SERVING MANY INDUSTRIES—SAVING MORE THAN TIME
www.nehc.org April 2012
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Dear NEHC Members,
I am very pleased to announce that your Board of Directors has awarded the NEHC Safety Award to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Advanced Response Team (DHART) and Metro Aviation, Inc. Our safety award rec-ognizes individuals and groups for excellence in rotorcraft aviation safety and honors those who have dis-played “outstanding service on behalf of safety, whether it be valor, professionalism or service above and beyond normal expectations.” The NEHC Safety Award was 1st awarded to Robert Girouard in 1985 when our organization was known as the New England Helicopter Pilots Association. Since then we have been pleased to recognize a number of well deserving recipients including John Anderson (1986) for outstanding service to the helicopter community as a founding member of the NEHPA, George Vincent (1989) for his professionalism and contributions to helicopter safety as President of the NEHPA, and Survival Systems (2010) for their contribution to helicopter aviation safety training.
DHART and Metro Aviation have been selected for this award as a result of their innovative operat-ing practices and impeccable safety record. The article starting on page 2 describes the collaboration be-tween these two outstanding organizations and how their combined efforts support the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. NEHC is pleased to recognize these two organizations for their achievements.
Part of the DHART/Metro success story is that they have implemented rigorous operating proce-dures and invest in state of the art technology. You will also find articles in this edition of the newsletter that give further details about flying helicopters in instrument meteorological conditions and describe the benefits, and some of the limitations, of airborne weather radar, techniques and tools used by our safety award recipient.
I’d like to take a moment to thank the NEHC members who participated in the 2012 Aviation, Mari-time and Transportation Education Expo. The event is a partnership between the FAA and Massport's Of-fice. Representatives from industry, government, colleges and training institutes join forces to introduce students and their teachers to the career opportunities in aviation and maritime transportation. This year’s event was well attended and a great way to plant seeds to attract the next generation of aviation profession-als.
Please join us at our membership meeting next week. We plan to start the evening with our Annual Meeting, a short busi-ness meeting followed immediately by our featured presentation. Paul Austin, DHART’s Lead Pilot plans to talk about their opera-tion, how they’re building DHART’s IFR infrastructure and their collaboration with the FAA to develop standard instrument ap-proach procedures at hospital heliports. Please join us at the Tewksbury Country Club on April 17. It promises to be a great night, and you won’t want to miss it!
W. Gregory Harville President
Important Notice
NEHC Address Change
We have changed our mailing address. Please mail all correspondence to:
70 E. Falmouth Highway, Suite 3 East Falmouth, MA 02536
email: [email protected]
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NEHC Safety Award Recipients
The New England Helicopter Council is pleased to announce that its 2012 Safety Award is being presented to the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Advanced Response Team (DHART) and their aviation services provider, Metro Aviation, Inc.
NEHC’s Safety Award recognizes individuals and groups for excellence in rotorcraft aviation safety and hon-ors those who have displayed outstanding service on behalf of safety, whether for valor, professionalism or service above and beyond normal expectations.
DHART and Metro Aviation have earned this award as a result of their innovative operating practices and impeccable safety record. DHART pilots use state of the art tools, such as night vision goggles, airborne weather avoidance radar and GPS to fly standard instrument approach procedures to hospitals in marginal weather condi-tions. Aircraft are dispatched using a real-time, satellite based tracking system. The aeromedical staff and helicopter mechanics are highly experienced professionals who regularly participate in rigorous professional continuing educa-tion. The combination of Metro Aviation’s professionalism and commitment to aviation safety and DHART’s exper-tise in emergency medical care, have created an industry leading collaboration in aeromedical transportation.
More about DHART - Since its in-ception in July of 1994, DHART has trans-ported more than 14,500 patients in the air over 1,510,000 miles. DHART medical teams are comprised of critical care nurses & paramedics and respiratory care practition-ers. Medical crewmembers have, on average, 16 years’ critical care and/or EMS experi-ence.
The pilot staff is similarly well quali-fied. Pilots are required to be instrument rated and have a minimum of 2,500 hours flight time as pilot in command. Safe opera-tion in the challenging aero-medical profes-sion requires pilots to maintain night and instrument flight proficiency.
More about Metro Aviation, Inc. – From the company’s beginning, Metro has maintained a posture of excellence within their industry. Metro’s pledge is to provide exemplary service, safety and leadership to each of their clients and to the industry as a whole. Professionalism and commitment to safety is not only Metro’s pledge but it’s their philosophy. Metro Aviation was incorpo-rated in 1982 as a helicopter charter, flight training, and maintenance operation. Their entry into the air medical service business came in November 1983 when Metro Aviation entered into a long-term agreement to provide helicopter ambulance service for Schumpert Medical Center in Shreveport, Louisiana using two Hughes 500D helicopters. Now, Metro Aviation has air medical transport operations throughout the United States and has earned a reputation for excellence in helicopter medical transporta-tion services that is internationally recognized. Metro has been DHART’s aviation service provider since the pro-gram’s inception.
More about Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center – DHMC is New Hampshire’s only American College of Surgeons verified, Level 1 Trauma Center. Their mission is to advance health through research, education, clinical practice and community partnerships. DHART is a successful example of DHMC’s vision, goals and values. Alt-hough DHART is most visible when transporting trauma patients from accident scenes, most of their work, about 75% of all flights, involves transporting critically ill or injured patients from one hospital to another.
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More about the Aircraft: - DHART flies the American Eu-rocopter EC135. The charac-teristics of this aircraft include
Weight (empty): 4,505 lbs Payload capacity: 1,745 lbs Length: 33.5 ft Height: 11.9 ft Width: 6.6 ft Cabin volume: 173 cf Cruising speed: 150 mph Range: 405 statute miles Enhancements: Full-color weather radar, satellite tracking system, night vision goggles for pilot and crew use, a flight data recorder, HTAWS and an active traffic avoidance system.
DHART operates two EC135 helicopters and uses a third aircraft as backup – one based at DHMC in Leba-non, NH and the one based in Manchester, NH. These aircraft have flown over 16,000 flight hours and represent the latest in aviation technology and enhance DHART’s ability to provide care to critically ill and injured patients any-where in Northern New England. The EC135 provides great lifting capability, which is especially important when operating at high altitude during warm weather. Each aircraft is equipped with color weather radar and a satellite tracking system. These tools allow pilots to see the stormy weather ahead of the aircraft and dispatch to monitor the aircraft’s position, in real-time, back at the communications center. DHART was the first program in New England to fly with night vision goggles, optical devices that allow the pilots to see at night in levels of light that approach near darkness. To further enhance safety, DHART is currently developing a fully integrated helicopter instrument flight rules route structure and helicopter instrument approach procedures. This first-in-the-world project will allow DHART helicopters to fly safely between 30 hospitals in New Hampshire and Vermont in poor weather conditions.
Helicopter Operations Under Instrument Flight Rules
According to a study published by the U.S. Joint Helicopter Safety Analysis Teams (US-JHSAT), “When a pilot encounters inadvertent IMC, it is usually because the pilot chose to continue a VFR flight into poor or reduced visibility. When an acci-dent occurs after continued flight in poor visibility conditions, it is usually the re-sult of hitting an unseen object or obstruction, or simply flying into the ground (CFIT).” This report goes on to state that when an accident occurs as a result of IIMC, the outcome is almost always fatal. A sobering statistic! U.S.-JHSAT con-cludes their report with this advice, “A key to survival is to avoid such situations always.” So, let’s talk about flying helicopters under instrument flight rules.
Federal Aviation Regulations give helicopter pilots tremendous latitude to fly in poor visibility. For operations con-ducted under Part 91 of the regulations, there’s no minimum ceiling or flight visibility required to fly in uncontrolled
airspace. FAR 91.155 allows helicopters to be operated clear of clouds if operated at a speed that allows the pilot adequate oppor-tunity to see any air traffic or obstruction in time to avoid a colli-sion. Helicopter operations conducted under FAR Part 135 are slightly more restrictive; the rules require at least a ½ mile visibil-ity during day time and 1 mile visibility at night. Please consider that there is nothing in these rules that tells a helicopter pilot that it’s safe to fly when the ceiling is very low or in very low visibility. In other words, don’t interpret the permissible flexibility to sug-gest, I can go – therefore I must go. It may be perfectly safe to fly along a well surveyed route, all power lines and towers known and marked on the chart, with contingency landing areas along the route as a backup plan in case the weather is lower that your per-sonal minimums. Such a flight is vastly different than a long cross country over unfamiliar terrain, watching for obstacles, ‘on-the-fly’. Consider upgrading your skills and equipment and fly IFR if you really need fly in such weather.
(Continued on page 4)
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How do you prepare yourself to fly IFR? To start with, you need a helicopter instrument rating. FAR Part 61 describes the detailed requirements to earn this rating. You will need dual training, log certain aeronautical experience and pass both a written and prac-tical (check ride) test. If you have an airplane instrument rating, you meet most of the pre-requisites for the helicopter instrument rat-ing but will need at least 15 hours of instru-ment dual instruction in a helicopter and then pass the check ride. Already have a heli-copter instrument rating? You just need to concentrate on regaining the instrument flight proficiency you had when you earned your helicopter instrument rating. Instru-ment flying is not like riding a bike. There is a huge difference between currency and pro-ficiency.
Just like the pilot, the helicopter also needs to be certified for IFR flight. The helicopter needs appropriate communication & naviga-tion equipment, and adequate backup sys-tems to ensure safety. If you want to fly sin-gle pilot IFR the helicopter will need an auto-pilot. Certification rules do not require multi-engine reliability but, in practice, it’s rare to find IFR certified single-engine helicopters.
Flying IFR is a tool that can minimize your chances of striking an unseen object while scud running. Pilots who maintain instru-ment proficiency and regularly fly under in-strument flight rules, typically prefer flying IFR than VFR. However, IFR creates other challenges, and requires helicopter pilots to change their ‘mind set’ be-fore launching off into the clouds. You’ll need to carry additional reserve fuel and make alternate and contingency plans depending on where you’ll be flying and the characteristics of the air mass along your flight route. Helicopter pilots are comfortable with the concept that in an abnormal situation they can land almost anywhere; once you enter the clouds you’ll need to fly a standard instrument approach to get the helicopter safely back to the ground.
The helicopter industry has embraced IFR flight. As you read in a separate article, DHART’s helicopters are capable of IFR flight and are routinely flown under instrument flight rules. Boston MedFlight and LifeFlight of Maine also fly IFR. Most of the helicopters operated by members of the Eastern Region Helicopter Council, in and around New York City, are IFR capable. The oil and gas industry in the Gulf of Mexico and Aberdeen, and elsewhere around the world, routinely fly their helicopters in instrument meteorological conditions.
Is helicopter IFR right for you? The ability to fly IFR will give you more options and can increase your ability to fly safely in low visibility. IFR flight requires an initial training and equipment investment and requires long term com-mitment to maintaining the proficiency required to operate in the instrument environment. At the very least, you
should give serious considera-tion to earning a helicopter in-strument rating. This 1st step will give you a much better un-derstanding of what’s involved in IFR flight and give you a better appreciation of the challenges you’ll face if you ever inadvert-ently end up in the clouds. An instrument rating will make you a better pilot and you’ll have fun in the process. ##
(Continued from page 3)
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Bell Helicopter Introduces the 525 “Relentless” Super Medium Helicopter
FORT WORTH, TEXAS (February 12, 2012) – Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. company (NYSE: TXT), announced today the world’s first “super-medium” hel-icopter, the Bell 525 Relentless, at the 2012 Heli-Expo in Dallas, Texas.
“Today, we celebrate with our customers – not only the launch of this new product – but the result of our col-lective efforts to define a new class of helicopter that raises the bar on innovation in the industry,” said John Garrison, President & CEO, Bell Helicopter.
The Bell 525 Relentless defines the new “super medi-um” product class - positioned at the upper end of the medium class and designed to offer best-in-class capa-bilities to our customers. It features superior payload and range, cabin and cargo volumes and crew visibility.
“The new Bell 525 Relentless is a culmination of our research and development efforts, which were informed by a representative product development panel of our customers, including PHi, an industry leader in helicopter opera-
tions. Relentlessly listening to our customers and using their feedback to provide them with the right product at the right time has been the win-ning combination,” Garrison said.
“Having PHi and our other customers engage with us on this unprecedented new aircraft vali-dates our product development strategies – plac-ing our customers at the center of everything we do. We appreciate the collaborative spirit we share with all of our customers who have partici-pated in this innovative process.”
The new Bell 525 Relentless will be powered by the reliable performance of world-class GE en-gines – the GE CT7-2F1.
This latest version of the highly successful CT7 family is designed with an emphasis on low fuel consumption, low cost of operation and with oth-er technical features to ensure aircraft meet the requirements of long range, high payload mis-sions. The CT7-2F1 engine includes a state-of-the-art Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) plus advanced materials, primarily in the turbine section.
Capable of carrying up to 16 passengers, the Bell 525 Relentless is designed to support our custom-ers in various mission configurations including oil & gas, search & rescue, helicopter emergency medical services and VIP/corporate transport.
For more information contact:
Angela Baldwin
817-280-6737 (office)
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SAFETY ALERT
AD 2011-12-10 To detect blade skin debond, pre-vent blade failure and subsequent loss of helicopter control.
Airworthiness Directive revised March 5, 2012. If you fly Robin-son R-22 and R-44 helicopters, this information may apply to you.
For more information visit:
http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulato-
ry_and_Guidance_Library%5CrgAD.nsf/0/7950DFF2185691F
A862578B2004D6912?OpenDocument
EAA-106 has been selected as a finalist for Lightspeed Aviation Foundation’s, 2012 Pilots’ Choice Award. The top five selected non-profit organizations will each receive a grant of not less than $10,000.
Lightspeed makes its award based on which organization, from the twenty finalists that are announced each March, receives the most pilot votes. Your vote counts! Please use this link to cast your vote for our EAA-106 colleagues.
http://tinyurl.com/EAA106-2012-VOTE Lightspeed Aviation Foundation was es-tablished in 2010 to serve the aviation community. The Foundation’s mission is to promote a vibrant and growing pilot community, support education that will preserve and extend the future of avia-tion and provide financial support to help like-minded aviation organizations.
Their vision is to enthusiastically ad-vance aviation in three key areas:
Growth— to assure a vibrant and grow-ing pilot community by introducing, en-gaging and nurturing the next generation of aviation enthusiasts,
Advocacy—Lightspeed feels it’s funda-mental to support education and action outside the pilot community that will preserve and extend the future of avia-tion, and
Compassion—They believe that it’s es-sential to use their gifts within the avia-tion community to serve others for the betterment of others.
To learn more about the Lightspeed Avi-ation Foundation please visit:
www.lightspeedaviationfoundation.org/
Lightspeed Aviation Foundation Honors—EAA 106
EAA106 VIDEO: http://youtu.be/h1l3ZjOn0qw
Aircraft Re-Registration Reminder
The next deadline is for aircraft registered in August of any year. Unless your aircraft registration has an expiration date, the registration expires on June 30, 2012. For more information please refer to Aircraft Registration on the Licenses & Certificates Tab @ www.faa.gov.
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FEDERAL EXCISE TAX UPDATE
As a result of the FAA Reauthorization bill which is now law, there were changes to the small aircraft exemption from FET. These changes became effective on March 31. The change impacts “jet” powered aircraft. IRS de-fines jet powered as all turbine powered aircraft. If you’re flying a light, turbine powered helicop-ter “for-hire” you may now be subject to both the 7.5% FET and Segment Fees, a tax in the amount of $3.80 per passenger per takeoff.
Here is how the law reads now, with the change:
“The taxes imposed by sections 4261 and 4271 shall not apply to transportation by an aircraft having a maximum certificated takeoff weight of 6,000 pounds or less, except when such air-craft is operated on an established line or when such aircraft is a jet aircraft. For purposes of the preceding sentence, the term “maximum certificated takeoff weight” means the maximum such weight contained in the type certificate or airworthiness certificate. For pur-poses of this section, an aircraft shall not be considered as operated on an established line at any time during which such aircraft is being operated on a flight the sole purpose of which is sightseeing.”
If you’re flying a light piston helicopter the FET exemption is still in place.
Questions? Please refer to www.irs.gov or contact your income tax advisor.
Attention—Military Aviators A number of NEHC members are current, or former, military helicopter pilots. We
want YOU to be a member, too. Please
join us at the membership meeting on April 17. Identify yourself as a military aviator and be our complimentary guest.
Please welcome the New England Air Mu-seum as our newest Affiliate Member.
www.neam.org The New England Air Museum is owned and operated by the Connecticut Aeronautical His-torical Association, a private, non-profit educa-tional institution organized in 1959. Located at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, the Museum is the largest aviation mu-seum in New England. This educational organi-zation is dedicated to preserving and presenting historically significant aircraft and related arti-facts, engaging visitors through high-quality exhibits helping them to understand aviation technology and history, and inspir-ing students through in-n o v a t i v e and hands-on educa-tional pro-grams. ##
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Eurocopter’s 2,000 Reasons to Believe in its Products and Support
In 2011 Eurocopter delivered the 1,000th DAUPHIN, a figure that provides further proof not only of the Dauphin family’s lon-gevity, but also of its tremendous popularity around the globe.
The Dauphin family now comprises the twin-engine AS365 N3+ (and soon the AS365 N3e, which offers even higher performance levels and is slated for certification by the end of 2013), representing 86% of deliveries, and the larger, five bladed EC155 B1, which makes up 14% of the 1,000+ Dauphins al-ready manufactured. Since the program was first launched back in the 1970s, the Dauphin family has gained the confidence of large or-ganizations and operators throughout the world, totaling more than 5,100,000 flight hours and boasting a very low accident rate. The number one Dauphin operator is none other than the U.S. Coast Guard, which operates a fleet of 101 Dauphins.
Used extensively for public service missions and in the oil & gas sector, the Dauphin family has also made a name for itself in private & business aviation and (to a lesser degree) in long-distance air ambulance missions. In geographical
terms, Asia is where the Dauphin is most prevalent, being home to 33% of the world’s Dauphins manufactured so far. The remain-ing helicopters are spread as follows: Europe (29%), North America (17%), South America (10%), Africa (9%) and Oceania (2%).
Also in 2011, only fifteen years after series production first began on the helicopter, Eu-rocopter CEO Lutz Bertling handed over the keys for the 1,000th EC135. The EC135 has been a leader in the twin-engine light helicop-ter market ever since it was first introduced and is now flown by 271 customers in 55 countries and boasts over 2,200,000 flight hours.
The keys to the helicopter’s success are many: high availability rates, reduced maintenance and operating costs, extremely low sound lev-els and the increased safety offered by its Fenestron® shrouded tail rotor. The wide range of missions performed by the EC135 is just as impressive: emergency medical, law enforcement, private & business aviation (including a special luxurious Hermès edi-tion), advanced military training, wind farm surveillance and services to off shore plat-forms.
American Eurocopter is pleased to announce that it currently has both an EC155B1 and EC135 demonstrator available; look out for these aircraft in the New England area. For more information please contact Regional
Sales Manager Kristopher DeSoto at [email protected].
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NEHC Spring Membership Meeting
Tuesday April 17, 2012
7:00 PM at the
Tewksbury Country Club 1880 Main Street
Tewksbury, MA 01876 (978) 640-0033
Heavy hors d’oeuvres will be served. Complimen-tary beverages provided
by American Eurocopter. Free admission for mem-bers and $10 fee for non-
members, which is waived if you join NEHC on the
night of the meeting.
Anyone interested in flying into this meeting should contact Marc Ginsburg 978.640.0033 to make arrangements. Happy Flying!
DHART provides medical transportation to residents of northern New Eng-land. When a patient needs medical evacuation, DHART’s helicopter re-sponds to the accident scene to fly the casualty to the closest trauma center.
DHART is affiliated with the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and is based in both Lebanon and Manchester, New Hampshire. Metro Aviation, based in Shreveport, Louisiana, provides pilots and mechanics to fly and service the helicopters. The advanced response team includes flight nurses, paramedics, EMT’s, along with respiratory care & communication specialists. DHMC is New Hampshire’s only American College of Surgeons verified, Level 1 Trau-ma Center and DHART is the state’s only helicopter emergency medical service. Three great organizations combined to make one great partnership for the local communities.
Please join us to learn about this successful collaboration between DHART & Metro Aviation and how this program has earned its enviable record of safe and reliable aero-medical transportation service in the challenging terrain of
New Hampshire’s White and Vermont’s Green Mountains.
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Advanced Response Team (DHART)
In addition, Bill Carroll will host, “Back-To-Our-Roots”. This is an interactive discussion to identify and propose solutions to solve local hazards, safety issues, ATC concerns, or other such problems that may affect NEHC
members. We look forward to your participation in this discussion.
Eurocopter’s EC155 is a technologically-advanced helicopter designed for a wide mission range – from highly-demanding law enforcement and off-shore operations to corporate transportation. The five-blade main rotor and Fenestron® tail rotor combine the benefits of high speed and low noise, while state-of-the-art avionics reduce pilot workload and ensure ease of maintenance. Please join us and tour this incredible helicopter.
On static display 2:00 PM until 6:30 PM
For more information please contact:
Subject to weather conditions—please check www.nehc.org for current information about the static display schedule.
Frank Erdman Business Manager DHART
Carmen Dragotta NE Operations Manager
Chris Curra NE Sales & Svc Rep
Metro Aviation, Inc.
Paul Austin DHART Lead Pilot Metro Aviation, Inc.
Special Guests:
Eurocopter EC-155—Static Display at Tewksbury
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Advanced Response Team (DHART)
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Mystery Helicopter
Can you identify this aircraft?
The first person to correctly identify this aircraft will win a coveted NEHC ball cap, as well as im-portant bragging rights. Please tell us who built the aircraft and something about its history.
Answers can be submitted online at [email protected] or drop us a note addressed to:
New England Helicopter Council 70 E. Falmouth Hwy, Suite 3 East Falmouth, MA 02536
Helicopter Puzzles
Fill the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3 x 3 box con-
tains the letters
H E L I C O P T R
Fill the grid so that every row, every column, and every 2 x 3 box con-tains the letters
C O P T E R
More overheard on the radio -
A helicopter student pilot became lost during a solo cross-country flight. While attempting to locate the aircraft on radar, ATC asked, "What was your last known position?" The reply: "When I was cleared for takeoff". Helicopter: "Tower, Helicopter 12345, student pilot, I am out of fuel." Tower: "Roger Helicopter 12345, reduce airspeed to best glide!! Do you have the airfield in sight?!?!!" Helicopter: "Uh...tower, I am on the south ramp; I just want to know where the fuel truck is." IFR Helicopter Pilot: "Good morning clearance, Helicopter 12345 IFR to Boston. Clearance: "Helicopter 12345, Expect Departure Clearance Time delay of two hours." IFR Helicopter Pilot: "Please confirm: two hours delay?" Clearance: "Affirmative." IFR Helicopter Pilot: "In that case, cancel the good morning!"
C—O—P—T—E—R Sudoku
C T P
O
O E
R E
E
P R C
H-E-L-I-C-O-P-T-R Sudoku
I O
L O C H R T
P O
T O C
R O L H I
E O R
P O
O E L R C P
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The term RADAR is an acronym for RAdio Detecting and Ranging and locating targets by using radio waves. Nowa-days, radar is common equipment in all but the smallest general aviation airplanes. Radar is often found in twin en-gine IFR equipped helicopters but is virtually never installed in single engine VFR helicopters. These helicopters represent the vast majority of the helicopter fleet and as a pilot flying such aircraft you may not have been exposed to this technology. Here’s a brief introduction to onboard weather radar.
Why radar? Weather radar is a popular method of alerting the flight crew to the presence and location of thunder-storms. Three common threats to aircraft are turbulence, hail and windshear at low altitude; all three of these phe-nomena are common by-products of thunderstorms. Radar is fundamentally a distance measuring system using the principle of radio echoing. The transmitter sends a microwave pulse in front of the aircraft; the pulse hits a target and is reflected back to the antenna. A computer calculates the time it takes for the echo to bounce back to the an-tenna, determines its distance from the aircraft and shows the target on a display in the cockpit. These radio waves travel very fast, about 300 million meters per second, which means that a radar provides nearly instantaneous infor-mation to the aircrew. Airborne weather avoidance radar, as its name implies, is for avoiding severe weather, not for penetrating it. Whether to fly into an area of radar echoes depends on echo-intensity, spacing between the echoes, aircraft capabilities and pilot experience. Radar detects only precipitation drops. Since it does not detect minute cloud droplets it cannot be used to avoid instrument weather in clouds and fog and it does not directly detect turbu-lence.
A brief history. Like many advancements in technology, radar development was heavily funded by war time necessi-ty. Radar principles have been known since the turn of the century. In 1904, Christian Hülsmeyer, a German inven-tor, used radio waves to locate a ship. While working to advance radar technology in 1933, Dr. Rudolph Kühnold of the German Navy inadvertently detected a seaplane moving in front of his radar unit, discovering by accident the use of radar for aircraft detection. By the mid-1930s, radar principles were well known and being actively developed by
Japan, Germany, Russia, America and Brit-ain. Dismissing valuable radar data played a disastrous role at Pearl Harbor. The U.S. Army deployed mobile radar on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. On Dec. 7, 1941, radar opera-tors detected incoming aircraft and relayed this information up the chain of command. The duty officer, having heard a vague ru-mor of incoming American bombers due around this time, wrongly dismissed the report as irrelevant. This disaster alerted the American military to the importance of radar and significantly sped up its deploy-ment.
Airborne weather radar goes back more than 50 years. Early versions consisted of big, high-powered magnetrons, suitable pri-marily for installation in large, transport category airplanes. The modern era began in 1976, with the introduction of solid-state technology. Solid-state radar and advance-ments in microprocessor technology com-bined to create light weight, relatively inex-pensive radar units with features designed to automate the ‘black-art’ of radar signal interpretation. Based on a number of land-mark aviation accidents, airborne weather radar is now required equipment on board most aircraft in passenger-carrying opera-tions.
Pilot Training: Modern radars have a num-ber of useful features to help pilots detect severe weather. That being said, pilots still need to be properly trained to use the radar
(Continued on page 12)
Airborne Weather Radar
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and interpret the echoes. Pilots need to understand such things as: antenna beam illumination, a characteristic commonly referred to as beamwidth; antenna tilt angle, which provides important information about storm height, size, and relative direction of cell movement; radar reflectivity; weather display calibration and attenuation. In-tense storms can absorb or scatter radar pulses. This attenuation can make a storm appear to be weaker than it real-ly is or it may lure an inexperienced pilot to fly directly into a particularly strong part of the storm instead of away from an imbedded thunderstorm. Clearly pilot training is important for proper use of airborne weather radar.
(Continued from page 11)
Just a couple more notes about airborne weather radar: Did you know that helicopters flying in the Gulf of Mexico are permitted to use airborne weather radar to fly instrument approaches? Airborne Radar Approaches (ARA) are more fully described in Advisory Circular AC 90-80B. Other than these special operating procedures, weather avoid-ance radar is not practical as a pilot operable terrain or collision avoidance, and the primary function of these sys-tems is weather analysis and avoidance.
Wouldn’t it be nice to see this inside your cockpit
When you see that in front of your aircraft
New England Aviation Safety Expo
Keynote Topic NextGen and How it Will Affect The General
Aviation Pilot.
Location: Daniel Webster College Date/Time: 4/14/12, 8:00-5:00 p.m. EST Pre-registration Closes: 4/8/12 Keynote Speaker: Gisele M. Mohler FAA's NextGen Office
Attend a number of individual safety classes. For more information:
www.faa.gov/news/conferences_events/aviation_expo
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Baseball—NASCAR and TFRs! NOTAM 9/5151
IMPORTANT! Don’t forget to check for Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs) now that the Major League Baseball season has started.
Blanket NOTAM 9/5151 is still in place. Due to the ever changing times and locations of games it is impossible to publish anything more specific. This NOTAM pro-hibits flight within a 3 NM radius of any stadium with a seating capacity of 30,000 or more people, up to and including 3,000 feet AGL. The airspace restriction starts 1 hour before the scheduled time of the event un-til one hour after the end of the event. It is incumbent upon the pilot to know if his/her flight route will be affected.
Flight Service can only refer pilots to the NOTAM since they have no way of knowing if games are delayed, in overtime, or cancelled. Air Traffic will ensure IFR flights are clear of TFR airspace. VFR pilots need to remember that ATC will only provide TFR advisories on a time permitting basis.
In an effort to help pilots avoid violating stadium TFRs, AOPA has developed a list of the major league stadiums and links to the schedules of the events. For more in-formation please visit:
1. Do you fly with a handheld GPS? Add all major league stadiums in your local flying area as USER Waypoints. Set a 3 NM Proximity Cir-cle around these waypoints. Treat these areas as Restricted Airspace.
2. Add baseball game schedules to the calendar on your Smartphone. This is actually easier than it sounds. All major league teams provide their game schedules in a format easily downloaded to your PDA.
TFR TIPs
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New Email Notification Choice for Helicopter Operations, FAA Notice Number: NOTC3642
The FAA is beginning to realize that it needs the ability to send pertinent information to helicopter opera-tors who fly low-altitude operations. Included in this group are EMS operations, helicopters that may be used for construction, utility, law enforcement, news media, forestry, fire fighting, etc., as well as agricul-tural operations.
There is also the possibility that the FAA may have the opportunity to advise these type of operators con-cerning current and future MET tower construction.
Therefore, a new choice has been added to the ‘Our Email Notification Preferences’ area on the My Pref-erences / Profile page at FAASafety.gov. When you check the Helicopter Operations box, you will receive occasional email that may be appropriate for helicopter operators, pilots and mechanics.
The FAA also invites you to take this oppor-tunity to use the new Security Questions fea-ture on FAASafety.gov. Please log in and go to your “My Preferences/Profile” link (under the Email & Password tab) to create your own security questions with answers. After April 30th, you will be able to use this feature to change your own email address and/or pass-word. You will also be able to log in to your account using this feature if you've forgotten your password or changed your email ad-dress.
Thanks again for your attention to aviation safety!
For more information please visit:
www.faasafety.gov
Granite State Aviation LLC Agusta A109E Power Elite
Luxury Helicopter Charter Service
Managed by Air Carrier FTYA033E
JBI Helicopter Services
For Charter Information 603-225-3134
FAA Safety Team | Safer Skies Through Education
NEHC Member Social Event—Boston ‘North-End’ Tour
Boston’s “Little Italy” is filled with history, ethnic heritage and authentic Italian food. Sample authentic flavors and discover healthy Mediterranean traditions as you get an insider’s view of one of the premier food neighborhoods in the country. Glean insider cooking tips, learn where & how to buy the very best ingredients.
The North End Market Tour is a 3 hour walking event. Plan to wear comfortable shoes and sea-sonal appropriate attire. Tour groups are limited to 10 persons so we have reserved the first 10 spots for Saturday, May 12th at 9:00AM. We will add additional tours to meet demand. Tours will be filled in the order reservations are received. Tour space with our NEHC group is obviously limited so reserve as soon as possible.
Cost is $55.00 per person and does not include lunch. Of course, there are lots of restaurants and shops to chose from after the tour so you can apply your new Italian food knowledge.
See the North End of Boston from a whole new perspective.
RSVP to Wes Verkaart, [email protected], telephone 617-571-6117 Credit Cards Accepted.
15
Aviation Weather Products — A Quiz
Test your knowledge about aviation weather products. How familiar are you with aviation weather services? What information do you use for your pre-flight weather briefing? Answers to the questions in this quiz can be found in the Aeronautical Infor-mation Manual (AIM), the Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (FAA-H-8083-25A), and Aviation Weather Services (AC 00-45G). Web addresses for these various references are listed at the end of the quiz. Have fun!
1. Standard terms are used to describe turbulence and icing intensity. Which of the following statements is correct?
A. Light, moderate, severe & extreme are terms used to describe icing.
B. Trace, light, moderate & severe are terms used to describe turbulence.
C. Moderate icing is a rate of accumulation that may create a problem if flight is prolonged in the icing environment.
D. Moderate turbulence describes a condition where unsecured objects are dislodged and occupants feel definite strains against seat belts and shoulder straps.
2. When reading an Area Forecast (FA) you know that:
A. This forecast is issued every 8 hours beginning at 0445 UTC.
B. The contraction “WND” is included if the sustained surface wind is expected to be 25 kts or more during the majority of the 6-hour outlook period.
C. The FA provides a 12-hour specific clouds and weather forecast, followed by a 6-hour categorical outlook giving a total forecast period of 18 hours.
D. In the conterminous U.S., FA’s are issued for six geographic areas including the Gulf of Mexico coastal waters west of 85W. 3. Short-Range Surface Prognostic Charts, commonly called Prog Charts, are useful to view the progression of surface weather features during the next 48 hours. You know that:
A. 12-Hour Surface Prognostic charts are issued 4 times per day and are termed “Day 1” progs.
B. 36- and 48- Hour Surface Progs are issued 4 times per day and are termed “Day 2” progs.
C. Surface Prog charts are issued every six hours beginning at 0000 UTC.
D. Answers A and C are correct.
Answers and 7 more ‘Weather Products’ ques-
tions are posted on the NEHC Website. www.nehc.org
Join us at the membership meeting on April 17. Identify yourself as a CFI-H and be our complimentary guest.
Join the New England Helicopter Council and help grow our helicopter community.
Open Invitation to All Helicopter Flight Schools and Flight Instructors
70 E Falmouth Hwy Ste. 3 East Falmouth, MA 02536
THE NEHC ORGANIZATION
What do YOU want to see in the Newsletter? Please send any comments and/or submis-sions to [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you and continuing to improve and expand our newsletter!
Board of Directors Paul M. Montrone Chairman Darryl Abbey Fredric Boswell Rob Finlay Chris Harrington Greg Harville Bob Jesurum Joe Miara Doug Sherman Rob Smith Christian Valle
Officers Greg Harville President
Bill Carroll Vice President
Wes Verkaart Vice President
Christian Valle Treasurer
Deirdre O’Conner
Secretary
Affiliate-Operator Member Director Designees Aero Club of New England Deirdre O’Connor
Boston MedFlight Suzanne Wedel
Friends of Flying Santa Brian Tague
Helicopter Association International
New England Air Museum
Tewksbury Country Club
Industry Members/ Director Designees AgustaWestland Chris Sirkis
American Eurocopter Scott Dodge
Bell Helicopter Textron Jeanette Eaton
Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.
NEHC Operating Members
Aerial Productions, LLC AirSure Limited
Avtrak, LLC Boston Executive Helicopters, LLC
Cannon Aviation Group Inc. Granite State Aviation LLC Integro Insurance Brokers
JBI Helicopter Services
Massachusetts State Police Air Wing NationAir Aviation Insurance
Now City Tours, Inc. Port City Air, Inc./New Hampshire Helicopters
Sharkey’s Helicopters, Inc. Survival Systems USA, Inc.
United Technologies Corporation
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