Bristow Ireland, a subsidiary of Bristow Group, has reached an agreement with Unite the Union ahead of its transition to the next Irish Coast Guard Search and Rescue (SAR) contract. Bristow is prepared to transition to the new contract in the fourth quarter of 2024. This agreement will enable the smooth transition of specialist engineers to Bristow, and is a key milestone towards helping Bristow progress forwards in delivering the next generation of SAR operations in Ireland. This most recent announcement follows similarly significant milestones ahead of the SAR contract; Bristow was recent ..read more

Airbus Helicopters’ Racer demonstrator, part of the Clean Sky 2 project, completed its first inaugural flight in Marignane. This important milestone kickstarts a two-year flight campaign for the Racer, which will aim to open the aircraft’s flight envelope and demonstrate its high-speed capabilities. The flight lasted for around 30 minutes, which enabled the flight test team to check the overall behaviour of the aircraft. “With its 90 patents, Racer is the perfect example of the level of innovation that can be achieved when European partners come together. This first flight is a proud moment ..read more

The Wales Air Ambulance Charity has embraced a decision by NHS Wales to enhance its services. An independent review found that certain areas highlighted gaps in coverage, such as North Wales and parts of Mid Wales. To address this, they suggested combining resources from Welshpool and Caernarfon to create a new base in North Wales. This new base would have two teams working from 8 am to 2 am. The service will continue to be delivered with four helicopters and a fleet of rapid response vehicles. “This is an improvement for all parts of Wales, particularly Mid and North Wales who will be gain ..read more

Simulator manufacturer, Entrol, has installed its H15 FTD 3 flight simulator at Air Greenland’s facilities in Nuuk. The H15 FTD 3 simulator is based on the EC 155 model and boasts an extensive list of technical features tailored to provide an immersive and effective training experience. Installation, certification, and training activities have already started to take place at Air Greenland’s headquarters, Entrol confirmed. Certified as FTD Level 3, the simulator includes vibration simulation, an external mirror, and a 200ºx70º visual system with detailed geo-specific terrain and satellite i ..read more

Is it an environmental question or one of have versus have nots? It’s difficult to tell in New York. Photo RHI archive New York’s vocal anti-helicopter lobby has once again tabled motions before the council calling for an end to ‘non-essential’ helicopter flights over the city. This comes against a background of last year’s failed attempt to ban these flights at both city and state level since authority for airspace is vested with the federal government and the FAA in particular. Accordingly, this time the attack comes in the form of resolutions that call for state and federal governments ..read more

Archer is building up its lobbying capability with the opening of a Washington, DC, regulatory affairs office. Former FAA Acting Administrator Billy Nolan, who joined Archer last year, moves into a new role heading up the Washington DC office as Chief Regulatory Affairs Officer. Lynda Tran will be bringing her Government affairs expertise in an advisory role. Photo: Archer Joining Nolen is Lynda Tran from the Department of Transportation, where she was a Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Transportation and Director of Public Engagement. Tran will be acting in an advisory capacity ..read more

Ontic has announced that Jack Karapetyan has been appointed to the newly created role of Vice President and General Manager of Global MRO Operations. This internal move for Karapetyan, who was previously joint General Manager of Ontic’s Chatsworth, CA site, is effective immediately and signals a stronger focus on MRO for Ontic. His primary responsibilities will be to assess the existing MRO operations, ensuring a cohesive and global approach to MRO within Ontic, and ultimately growing this part of the business. Congratulating him on the new role, Brian Sartain, Chief Operating Officer at On ..read more

Shizuoka City – a metropolitan area in southern Japan famed for its views of Mount Fuji – has placed an order for an H145 D3 with Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI), taking the number of KHI’s D3 variant orders to 27. With delivery due in March 2026, the aircraft is destined for firefighting and disaster relief missions. KHI has been building H145s under licence from MBB, Eurocopter and now Airbus since the BK117 entered service in 1983. Since then, KHI has delivered 196 aircraft across all variants to customers in Japan and elsewhere. The post Shizuoka City places order for H145 D3 with KHI ..read more

ITC-AeroLeasing has placed five more Bell 407s with HEMS operator Med-Trans Corporation – a subsidiary of Global Medical Response (GMR). Med-Trans already has two 407s on lease from ITC. Med-Trans plans to deploy the additional aircraft on EMS operations from bases in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Iowa, serving local hospital systems. Commenting on the latest deal, Dmitiry Jidkov, GMR’s Vice President of Corporate Finance, said: “We are pleased to further strengthen our relationship with ITC-AeroLeasing through our Med-Trans operations. In the past five years, ITC has been a trusted partner ..read more

The H145s will take over the training role currently provided by Puma HC2s. Photo: Airbus The UK’s Defence  Equipment & Support has awarded a £122m contract for six Airbus H145 helicopters to provide aviation support for UK troops in Brunei and the island of Cyprus.  The announcement follows on from the announcement by the Ministry of Defence that it intended to procure the aircraft.  The H145 is  is already used as part of the UK Military Flying Training System to train helicopter aircrew in maritime, mountain and search and rescue techniques.  The additional ..read more