Rotor & Wing 2009-09.pdf

September 2009

Serving the Worldwide Helicopter Industry

rotorandwing.com

NVG Technology

Update

Helitech 2009

Show Preview

NVG Training:

Civilian Vs. Military

The Bell

429 Pilot

RepoRT

AND THE HITS JUST KEEP ON COMING.

At Bell Helicopter, we have a long history of hit products. And our customer support

has been a hit for 15 consecutive years. We wouldn’t put our name on just anything.

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countries around the world. While they all meet our premier standards, 26 have

gone gold, 48 have gone silver and six of them have just gone platinum, receiving

our highest certiication in customer service and support for three consecutive years.

Making our Customer Support Facilities yet another hit with our customers.

866.562.4791

csfsupport@bellhelicopter.textron.com

Vol. 43 | No. 9

September 2009

Personal|Corporate

Commercial

Military

Public Service

Training

Products

Services

Departments

10 rotorcraft report

22 People

22 Coming Events

24 Program Insider

H-1 Update

Hot Products

Advertisers’ Index

Classified Ads

Coming Up

Cover: Ernie Stephens, Editor-at-Large, reports on the Bell 429 (Bell Photo).

Above: Eurocopter EC135 “Hermes,” a twin-engine helicopter designed for

VIP use. Bottom: Night vision technology and training .

Columns

4 editor’s notebook

7 Feedback

8 meet the Contributors

58 Safety Watch

60 public Safety notebook

62 accident Watch

Features

Cover STory

28 ■ Bell 429: A New Hope

Pilot report on the spacious cabin, avionics, handling

characteristics and versatility of the new helicopter from Bell.

By Ernie Stephens

36 ■ NvGs Made Simple

Explaining how night vision goggles can benefit flight

operations. By Chris Baur

42 ■ Helitech Preview

36, 48

The world still needs helicopters, and Europe’s Helitech is

poised to reflect a resilient market for rotorcraft.

By Andrew Healey

■ NvG Training

Comparing the similarities and differences in civilian and

military approaches to night vision training.

By Charlotte Adams

The editors welcome new product information and other industry news. All editorial inquiries should be directed to Rotor & Wing magazine, 4 Choke Cherry Rd., 2nd Floor, Rockville, Md.

20850, USA; 1-301-354-1839; fax 1-301-762-8965. E-mail : rotorandwing@accessintel.com. Rotor & Wing (ISSN-1066-8098) is published monthly by Access Intelligence, 4 Choke

Cherry Rd., 2nd Floor, Rockville, Md. 20850, USA. Periodical postage paid at Rockville, Md. and additional mailing offices. Subscriptions: Free to qualified individuals directly involved in

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September 2009 | r otor & Wing magazine

Editor’s Notebook

By Joy Finnegan

jfinnegan@accessintel.com

License to Learn

I f you are a regular reader, you will

among other editors who have been for-

tunate enough to have had a chance to run

the show at Rotor & Wing .

Meanwhile, I pursued a career as

a professional pilot, starting out as a

flight instructor, moving into charter, the

commuter airlines, and eventually to a

regional airline. I also worked for a couple

of aircraft manufacturers, Cessna and

Galaxy/Gulfstream as a contract adminis-

trator. I have dropped skydivers, flown car

parts and checks in Learjets and a DC-3 in

the middle of the night, and taught flying

at a U.S. air base in Spain.

Along the way, I always had an inter-

est in journalism. I was active in my high

school newspaper. I was a part of the

ERAU Avion student newspaper staff all

the years I attended. As a matter of fact,

I met my husband while working on the

Avion . Years later, when I was looking for

a job after 9/11, I got offered the oppor-

tunity to manage an aviation magazine

and found it an amazing way to blend

two things I thoroughly enjoy—aviation

and journalism.

I remember back at ERAU when I test-

ed for my instrument rating. The check

pilot was one of the older, more experi-

enced (I might even say crusty) examiners

working at Riddle at that time. He put

me through the ringer on that check ride.

It was a hot summer day in Florida. We

entered holding pattern after holding pat-

tern and shot approach after approach.

He gave me so many unusual attitudes

under the hood to recover from, I thought

I might puke. And I never get airsick. I

thought that ride would never end.

When it was over, the examiner and

I sat down for the debrief. At that point I

didn’t know whether I had passed or not.

I’m sure you know that feeling of uncer-

tainty. He critiqued everything I had done

and fortunately, with credit to my excel-

lent instructor (Mason Aldrich, you know

who you are) and lots of rote emergency

procedure training, I had done well. He

passed me and then said something you

probably all have heard, “This is your

license to learn.”

I remember that moment so well. He

was trying to let me know that no mat-

ter how great it felt to get that ticket and

how much I thought I knew, it was just

the beginning. Really, my flying education

was only about to begin. We learn quickly

in the aviation business just how true

those sentiments are.

In my background, you can see that

helicopter experience is not among my

qualifications. But I am looking at this

opportunity as another license to learn

and I am thrilled with the prospect of

learning about this highly unique facet of

the aviation industry. Ernie Stephens will

stay on as our editor-at-large and our new

managing editor is Andrew D. Parker.

In spite of the changes, we here at

Rotor & Wing are going to continue

to provide you with the most interest-

ing, readable rotorcraft magazine in the

industry. Most of the regular columnists

and writers you have come to know and

respect will continue on with us.

We encourage you to visit us online at

www.rotorandwing.com, join the helicop-

ter groups on our professional networking

site called Aviation Professionals Network

(www.avpronet.com) , become a fan on

Facebook by searching Rotor & Wing and

In this issue you will find four amazing

feature stories. Two focus on NVG tech-

nology and training. Ernie Stephens flew

the Bell 429 and shares his insights. And we

have our Helitech Preview that takes a look

at what to expect at this year’s Helitech

show in Duxford, England. Now this is

what I call fun!

have seen Ernie Stephens’ last col-

umn about having fun, which is

what Ernie is off to do. But every-

one has their own definition of fun. So let

me tell you a little bit about myself and

that might explain what I think is fun.

My background is more about aviation

than journalism, even though I find myself

at the helm of this amazing publication. I

have been involved in the aviation indus-

try since the age of 15 and decided that

I wanted to learn to fly. My dad, a pretty

traditional guy but supportive as always,

took me to the nearest local airport, Sims-

bury TriTown in Simsbury, Conn. I took a

“discovery lesson” and was hooked.

I continued with lessons there and

eventually began working behind the

counter to earn money to take more les-

sons. I soloed just after my 16th birthday

(and promptly called my mom to come

pick me up from the airport since I didn’t

have my driver’s license yet).

Even at that young age, I knew that I

had found the most unique career path—

aviation. Someone told me about Embry-

Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU)

and said that if I truly wanted to be a

professional in the aviation industry, that

I should consider going to college there.

I did go to school there. It was a won-

derful place where I lived and breathed

aviation. I can remember being in the uni-

versity center bookstore and seeing the

latest issue of Rotor & Wing on the shelf,

picking it up and reading it, and thinking

to myself, “That has got to be the coolest

magazine ever made.”

At that time, one of my mentors, Dave

Jensen, was the editor. Jensen was editor

for nine years. Of course, I didn’t know

him then. But eventually I would meet

Dave Jensen, Kathleen Kocks, John Persi-

nos, Jim McKenna and of course, Ernie,

RotoR & Wing magazine | SeptembeR 2009

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