Air Race 2010

All info of the Red Bull Air Race and Reno Air Races here at www.aviationnews.eu and www.air-races.com

Red Bull Air Race 2010

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates March 26/27
Perth, Australia April 17/18
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil  May 8/9
Windsor, Canada June 5/6
New York, United States of America June 19/20
EuroSpeedway, Lausitz, Germany August 7/8
Budapest, Hungary August 19/20
Lisbon, Portugal September 4/5

Reno Air Races

2010 National Championship Air Races & Air Show are 15 – 19 September
Reno, Nevada USA

USAF National Museum of the Air Force remembers ‘Aztec Eagles’

3/3/2010 - DAYTON, Ohio (AFNS) – National Museum of the Air Force officials revealed a new exhibit Feb. 26 here dedicated to Mexican airmen who fought alongside U.S. forces in World War II.

Members of the Mexican air force Escuadron 201, commonly referred to as the Aztec Eagles, are featured in the exhibit. “The Mexican Air Force,” is part of the growing display of the “Airmen in a World at War” exhibit.

Mexican officials declared war against Japan, Germany and Italy May 28, 1942, and Mexican servicemembers fought alongside the U.S. forces in the South Pacific during World War II. Manuel Avila Camacho, the President of Mexico during World War II, accepted a U.S. invitation to provide Mexican air force units in the war against Japan after breaking off diplomatic relations with those countries shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Terry Aitken, the senior curator of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force, noted that these treatise included agreements for the unlimited reciprocal use of airfields and facilities as well as the establishment by the U.S. Army Air Forces of a number of bases in Mexico to train personnel.

In the summer of 1945, airmen from the Mexican air force flew combat missions along with their American allies. Mexico’s Escuadron 201, equipped with Republic P-47D Thunderbolt fighter aircraft, distinguished themselves in providing close-air-support to American ground units as well as long-range bombing strikes deep into Japanese held territory.

“The outstanding work made my those men (Escuadron 201) demonstrated that good things can only be achieved with leadership, teamwork and sacrifice, fighting side-by-side and shoulder-to-shoulder,” said Lt. Col. Jose Nunez, Mexico’s Foreign Liaison Officer from the Air Force Security Assistance Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, during the exhibit opening ceremony.

This unit of 33 pilots and more than 270 support personnel, along with a Mexican expeditionary air force (Fuerza Aérea Expedicionaria Mexicana) headquarters, moved to the Philippine Islands in February 1945. In March of 1945, Escuadron 201 members were attached to the U.S. 5th Air Force and the 58th Fighter Group which was based at Porac, Luzon in the Philippine Islands. The 58th Fighter Group merged the Escuadron 201 into combat operations and provided support to the new unit during its first combat missions.

In early July 1945, 58th Fighter Group members deployed to Okinawa, Japan, and Escuadron 201 members assumed responsibility for air operations in their area. The airmen provided close-in-ground support to the advancing U.S. 25th “Tropic Lightning” Division and Philippine Army units on Luzon, and seven-hour long-range fighter strikes on strategic Japanese targets on the island of Taiwan.

Retired Lt. Col. Justino Reyes Retana, one of only three remaining Aztec Eagles from World War II, was unable to make the trip to the exhibit opening ceremony, however, his son, Lorenzo Reyes Retana, relayed a message on his behalf.
 
“I was honored to be recognized by the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force for the work which the Aztec Eagles did, and this space will serve as a reminder of our efforts and job we did for generations to come,” he said. 

During its operational history, Escuadron 201 airmen flew 795 combat sorties, accumulated nearly 2,000 hours of combat flying and lost seven pilots. The Escuadron 201 remains the only military unit in the history of Mexico to engage in combat outside of its national borders.

Source: USAF
(U.S. Air Force photo)

Two Planespotters Arrested in India for Suspicious Behavior

Loss of a British Icon

Your Help Needed to Prevent the Loss of another British Icon.

The last flying example of one of Britain’s most iconic historic aircraft, Avro Vulcan XH558 only has weeks to live and Nuneaton Based Air Cadets are urging air enthusiasts and members of the public to pledge their support in a bid to help to keep her flying.

The Leicestershire based Vulcan to the Sky Trust who operate the Vulcan XH558 have until the end of February to prove that they can raise the funds needed to carry out the engineering work needed to keep her Alive.

Flt Lt Paul Hincks of 121 (Nuneaton) Squadron said, “Generations of young people have been inspired by the sight of the Vulcan’s unique delta wing shape and sound of its four mighty Olympus engines. As a young apprentice I have fond memories of working on Vulcans at Bitteswell and I think we need to do everything we can to keep XH558 in the air for future generations. Last year our Cadets had the chance to see XH558 in action as she did a low fly past during the Warwickshire & Birmingham Wing field day at Gamecock Barracks Bramcote near Nuneaton. Hopefully with the support of the public Vulcan XH558 will continue honouring the past and inspiring future generations of air minded young people.

2010 is XH558’s 50^th Birthday but she and we, may not be able to celebrate it if the trust runs out of money by the end of February so Vulcan to the Sky Trust is asking people to take part in a world record Birthday card signing.

Mindful not to solicit donations at this time whilst they are uncertain about XH558’s future, the Vulcan to the Sky Trust have launched the XH558 Survival Appeal Pledge Scheme and are hoping that they can raise £650,000 in new pledges by the end of February to reach their target.

If you would like to sign XH558’s Birthday card and pledge your support and help to keep her flying, please visit the Survival Appeal website at http://www.vulcantothesky.org/

If you would like to know more about the Vulcan to the Sky Trust please visit their web-site at http//www.vulcantothesky.org/

Editor: Flt Lt Paul Hincks RAF

Swedish pilot prevents drama

A Swedish pilot of a small airplane faced a dramatic turn of a simple parachuting flight in Portugal on Sunday.

Mikael Anderson took off with three passengers from an airfield near Evora, east of Lisbon.

Two of the passengers were skydivers, suddenly the third passengers held a gun to the head of Mikael and demanded the pilot and the skydivers to leave the airplane. Mikael took the plane up to the correct jumping altitude so that the skydivers could jump the airplane. Mikael refused to jump.

The Hijacker took control of the aircraft, but Mikael Anderson managed to keep the airplane in the air with the controls of the co-pilot and got the plane to make an emergency landing in Tires just outside Lisbon.

“The small aircraft practicly crashed but we survived” said Anderson. The Hijacker committed suicide shortly after the crash landing with the gun.

News Source: Nu.nl

Blue Angels 2010 Show Schedule

Blue Angels  Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron. The team is stationed at Forrest Sherman Field, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, during the show season.

Show Schedule 2010

MARCH
13 20 – 21 27 – 28	NAF El Centro, CA MacDill AFB, FL NAS Kingsville, TX
APRIL
10 – 11 17 24 – 25	NAS Key West, FL Charleston AFB, SC Vidalia, GA
MAY
01 – 02 08 – 09 15 – 16 22 – 23 26 28 29 – 30	St. Joseph, MO Tuscaloosa, AL Andrews AFB, MD MCAS Cherry Point, NC USNA, Annapolis, MD USNA, Annapolis, MD (fly-over) Jones Beach, NY
JUNE
05 – 06 12 – 13 19 – 20 26 – 27	Eau Claire, WI Milwaukee, WI Cape Girardeau, MO St. Cloud, MN
JULY
03 – 04 10 17 – 18 24 – 25 31	Traverse City, MI Pensacola Beach, FL Dayton, OH Idaho Falls, ID Anchorage, AK
AUGUST
01 07 – 08 14 – 15 28 – 29	Anchorage, AK Seattle, WA Chicago, IL Portsmouth, NH
SEPTEMBER
04 – 06 11 – 12 18 – 19 25 – 26	Cleveland, OH Scott AFB, IL NAS Oceana, VA MCAS Kaneohe Bay, HI
OCTOBER
01 – 03 09 – 10 16 – 17 23 – 24 30 – 31	MCAS Miramar, CA San Francisco, CA Dobbins AFB, GA NAS Jacksonville, FL Ft. Worth Alliance, TX
NOVEMBER
06 – 07 12 – 13	Homestead ARB, FL NAS Pensacola, FL

Thunderbirds 2010 Show Schedule

 

USAF Demonstration squadron the Thunderbirds, 57th season with 73 performances in the United States and Canada.

Show Schedule of 2010

Davis Monthan AFB, AZ…20/21 Mar 2010

Maxwell AFB, AL…27/28 Mar 2010

Eglin AFB, FL…10/11 Apr 2010

Lakeland, FL…17/18 Apr 2010

Barksdale AFB, LA…24/25 Apr 2010

Dyess AFB, TX…1 May 2010

Altus AFB, OK…2 May 2010

Shaw AFB, SC…8/9 May 2010

Columbus AFB, MS…15/16 May 2010

Grand Forks AFB, ND…22 May 2010

USAFA, CO…26 May 2010

Janesville, WI…29/30 May 2010

Ocean City, MD…5/6 Jun 2010

Quebec City, Canada…12/13 Jun 2010

Tinker AFB, OK…19/20 Jun 2010

North Kingstown, RI…26/27 Jun 2010

Gary, IN…10/11 Jul 2010

Duluth, MN…17/18 Jul 2010

Fairchild AFB, WA…24/25 Jul 2010

Cheyenne, WY…28 Jul 2010

Rockford, IL…31/1 Jul/Aug 2010

TBD…7/8 Aug 2010

Abbotsford, Canada…14/15 Aug 2010

Westfield, MA…21/22 Aug 2010

Atlantic City, NJ…25 Aug 2010

Brooklyn (Coney Island)…28/29 Aug 2010

Martinsburg, WV…4/5 Sep 2010

Coraopolis (Pittsburgh), PA…11/12 Sep 2010

Whiteman AFB, MO…18/19 Sep 2010

McConnell AFB, KS…25/26 Sep 2010

Salinas, CA…2/3 Oct 2010

Little Rock AFB, AR…9/10 Oct 2010

El Paso, TX…16/17 Oct 2010

Houston, TX…23/24 Oct 2010

Cocoa Beach, FL…30/31 Oct 2010

Lackland AFB, TX…6/7 Nov 2010

Nellis AFB, NV…13/14 Nov 2010

Eurocopter celebrates maiden flight of CH-53GA right on schedule

Donauwörth, February 10,
The CH-53GA medium-lift military transport helicopter successfully completed its maiden flight over the Bavarian town of Donauwörth today before an admiring crowd of approximately 150 guests. Eurocopter test pilot Rene Nater and flight engineer Antoine Van Gent were at the controls. This first flight came just three years after the contract was awarded, and represents a major milestone for the CH-53GA program, as well as for Eurocopter Germany’s support centre for the German Army helicopters. Thanks to the new upgrades, the helicopter’s service life has been extended to 2030. Training flights are slated for early 2011, with the first deliveries of the retrofitted helicopters later in the same year. The German Armed Forces will then be able to deploy the CH-53GA with its state-of-the-art equipment for international missions (e.g. Afghanistan).

As Senior Vice-President Ralf Barnscheidt, responsible for German military contracts at Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH, points out: “Over the past 30 years, the Eurocopter support centre for German Army helicopters has completed many important upgrades on the CH-53G transport helicopter, working in cooperation with the Bundesamt für Wehrtechnik und Beschaffung (Federal Agency for Defense Technology and Procurement). I am extremely pleased to see the CH53-GA flying today, as it further demonstrates the successful cooperation we enjoy with the German Armed Forces that has enabled us to complete the program on time and within budget.”

Functional Requirements – Optimized Implementation
The CH-53G is being retrofitted so that the helicopter can be deployed in a wide range of national and international missions. The following major functional requirements for the CH-53GA have been defined and embodied:

• Improved display and flight control systems via state-of-the-art digital avionics
• Advanced accurate navigation system and improved flight capabilities in line with international IFR flight regulations
• Integration of a new automatic flight control systemAFCS/4-axis-autopilot) with automatic hovering
• Installation of auxiliary fuel tanks in the cabin to increase the range to 1,200 km
• Upgrade of communication equipment for joint missions with Tiger and NH90 helicopters
• Integration of a modular mission equipment package including FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared), satellite communication system (SatCom) and a cutting-edge electronic warfare system (EWS) for self-defense and identification of threats

Production work on the CH-53GA is scheduled to start at the Donauwörth plant in 2011 and continue through 2013. The first helicopters will be made available to the German Army before the end of 2011.

The CH-53G in Action – Domestic and International Missions
The CH-53G has been in service for over 35 years, and in the years to come it will continue to form the backbone of the German Army’s deployments in foreign missions. The helicopter is used to harsh conditions. Since entering service it has been the cornerstone of the German Army’s versatile troop and equipment transport units as part of the country’s NATO obligations, and has also been an important platform for operations in foreign missions in cooperation with other NATO forces. The helicopter has served in conflicts from Kosovo to Kabul since the early 1990s. In addition, it has been deployed in numerous missions to provide aid during national and international catastrophes such as forest fires and floods. The CH53GA will meet the German Army’s need to expand the mission capabilities of its medium-lift transport helicopters for domestic missions and deployment abroad.

Working Closely with the German Army
Eurocopter’s support center for German Army helicopters at Donauwörth is under contract to retrofit a total of 40 medium-lift CH-53G transport helicopters to CH-53GA configuration. The work includes the repair of airframe fatigue due to extensive use and ageing in order to extend the helicopters’ design life from 6,000 to 10,000 flight hours. The entire electrical system, which is nearly 35 years old, will also be replaced. The entire support center for German Army helicopters is involved in the development work on the CH-53GA. The center has experienced substantial growth over the last twenty years; the work force of 69 employees in 1991 has increased to 530 employees today, and still shows an upward trend.

Source: Eurocopter

Boeings new 747-8 flies for the first time

Boeing’s new 747-8 started it’s test flights February 8 2010 form Everett. And Touches Down Safely After 3-Hour, 39-Minute Mission

The Boeing (NYSE: BA) 747-8 Freighter successfully took to the sky for the first time today before more than 5,000 employees, customers, suppliers and community leaders. The flight begins a test program for the world’s most efficient freighter.

With 747 Chief Pilot Mark Feuerstein and Capt. Tom Imrich in the flight deck, the newest member of the 747 family took off at 12:39 p.m. local time from Paine Field in Everett and landed at Paine Field at 4:18 p.m.

“It was a real privilege to be at the controls of this great airplane on its first flight, representing the thousands of folks who made today possible,” said Feuerstein. “The airplane performed as expected and handled just like a 747-400.”

Today’s flight was the first of more than 1,600 flight hours in the test program for the newest member of the Boeing freighter family. The airplane followed a route over Western Washington, where it underwent tests for basic handling qualities and engine performance. The airplane reached a cruising altitude of 17,000 feet (5,181 m) and a speed of up to 230 knots, or about 264 miles (426 km) per hour.

Powered by four General Electric GEnx-2B engines, the 747-8 Freighter will transition its testing program to Moses Lake, Wash., and Palmdale, Calif., where the other two test airplanes will join it in the coming month.

“This truly is a great day for The Boeing Company and the 747 program,” said Mo Yahyavi, 747 program general manager and vice president, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “It’s the culmination of the hard work and dedication of our employees, suppliers and customers. While there is still much to do, I am excited to begin the flight-test program, which will demonstrate the capabilities of this airplane.”

The 747-8 Freighter is the new, high-capacity 747 that will give cargo operators the lowest operating costs and best economics of any freighter. The airplane is 250 feet, 2 inches (76.3 m) long, which is 18 feet, 4 inches (5.6 m) longer than the 747-400 Freighter. The stretch provides customers with 16 percent more revenue cargo volume compared with its predecessor. That translates to an additional four main-deck pallets and three lower-hold pallets.

“The 747-8 Freighter continues the leadership of the 747 Freighter families, which carries more than half of the world’s air freight, making it the standard of the air cargo industry,” Yahyavi said.

Boeing launched the airplane on Nov. 14, 2005, with firm orders for 18 747-8 Freighters: 10 from Cargolux of Luxembourg and eight from Nippon Cargo Airlines of Japan. All told, Boeing has secured 108 orders for the 747-8, of which 76 are orders for the new freighter. Cargolux, Nippon Cargo Airlines, AirBridgeCargo Airlines, Atlas Air, Cathay Pacific, Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, Emirates SkyCargo, Guggenheim and Korean Air all have ordered the 747-8 Freighter.

The 747-800 is the largest civilian Boeing ever to fly, it looks like a normal 747 but the plane has enormous changes which makes it larger, faster, more economical, Eco-friendlier, and capable of carrying more cargo.

First Flight Sukhoi PAK FA

First flight of the experimental example of the fifth generation combat aircraft that took place from the KnAAPO factory aerodrome brings evidence that today the history of the world aviation is being written in Russia: in Komsomosk-on-Amur, Moscow, Novosibirsk, Rybinsk, Ufa, Remenskoye, Zhukovsky and other cities where indigenous design houses and aviation plants, their partners and suppliers are located.

Starting from the times of Mikhail Lomonosov, Aleksandr Mozhaisky and Nikolai Zhukovsky, who laid the foundation of aeronautics in this country, Russia has been at the edge of progress in aeronautic technologies and development of flying vehicles.

The flight with duration of 47 minutes opens a new horizon for the Russian aviation for the rest of the XXI century and, hopefully, even further. Successful beginning of flight trials on the next-generation aircraft stimulate us for new achievements and sparks up our desire to create.

Let me congratulate all participants of the next-generation combat aircraft project and all those who facilitate the project with its hard work, experience and knowledge.

Alexey Fedorov

President, Chairman of control board, United Aircraft Corporation

The fighter, tentatively dubbed the T-50 and designed jointly with India, is intended to challenge the technological superiority of the U.S. F-22 Raptor, and to boost Russia’s own defense capabilities for several decades.

Designed by Sukhoi and built by the company’s Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aviation Plant, the T-50 prototype flew for 47 minutes and landed on the plant’s airfield. In a statement distributed by Sukhoi on Jan. 29, its pilot, Sergei Bogdan, said the airplane “performed well on all stages of the test-flight program design by us. It is easy and comfortable.”

According to Sukhoi, the fighter – Russia’s first all-new warplane since the collapse of the Soviet Union – has new avionics systems, a phased-array radar, and equipment to exchange information with both ground command-and-control systems and other aircraft in an air warfare group.

“This allows a significant increase in military effectiveness,” a company statement said, stressing that the T-50 answers all requirements of a fifth-generation fighter, including a supersonic cruising speed. The sophisticated control systems “allow a pilot to concentrate on tactical tasks,” while use of composite materials, the aerodynamic design of the body and measures taken to decrease the visibility of the aircraft engine provide for “unprecedented low radio, optical and infrared visibility,” the statement said.

BAHRAIN International Airshow – 2010/01/22

Please note that flying displays may be subject to change

FLYING

• Aerosonde MK 4.7 UAV
• UTSL Vigilant UAV
• CyberFlight E-Swift Eye UAV
• Bahrain Air A320
• French Air Force Raphale
• Patrouille de France
• Gulf Air A340-300 (Flypast)
• Mark Jefferies Extra 330SC Solo Display
• Royal Bahraini Air Force / Lockheed Martin F16
• Royal Bahraini Air Force Parachute Display Team
• Royal Bahraini Air Force Flypast
• Royal Jordanians Extra 300L Display Team
• Saudi Hawk’s Display Team
• Sikorsky S76
• Sukhoi SU27 SKM
• Team Viper Display Team
• US Navy F18F

STATIC

BAE Systems

• Eurofighter
• Mantis FSR
• Herti FSR

Bahrain Air

• A320

Bahrain Royal Flight

• B747-400
• G550

Bexair

• CL604

Bombardier

• CRJ900

Cessna

• C510 Mustang
• C400
• C172R
• C-208 Caravan
• CE-680 Sovereign
• CE-525B
• LC41-550FG Corvalis Skyhawk
• CE-750 Citation X

Delmun Aviation (Dassault / PrivatAIR)

• B737
• Falcon 900X

DHL

• A300B4

French Air Force

• Raphale

Gulf Air

• A320

Gulfstream

• G550
• G450
• G150

Hawker Beechcraft

• Hawker 750
• Hawker 900XP
• Hawker 4000
• King Air 350

Qatar Airways

• CL605

Royal Bahrain Air Force

• F5
• F16
• RJ85

Saudi Hawks

• Hawk Display Team MK 65

Sukhoi

• IL76

TAG Aeronautics

• Global Express XRS
• C300

US Air Force

• C-17, C-21, C-130H, F-16

US Navy

• F18E

The show is the first of its kind for the country and held on a field that was just sand and rock six months ago.

Aircraft from Air Mobility Command and Air Combat Command, flown by active duty, Air Force Reserve Command and Air National Guard aircrews made the journey.

C-17A Globemaster III and C-130H Hercules transport aircraft sat side-by-side with F-16C Fighting Falcons and a C-21A Learjet. Along with the Air Force aircraft, F-18E/F Super Hornets, supported by Sailors, also made the flight, entertaining the crowd with static displays and aerial demonstrations.

Along with the aircrews and aircraft, Airmen and Sailors worked behind the scenes to ensure the planes were ready to fly when needed.

“This is a great opportunity for us to showcase our aircraft and professionals to our good allies, the Bahrainis, along with the other coalition partners here”, said Capt. Candido Mendes, the airshow maintenance director assigned to the U.S. embassy in Bahrain. “I am proud to be here working with a great group of Airmen and Sailors. They are top-notch professionals and great ambassadors for our country and their respective services.”

Security forces Airmen also represented the Air Force and their country, overseeing the safety and security of aircraft and crews during this event, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for some of the Airmen.

“I truly feel it’s an honor to be asked to come here and represent my country at the first ever airshow held in Bahrain,” said Airman 1st Class Cody Hamilton, a security forces specialist from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. “I am proud to be doing my part, guarding these aircraft and making sure that my fellow servicemembers, both Air Force and Navy, feel safe while participating at this event.”

Bahrain has played a key role in aviation for decades due to its geographic location, centered near Asia, Africa and the European continents. Planning for the airshow began six months ago when the leader of Bahrain, His Majesty, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, himself a believer in the importance of aviation to the country, called for the show.

Builders constructed an airfield in the middle of the desert in a very short time – complete with runways, ramps, hangars and support buildings. The ability to support and organize the airshow is a source of great pride to the Bahraini people.

Eurocopter celebrates the maiden flight of its new EC175 helicopter

Marignane, December 17

EC175, the latest member of the Eurocopter range, today performed its official maiden flight in the skies above Marignane. At the controls were Alain Di Bianca, Eurocopter Experimental Test Pilot, as well as Michel Oswald and Patrick Bremont, Flight Test Engineers. Officials, industrial partners, launch customers and Eurocopter employees were all on hand for the event. This newest addition to the Eurocopter family in the 7-metric-ton class has been developed and manufactured in cooperation with the China Aeronautics Industries Group Corp. (AVIC), a longstanding Eurocopter partner.“It’s an immense pleasure to see the EC175 soaring through the skies,” declared Eurocopter CEO Lutz Bertling. “This helicopter was developed in close cooperation with our customers to ensure it would be perfectly suited to their needs—particularly in terms of safety and comfort. This is the product everyone’s been waiting for on the civil market. I would like to congratulate and thank our colleagues from China, all our personnel who invested so much time and effort in this project, and, of course, our industrial partners. Their combined efforts have made it possible for the EC175 to perform its maiden flight right on schedule, that’s to say exactly four years after the program was launched, which is a real technological wizardry. ”
The new generation EC175 has a multirole design and can carry out a wide scope of civil missions. It slots perfectly into the Eurocopter range between the AS365 Dauphin (4/5 metric tons) and the AS332/EC225 Super Puma (9/11 metric tons) families. It benefits from a mix of proven and advanced technologies, making it a very performing and reliable helicopter. Depending on its configuration, it can hold up to 16 passengers. A total of 114 EC175s have already been ordered by 14 different customers. Certification of the EC175 by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is slated for 2011, and the first deliveries are scheduled to follow in 2012. Eurocopter expects to sell 800 EC175s over the next twenty years, creating nearly 2000 new direct and indirect jobs.

 

Cooperation
The EC175 program was launched on December 5, 2005. The helicopter was developed in cooperation with Chinese industry in just four years thanks to innovative new computing tools that offer major time savings. The work teams, separated by some 10,000 km, have been working together under the aegis of the French and Chinese governments. Their cooperation has been exemplary, and has benefitted from 30 years of close ties between the partners, first through the Dauphin and then through the EC120. During the development phase, an average of 50 Chinese employees joined their Eurocopter colleagues in France to define the helicopter’s characteristics. Now it’s the turn of Eurocopter’s employees to reciprocate, and a staff of 30 is currently on permanent assignment in China to assist the teams with design, quality, production and procurement work.

The development and industrialization work has been equally split between Eurocopter and AVIC according to the specialties of each company. Two different helicopters will result from the common platform: The EC175 manufactured, sold and maintained by Eurocopter in Marignane and the Z15, manufactured, sold and maintained by the AVIC Group.

Missions
The EC175 is a medium-lift twin-engine helicopter that can perform many different civil missions. Initially designed for the oil & gas industry to carry work teams to the platforms, it meets the strictest safety and availability requirements that have become a must for operators in the industry.

The helicopter is also being developed for missions such as search and rescue and emergency medical transport, and can also meet the needs of the commercial aviation industry for VIP and corporate transport.

Technical characteristics
The EC175 benefits from the most cutting-edge technology available. It is powered by twin Pratt & Whitney PT6C-67E engines with dual-channel new generation Full Authority Digital Engine Controls (FADEC). With its completely new avionics, the EC175 has an effective and easy-to-use man machine interface, which considerably reduces the pilot workload. Both the pilot and co-pilot can therefore concentrate more fully on their missions. The EC175 is indeed equipped with a full screen cockpit and a digital four-axis Automatic Flight Control System (AFCS) that outperforms any other automatic pilot system on the market. It also has a five-blade Spheriflex main rotor and an airframe that complies with the most stringent certification requirements.

The EC175 offers the widest cabin of any helicopter in its category, which provides an unmatched level of comfort. The aircraft can be boarded easily using the wide sliding doors on either side of the fuselage and the immense baggage compartment is also accessible from both sides of the helicopter. All very large windows offer a great visibility and can be jettisoned so that passengers and crew can quickly exit the helicopter in the event of an emergency.

The EC175 has also been designed to reduce vibration levels to a minimum; its blade design has taken forward the concepts that have proven so successful on the EC155 and EC225. Special care has been taken to reduce both internal and external noise levels to make the EC175 the quietest helicopter in its class, offering levels well below the limits recently established by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Next Page »