C Squadron 5 Aviation Regiment
in Townsville were tasked to
distribute emergency supplies
in Operation PNG Assist 2018,
while RAAF fixed-wing aircraft
will conduct aerial surveillance
and provide logistical support.
Kiwis extend
Robinson Ban
New Zealand ’s Fire and
Emergency agency is joining the
Department of Conservation in
deciding not to use Robinson
helicopters, which they say have
been involved in 143 crashes
in New Zealand since 2000,
with 21 being fatal. The model
R22, R44 and R66s are on the
Transport Accident Investigation
Commission (TAIC) watchlist,
and in February this year, the
Department of Conservation
LEFT: Airbus Helicopters and its
predecessor companies have
been putting Fenestron tails on
helicopters for 50 years.
BELOW LEFT: An Australian Army
CH-47F Chinook helicopter takes off
from Mount Hagen Airport during
Operation PNG Assist 2018.australianflying.com.au 73
July – August 2018 AUSTRALIAN FLYINGrecommissioned 808 Squadron
at Nowra.VHA nears 206L
Main Rotor Blade
Certiication
Arizona-based rotor blade
manufacturer Van Horn Aviation
(VHA) recently announced
that certification of its 206L
LongRanger main rotor blade is
nearing completion after more than
three years of design and f light
testing. The LongRanger blades
are loosely based on the company’s
206B JetRanger main rotor blade
design certificated in 2016, but
incorporate several design changes
due to differences in length and
transmission mounts between the
two models. “The company’s goal
is to certify the 206L main rotor
blades with a 20,000-hour service
life, which is four times the life
of the OEM metal blades, with
overhauls every 5000 hours.” said
VHA President Dean Rosenlof.Bell Helicopter
rebrands
Textron subsidiary Bell Helicopter
recently announced that it will now
be simply known as “Bell.” The
new brand features a modernized
dragonf ly logo and will be rolled
out over the next year. “Bell has
always been about more than just
helicopters,” said President and
CEO Mitch Snyder. “The look
captures our innovative spirit without
detracting from our core mission
of providing safe and unsurpassed
experiences to our customers.” This
is the company’s first rebranding
since Textron purchased the defence
businesses of the Bell Aircraft
Corporation in 1960, some of which
became Bell Helicopter.AIRBUS HELICOPTERS(DOC) withdrew them from use.
The New Zealand Civil Aviation
Authority (NZCAA) has also
investigated 14 fatal crashes
believed to have been caused by
mast bumping events. Fire and
Emergency's National Manager
of Rural Operations John
Rasmussen said the ban is due to
the risk of using the helicopters
in turbulent conditions and it
will remain in place while the
machines are on the watchlist.
"Fire fighting, particularly
aerial fire fighting, is quite
often undertaken in turbulent
conditions – that's both because
of terrain, the fires themselves
and quite often in high wind
conditions which are conditions
which I guess are similar to those
[in which] Robinson Helicopters
experience a mast-bumping type
problem," Rasmussen said.New Leonardo
Gearbox MROThe Australian government will
invest $16 million in a new facility
to be established in Melbourne,
which will overhaul the Australian
Army’s MRH90 helicopter main
gear boxes. The facility will be
jointly operated with Leonardo
(formerly Leonardo-Finmeccanica)
who will invest a similar amount
into the venture. Additionally,
the centre, which is expected to
commence operations in 2020,
will overhaul foreign NH90 and
other selected civil helicopter
gearboxes. The ADF operates 47
Taipans, most of which serve with
5 Aviation Regiment’s A and B
Squadrons based at Townsville.
Eleven MRH90s are currently
serving in the support role with the
Royal Australian Navy’s recently