Hot new helicopter/rotorcraft news

[ChuckMK23]

and @phrogdriver a little birdie told me that the TH-119 team is still undergoing US IFR certification for Genysys equipped aircraft - that work is ongoing. No word on when they expect it to be complete.

But they are doing full touchdown autos in the aircraft at their training academy without issue.

Also XC cruise at 152 KTAS!

 

[thosefreakinATs]

the 57 is still reliable enough to comfortably say that the student will kill you before the aircraft will. the maintenance issues it does have arent really that bad. but they are tired.

 

[ChuckMK23]

the 57 is still reliable enough to comfortably say that the student will kill you before the aircraft will. the maintenance issues it does have arent really that bad. but they are tired.

The 48 month overhaul cost for the TH-57 is now north of $700K per aircraft - its getting prohibitively expensive to operate.

 

[scoolbubba]

The 48 month overhaul cost for the TH-57 is now north of $700K per aircraft - its getting prohibitively expensive to operate.

That’s gotta be close to what they cost new. Weren’t they right around a mil a pop in dollars of the day?

 

[Randy Daytona]

Thought I saw somewhere that Bell put up both the latest variant of the 407 as well as the twin 429. Curious to know if the 429 uses a combining gearbox like the Bell 212 / 412 or does it use direct drive into the transmission like the EC-135.

 

[ChuckMK23]

Thought I saw somewhere that Bell put up both the latest variant of the 407 as well as the twin 429. Curious to know if the 429 uses a combining gearbox like the Bell 212 / 412 or does it use direct drive into the transmission like the EC-135.

Looking at this diagram it looks *to me* like the transmission takes the input shaft from each engine without an intermediary combining gearbox

 

[DanMa1156]

the 57 is still reliable enough to comfortably say that the student will kill you before the aircraft will. the maintenance issues it does have arent really that bad. but they are tired.

I think it's only a matter of time before avionics fail (and I'm not talking gucci GTNs, I'm talking the attitude gyro and other basics) in the clouds and someone gets vertigo that ends up in an unrecoverable departure from controlled flight.

 

[DanMa1156]

I'd say this Bell 206B3 is flying more stressful duty on airframe and drivetrain than any SNA in HT's...

I disagree, not only because of what @HokiePilot said about SNA hard landings, but a few others:

1. Presumably, he is remaining in limits, and probably has a transmission that can handle it. We're in the 5 minute range on practically every XC takeoff or anytime I take up 2 former varsity athletes. Hell, the wrong gust of wind can overtorque someone in the 57.
2. The constant adjustment of the twist grip to flight idle and back to full open cannot be good for the helicopter... every...single...day.
3. How many hours/year is he doing that in that bird? There are 57s flying every single day, and when maintenance is short on birds, it's the same set of 57s flying every day.

 

[Jim123]

2. The constant adjustment of the twist grip to flight idle and back to full open cannot be good for the helicopter... every...single...day.

70+ times a day being not uncommon, as I mentioned.

(Of which Chuck, Randy, Hokie, phrogdriver, you, and others on this thread are well aware.)

 

[squorch2]

Plus innumerable operations outside of full open, with resultant Nf turbine effects.

 

[thosefreakinATs]

life in the HTs

 

[ChuckMK23]

a video from Airbus posted today...

 

[Griz882]

a video from Airbus posted today...

Based on their choice of music I wouldn't pick the the Airbus bird.

 

[ChuckMK23]

You get the feeling Airbus is not terribly invested in pursuing this...

 

[phrogdriver]

General Gayler, head of Army aviation, doesn’t sound too jazzed about his Airbuses.

https://www.janes.com/article/86192/us-army-seeks-to-address-pilot-shortfall

Then there’s the fact that the Lakota costs 3x as much to fly...