performed over a thirty-month period. Low-flying helicopters are especially vulnerable to threats such as difficult terrain, enemy fire, and obstacles in the flight path. Missions must be performed both day and night and often carried out in DVE conditions,
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adding to the already heavy workload. Prior to BrightNite, flight crews have had to rely on night vision goggles (which have limited capabilities) to accomplish their mission. Factors like complete darkness, poor weather conditions, brownouts, whiteouts, and sandstorms limit the pilots’ Field of View (FOV).
Lightweight, compact and costeffective, BrightNite is a multi-spectral end to end panoramic piloting solution that delivers the landscape scenery
directly to both eyes of the pilot, including 2D flight Symbology and 3D mission symbology, enabling intuitive head-up eyes-out orientation flight in pitch dark and other low visibility landing conditions, including Elbit Systems’ unique brownout symbology. The picture displayed in this event is driven from a multi-spectral sensor which fuses multiple day and night cameras into one crystal clear very intuitive image regardless of outer light conditions.
TOLL RESCUE HELICOPTER SERVICE LAUNCHES IN AUSTRALIA Australia’s Toll Group has officially launched the Toll Rescue Helicopter Service in partnership with New South Wales (NSW) Ambulance to provide greater aeromedical services to communities of NSW in the Southern Zone. Patient rescue, retrieval and treatment services are now operating from the new Toll & NSW Ambulance Rescue Helicopter Base in Sydney. The new Southern Zone contract operated by Toll Helicopters will include rescue helicopter bases at Bankstown, Wollongong and Orange and Canberra. The Toll & NSW Ambulance Rescue Helicopter fleet is made
up of eight new purpose-built best in class Agusta Westland 139 (AW139) helicopters, which deliver the latest in performance, safety and innovation – assisting NSW Ambulance helicopter doctors and paramedics to reach patients in remote areas, faster than ever before. This contact forms part of the NSW Government’s new $151.2 million state-wide Helicopter Retrieval Network. Under the NSW Government’s Reform Plan for Aeromedical (Rotary Wing) Retrieval Services in NSW, the state has been divided into two distinct aeromedical
retrieval zones – the Northern Zone and Southern Zone. “This contract represents the start of a long-term partnership to deliver world class aeromedical and rescue services to NSW. The communities of NSW and ACT can be assured that they have the safest and most capable aviation operation supporting their ambulance care. We have extensive experience in helicopter services, and our pilots and aircrew are some of the most highly experienced and trained aviation professionals in the country,” said Mark Delany, General Manager Toll Helicopters
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HELINEWS|OEM BRIEF
Flying a fleet that has aircraft approaching fifty years in service, the Spanish Navy Air Arm, Flotilla de Aeronaves de la Armada (FLOAN,) is looking toward modernization efforts to keep their aircraft operational for a few more years. 34 |34 heliweb magazine | heliweb magazine
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NAVY S P A N IS
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Story and Images by
Patrick Roegies Paul Gross Marco Dijkshoom Hans Looijmans January2017 2017| |3535 January
The Spanish Navy’s Air Arm or Flotilla de Aeronaves de la Armada (FLOAN) located at Rota Navy Base in Spain operates both fixed and rotary aircraft from their base of operations. The Rota base location, selected as the unit’s headquarters due to the optimal positioning near the south coast of Spain, in the province of Cadiz, surrounded by other military assets including Spanish Navy ships and a Spanish Air Base.
ORIGINS FLOAN commenced operations out of Rota on the 26th of September 1953, after an agreement, signed between the Spanish and United States governments set forth the joint future use of NAS Rota as a Naval Air Base. During the same year, the Spanish Navy started forming their own Naval Air Arm and began training Naval Aviators. Suitable candidates then sent to the United States, where they began helicopter flight training. The helicopter flight training provided by Bell Helicopter at their company training heliwebmagazine magazine 3636| |heliweb
facility in Fort Worth, Texas. The first three graduates, completing their training on February 15th, 1954. Since that date, the Spanish Naval Air Arm has developed itself into an independent military body that can support all Naval operations by air.
Currently, FLOAN operates seven squadrons, of which four are helicopter squadrons, the other three units consisting of two fixed wing squadrons and one UAV squadron.
are made up of Hughes 369s, and Agusta/Bell AB212s. Both of the latter types, already in various stages of being modernized, the program implemented to extend the lifetime of the helicopters while also increasing their military effectiveness and capabilities with the addition of modernized military equipment and advanced avionics currently being installed on both aircraft types.
The Spanish Navy still flies a modest variety of helicopters within their operational fleet, the oldest helicopters being the SH-3 Sea King and the newest, the SH-60 Seahawk. Other helicopters completing the FLOAN airborne fleet
Lt. Ramòn Lacave Lena, a pilot with Escuadrilla 003 Squadron explained that the modernization program of the AB212 and Hughes helicopters is in progress currently. The upgrade work is being carried out by Spanish companies INAER
FLEET
SPANISH NAVY | AVIATION
according to Lena, is a limited maximum flight duration of only 2–3.5 hours, depending on load. Whereas, the SH60B has a flight time of at least 4 hours.
and SENER located in Albacete, Spain. With the first three helicopters completed in May of 2016, the squadron expects to receive all modernized helicopters before the end of 2018.
THE NEXT LIFE OF THE GATO Escuadrilla 003, or Squadron 3 the FLOAN squadron operating the AB212 helicopter, was commissioned in 1965. The Squadron, equipped initially with four Agusta-Bell AB204 antisubmarine warfare (ASW) helicopters. The AB204ASW served as the single ASW resource for FLOAN until the arrival of four Agusta-Bell 212 or “Gato” helicopters as referred to by the Spanish
Naval Air Arm in 1974, later joined by an additional two AB212s by the end of the year. The new helicopters were flown together with the AB204 as pilots developed proficiency in the newer twin-engine helicopters for several years until final phase-out was completed in October of 1978, seeing the retirement of the AB204. The Squadron received the last of twelve “Gato’s” ordered in the mid-1980s. Lt. Lena, a pilot at Escuadrilla 003, explained their squadron has a wide variety of appointed tasks. The AB212 is the only helicopter in the FLOAN operation able to deploy to all the naval vessels, except the F-100 class ship. The only downside the AB212 suffers is
The main tasks appointed to Escuadrilla 003, include operating with amphibious forces, both ashore or when operating from naval vessels. This includes the tactical transport of troops, fire support, convoy escort duties, maritime interdiction support, amphibious operations support and asymmetric threat defense such as light strike force and fast intruder attack craft, landing force support, armed reconnaissance, and rotary wing combat air support. The squadron also assists during deployment and recovery of operational units, patrol support of special forces, transport of personnel and cargo, search and rescue, ship vertical replenishment, casualty evacuation, and surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Shortly, the squadron’s duties will be expanded to perform maritime interdiction and surveillance.
January 2017 2017 || 37 37 January
S A M E C AT , N E W T R I C K S During the modernization program of the squadrons AB212s, the helicopters were fitted with new avionics, an infrared turret, and mission computer with moving map. The 212s analog displays and steam gauges replaced by four digital displays, including a tactical display system. The upgrade, also featuring radar enhancements and a Wescam MX-10 infrared camera connected to a mission computer able to integrate all acquired information into displays in the cockpit. A Bilon model 7.62caliber mini-gun is in the process of certification to be fitted to 38 | heliweb magazine
the AB212 as part of the defensive system upgrades to replace the older MG14 German manufactured gun currently installed on the AB212. The helicopter is also being delivered featuring a removable Kevlar coating mounted on the inside of the airframe to increase protection for the crew, the Kevlar protection, rated to resist small arms fire up to 7.62mm. Once the current modernization program the “Gato� is completed, the squadron expects the upgraded AB212s to stay in operational service with FLOAN until at least 2025.
O P E R AT I O N S A B R O A D Escuadrilla 003 has an impressive record of foreign deployments. Participating in Operation Enduring Freedom in the Red Sea, and the Persian Gulf in 2002, also flying combat operations Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. In 2005 the squadron provided humanitarian aid to Indonesia in the aftermath of the 2005 tsunami and again in 2010 after an earthquake in Haiti. The unit has also participated in UN missions in Lebanon in 2011 and 2012 and assisted anti-piracy efforts in Somalia during Operation Sofia providing maritime interdiction security.
SPANISH NAVY | AVIATION
Two other helicopters were acquired by the Spanish Navy Air Arm in 1972, and four more were delivered in 1974. By the early 1980’s the Spanish Navy was flying a total of 18 Sea Kings. The last new helicopter delivered to the squadron was also the last SH-3 manufactured by U.K manufacturer Westland before ceasing production. During the squadrons fifty years of operation, seven helicopters have been lost in accidents, costing the lives of 9 crewmembers. The Squadron currently operates the remaining ten helicopters with no immediate plans for retiring the fiftyyear-old airframe, although they are aware its service cannot continue indefinitely.
Although the Sea King is the oldest helicopter within the Spanish Navy inventory, it still plays a vital role within the naval air operations. Lt. Jorge Lens explained “the Sea King is unique due to its personnel carrying ability with a capacity of fifteen men when compared to the Seahawk that you would need two aircraft to carry a similar load,”
THE SACRED COW The oldest helicopter still flying in today’s Spanish Naval Air Force is the SH-3 Sea King, flown by aviators from Escuadrilla 005 (Squadron 5). The helicopter was the first in operation and has been flying since the day the squadron formed 50 years ago. The Squadron formed in 1966, when it received its very first Sea King, given the Spanish identification MORSA 501. The first helicopter was delivered from the USS Independence to NAS Rota on the 29th of June 1966. In the same year, five new SH3G’s were provided, followed by another six that arrived in 1967.
The main duty performed by the Sea King is troop transportation and amphibious insertion, but in recent years, three Sea Kings in the fleet were modified and equipped with anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and airborne early warning capabilities. The Spanish Navy decided to change the mission of these three helicopters to protect the Carrier Combat Group better. Additionally, a search water radar was integrated into the aircraft. In their AEW configuration, the SH-3’s could also operate as target reporting unit, and function in an aircraft controller function when taking part in strike missions.
The three Sea Kings performed AEW missions until 2001 when the mission was abandoned. The ASW configured helicopters were reverted to their original configurations to continue amphibious transport and search and rescue missions. The reason was given, that the SH-3 was aging and taking an enormous amount of effort to maintain the AEW systems which were running up operational costs.
COW STRIPPING Lt. Jorge Lens, an aviator who has been with the squadron for eight years, explains that maintaining the existing inventory of ten Sea Kings is a challenge. Both maintenance and overhauls are performed at Rota. Since the number of Sea King operators is decreasing. So too is the production of new spare parts, limiting the squadron’s ability to obtain required components.
KEEPING THE FLEET ALIVE In their efforts to keep enough parts, the Navy purchased a total of 5 SH-3 Sea Kings from the 509th AMARG aircraft storage facility located at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona to use for spare parts. The primary need in spare parts being the rotor blades and transmissions. Since the configuration is slightly different, not all parts of these helicopters can be used, and the maintenance department has to be very creative in acquiring specific parts. Besides parts, simulator capabilities for training purposes are now also limited. Crews would previously travel to the United States and Australia for
January 2017 | 39
simulator training. However, with the withdrawal from use of the Sea King from the inventories of the United States Navy and the Royal Australian Navy, simulator programs in those countries are now unavailable. This forced the Spanish Navy to look for alternatives. One alternative was the German Navy, who possessed a simulator. However, the configuration had too many deviations from the configuration used by the Spanish Navy, rendering it impossible to use. The second option found was in the United Kingdom, but costs exceeded the expectations of the Spanish Navy. Fortunately, the Spanish Navy was able to establish cooperation with the Canadian Air Force, one of the few left in operation around the world to use their simulators to satisfy their training needs. With both simulator resources and required spare parts being scarce, the question becomes for the Spanish Navy, not if, but when the SH-3 fleet will be
40 | heliweb magazine
completely obsolete. The current longterm plan is to replace the SH3 with the NH90 Maritime Tactical Transport Troop, which are expected to arrive from 2025 onwards. In the interim, the Spanish Navy will be acquiring several SH-60F Seahawks to fill the gap and be deployed in a tactical transport role.
ESCUADRILLA 005 - THE ARGO The Spanish Navy Hughes 369 fleet, given the name “Argo” by the Spanish, have been in service since 1972 and flown by the sixth squadron of the Spanish Navy. Having operated the Argo for over forty years. The helicopters have worked in many mission functions over the decades, including logistics, surveillance, forward air controller duties, zone reconnaissance and intelligence gathering. When taken aboard a ship, the Argo’s can function as air a communication center, transport both material and personnel between ships or between ships and land. Alternatively, the helicopters can work in a medevac role transferring patients if needed.
The Argo however, is now primarily used as a training aircraft for the larger helicopters in other squadrons. Originally receiving nine of the Hughes aircraft, only six are being retained by Escuadrilla 006, those six also having undergone a modernization effort to extend their operational lifetime. The remaining three Argo’s in the fleet have been decommissioned and used for parts, while the six operational aircraft were upgraded to a modern avionics suite, including GPS and the addition of an EFIS system. Work that was completed in 2015 that will see the fleet of Argo’s serve the Spanish Navy until at least 2025.
SH-60B SEAHAWKS The fourth rotary squadron in the Spanish Navy is Escuadrilla (Squadron) 010. This unit flies the latest helicopter type within the inventory, the SH-60B. The squadron has twelve SH-60B’s, the first acquired in 1988, followed by the delivery of another six SH-60B’s purchased via the foreign military sales (FMS) program in 2002.
During that same year, the first SH-60B’s were upgraded to bring the equipment and integrated systems up to the same technological standard as the SH-60B’s were being delivered in the second batch. The updated version is now referred to as the SH-60B Block 1 Core B standard.
SPANISH NAVY | AVIATION
combat information center when needed in that capacity during wartime operation. Given the versatility of the multi-purpose SH-60, it has a very wide range of capabilities.
The squadron is designated as a Light Airborne Multipurpose Squadron (LAMPS), meaning the configuration of the helicopters can be adjusted to fit many specific mission requirements.
Currently, the Escuadrilla 010 Sea Hawks can be deployed to assist missions in surface warfare, undersea warfare, search and rescue, medical evacuation, communications relay and naval surface fire support.
One of the primary functions of the helicopters is to operate as a real-time link between the helicopter and a Naval vessel, using sensors integrated into the helicopters to work as a forward airborne
The SH-60B’s were acquired primarily to operate from the Santa Mariá and Álvaro de Bazán class Naval vessels. Whenever one of these ships deploys to sea, typically an SH-60B will be sent on board,
pre-configured at Rota for its particular role during the deployment. The last few years, the squadron has permanently deployed two helicopters in the Indian Ocean including a 20-strong detachment as part of the endeavors to fight piracy in the area. Since its establishment, this helicopter squadron has participated in nearly all Spanish Navy operations all over the world. Including being integrated into the USS “Theodore Roosevelt” Carrier Group; standing NATO naval groups in the Atlantic and Mediterranean sea and –more recently– participation in the multinational coalition in Libya. Currently, the squadron is preparing for another deployment in Somalia.
Patrick Roegies is a 46 year old Dutch Aviation journalist and aviation photographer. Roegies has been writing military aviation related articles since 2003. Roegies has worked as a journalist writing feature content for multiple international aviation publications.
Left and Below: The Spanish Hughes 369 “Gato” is now one of the primary training helicopters in the fleet.
Left page: The old guard of
SH-3 Sea Kings is still flying for Spain
Right: The SH-60B is
expected to take the Spanish Navy into 2025.
January 2017 | 41
#helipix
A Royal Netherlands NH-90 NFH(Navy Frigate Helicopter) shot taken during World Harbor Days in the Netherlands. Photographer:
4242| heliweb | heliwebmagazine magazine
: Jeroen van Veenendaal
January January2017 2017| |4343
SAFETY, POWER PERFORMANCE NORD HELIKOPTER
With not even ten years in operation, Nord Helikopter, located in the town of Ålesund, Norway, is leading the industry with continued expansion and forward thinking that has allowed the company to grow from a single Robinson R44 operation in 2007, to a company now boasting eight AS350’s working around Norway. |heliweb 44 4444|| heliweb magazine heliwebmagazine magazine
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Norway, home to some of the most dramatic and spectacular scenery in the world, and some of the most tempestuous weather. With over five million inhabitants living among mountains, lakes, glaciers, and deep coastal fjords carving up the country. Building a sustainable infrastructure for a country with such rugged terrain throughout is a mammoth undertaking, where helicopters play a fundamental part. Construction, cinematography, gas and oil, sightseeing and search and rescue make up the lion’s share of helicopter operations in Norway. In the week we visited Norway nineteen tourists had to be rescued by helicopter off of mountains and Fjords in the area after underestimating the difficulty of the terrain or becoming lost.
LOCATION On the west coast, in the town of Ålesund, known for its Art Nouveau architecture and as a top tourist destination, stands the headquarters and main base of helicopter operations for Nord Helikopter. Established in 2007, Nord Helikopter started with a single Robinson R44, flying tours that showcased the breathtaking scenery of the area, later moving to offering VIP hotel transfers. Nine years later, the company boasts a fleet of eight Airbus AS350 helicopters. Comprising of an all Airbus Helicopters fleet of Astar models consisting of a B3+, a B3, and six B3e’s. The company has continually grown over the years, adding a new aircraft annually to compensate for the ever-increasing demand for services. Nord Helicopter also operates a second base in Norway, located five hours south of Ålesund in Bergen, the second largest city in Norway after the capital, Oslo. Nord Helikopter CEO Erlend Folstad has been in the helicopter business for over a decade. Folstad also held roles as the Managing Director of Fjord Helicopters and Head of Sales for Airlift Helicopters. Erlend brings a wealth of experience, passion, and determination to the organization, helping them remain the premier onshore helicopter company in Norway.
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Folstad’s infectious drive and determination have rubbed off on his team, who perform their various roles within the business with just as much passion, his team displaying a high level of professionalism and commitment to safety on the job.
(Two other major onshore helicopter operators), to construct 180 kilometers (111.8 miles) of new high capacity power lines to support the critical infrastructure of Norway, upgrading the existing lines, between the Norwegian towns of Namsos and Surna.
These factors combining recently when the company secured a four-year partnership with Heliscan and HeliTeam
The partnership, creating the country’s largest inland helicopter supplier, comprising of a total of twenty-two
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aircraft and seventy personnel spread between the three companies.
ØYSTESE OPERATIONS Øystese is a small town 47 kilometers (29 miles) west of Bergen, due to the mountainous terrain, it can take over an hour and a half to drive the 86 kilometer (53 miles) journey from Bergen but only
NORD HELIKOPTER | Safety, Power & Performance 10 minutes by helicopter. Perched halfway up a mountain on the outskirts of town, is a small, purpose built gravel staging area for constructing a new $3.6million power line across the valley. Stattnet, Norway’s state-owned enterprise responsible for construction, operation and ongoing management of the stem power grid, sub-contracted Nord Helikopter to help build the
new line while removing the current infrastructure. The staging area, packed full of winches, fuel and cable drums, pulleys, rows of insulators stacked in crates and other equipment, is a hive of constant activity with a stream of new materials coming in by truck daily. Back in the far corner almost hidden from sight, is a bright orange AS350B3e, one of the many assigned to this contract from Nord Helicopter, crewed by veteran pilot Kristian Backer and his loadmaster Asbjørn Engevik. Kristian has been a pilot for over twelve years and is one of sixteen permanent and freelance pilots employed by the company, working a fourteen on fourteen off rotation.
WEATHER COMPLEXITIES The weather in the construction area is not always great, suffering IFR conditions often, as low lying cloud is very typical for the area. Sometimes the weather lifts as the temperature rises, but some day’s progress slowly due to a combination of rain showers, low clouds, and fog that hampers progress. Backer informs us that two weeks before our arrival, it was clear blue skies and sunshine, but the eight weeks prior had been nothing but continuous rain, slowing progress to a crawl as the area became soaked by the most rainfall it had seen in over a century. As the day rolls on, Backer and other pilots on this contract must continually assess the weather around them. Constantly evaluating to avoid becoming stuck on the side of the mountain or flying in conditions that could see pilots become caught in weather that could lead to an Inadvertent Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IIMC) situation.
Weather in the area frequently sees warm moist air from over the fjords that gust up the mountains, causing the air to cool and condense, creating hazardous conditions in a matter of minutes.
Asbjørn, our loadmaster on the flight, is one of nine working for the company who are all commercial pilots. The loadmasters working for Nord Helikopter are required to complete at least two years as a loadmaster before starting their flight training in the Astar for Nord. Asbjørn told us it is a great way to learn about the job and the industry while gaining vital knowledge from very experienced pilots. Their role as loadmasters involves many tasks to make sure everything runs smoothly. Consisting of safely loading passengers, hooking up and securing cargo, refueling the aircraft, acting as a safety pilot, ensuring all aircraft equipment is available and serviceable, and making sure the helicopter is clean along with anything else asked by the pilot- Not a job for everyone no doubt. Passengers are not permitted to fly without a loadmaster escorting them in and out of the aircraft - including being dropped at off-site locations, limiting the carrying capacity of clients from five to four in the interest of safety. As soon as a break in the weather occurs, the crew immediately jump into action, spooling up the turbine. A previous load brief from the construction supervisor notifies the team of the type loads and the order they are to be transported. This, in turn, tells the loadmaster if they should get in the helicopter or stay behind to hook up any equipment or loads needing transportation to one of the offsite locations. Along the three kilometer span of the power line, there are multiple construction sites with as many as twenty-five workers that may require relocating to different spots on the project each day. Weather can vary drastically at each location due to the terrain, which further complicates a pilot’s day as well as the daily progress of the project. January 2017 | 47
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NORD HELIKOPTER | Safety, Power & Performance TONSTAD, NORWAY Two hundred kilometers directly south of Øystese, is the small town of Tonstad, A six-hour drive by road, this rural Norwegian town is the current staging area for a second major line construction from Feda, south through Øksendal to Tonstad. The new powerline is predominantly running parallel with the old power line for fifty kilometers as part of the Vestre corridor project. Nord Helikopters has three of the company’s AS350B3e helicopters working on this project. A week before our visit a fourth helicopter had to be transported back to Bergen for repairs after a chip light revealed metal filings in the main rotor gearbox. According to the manufacturer, the aircraft could have been flown for a couple of hours to get it to a repair station, but Nord Helikopters, with their safety first commitment, decided not to take the risk. The company, instead
choosing to load the aircraft on a truck and transport it back to Bergen for inspection and service. The three AS350’s operating on the Vestre corridor project each have designated staging areas spread over eight kilometers, the staging areas each covering three different operations required to complete the project; concrete pouring, tower erection, and cable pulling, also performing routine missions of moving people and equipment from each location.
EXECUTING THE MISSION Ship one, flown by Magnus Fridh from Sweden and Asbjorn Engevik his loadmaster, located at the northernmost staging are just 2km east of the town of Tonstad. Their primary responsibility, transferring cement loads from cement trucks into the field to lay the foundations for the multitude of towers erected as part of the project.
A 450-liter bucket hangs 100 feet below the aircraft capable of carrying about 1170kg (2580lbs). The bucket adding 60kg (132lbs) in weight and the long line adding another 20kg (44lbs) to the slung load. The total weight of 1306kg (2880lbs) bringing the sling load very close to the max gross weight of the AS350 at 1400kg (3086lbs). Although crews try to limit loads to between 1000-1100kg that will leave power in reserve if needed, some bucket loads carry as much as 500 liters, putting the total weight close to 1300kg (2866lbs.) Loads of this weight are only transported by the helicopter in cool, calm conditions with low-density altitude to ensure enough power reserve remains. Ship two, located 3km south of staging area one and is crewed by pilot Hans Marius Ringdal and his loadmaster Rikke Nilsen, one of only two female loadmasters in the company, the second being Kristine Holen, a twenty-one-year-old
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NORD HELIKOPTER EASA Commercial pilot making her way into the industry. From their staging site perched on the side of a mountain, they fly in the steel framework to construct the towers, where ground crews then assemble them in midair. Due to safety concerns, and depending on the weight of the load, it’s not uncommon for Ringdal to fly solo, to preserve every ounce of power required to hover the aircraft out of ground effect. While hovering some 200-300 feet in the air, an incredibly
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steady hand is needed to gently maneuver the giant steel loads into position without risking injury to the workers below. A task that Ringdal makes look easy. With winds not only affecting the aircraft but the underslung load, Ringdal says that no matter how many times he’s done this, it’s always his most nerve-wracking part of the mission for him. One slip in concentration could be catastrophic for everyone. Ringdal
Nord Helikopter supports multiple missions on the power project, including cement pouring, transport of workers and stringing the power lines by air.
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continuously scans his instruments and the load below, listening to the pitch of the turbine and always looking for a location to set down in the unlikely event of a forced landing. Letting out a long breath, Ringdal smiles as the ground crew gives him the all clear signal and unhook another heavy load. Aircraft three is operated by pilot by Karl Sygna and loadmaster Marcus Le Veau from Sweden. This crew having the dual tasking of cable pulling and flying Stattnet executives and engineers
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wanting to see how the project progresses when required. When conducting a cable pull, the helicopter is used to transport a thinner lighter line spooling from a drum at the location, which is then pulled as far as several kilometers away to a winching system. Pulleys located on the outer cross members of each tower have small arms pointing diagonally up and away from the tower, that allow the pilot to slide the cable down the arm through a gate, locking it into place. The pilot can then continue onto the next tower without the cable falling off. As far as complex operations go, this contract fulfilled by the team at Nord Helikopter has to be at the top of the list with some incredibly complex processes that all happen at once on this contract. From the pilots to the loadmasters and all the way to the general manager of the company, each of the
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companies staff shows passion for their work and the safety of all around them during this operation. As work continues on one of the largest power upgrades in Norwegian history, we left our time with Nord Helikopter with a newfound respect for those that fly in this challenging environment daily.
Having to deal with the pressures of safe operation all while keeping a constant eye on the ever changing weather in the area is something not every pilot could achieve on a daily basis, but one in which the team at Nord Helikopter seem to thrive.
Ross Ansell is a certified flight instructor and FAA ATP helicopter pilot, with an EASA Commercial Helicopter License. Ansell is also a CFII with a private and instrument rating in fixed wing aircraft and a regular contributor to Heliweb Magazine. Ross also owns and runs helicopter employment website chopperjobs.com
#HELIART A rear facing view of the CH-47F Chinook drawn by Marc freehand after seeing a picture on Instagram.
To see more of Marc’s amazing helicopter artwork You can find him on Instagram @marc_mpv
Although not a classically trained artist, Marc Veenendaal uses art to convey his vision as an industrial designer daily. Marc holds a bachelor of industrial design degree and draws aircraft art as a creative outlet from the daily grind as one of the most in demand industrial designers in Australia. Marc developed his love for sketching in university and now uses his illustrations of helicopters to express his love of aviation, which he shares through his instagram account that has over fifteen thousand followers. Marc uses the work of many photographers as inspiration for his art, in adition to using his imagination to create fictional aircraft, and artists impressions of aircraft not yet announced.
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MESA
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AIR OPS
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OLICE
S IN THE EAST VALLEY Story and Images
by Mark Bennett
The third largest metropolitan area in Arizona has continued to grow over the last thirty five years. The Mesa Police Department Aviation Unit has grown along with it, adding staff and aircraft to keep citizens protected from the air
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elcome to Falcon Field, Mesa, Arizona. Home to the Boeing plant where they make and remake AH-64 Apache helicopters. Home to MD Helicopters, and home to Airbase Arizona, the largest Commemorative Air Force facility in the country, complete with a B-17 Flying Fortress, B-25 Mitchell, and many others. Falcon Field is also home to the Mesa Police Department Aviation Section, commencing operations in the mid1980s with a single light twin-engine airplane seized from drug smugglers. That platform, quickly proving impractical, it was soon replaced with a Cessna 172N. In their early years of operation, the aviation unit flew mostly transportation and call-out surveillance missions. However, the city’s growth has gradually led to increases in the size of the department, which in turn has bolstered the number of both aircraft and staff assigned to the aviation unit to match that growth and the demand for the helicopter’s abilities.
MESA POLICE | AIR OPS IN THE EAST VALLEY In 1994, the first expansion for the unit was moving into rotary based operations with the addition of two MD 500Es. The expansion also meaning they needed to step up their cross-functional training to gain helicopter qualifications for pilots in the unit. This lead to the hiring of flight instructor qualified pilots from adjacent agencies to initiate an inhouse training program. Since the addition of rotary assets to the program, the fixed-wing side of the unit was augmented with the acquisition of a Piper 210. A third MD 500E added a few years later and, last year, the fleet had an additional expansion of capabilities, with an MD 530F joining the fleet. The intent, if budget allows, is to replace the MD 500E models with the newer MD 530F model. The 530F’s performance is ideal in the hot and high environment that is the Phoenix area, where the lowest high temperature is often 97 °F in summer, and the highest can often reach 118 °F. Staffing at the unit has expanded
over the years to eight full-time crewmembers plus support and management personnel. Depending on available manpower, the two-man crews are composed of either two pilots or a pilot and a non-rated tactical flight officer (TFO). All crewmembers are sworn police officers with all TFO’s that are hired, placed in the unit with a view to transitioning into pilot roles as training progresses and certifications are gained. Pilots selected for the Mesa Police Aviation Unit are brought up from within the department; requirements include having a minimum of three years patrol experience on the ground. Officers that meet the minimum can apply to join the unit as a part-time TFO as positions become available. If selected, and once training has been completed, the officer must serve a minimum of one year in the part-time role before being eligible to apply for a full-time position. This is the only route to full-time status for officers and is designed to sort the casually interested from those committed to a role in the unit. The unit also employs a rigorous testing process to qualify candidates for the initial slots, including basic police knowledge, geographical and situational awareness, multi-tasking abilities and, very importantly, compatibility with existing crewmembers. The training for incoming air unit staff is also rigorous. Consisting of in-house ground school, field training and evaluation flights. The flight training can be ab initio, if required, leading to a commercial license which, because of
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the current shortage of qualified flight crews, is being augmented by a local flight school. Transition training to the MD aircraft is handled in-house, as is quarterly training in emergency procedures, limitations, performance maneuvers, and recurrent training. All pilots also attend annual manufacturer training just across the airfield at MD Helicopters where they undertake emergency procedures and full down autorotation training in MD aircraft. While the department focuses on maintaining full-time crews, some parttime members fill in during scheduled or unscheduled absences. Of the unit’s part-time members filling pilot roles, several are
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retired unit members with many years of service and experience. Although some airborne units, elsewhere, only fly on a call-out basis when needed, due to budget constraints, Mesa flies patrol missions regularly, keeping an aircraft in the air during most daylight hours and targeted night patrols set during the busiest periods of the evenings. The unit also launches for call-outs between regular patrols when the need arises. A recent example was a response to the scene of an active shooter firing a rifle at passing motorists. The road had been closed off by the state Department of Public Safety and both DPS and Maricopa County Sheriff air units had been searching for a suspect in the area. When
Mesa took over the search, night was rapidly approaching and, using NVGs and FLIR, they were able to locate the suspect’s vehicle, then the suspect, and talk a ground unit toward the location. A K9 unit was dispatched to the scene and released, resulting in the apprehension of the suspect. Mesa is a suburb of Phoenix which, at first thought, may raise a question as to why a suburb on the outskirts of a large metropolitan area like Phoenix, that has it is own air unit, would require additional air support. The answer lies in its population. With an estimated 465,000 people, not only is it third largest in the state, the current population represents a three-fold increase in the past 35 years. Several other large metropolitan agencies such, as the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department in Indiana.
The city that has the 13th largest urban population in the country, yet, have continued to strip the aviation unit year after year while they seek to fund other areas at the expense of air support for officers. The IMPD unit is currently only flying just over 300 hours a year with a single Bell 206 that is also the oldest in law enforcement service, a 1958 model. Some surrounding cities, like Cincinnati, Ohio, have large multi-helicopter police aviation units for smaller populations. Thankfully for the citizens of Mesa, Arizona, the police department and the city government had the forethought to continue expanding their aviation assets to match the population growth to provide air support to protect their ever-growing population. Mesa is far from a mere collection of housing developments with desert landscaping and public schools.
MESA POLICE | AIR OPS IN THE EAST VALLEY The city spans nearly 20 miles wide as the crow, or helicopter, flies. Even at 125 knots, it is a roughly seven-minute flight end-to-end. The city has two interstate-level highways running through it, bounding each end on the north and south, so the mass of houses and shopping centers and light industrial developments are accessible only by surface streets that are increasingly swollen with traffic. Pressure by developers on the city has led to building densities that are greater than in many other communities around the nation. That crowding further intensified by vast neighborhoods of mobile- and manufactured homes. Beyond housing are the shopping malls, hubs around which are smaller shopping centers and strip malls. The major thoroughfares further represent miles and miles of retail
shops. Highway US-60 runs along the southern border of the city which because the actual border is a further half-mile south of the highway, access to this narrow strip is often hampered by traffic onto and off that “Superstition Freeway,� as it is named. All that retail means plenty of work for Mesa Police when responding to thefts, robberies and any number of hundreds of other calls for service the agency receives on a daily basis. Combine the sheer call volume with the road congestion in the area and, sometimes, the most efficient means of rapid police response is from the air. The desert, especially in dry seasons (AKA almost any time of year in southcentral Arizona), can be sparked into a wildfire by humans or lightning. Unfortunately, recent budget cuts have limited the unit’s ability to respond with Bambi buckets, though they can still function as a surveillance platform,
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a mission they also perform in support of the fire department and groundbased law enforcement.
Chandler, Tempe, Apache Junction, and Queen Creek, when their call volume is low and as approved by a lieutenant.
The air unit often works with other law enforcement aviation units in the area. Regularly flying alongside Phoenix PD, Arizona DPS, and Maricopa County Sheriff air units, sometimes taking calls because they are the closest available unit, or assisting in a call if many aircraft are required as in the case of the active shooter mentioned earlier in the article.
With an increasing need for that support, the relevant constituencies are exploring the expansion of Mesa’s air unit into a regional one, with staffing from the adjacent agencies.
Mesa PD also supports surrounding communities that have no indigenous airborne support, including Gilbert,
The air unit is also far from complacent when it comes to safety relating to their airborne operations. (see Heliweb, June 2016, for coverage of their annual Safety Fly-In). In fact, despite decades of flying, in those nearly 60,000 flight hours the
unit has suffered only one serious accident (see “Aim for Black below). The unit staff is continually aiming to strengthen further their processes and preparations, currently building a Safety Management System to include a Flight Risk Assessment Tool that will supplant the IMSAFE interview conducted before each shift. Whether in patrol, search-and-rescue, or supporting ground patrols, the fire department, or airborne units from adjacent or overlapping jurisdictions, Mesa is a busy place from the air. The men and women of the unit are dedicated to the mission and carry it out with an eye on safety and service.
AIM FOR BLACK Engine failure. Low altitude. Late at night. Over closely spaced houses. It does not get much more cheek-clenching than that. That is the situation that developed just before 1 am on June 8th, 2014. The event happening quickly for officers Robert Hixson, at the time their most junior pilot, with only about 500 hours PIC, and Matt Sanford, a CFI for the unit who just happened to be substituting as TFO for another officer on that shift. The two were on patrol in June 2014, just before 1:00 a.m., over a residential area along the southern border of Mesa, when the MD 500E’s engine stopped. They had time for nothing but the most basic of autorotation setup, with not even time to flick on their landing lights to show the way as they closed on the ground.
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They aimed for a pitch black block of land across the road from homes where, thanks to training, skill, and teamwork, they brought the aircraft down safely.
Hard enough that the main rotor flexed and sliced off the tail boom, but soft enough that the pair was able to secure the craft and walk away unharmed.
MESA POLICE | AIR OPS IN THE EAST VALLEY “Mesa PD also supports surrounding communities that have no indigenous airborne support, including Gilbert, Chandler, Tempe, Apache Junction, and Queen Creek”
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PERSISTENCE PAYS OFF Mesa’s air unit was called on to assist in searching for a woman reported to be suicidal and missing from her home. The report included a description of the car she was believed to be in, a green Honda Accord sedan with a black hood and trunk lid. A GPS fix seemed to put the woman in a community south of Mesa, in Gilbert, Arizona. Officers Brad Christensen and Mike Traficano, TFO on that mission, responded to the area. The Gilbert location turned out to be a dead end but about 30 minutes later another GPS fix put her phone, at least, at a trailhead in South Mountain Regional Park, a massive public wilderness area that runs for several miles along the southern border of Phoenix proper. Arriving at the location, they were able to locate a car matching the description and called in Phoenix PD. A ground unit arrived shortly after but, seemingly not convinced that the automobile was the correct one, did nothing more than a cursory plate check and then departed. Traficano looked more closely at the vehicle and determined, as best he
could, that a woman was reclined, or slumped, in the driver’s seat. Traficano called on the Phoenix Fire Department to attend on a hunch that it was the missing woman. Apparently, due to the Phoenix Police’s assessment of the situation, they declined even to respond. Frustrated but still sure that this was the woman in her vehicle, he again contacted Phoenix PD and urged them to conduct a more thorough evaluation. Finally, a ground unit returned to the scene and inspected the interior of the car. There they found the woman, unresponsive due to a prescription drug overdose. They called the fire department whose paramedics transported her to a hospital. Doctors there reported that the woman was very near death and would have soon expired if she had not been rescued. For their persistence in locating the woman and calling in the supporting units, Officers Christensen and Traficano were awarded the City of Mesa Police Department Lifesaving Award.
Mark Bennett has been in aerospace advertising, marketing, and journalism for 27 years. Working with major manufacturers and suppliers, civilian, para-public and military operators, his writing and images appear in publications such as Rotor & Wing, Vertical, Heliweb Magazine, Air & Space Smithsonian, Aviation Week & Space Technology.
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Rotorheads
Danielle Fuller
HEMS Pilot - Air Methods Story by Ryan Mason
Fuller at her first EMS posting in Merced, California with Mercy Air 32 in July, 2013 6464| heliweb | heliwebmagazine magazine 64 | heliweb magazine
PILOT PROFILE | D A N I E L L E F U L L E R Fuller knew she wanted D anielle to be a pilot at the young age of
fifteen. She not only knew helicopters were her aircraft of choice but also knew that she wanted to be an EMS pilot. Growing up in Sonora, California and still being an impressionable teenager, she found herself being pushed towards more practical career options initially, although that detour would eventually help in her efforts to pursue flight training in the future. Not having enough information on the helicopter industry and how to achieve her goal, Fuller put her dream on the back burner. She gained a cosmetology license while still in her final year of high school, giving her the ability to earn and save money while she attended college. “I started college thinking I wanted to become a lawyer; something that was in my head, but never in my heart,” Fuller explains. During her second year of college, Fuller took a career life planning class, which incorporated a series of personality tests, helping guide the students toward a choice of study or career path best suited to them. This rekindled her desire to pursue aviation as a career. Not knowing where to start, she went to the airport in her hometown, where PHI Air Medical has a helicopter base. She met Brian Moneybrake, one of the pilots at the base, who also happened to be a flight instructor with a strong passion for teaching. Once Moneybrake discovered Fuller’s ambitions of being a helicopter pilot, he offered to start providing her with the ground school she would need, at no cost, while on duty at the base; an offer that she readily accepted and began focusing on immediately. During her time there, Fuller also had the chance to ride along in the base’s BK117 twice, experiencing the industry firsthand, and reaffirming what she believed to be her calling. Her parents would not entertain the idea of flight school until she had at least completed her Associate’s degree. They always tell me “You need to finish what you start,” says Fuller. By the time she was in her third semester, she was taking an expanded course load to
graduate early and begin flight training as soon as possible. While only three units shy of earning her degree in three semesters, Fuller discovered an “independent study” program that offered college credits for experience gained in the real world, in areas of study not offered at the college. She discussed the program with her mentor, who offered to meet with the Dean and see if they would approve flight training in exchange for the credits needed to graduate. As luck would have it, Fuller was able to gain those credits towards her degree by attending flight school. Finally, on January 2nd, 2007, at age 19, she took the plunge, starting her flight training in a Robinson R22, at Mazzei Flying Service, based in Fresno, California. Throwing herself headfirst into training, Fuller attended flight school four days a week, before returning home each week. Working the other three days in a beauty salon to continue saving money towards the costs of her flight training, which Fuller’s grandmother also offered to match her earnings for, to assist in offsetting the costs involved. The stipulations set forth by the Dean to satisfy the requirements for the degree meant Fuller needed to to obtain her private pilot rating within the timeframe of the spring semester; a task that she accomplished in only seven weeks.
Wasting no time after graduating flight school and beginning her career as a pilot, Fuller secured work with the ill-fated Silver State Helicopters as a flight instructor, based at the Camarillo Airport in Southern California. As fate would have it, unfortunately for Fuller, she had started with Silver State Helicopters when the writing was already on the wall of their demise. After only two months as an instructor, the company folded their operations, leaving over eight hundred people without jobs. Fuller spent the next year and a half working as an instructor for various companies around California, relentless in her pursuit to build flight hours. In 2009, after passing the thousand hour mark, she was eager to make a run at becoming a tour pilot in Las Vegas, a highly sought after “entry level job,” in the helicopter industry. A friend had told her that Sundance Helicopters would be hiring eight pilots in April, even though the company usually only hires pilots in January for the upcoming season.
Fuller commenced flight training at age 19 on January 2nd, 2007. Photo credit: Keegan Rogers
Her ambition and prior ground school training drove her to complete her first solo flight in just four weeks on Jan 31st, 2007. In May 2007, she graduated from Columbia College, with an Associate of Arts degree, and already five months of flight training under her belt. By August of of the same year, she had completed her Commercial rating, followed by her Certified Flight Instructor rating in October, and Instrument Flight Instructor rating in November. January 2017 | 65
Fuller launching on a flight. Photo credit: Air Methods/John Kwiatkowski
Although dejected, Fuller was offered a tour of the facility before she left, which she took. In a stroke of luck, as Fuller was leaving, she was stopped by the Chief Pilot, who told her that he had just received a phone call from one of the pilots in the hired group who could no longer take the job. Fuller happened to be at the right place, at the right time. She was told that spot was hers if she wanted it. Ten days later, she began training for her first turbine job in the helicopter industry, a position she stayed with for three years. Fuller, seeking a change in scenery, moved to Hawaii, securing a position with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters in 2011. Still looking to further her aviation experience level with other opportunities before jumping into EMS, she continued pursuing additional goals. Fuller, who is a self-confessed “serial networker” was speaking with well-known motion picture pilot Aaron Fitzgerald, owner of Airborne Images, who told her that the owner of Angel City Air, Larry Welk was in Vegas, and set up a meeting between the two. 66 | heliweb magazine 66 | heliweb magazine
That meeting led to Fuller spending her off days in the canyon traveling back to L.A to train with Aldo and Larry at ACA, to prepare her for her next desired role as an ENG pilot. At that time, ACA had just taken over the NBC LA contract and required a new pilot to fill the open slot. She took to ENG flying quickly and left Vegas soon after to work full-time for Welk at ACA, flying the NBC4 AS350B2, where she would stay for a year until her next opportunity came up. Around the same time she transitioned from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, Fuller returned to flight school, working through her fixed wing ratings, one at a time. Gaining her private rating in Las Vegas in 2011, followed by an instrument, then single engine land commercial ratings in Los Angeles in 2012. Finishing out with a multi-engine commercial rating in 2013. “This was the slow, painful, ‘pay as you go’ method,” she explains, “the opposite approach from devoting myself full time, like I had with my helicopter ratings.” Fuller was never one to hide her career aspirations in wanting to
become an EMS pilot. With the minimum requirements to become a HEMS pilot, that once seemed so distant and hard to achieve, in the rear view mirror, it was time for her to look at transitioning to the role she had wanted since she was a teenager. The next opportunity in Fuller’s career came to fruition with assistance from Wayne Richardson, currently the Welk Aviation Director of Operations. Richardson had come to Welk from a position as a Regional Aviation Director for Air Methods, and after speaking with Fuller several times and hearing her passion for the Helicopter EMS world, he reached out to a friend of his, who had replaced him in his position with Air Methods in California. Before she knew it, Fuller had an interview lined up, and a job offer the same day. “I could not believe that at the age of fifteen, I had a dream of flying EMS helicopters, and at age twenty-five, I was offered the opportunity to join the largest EMS operator in the country,” Fuller says. Although leaving Welk and the many friends she made there was a hard choice, the role that she had set out
PILOT PROFILE | D A N I E L L E F U L L E R to achieve was finally a reality, Fuller starting her first HAA role working in Merced, California for Mercy Air, flying a Bell 407. While at Mercy Air, Fuller had a “full circle” moment when called to a scene flight that required multiple helicopters to respond. As she landed, she found that the PHI helicopter from her hometown had also landed to pick up a patient, with the same crew members that Fuller had visited as a teenager when beginning her journey to become a pilot. Air Methods, having 300+ bases all over the country, appealed to Fuller, allowing opportunities for pilots to transfer within the organization. After spending a weekend in Nashville, Tennessee, Fuller had her eye on the next program she wanted to join. While waiting for a position with one of the Vanderbilt hospital-based programs to open, Fuller noticed a posting in Evansville, Indiana with St. Mary’s Life Flight, located about two hours north of Nashville. She jumped on the opportunity to transfer, and not long after she settled in at her new base, was set up on a blind date with her flight nurse’s son, Brian, a Naval Aviator and Patrol Plane Commander of the Boeing P-8, Poseidon. The two hit it off and are now engaged.
who hold an ATP certificate in either airplanes or helicopters, so Fuller set the goal to become one of the elite few to hold this combined rating. Fuller credits Air Methods’ for their employee tuition reimbursement program, which allowed her to earn her airplane CFII rating through the Florida State College Jacksonville, professional pilot program. However, upon investigating any accommodations that may allow her to continue to gain the hours needed around her seven on, seven off schedule with Air Methods, Fuller was unsuccessful. Still determined to succeed, Fuller approached Air Methods, seeking a solution to support a flight instructing job opportunity that would allow her to build the hours she needed rapidly. Air Methods agreed to allow her to become a relief pilot, a job that Fuller says is “pretty much the best job in the world. I get to travel the country and cover schedule gaps where I am needed. I could be in California one week, Alabama the next, or like today, be in Soldotna, Alaska covering an open spot.” So with her relief pilot position settled, and all the PIC hours needed for the Airplane ATP, the only requirement lacking was roughly 20 hours of multi-
engine airplane time. While working in Valdosta, her serial networking abilities paid off yet again, when she befriended a King Air 200 pilot that flew for a part 91 operation. She asked about right seat opportunities, and shortly after was offered a copilot position on enough flights to help achieve the hours needed for her ATP. Not only did Fuller successfully earn her Multi-Engine Land ATP, with two weeks to spare, but was also offered a permanent, part-time position, copiloting the King Air, when her schedule allowed. Her goal, to build up enough time to fly for Air Methods’ in both fixed wing and rotary operations. Additionally, Fuller earned her single engine sea commercial airplane added rating in August 2016 at Jack Brown’s Seaplane Base. Her career had yet another “full circle” moment when she returned to Mazzei Flying Service again in November 2016 where she completed her Multi-Engine Instructor rating. Now tipping the flight hours at over 4600 total hours, Fuller reflects on her career thus far as one that has had low points, but many more highs due to the good fortune she has had along the way to work with some of the greatest people and operators in the industry.
The weekly commute from Indiana to Jacksonville, FL, where she and Brian had purchased a home, became grueling, so Fuller put in for a transfer to an Air Life Georgia base, in Valdosta. In September 2015, two months before the move, Fuller was scheduled for her annual recurrent check ride and given the opportunity to simultaneously take her Helicopter Airline Transport Pilot checkride with the FAA. After achieving her helicopter ATP certificate, Fuller was motivated to seek out obtaining her fixed wing ATP. While she had previously completed the written examination in July 2014, she, unfortunately, lacked the hours required for the practical portion of the flight exam, which had a deadline of July 31st, 2016 to accomplish this goal. Statistically, there are only 2,322 pilots with dual ATP ratings (Helicopter and Airplane) out of roughly 154,000 pilots
“The best job in the world” is how fuller describes her job as a relief pilot for Air Methods. January 2017 | 67
PILOT PROFILE | D A N I E L L E F U L L E R “I have had some of the most inspirational mentors help me throughout my career, and still seek their guidance and support to this day.
accept a flight. I will always remember the night a call came in, about four hours before fog was forecasted to settle.
The learning never stops, but now I hope to be able to return those favors to those that are where I once was,” Fuller says.
However, I was watching the temperature/dew point spread close in and didn’t trust that just because it was clear at that moment that I would be able to complete the transport in VFR conditions safely. I listened to my intuition and declined the request.
It is also not lost on Fuller what it takes to get the number of flying hours she has safely. “Flying may be my passion, but safety is my top priority. I have two crew members lives to consider as well as my own every time I
Sure enough, the field was socked in within the next hour. I have never been pressured to
take a flight by the crew or by Air Methods. That is precisely the mindset our industry needs to continue to foster; help those in critical need, when it is safe to do so. The tones going off can create a surge of adrenaline pumping through your body, and people can be naturally driven to rush out and save the day. However, that is when it is important to take your time, make sound decisions and never accept any unnecessary risk that will jeopardize the safety of the crew.” Said Fuller.
Fuller snapped by Fox 11 photographer Kevin Takumi flying the Welk Aviation run NBC4 News AS350 over Los Angeles 6868| |heliweb heliwebmagazine magazine
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Fuller all thumbs up after achieving her Sea Plane rating in Winterhaven, Florida in August of 2016. 7070| |heliweb heliwebmagazine magazine
PILOT PROFILE | D A N I E L L E F U L L E R Left: Fuller is snapped using NVG’s by Air Methods during training. Photo credit: Air Methods/David Bock Below: Flying an AS350 for Welk Aviation for ENG work in Los Angeles was highly demanding work. Just another career accomplishment for Fuller. Photo credit: Glen White
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#rotorheads
Danielle Fuller
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“Flying may be my passion, but safety is my top priority. I have two crew members lives to consider as well as my own every time I accept a flight.�
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LENS BEHIND THE
Story by Ryan Mason
PHOTOGRAPHER PROFILE
Gunnar
Ã…kerberg
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I
n the world of aerial photography, having an eye for composition is only a small portion of the skillset required, according to Gunnar Åkerberg. Åkerberg is an air to air photographer from Stockholm, Sweden, who says that he gained his skill in the business through a trial and error process of making many mistakes along the way. Stating that he has learned his skill through many shoots, somewhere the results were less than desirable, but as with any failure, providing a lesson in what not to do the next time. Which eventually led to more quality results with each new shoot. “The thing that most without experience in this field do not realize is the amount of work that goes into learning air to air photography to get consistent results. Shooting helicopters air to air is a lot harder than shooting fixed wing.” said Åkerberg. “Especially compared to jets with no rotor blades” he added.
Referring to himself as a “purist,” he chooses not to use any stabilization equipment, preferring to shoot handheld. Often capturing a crystal clear shot at 1/20th of a second, which is a difficult task even in perfect conditions.
Åkerberg grew up in a large family as one of six children and can trace his earliest interest in photography back to his mother and one of his brothers who also had an affinity for photography.
Perfecting his skills in shooting everything he could, Åkerberg started shooting aviation based subjects regularly in the late 1980’s and 90s with a Pentax MX film camera in the days before digital.
The aviation addiction manifested during the same period. The house he grew up in, located only a short distance from Stockholm’s Bromma Airport, where Åkerberg developed a fascination for everything flyable, watching planes and helicopters fly over his childhood home many times daily.
The MX was a fully mechanical camera that required manual focusing and had none of the automatic settings of today’s cameras, such as auto exposure or aperture management.
A passion that only grew stronger as he completed his military conscript service in the Swedish Air Force, a mandatory requirement in Sweden, where he served in the north of Sweden at F 21 Norrbotten Wing in Luleå. His military service coming in handy in later life when on photography assignments and with several different aviation-related associations he volunteered to help, including the Stockholm regional chapter of the Swedish Aviation Historical Society (SFF) where he serves as the regional chairman.
Åkerberg also developed his own black and white film, producing prints in a darkroom he created in his house. Finally upgrading to a camera with some automated features in the late 90s, Åkerberg’s first camera in the modern SLR world that still predated digital was a Canon EOS 50 SLR camera sporting autofocus and auto exposure, progressing to a digital setup for good in 2005 with a Canon EOS 5D DSLR. Åkerberg would likely be snapped up for steady work as a photographer based on his obvious skill, but instead, prefers to treat photography as a hobby and passion.
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Åkerberg works in the corporate world for a retail company in Sweden and spends his free time shooting operations while traveling with his girlfriend, Carina, who is also an amateur photographer. The pair frequently travels together when Åkerberg’s passion for aviation photography takes him to other countries using free time to take part in aviation photography where possible. Åkerberg’s aviation work is regularly published in a number of international magazines and has also featured in multiple historical aviation books published on various aircraft. Åkerberg also finds time to provide freelance content for Swedish aviation magazine “FLYGREVYN,” a magazine he has been a regular contributor to since 2001. “Traveling and shooting for different publications gives me opportunities to fly in many different types of aircraft and helicopters. Visiting trade shows, aviation museums, airshows, aircraft manufacturers, military air bases and Military exercises. I have been fortunate enough to travel through much of Sweden, Europe, China, New Zealand, Russia, Canada and the USA.” Having completed photo assignments over the years ranging from small private operators to large rescue helicopter operations, Åkerberg has written many stories with accompanying photography over the years, including a series of articles about the Swedish Armed Forces Helicopter Wing and their different assets. “Shooting in these various countries has its challenges, but can also be very rewarding. I have gained much experience, met many interesting people and gained valuable contacts along the way,” he said. Although planes are still something he enjoys, Åkerberg is partial to the unique challenges that shooting helicopters offers. He ranks his favorite aviation shoot as one he completed on assignment in Norway covering Search and Rescue operations that took place in the Arctic Ocean near Spitzbergen, Norway. Recalling the freezing day he was asked to become part of the training mission he was shooting. He was then hoisted from an inflatable boat into an Airbus AS332 Super Puma, giving him a unique angle for his photos that very few photographers are fortunate enough to see, let alone shoot. heliwebmagazine magazine 7676| |heliweb
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“When you get a chance to follow the crew of a rescue helicopter on a training mission like that, you learn to understand and fully appreciate the efforts of the rescue swimmer and the rest of the crew who often work under very harsh conditions.
Although multi-platform social media may not be his thing, Åkerberg chose to start an Instagram account a few years ago that has amassed close to 30,000 followers. Instagram being a photography centric platform he finds easy to use and a fun way to share his work with an audience. Although he is hoping to eventually launch a website that will provide another platform to share his work.
The mission was also more memorable for me due to an unwelcome visitor that made our team move a little quicker due to a curious polar that was not far from our location taking a little too much All of his many hundreds of images interest in what we were doing that day.” shared, taken with Canon camera bodies, of which he currently has six, Åkerberg rates highlighting his ranging from a 5D through to the latest work as one of his worst traits in the 5D Mark IV and also has an older 1D business, stating “I am-am not very Mark II and cropped sensor 7D body. good at promoting my work, I do not When asked why he had so many, run a website, nor can you find me on Åkerberg stated that he could not bear Facebook.” to get rid of any and likes to have
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ns th e Le Be hin dGunnar Ă…kerberg backups if ever needed as well as having certain functions on particular bodies that may work for specific shoots he doesost situations while in the air and have enough focal length. Also, keeping a 24-105 handy for extra flexibility as well as a few others for when the situation requires. When asked about the best advice he could share with someone wanting to get into air to air photography, Ă…kerberg stated “Anyone thinks he or she can do this kind of work, the reality is that few can pull off heliwebmagazine magazine 8282| |heliweb
consistent results that are dynamic. I would tell anyone that wanted to do this sort of work that it is not all about the photography side. You also have to have persistence and an engaging personality. You still have to get in the door of an operation, and there is no place for egos. I try to get along well with all the people I shoot with and sometimes things have not worked out because of weather or other
issues related to the aircraft. I once went to shoot an annual military flight in Sweden where many Saab SK60 military training planes complete a formation flight at sunset close to Christmas. The planes fly in a tight formation stacked to look like a Christmas tree from the ground. I set off to go to the base, and the weather turned so
bad that the flight was canceled. I returned home without a single shot. The next year I was asked back and had zero expectations of the shoot, knowing that weather could again cancel the flight, but as it turned out, the weather held, and I was able to secure one of the shots I look at as both a reminder to persevere and a personal favorite of mine.
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Photo credit: Dan Megna, Mesa Police Aviation Unit. Mesa, AZ
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