Several aviation organizations have rallied against proposed New York City laws targeting “nonessential” helicopter operations at city-owned heliports. The New York City Council’s Committee on Economic Development included proposals in its agenda to implement a noise tax on “nonessential” helicopter and seaplane operations, urge the FAA to ban charter and tourist flights, and limit city heliport operations to electric-powered rotorcraft only. Advocacy groups, including the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) and Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), spoke out agai ..read more

The U.S. Air Force’s newest helicopter—the MH-139 Grey Wolf—has taken its first flight at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana. The helicopters, which are manufactured by partners Boeing and Leonardo, are scheduled to replace the U.S. Air Force’s aging fleet of Bell UH-1N Hueys that perform missions such as off-base nuclear weapons convoy surveillance and routine missile site support. The service has operated the military variant of the Bell 212 since 1970. READ MORE: MH-139A Grey Wolf Training Unit Activates at Maxwell AFB “Aircrew from the 550th Helicopter Squadron took the MH-139 for a spin ..read more

The last HAI Heli-Expo, which the organization will rename VERTICON next year, is in the books, and according to show organizers, attendance records were set at the 35th annual event in Anaheim, California. This year’s event from February 26-29 included the announcement that the show’s producer, Helicopter Association International (HAI), was rebranding as Vertical Aviation International (VAI). READ MORE: HAI Rebrands as Vertical Aviation International VAI is the world’s leading membership association dedicated to the vertical aviation industry, which encompasses all aircraft capable of ver ..read more

Do you fly a Robinson helicopter? The tail of your aircraft is about to get extra attention. The FAA has issued an airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Robinson Helicopter models: R22, R22 Alpha, R22 Beta, R22 Mariner, R44, R44 II, and R66 because of problems in the field involving the tip cap of the tail rotor blade. According to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), the AD (FAA-2023-2232) was developed after three field reports about TRB tip caps coming loose due to corrosion at the bond on Robinson Helicopter Co. (RHC) Model R44. The incidents occurred during a run-up check, after ..read more

Helicopter Association International, the nonprofit trade organization founded 75 years ago, announced Tuesday that it had rebranded as Vertical Aviation International (VAI) due to the evolving vertical aviation industry.  Board chair Nicole Battjes and president and CEO James Viola said in a letter to VAI members that the name change was made to reflect the “wave of expansion” being ushered in by new aircraft and technology. They said the new moniker is part of a “transformative journey” but promised members the group’s commitment to the industry wouldn’t change.  READ MORE: HAI C ..read more

Robinson Helicopter Co. announcedTuesday that former vice president of operations David Smith has been named its president and CEO. Smith succeeds Kurt Robinson, who has served in the position since 2010. Smith is only the third to serve as president and CEO of Robinson, which was founded in 1973 by Kurt’s father, Frank. Kurt will be moving to an advisory role with the company and remain on its board of directors. The leadership transition is effective immediately. “Watching and helping our company grow from our living room to become a global leader in the helicopter industry is a fantastic l ..read more

2023 was a good year for aircraft deliveries, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association’s (GAMA) year-end General Aviation Aircraft Shipments and Billings Report. GAMA found that aircraft shipments rose across all segments compared to 2022, coming in at 3,050 airplanes and 962 helicopters delivered in 2023. The numbers represent year-on-year increases of 9 percent and 9.8 percent, respectively. Overall airplane billings for last year rose 2.2 percent to $23.4 billion while total helicopter billings increased 11.2 percent to $4.4 billion. “For the first time in more than a de ..read more

Garmin announced that its GFC 600H flight control system for helicopters is available in an IFR design with a stability augmentation system (SAS). The new version includes collective control, giving the GFC 600H four-axis capability for the first time. Leonardo Helicopters’ AW109 Trekker is the first model to use the system with the new capabilities. The company said the enhanced version helps improve overall mission effectiveness by decreasing the pilot’s workload. READ MORE: Auto Flight for Rotorcraft “We are very excited to now offer a four-axis, IFR flight control system for the helicop ..read more

There is hardly any helicopter pilot out there who hasn’t spent time behind the stick of a Robinson R44. The FAA has approved the new empennage design for R44 aircraft which includes a symmetric horizontal stabilizer and tail cone. The design is now standard on all newly manufactured R44 helicopters registered with the FAA. It follows on the heels of the FAA’s prior approval of the same configuration for the Robinson R66 Turbine in September 2023. The Robinson R44 was developed in the early 1990s and today is flown all over the world. READ MORE: Robinson Helicopter Service Bulletin Targets G ..read more

Helicopter Association International (HAI), a professional trade association for the global helicopter industry, is marking its 75th anniversary on Wednesday. Founded by 16 individuals on December 13, 1948, HAI now represents more than 1,100 companies and more than 16,000 people. The organization’s mission is “to provide opportunities for current and future forms of vertical aviation to flourish through advocacy, connection, and collaboration while elevating safety throughout the global industry.”  According to HAI, its members, which include operators, pilots, maintenance technicians, m ..read more