HAI Archives - Helicopter Association International

EUROPEAN ROTORS builds on success to bring bigger event in November 2022

Rotor Media — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 14:02:37 +0000

EUROPEAN ROTORS – The VTOL Show and Safety Conference – is looking ahead to its second iteration, to be held from 8 to 10 November, 2022, in Cologne, Germany. The show’s debut in 2021 was an encouraging success, with very strong support shown by the rotorcraft industry at a time when travel restrictions were still affecting many countries. The unique “365 digital event platform” was also established, primarily aimed at potential visitors who remained in their home countries, and its success will be continued to allow additional attendees to participate and interact with exhibitors and other aspects of the event. The organizers of EUROPEAN ROTORS are pleased to report that bookings are already well ahead of its 2021 achievements, with over 115 companies and organizations already signed up as exhibitors. These range from market heavyweights such as Airbus Helicopters, Bell, Leonardo Helicopters, Safran Helicopter Engines, Boeing Global Services, and Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp., right through to specialist suppliers such as Air Covers, Rebtech and Spider Tracks. The current list of exhibitors is published on the event website with regular updates, and the organizers continue to be in talks with many more organizations across the industry to add to the (more…)

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HAI introduces ROTOR Media website

Rotor Media — Tue, 13 Jul 2021 14:00:23 +0000

Photo above: Mark Bennett New microsite offers industry news, videos, magazine, webinars all in one place. With the goal of providing faster, broader, more accessible coverage of the vertical aviation industry, HAI introduces ROTOR Media. The new, image-oriented microsite, launched Jul. 12, features news, videos, and other content from HAI as well as external news outlets. Not only is ROTOR Media the new home of HAI’s flagship magazine, ROTOR; it also serves as the story database for HAI’s ROTOR Daily e-newsletter, which summarizes each weekday’s VTOL news. The microsite will soon host the association’s popular HAI@Work webinar series, too, which currently can be found at rotor.org. Both current and past issues of ROTOR magazine, produced by and for the VTOL industry, are available on ROTOR Media. Readers can access the content online on the website or in a digital edition or save the issue for offline viewing via downloadable PDFs of the quarterly publication. The ROTOR Daily section of ROTOR Media provides original HAI content as well as curated stories from external sources, including regulatory bodies, governments, the media, OEMs, and more. Readers can view articles in chronological order on the ROTOR Daily home page, use the pull-down menu to (more…)

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HAI Member Spotlight: Digital AirWare, North Carolina, USA

Jen Boyer — Tue, 13 Jul 2021 10:00:04 +0000

A look at an HAI member up close and personal. Digital AirWare of Charlotte, North Carolina, began in 2007 because of one man’s ingenuity. While working as an A&P and inspection-authorized aviation mechanic, US Marine veteran Joaquin Demoreta-Braza developed an extensive Excel spreadsheet to better track his customers’ maintenance requirements. After studying his friend’s program, Brad Goodman suggested they replace the spreadsheet with a Web-based program they would build themselves. Later, in 2011, Michael Demoreta-Braza joined the team to develop the operations side of the business and Digital AirWare took off, acquiring its first law enforcement agency customer, the San Antonio Police Department, not long afterward. The company has since grown to become a premier Web-based aviation management system for multiple operators, including many in the airborne law enforcement community. Airworthiness and Operational Status at a Glance Using a highly visually based system, Digital AirWare literally gives users a clear picture of the status of the aircraft, equipment, pilot, training, and safety status at a glance. For aircraft, each customer’s dashboard includes an image and tail number of each aircraft, next to a traffic signal icon that indicates green for airworthy, yellow for upcoming items needing attention soon, or red (more…)

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HAI Member Spotlight: Wilson Construction, Oregon, USA

Jen Boyer — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 12:45:43 +0000

A look at an HAI member up close and personal. Wilson Construction Co. of Canby, Ore., is a full-service utility construction company specializing in the design and construction of electric utility infrastructure for power providers. One of the region’s largest privately held companies of its kind, Wilson’s work includes designing, building, and repairing overhead and underground transmission and distribution transmission infrastructure. Its teams also engineer, drill, and perform grading for substation and switchyard construction. The company has performed extensive work across the United States as well as Canada, American Samoa, and Indonesia. Today, its locations in Canby and Woodburn, Oregon; Spokane, Washington; Phoenix, Arizona; and Sacramento and Corona, California, support Wilson Construction’s expansive operations. Wilson’s History Matt O. Wilson founded the company almost 70 years ago in Troutdale, Oregon, installing power lines for the federal Rural Electrification Administration, which first brought electricity to farms in Oregon and Washington. He taught his son, Don Wilson, the current president of the company, that carefully selected and trained personnel, adaptability, and a desire to embrace the best technology for the job are essential building blocks to success. Recognizing helicopters’ vital position as a preferred workhorse in utility operations, the company purchased and today (more…)

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HAI Member Spotlight: Liquid Measurement Systems, Vermont, USA

Jen Boyer — Tue, 22 Jun 2021 10:00:05 +0000

Photo above: iStock/Lo-So-Ma A look at an HAI member up close and personal. Liquid Measurement Systems (LMS) of Georgia, Vermont, provides fuel-management and -gauging systems for rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft for both the commercial and military sectors. The company designs, certifies, and makes electromechanical systems and components with light weight, safety, accuracy, and value in mind. The manufacturer is also innovating and leveraging its expertise to enter the growing hybrid-electric and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) market sectors. Products and Services LMS’s products include carbon composite fuel probes, digital fuel-quantity indicators, signal conditioners, and external-refuel preselect panels. The company also works with its clients to design and manufacture custom solutions for individual customer needs, including supporting prototype designs. Operating from its commitment to safety, quality, accuracy, and innovation, LMS credits its success to its collaborative approach with customers. The company works closely with clients as early as possible in requirements development to produce superior system designs and encourage innovative approaches to complex challenges. The result, LMS says, is high-quality solutions on budget and on schedule. Backed by a team of engineering, assembly, quality assurance, and support experts, LMS serves some of the world’s largest and most innovative OEMs and tier 1 (more…)

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HAI Member Spotlight: Macro-Blue, California

Jen Boyer — Tue, 15 Jun 2021 10:00:44 +0000

A look at an HAI member up close and personal. Moorpark, Calif.–based Macro-Blue produces tactical displays for law enforcement aerial surveillance. Engineered to optimize output from infrared sensors, EO (electro-optical) cameras, and moving map systems, the displays are designed to deliver clear images in all conditions, including direct sunlight, night, and night-vision goggles (NVG) operations. Macro-Blue’s latest series of displays, the MB-Q, features an advanced graphics-processor platform intended to bring superior intelligence to passively displayed camera or mapping-system videos. The displays transmit four high-definition (HD) video signals simultaneously, providing users a combination of up to four videos on a single screen. The displays support HD-camera and mapping systems as well as plug-in sensors such as tail-boom, hoist, or skid cameras. The manufacturer also makes an analog 1:4 composite video distribution amplifier and an SDI (serial digital interface) 3G reclocking 1:4 splitter to support its displays. MB-Q Series Macro-Blue’s MB-Q Series tactical displays come in a wide variety of sizes and orientations to fit any aircraft configuration. Options include touchscreen and dual-mode NVISs (night-vision imaging systems) models and remote-mount military-style rotary knob controllers and push-button controllers with rotary brightness knobs. Individually tested and qualified, each MB-Q display panel is issued a (more…)

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HAI Member Spotlight: SkyQuest Aviation, Arizona, USA

Jen Boyer — Tue, 08 Jun 2021 10:00:54 +0000

A look at an HAI member up close and personal. A Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business as designated by the US Small Business Administration, SkyQuest Aviation (SQA) is an aviation services provider delivering overall program management, systems integration, aviation maintenance and flight operations, quality assurance, quality control, personnel qualifications management, and aviation environmental health and safety management. For more than 20 years, the Glendale, Arizona–based company has supported a wide variety of US Department of Defense, Department of State, Department of Justice, and Department of Homeland Security contracts in and outside the contiguous United States. SQA supports rotary-wing, tilt-rotor, and fixed-wing aircraft. Services include aviation support, engineering and training, and logistics, each with a focus on quality, safety, analysis, and reliability. Aviation Support SQA’s aviation support services comprise maintenance, flight and ground operations, flight testing, ground handling/servicing, systems modification, equipment corrosion control, ground support equipment/vehicle overhaul, personnel training and qualifying, and logistical services critical to safe and reliable aircraft operations anywhere in the world. Engineering and Training Services The company’s engineering services incorporate repair analysis, field and air support, and electrical and mechanical software modification. Training services include professional training programs for flight, maintenance, tactical missions, and specialized focuses. Logistics When (more…)

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HAI Member Spotlight: Hampton Roads Helicopters, Virginia, USA

Jen Boyer — Tue, 25 May 2021 10:00:50 +0000

A look at an HAI member up close and personal. Hampton Roads Helicopters (HRH) is a full-service aviation company based at Hampton Roads Executive Airport (KPVG) in Chesapeake, Virginia. The operator is one of two companies owned by lifetime industry veteran Dave Hynes, a helicopter and airplane flight instructor and helicopter designated pilot examiner. In addition to HRH, Hynes is president of Hampton Roads Charter Service (HRCS), an authorized Robinson Helicopter dealer and service center and aircraft management company. Together, HRH and HRCS provide FAA Part 135 helicopter charter services, flight instruction, aircraft ferrying services, aerial tours, as well as support for aerial photography/videography, special events, land surveys, and utility patrol. The two companies also offer helicopter maintenance, new- and used-aircraft sales and leasing, and aircraft hangaring, management, and pilot services. A Family Tradition Founded in 2005 by Dave Hynes and Andy Gibbs, HRH is a family business built on a rich helicopter history. Hynes’s brother, Patrick Hynes, also a helicopter and airplane instructor as well as an A&P mechanic, serves as HRH’s director of maintenance. Two of six children of 2021 HAI Salute to Excellence Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Michael Hynes, the brothers grew up around and worked for Brantly-Hynes Helicopters in the 1970s (more…)

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HAI Member Spotlight: Luma Technologies, Washington, USA

Jen Boyer — Tue, 18 May 2021 10:00:50 +0000

A look at an HAI member up close and personal. Since 2006, Bellevue, Washington-based Luma Technologies has designed and manufactured lighted displays and custom switching products for both rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft. The company was founded with the goal of bringing affordable solid-state technology to the rapidly changing cockpit environment. Luma combines creative analytical design with proven solid-state optical and LED technology to increase the reliability and performance of traditional lights, switches, and other cockpit controls. What’s more, most of the company’s technology is goggles-ready, allowing for immediate compatibility for NVIS (night-vision imaging system) operations. Luma’s integrated LED displays replace traditional ganged and matrixed annunciator banks with high-performance LED technology combined with one or more single-piece, multicelled legend plates. This approach eliminates intermittent and burned-out lamps, scalding surface temperatures, and uneven or jammed cap assemblies common with standard assemblies. LED Annunciators Luma’s latest line of LED annunciators, the LT-3000 Series, features a host of traditional and low-profile packaging options. The series’ unit was originally developed as a drop-in LED solution for “Grimes” style designs used on older aircraft with traditional, screw terminal–type hardware. The product has similar applicability on Russian-made Mi-8 and Mi-17 helicopters and offers a quick, affordable solution for aircraft struggling with (more…)

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HAI Member Spotlight: Kelly Manufacturing, Kansas, USA

Jen Boyer — Tue, 11 May 2021 10:34:03 +0000

A look at an HAI member up close and personal. Kelly Manufacturing Co. (KMC) of Wichita, Kansas, manufactures the popular RC Allen line of analog instruments and their digital counterparts. The largest manufacturer of general aviation aircraft instruments in the world, KMC operates manufacturing plants in Wichita and Grenola, Kansas. Both facilities also house FAA licensed repair stations. A Storied Past The RC Allen line of instruments has a storied past that KMC keeps alive through modernization and expansion. RC Allen Inc. was founded by Ralph C. Allen in 1932 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It later became RC Allen Business Machines Inc. and was one of the leading makers of business machines. Thousands of old RC Allen cash registers, adding machines, and typewriters are still in existence across the country today. With the onset of World War II, the demand for a large quantity of aircraft propelled RC Allen Business Machines into the aviation world. RC Allen facilities were ideal for manufacturing the delicate instruments needed for the war effort. As a result, thousands of RC Allen turn and bank instruments were installed on war-bound aircraft. After the war, RC Allen continued as a major government contractor manufacturing instruments for the Korean (more…)

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