Sikorsky Sells Schweizer Helicopter Line
US helicopter builder Sikorsky has sold
the manufacturing rights to its S-300 and
S-333 helicopters to Texas-based Rotorcraft
Services Group (RSG) along with the
Schweizer factory at Elmira, New York. The
deal includes all the spares and support
assets.Sikorsky had acquired Schweizer in
2004 but subsequently ceased production
of the three-seat S-300 (derived from
the Hughes 269) and the turbine-
powered S-333. Nearly 2,900 S-
helicopters are currently in worldwide
operation and the new Schweizer-RSGcompany will provide spares and service
support. According to David Horton,
Managing Director of Schweizer-RSG, it
is envisaged that new production of the
Schweizer models will be undertaken by
AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of
China). Rod SimpsonA series of launch orders has been placed
for the PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI)
19-seater N219 twin-turboprop. The deals
for the new aircraft were announced at
the Singapore Airshow, which took place
on February 6-11. The rst production
machines will be delivered to Indonesian
carriers Pelita Air Service, which has
placed an order for 20, plus 80 options,
and Trigana Air Service which will acquire
ve aircraft plus has another ve on
options. Pelita said it will also operate and
maintain two N219s for the Kalimantan
regional government, in addition to
a single example for Puncak Jaya
(Indonesian Papua).
The prototype N219, registration PK-
XQT, made its rst ight on August 16,
2017 and a second example is due to join
the test programme imminently. The N
is powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney
PT6A-42s and has been designed to
operate ights up to 480nm (889km) with19 passengers on board. At its maximum
take-off weight, it uses as little as 1,289ft
(393m) of runway, making it ideal for
many of Indonesia’s small air elds. First
customer aircraft deliveries are expected in
July 2019 and PTDI is planning to build up
to 36 N219s per annum.Looking further ahead, PTDI has also
signed a framework agreement with Avitra
Aerospace Technologies of Singapore
regarding the potential future production
of the N219 in China. Both Indonesia and
China have requirements for rugged low-
cost aircraft.Lufthansa revealed its new branding Lufthansa Boeing 747-8 D-ABYA at Hamburg in the airline’s new livery. Lufthansa
to customers and employees at two
major events in Frankfurt and Munich on
February 7. The most visible changes
are a revised livery for the aircraft eet,
re-branding at airport counters and new
uniforms for staff.
“Lufthansa has changed and is more
modern and successful than ever. From
now on, this will also be visible to the
public through a new design,” said Carsten
Spohr, Chairman of the Executive Board ofDeutsche Lufthansa AG.
An important challenge in revising
the design was to meet the needs of the
digital world. In addition to optimising the
airline’s crane emblem for new technical
requirements, Lufthansa has developed
its own typeface, which is said to be
particularly easy to read on mobile devices
or smartwatches.
After 30 years of the old colour schemeand markings, Lufthansa’s aircraft will
gradually being given the new livery. The
update comes after intensive preliminary
studies considered more than 800 designs
and colour developments in the laboratory.
On-board articles, such as tableware,
amenity kits, blankets and pillowcases, will
carry the new design in future, with around
160 million items exchanged over the next
two years.CIVIL NEWS
10 Aviation News incorporating Jets April 2018New Look for Lufthansa
Launch orders have now been placed for the 19-seater PTDI N219 twin-turboprop. PTDI.Launch Orders for N
10-12_14_civil_newsDC.mf.indd 10 02/03/2018 18: