Aviation Week Heli-Expo Show News Briefing - February 24-26, 2008 - (Page 14) EADS North America Hits Stride on the UH-72A: 20 Delivered to U.S. Army EADS North America has delivered at least 20 UH-72A Lakota helicopters to the U.S. Army, having commenced production last year at its 314,500-sq. ft. plant of its American Eurocopter subsidiary in Columbus, Miss. Service entry took place less than 11 months after EADS-NA won the Army’s light utility helicopter award in June 2006, beating out three U.S. contenders. The first delivery was made in November 2006. “The go-ahead for full rate production, granted in August 2007, was one of the most rapid in modern Army aviation acquisition history,” the manufacturer says. “EADS North America has clearly demonstrated its ability to manage and execute large-scale programs that are vital to the defense and protection of the United States,” said EADS-NA chairman and CEO Ralph Crosby. “The UH-72A has become a benchmark for well-managed military aircraft acquisitions,” he said. “Our entire program team is dedicated to meeting and exceeding the Army's requirements.” Lakota helicopters are in service for transportation, VIP and support missions with the Army's Joint Readiness Training Center at Ft. Polk, La., and with the TRADOC Flight Detachment at Ft. Eustis/Ft. Monroe in Virginia's Hampton Roads region. Current employment at the Columbus plant could reach 350, from approximately 150 now. Breeze Offers New Commercial Hoist New Jersey’s Breeze-Eastern is developing a new hoist for police, EMS, offshore and other helicopters. The electric device will accept both AC and DC power and employ closed-loop technology for safer and more precise operation, says Breeze VP Gary Olson. It will have extensive built-in testing and diagnostic capability, to be compatible with Health and Usage Monitoring Systems, or HUMS. The new hoist is to be fully qualified, and ready for individual type STCs, in a about a year’s time, Olson says. Breeze-Eastern is at Booth 4232. FLIR Certifies Gas Detecting Camera FLIR Systems (Booth 4613) is promoting the Ultra 8000e infrared camera, shown in prototype form at Heli-Expo last year. The 8000e has infrared capability that can detect gas pipeline leaks and according to the Oregon-based company is already in service with at least one utility operator. FLIR is also displaying cameras for law enforcement applications and enhanced vision systems (EVS) for helicopters. Frasca International Celebrates 50th Urbana-based sim supplier Frasca is celebrating 50 years in the business at Booth 3749. “I founded Frasca International in 1958 after working as a flight simulator instructor and maintenance engineer in the Navy,” said founder and president Rudy Frasca. “Having delivering over 2000 devices, we’re well known.” Last year Frasca delivered the first Level 6 helicopter unit and introduced TruVision Global, a highly detailed visual system. Level 6 sims with TruVision 220 have been ordered by Era Helicopters for EC135 and an AS350B aircraft, Frasca said. TAS Rebuilds a Bell for the Hixons Texas Aviation Services (Booth 3819) has refurbished a Bell 206L-1 for Phil and Lee Hixon of the Palm Springs Air Museum in California. Scope of work? “Make this 1980 helicopter look and fly like brand new,” TAS says. The aircraft’s Rolls-Royce 250-C28B engine was replaced with a -C30P. The aircraft also got a Garmin avionics suite including moving maps and satellite weather, a pulsating landing light by Precise Flight (Booth 1421), custom paint, and “an entirely new updated ultra-plush VIP corporate interior” with Tech Tool windows and personal LED touch switches for interior lighting above each passenger. TAS has a 140,000-sq-ft facility at Fort Worth Meacham International (FTW). Rotor Blades Expands to UK Louisiana’s Rotor Blades, Inc. (Booth 4636) comes to Heli-Expo 2008 boasting new international prowess, as its Rotor Blades Limited affiliate has received EASA and Bell approval for rotor repairs in Southern England. RBL occupies a new purpose-built facility in Warminster (Wiltshire). Looking beyond Bell, the unit is actively pursuing approvals to repair rotor blades for Sikorsky, Eurocopter and AgustaWestland. The company has done rotor blade repair work in Dubai since 2005. Rotor Blades, Inc. and Rotor Blades Limited are subsidiaries of T extron’s Edwards and Associates (Booth 4141), a Bell dealer and completions/refurbishment house in T ennessee. February 24, 2008 Eurocopter UH-72A Lakota for the U.S. Army. 14 www.aviationweek.com/shownews http://www.aviationweek.com/shownews
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