Latest rotorcraft reporting on operations, safety, technology, training, industry and public service.
A demonstration in San Bernardino paired a Robinson R44 helicopter with a Ponderosa FireSparrow Mk10 drone to test Ciconia’s coordination and collision-avoidance system. The event examined whether crewed and uncrewed aircraft could identify a developing conflict and receive useful guidance before they came dangerously close. During the demonstration, the system provided the R44 pilot with…
The U.S. Army is moving toward a contractor-owned and operated model for portions of its initial helicopter pilot training. Under the Flight School Next program, M1 Support Services will provide aircraft, maintenance, simulators, academic instruction and flight instruction at Fort Rucker, Alabama. The Army will retain control of training standards, safety requirements and operational outcomes….
NASA is developing SkyFall, a mission concept that would send three small helicopters to explore Mars. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory and AeroVironment will co-design and co-manufacture the rotorcraft, extending the partnership that helped create the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter. NASA describes each SkyFall aircraft as weighing about 11 pounds and carrying cameras, ground-penetrating radar, temperature sensors…
The U.S. Air Force has activated the 5th Helicopter Squadron at Joint Base Andrews, marking the installation’s first new Air Force helicopter squadron in 60 years. The unit will prepare aircrews, maintainers and operating procedures for the arrival of the HH-60W Jolly Green II, the service’s newest combat rescue helicopter. The new squadron will operate…
The Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program was meant to create the U.S. Army’s new weaponized scout helicopter. The Army had even held a design competition to find the replacement for the Vietnam-era OH-58 chopper once it was retired. In the interim, Apache attack helicopters and Shadow drones were filling in.
Vertical flight solutions provider Bristow Group Inc. announced a partnership with aircraft manufacturer Volocopter to advance electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft services in the United States and the United Kingdom.
The companies expect the addition of Volocopter’s digital platform, VoloIQ, to Bristow’s operational fleet to create new routes and cargo and passenger service opportunities in urban environments.
MELBOURNE, Australia — Indonesia has committed to buying Boeing-made F-15 Eagle fighter jets and Sikorsky-made Black hawk helicopters. Air Vice Marshal Yusuf Jauhari, who leads the Defense Facilities Agency within Indonesia’s Defense Ministry, and Mark Sears, who serves as Boeing’s vice president and program manager for fighters, signed a memorandum of understanding on Aug. 21…
![One of the rarest and least-known Cessnas ever produced, the CH-1 helicopter. [Credit: Cessna]](https://staging.hoveringhelicopter.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/CH-1-Cessna-Flight-768x490.jpg)
If you’d like to stump everyone at aviation trivia, simply ask them to name the Cessna with the shortest takeoff-and-landing distances. More than likely, guesses would include the O-1 Birddog and possibly the 180 and 182. However, digging into the dustier corners of Cessna’s history reveals the true winner—its one and only helicopter the company ever produced, the CH-1 Skyhook.
WASHINGTON — The State Department has cleared a sale of 96 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters worth about $12 billion to Poland, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced Aug. 21.
The decision comes after the Polish Ministry of National Defence sent a letter of request to the U.S. government nearly a year ago to buy the Boeing-made helicopters for its armed forces.
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