All six people on board an Airbus H125 (AS350B3e) civilian helicopter that crashed in northern Norway on Saturday afternoon have died, the police reported on Sunday. According to reports, the helicopter was operated by the Norwegian company Helitrans. There were five passengers from Norway, all in their early twenties, plus a Swedish pilot. One survivor found at the crash site southwest of Alta later passed away at the hospital.
The crash occurred in Skoddevarre, near Alta, Finnmark. The helicopter was operating local sightseeing flights during the “Høstsprell” local music festival.
– Gualter Helicopteros appointed as Kopter Group distributor for Brazil. – Kopter’s SH09 is exhibited at LABACE in Sao Paolo from August 13th to 15th.
Kopter Group (Kopter) is starting the active promotion in Brazil of its SH09, the next generation single engine helicopter, with the appointment of Gualter Helicopteros as its representative & distributor.
The partnership between the two companies was signed on the first day of the LABACE 2019 exhibition, which is taking place in Sao Paolo from August 13th to 15th. Christian Gras, Kopter Executive Vice President Customers declared on this occasion: “With more than 30-year experience in the helicopter business and having introduced several helicopter models in the Brazilian market, Gualter Helicopteros is the right partner to ensure the success of the SH09 in Brazil. The team has an impressive track record, having sold over 600 new and used helicopters on the Brazilian and South American markets”.
Brazil, which has a solid aeronautical tradition and is the world third largest aircraft industry, counts today more than 1,800 helicopters in operations, including a large part of single engine models. It represents a unique opportunity for Kopter’s SH09 as the helicopter perfectly meets the market expectations for a modern, performing and cost-effective platform to replace an aging fleet.
For the first time, Kopter is showcasing the full-scale mock-up of its SH09 in Brazil at the exhibition. The SH09 is fitted with a seven-seat transport configuration (five passengers and two pilots) developed and installed by Metro Aviation. The mock-up also features the Garmin G3000H, a state of the art avionics suite for which Kopter is the launching customer. The G3000H will be integrated in the SH09 since the very first delivery. It will significantly reduce pilot workload, increase situational awareness and boost the aircraft’s operational safety margins.
The multi-role SH09 helicopter is a highly adaptive and versatile platform to transport passengers with the highest levels of safety, comfort and visibility. Its large cabin offers the volume and flexibility typically seen on light-twin helicopters only. It allows multiple interior layouts that provide ample legroom as well as flexibility for added luggage loaded through the rear clamshell doors. The helicopter’s low vibration levels with its five-blade main rotor, as well as the silent noise signature of the shrouded tail rotor, create the ultimate flying experience.
The SH09 is generating a strong response on the worldwide market, having today a total number of orders amounting to 70 units, to which another 100 LOIs are to be added. Kopter looks forward to welcoming Brazilian operators to its list of customers.
MD Helicopters, Inc. (MDHI) announces its participation in the 2019 Airborne Public Safety Aviation Convention (APSCON), July 17-19, 2019 at the CHI Health Center, Omaha, NE. The MDHI display will feature a company-owned MD 530F configured with the type-certified Block 1 all-glass cockpit, newly designed side mounts, and critical vision mission equipment from Trakka Systems. The MD 530F on display is one of two MDHI research and development assets dedicated to ensuring technological and performance improvements for the iconic 369FF airframe.
“Continuous improvements, innovation, and service to airborne law enforcement and public safety operations have been at the core of MD Helicopters’ business for more than 50 years,” said Lynn Tilton, Chief Executive Officer for MD Helicopters, Inc. “Through investment in product design and internal research, development and testing, we are able to deliver next generation capabilities that improve performance, reduce pilot workload, and ensure that reliability, affordability and optimal operational readiness remain hallmarks of the MDHI brand for the next 50 years and beyond.”
Current MDHI customers and interested operators who visit the MDHI booth at the 2019 Airborne Public Safety Aviation Convention (APSCON), will be able to learn more about the following offerings:
Certified Glass Cockpits
MDHI has type-certified for production, and as a type-design option, advanced, all-glass cockpits for the MD 530F and the MD 600N. Certification efforts are ongoing for the company’s other single-engine models. The Block 1 glass cockpit for the MD 530F single-engine helicopter features:
Howell Instruments Electronic Engine Instruments and Crew Alert System (EICAS)
Optional L-3 ESI 500 Electronic Standby Instrument
Advanced Mission Equipment Installation
In order to accommodate installation of the widest range of mission critical vision technologies, MD Helicopters designed and is currently certifying innovative new side mounts that will allow effortless integration of critical EO/IR and searchlight equipment. The mounts are purpose-built to support law enforcement-preferred left-hand command configurations for vision solutions.
On display at the MDHI booth, #1001, are EO/IR and Searchlight solutions from TRAKKA Systems.
TrakkaBeam® TLX
TC-300 high performance multi-sensor surveillance system
Aftermarket & Customer Support Programs
The MD Helicopters Aftermarket and Customer Support teams continue to focus on innovation and responsiveness. Both the easy-to-use MyMD.aero customer portal and the Aftermarket Center of Excellence (ACE) have played integral roles in ensuring optimal operational readiness for the global fleet of MDHI-brand helicopters.
Demo Flights
MDHI has limited availability for demo flights while in Omaha. Interested organizations with current acquisition plans can request a demo flight either prior to show open (July 14 or 15), or immediately following the close of APSCON 2019 (July 19 or 20). Request should be submitted through your MDHI Business Development Director.
“We have great respect for our law enforcement operators, the job they do and the sacrifices they make each and every day, and it is for them that we remain focused on manufacturing the best helicopters with the most advanced, most affordable, most capable systems available.”
(Reuters) – Ten people were killed on Sunday when their private turboprop airplane crashed into a hangar during takeoff and burst into flames at the municipal airport in Addison, Texas, outside Dallas, an airport official said.
The twin-engine Beechcraft BE-350 King Air was destroyed by fire from the crash, according to Darci Neuzil, deputy director of Addison Airport, a general aviation facility located about 10 miles (17 km) north of downtown Dallas.
She said the plane had been headed for Florida when it took off at about 9 a.m. local time. Nobody on the ground was reported hurt, Neuzil added.
The plane had just lifted off the runway at the south end of the airport when it veered left, dropped its left wing and slammed into the hangar, the Dallas Morning News reported online, citing Addison fire department spokesman Edward Martelle.
There were no survivors among the 10 people who were aboard the aircraft, Neuzil said. Their identities were being kept confidential as authorities worked to notify next of kin.
“It’s a very sad day for Dallas County,” a local judge, Clay Jenkins, told the Dallas Morning News, which reported the plane had been en route to St. Petersburg, Florida. “My prayers are with the families we’re notifying about this tragedy.”
There was no official word on the cause of the crash. CBS News, citing unnamed sources, reported that the plane lost an engine on takeoff.
Video footage of the immediate aftermath showed flames and heavy, dark smoke billowing from the hangar, which according to local media was unoccupied at the time. Still photos posted online also showed a large gash in the side of the building.
Investigators from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board were due to arrive on the scene later in the day, Neuzil told Reuters.
No further details about the circumstances of the crash were immediately available, Neuzil said.
Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles and Daniel Wallis in New York; Editing by Sandra Maler
Kitty Hawk,the flying car company backed by Google’s Larry Page and led by Udacity co-founder Sebastian Thrun, has struck a deal with aerospace giant Boeing.
The terms of the strategic partnership are vague. But it appears the two companies will collaborate on urban air mobility, particularly around safety and how autonomous and piloted vehicles will co-exist.
Kitty Hawk’s portfolio of vehicles includes Cora, a two-person air taxi, and Flyer, a vehicle for personalized flight. The partnership is focused on the fully electric, self-piloting flying taxi Cora, according to the announcement.
Click the link below for the full story and video!
Paris, France, June 18th, 2019: Viking Air Limited of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, and Air Antilles, of Guadeloupe, French West Indies, have signed an agreement for the purchase of two Viking Twin Otter Series 400 aircraft, making Air Antilles the first commercial operator of the Series 400 in the Caribbean. Also forming part of the purchase agreement, Air Antilles will become the first Series 400 Twin Otter operator to receive European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification for steep approach operations.
The two Viking-built Series 400 Twin Otters are scheduled for delivery to Air Antilles in the last quarter of 2019 and will be configured as 19-passenger regional commuter landplanes to replace the two legacy de Havilland Series 300 aircraft currently in commercial service with the airline.
With delivery of the Series 400 aircraft, Air Antilles will become the first commercial operator to receive EASA certification for steep approach landings, providing the airline with procedures to operate at approach angles in excess of 4.5 degrees. This is essential for Air Antilles’ scheduled operations to Gustaf III airport in Saint Barthelemy in order to satisfy EASA’s requirements for all commercial aircraft that access the airport to have factory certification for steep approach landings due to the surrounding mountainous terrain.
Eric Kourry, chairman of Guyane Aero Invest, the holding company of Air Antilles, commented, “As an operator of legacy de Havilland Series 300 aircraft for more than a decade, our knowledge of the Twin Otter’s exceptional flight capabilities, ease of maintenance, high dispatch reliability and suitability for our operations made selection of the Viking Series 400 a natural choice for upgrading our fleet.
“As travel tourism in the Caribbean expands, improvements to safety are becoming increasingly important for airlines to retain a competitive advantage. The innumerous improvements made to the new Series 400 will help Air Antilles increase safety and bring added value to their flight operations,” said David Caporali, Viking regional sales director for the Americas. He added, “The Caribbean shows encouraging market opportunities for Series 400 Twin Otter due to its low operating costs, ability to access the many short runways throughout the region, and its ability to support growth of an inter-island commercial transportation network. We highly value Air Antilles’ initiative to be the launch customer for the Series 400 in the region and are confident this relationship will yield many good results for both parties.”
About Air Antilles:
Compagnie Aerienne Inter Regionale Express (CAIRE), created in 2002, is an airline that operates under the name Air Guyane in the French Guiana, and under the name Air Antilles in the Caribbean. Air Antilles is one of the main regional airline companies in the Caribbean with more than 20 destinations in the area. The Twin Otter aircraft essentially serve from Guadeloupe to Saint Barthelemy, with Dominica soon to be added.
Pictured above: Proposed paint scheme for Air Antilles’ new Series 400 Twin Otters scheduled for delivery at the end of 2019.
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A helicopter made a crash landing onto the roof of a midtown Manhattan skyscraper on Monday, killing at least one person and sending a plume of smoke skyward from the top of the building. The person deceased is “presumed” to be the pilot.
The crash occurred shortly before 2 p.m. (1800 GMT) on a rainy, foggy day at the 750-foot (229m) AXA Equitable Center at 787 Seventh Avenue. Dozens of emergency vehicles swarmed the busy area, a few blocks north of Times Square.
The chopper took off from a heliport on Manhattan’s east side and crash-landed on the building 11 minutes later, emergency officials said.
The site is about half a mile from Trump Tower, where U.S. President Donald Trump maintains an apartment. The area has been under a temporary flight restriction since his election in November 2016.
Nathan Hutton, who works in information technology for the French bank BNP Paribas on the 29th floor, said the building shook when the helicopter slammed into the roof.
“It felt like you were just standing there, and someone takes their hand and just shoves you,” he said. “You felt it through the whole building.”
The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the aircraft was an Agusta A109E, a twin-engine, lightweight helicopter. The pilot was the only person aboard, and FAA air traffic controllers did not handle the flight, according to the agency.
The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the cause of the crash, the FAA said.
Melvin Douglas, 50, who was selling umbrellas on the street, said he heard a “rumble” when the helicopter crash landed.
“I didn’t see it, but I felt it,” said Douglas. “Smoke was on top of the building.”
A fire that broke out on the roof was quickly brought under control, the fire department said. The building was evacuated after the crash.
Trump called New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who was at the scene soon after the crash, to offer assistance if needed, the governor’s office said.
“Phenomenal job by our GREAT First Responders who are currently on the scene,” Trump said on Twitter after being briefed on the crash. “The Trump Administration stands ready should you need anything at all.”
The AXA Equitable Center was built in 1985 and includes more than 50 floors. A roof helipad is not listed as one of the building’s amenities on its website.
In addition to BNP Paribas, the building houses offices for a number of other corporate tenants, including law firms Willkie Farr & Gallagher and Sidley Austin and investment manager New Mountain Capital. Le Bernardin, one of New York City’s most celebrated restaurants, is also located in the AXA building.
The skyscraper is managed by the Los Angeles-based CommonWealth Partners. Reached by telephone, LeAnn Holsapple, the office manager for CommonWealth, said the company had “no comment at this time.”
Helicopters are a regular sight in the air around Manhattan, and they have occasionally been involved in crashes.
Nearly a month ago, a chopper crashed into the Hudson River in New York City shortly after taking off from Manhattan, injuring two people. A sightseeing helicopter went down in New York City’s East River in March 2018, killing five passengers.
Reporting by Gabriella Borter; Additional reporting by Peter Szekely and Jonathan Allen; Writing by Joseph Ax; Editing by David Alexander and Bill Rigby
Bombardier unveils new innovative light rail vehicle safety system at UITP 2019 in Stockholm, Sweden.
COMPAS provides enhanced safety for passengers and drivers, helping to prevent derailing
Innovative overspeed protection system co-developed with Austrian Institute of Technology
Today, mobility solution provider Bombardier Transportation presented its new and innovative safety system for urban light rail vehicles at the UITP Global Public Transportation Summit in Stockholm. Called COMPAS (Collision and Overspeed Monitoring and Prevention Assistance System), the technology was developed in cooperation with Bombardier Transportation’s research partner the Austrian Institute of Technology & Mission Embedded and enhances safety for tram passengers and drivers.
Christian Diewald, Managing Director of Bombardier Transportation in Austria, said, “We have completed the development phase of COMPAS and will shortly start the operational evaluation in two existing vehicle fleets. I am especially happy that we are testing this safety innovation in the new vehicles for our customer Wiener Linien in Austria, but also with our customer in Blackpool, UK.”
COMPAS is the transportation industry’s only system that combines two of the most requested driver assistance functions, a vision-based overspeed prevention and an automated obstacle detection assistance system. It’s designed to ensure the driver always maintains full control over the vehicle by using digital track data and visual odometry to prevent the vehicle from exceeding its pre-defined speed limits, thus enhancing safety for those in and around the vehicle.
The new system is expected to be granted commercial service authorization by mid-2020, with additional functions, such as increased vehicle autonomy enabling automated operation in depots, planned to for future integration.
COMPAS builds upon Bombardier’s proven Obstacle Detection Assistance System (ODAS ), a cutting-edge safety innovation already proven in passenger in service since being introduced in Frankfurt, Germany in 2017. Overall, the ODAS system has been selected by five light rail vehicle operators.
American Airlines remains confident that impending software updates
to the Boeing 737 MAX, along with the new training elements Boeing is
developing in coordination with our union partners, will lead to
recertification of the aircraft soon. We have been in continuous contact
with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of
Transportation (DOT), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and
other regulatory authorities, and we are pleased with the progress to
date.
In April, American extended cancellations for the MAX through Aug.
19. We are now extending those cancellations through Sept. 3. By
extending the cancellations, our customers and team members can more
reliably plan their upcoming travel on American. In total, approximately
115 flights per day will be canceled through Sept. 3.
Our Reservations and Sales teams will continue to work closely with customers who are impacted by these cancellations.
Frequently asked questions
Question: My flight was previously scheduled on a MAX. Will it be canceled? Answer:
Not all flights that were previously scheduled on a MAX will be
canceled, as we plan to substitute other aircraft types. In total,
approximately 115 flights will be canceled per day.
Question: My flight wasn’t scheduled to be on a MAX. Why has it been canceled? Answer:
A flight that was not scheduled as a MAX flight might be canceled to
enable our team to cover a MAX route with a different aircraft. Our goal
is to minimize the impact to the smallest number of customers.
Question: How will customers know if they are impacted? Answer:
American’s Reservations team will contact affected customers directly
by email or telephone. Customers who booked through a travel agent will
be contacted by their agency directly.
Question: My flight was canceled and I don’t want to rebook. Can I get a refund? Answer: Yes. If a flight is canceled and a customer chooses to not be rebooked, they may request a full refund by visiting aa.com/refunds.
(Corrects “cancels” to “plans to postpone” in the first paragraph after AZAL changed its comment. Removes quote)
MOSCOW,
June 3 (Reuters) – Azerbaijan airline AZAL plans to postpone a $1
billion contract with Boeing to purchase 10 737 MAX jets, a spokesman
said on Monday, following fatal crashes involving the aircraft in
Ethiopia and Indonesia.
Boeing’s
top-selling aircraft, the 737 MAX, has been grounded worldwide since
the March 10 disaster, which killed 157 people and came just five months
after a Lion Air crash in Indonesia that killed 189 in a plane of the
same model.
Many countries barred 737 Max jets from taking off or landing at local airports.
(Reporting by Nailia Bagirova; writing by Margarita Antidze)
