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HAI Heli-Expo Set for March 2-5, Preliminary Schedule Announced
Robinson R66 Receives EASA Certification
NTSB Includes Aviation Weather and Helicopter Operations on its 'Most Wanted' List of Transportation Safety Issues
The National Transportation Safety Board’s 2014 “Most Wanted” list of transportation safety concerns includes, “General Aviation: Identify and Communicate Hazardous Weather,” and “Address Unique Characteristics of Helicopter Operations,” as two of 10 issues it says should get increased focus in the coming year.
In the 2014 Most Wanted list released Jan. 16, the NTSB states: “The first line of defense in preventing a GA weather-related accident is the GA pilot. He or she makes the decision of when and where to fly the aircraft. Therefore, appropriate training on how to obtain and use the proper information to address hazardous weather is critical.”
Whirly-Girls Announce $45,000 in 2013 Scholarships, Deadline Oct. 1
Vietnam Era Huey lands on USS Iowa
By Sagar Pathak
(Ron Pearson)On May 13, two non-profit organizations dedicated to the preservation of very diverse aspects of military history joined forces for an historic landing on the battleship USS Iowa by a restored Vietnam era Huey in Richmond, Calif. The Iowa was recently brought out of “mothballs” to become a floating museum in San Pedro, Calif. To bring public attention to that endeavor, the Iowa restoration folks contacted EMU Inc., the operators of EMU 309 (a carefully restored Vietnam era UH-1H slick) which has participated in numerous public events throughout the last nine years honoring the service of all veterans as part of their goal of preserving the history of assault helicopters in Vietnam.
Sport Flying With In Flight USA
Sport Pilot and Rotorcraft
By Ed Downs
So, here we are, already in February, with this issue of In Flight USA looking into the exciting topic of helicopters. To be sure, vertical flight has long excited those seeking to defy gravity. In fact, one of our first true aeronautical engineers, Leonardo DaVinci, designed an “air screw” that forecasted principles we use today in modern helicopters. The fact is DaVinci’s machine would have been capable of an autrotative decent, although the landing might have been just a bit bumpy!
The DaVinci design does, however, remind us that helicopters are not the only type of “rotorcraft” out there. A flying machine that is generically referred to as gyroplane by the FAA is another form of rotorcraft that has been on the aviation scene since the late 1920s. Essentially, the rotors of a gyroplane (often referred to as an autogyro) are unpowered. Their rotation is caused by airflow that results from moving the gyroplane through the air with an engine/propeller combination that is attached to the airframe, much like a pusher or tractor airplane. It is the gyroplane that gives us the Sport Pilot/rotorcraft connection.