A new Photo Report Page just was just added to the website … 100 new images from this event held yearly at Cheltenham racecourse.

Great and complete photo report … All images © Graeme LOVELL.

I-COLK ripreso presso presso l’Aeroporto di Bresso (MI) subito dopo la consegna ad Elilario Italia, Aprile 2008.

ANSV NEWS – 16 Marzo 2024

L’Agenzia nazionale per la sicurezza del volo (ANSV) ha disposto l’apertura di un’inchiesta di sicurezza sull’incidente occorso sabato 16 marzo 2024 all’elicottero AW139 marche I-COLK, sul Monte Rosa, nei pressi della capanna Regina Margherita, sulla Punta Gnifetti; sostanzialmente incolumi i quattro occupanti.

In relazione al suddetto evento, l’ANSV informa che il proprio investigatore ha effettuato oggi 19 marzo il sopralluogo operativo, precedentemente differito per condizioni meteorologiche avverse.

For further details please visit the following Aviation Safety Network address: https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/361369

ITALFLY Aviation

Trasporto Passeggeri, Scuola di Volo, Training Academy …

… thanks for supporting www.dgualdo.it on our 25th Anniversary

ELIKOS Servizi Aerei con Elicotteri

Lavoro Aereo, Trasporto Passeggeri …

… thanks for supporting www.dgualdo.it on our 25th Anniversary

A new Photo Report Page just was just added to the website … more than 200 new images are the result of an entire days spent at the Battersea Heliport, downtown London.

A great day for a great photo opportunity … All images © Damiano GUALDONI.

1st of March 2024 is going to by the 25th birthday for my website … long long way from the very first day and the first page published.

Since that 1st March 1999 we had more than 5 million visits, thousands of images, thousands of pages, thousands of dedicated data sheets … special reports and news pages.

Thanks everyone !!!!

#eliossola #elimast #elikos #italfly #airservicecenter #helimontblanc #nws #skyaviation #babyloaviationpainting #elitellina #airgreen #sws #helirezia #consulenzeaeronautiche #nws #airstaraviation #sky-tech #helops #airvallee #elicompany

PRESS RELEASE – Anaheim, 28 February 2024

Niagara Helicopters has placed an order for six H130 helicopters, confirming a full fleet renewal for the tourism company based in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Each year, the company welcomes more than 100,000 customers from all over the world, providing a nine minute, 27 kilometre sightseeing tour over Niagara Falls.

“In order to continue to deliver a first-class visitor experience, we felt it was time to upgrade our aircraft,” says Denis Pilon, Chief Operating Officer for Niagara Helicopters. “After nearly 10 years of working with Airbus Helicopters, we are confident that the H130 continues to be the ideal aircraft for our operation. We are pleased to be working with the Airbus team again. We look forward to many more years of cooperation and collaboration.”

“We’re honoured that Niagara Helicopters has once again put their trust in Airbus, as they work to deliver exceptional experiences for visitors to the Niagara region,” says Dwayne Charette, President and COO of Airbus Helicopters in Canada. “They are an esteemed partner and we are delighted they have chosen Airbus as their exclusive helicopter provider since 2015.”

The aircraft of choice for tourism, the H130 has a wide, unobstructed cabin which accommodates the pilot and up to seven passengers, providing outstanding visibility through a large wrap-around windscreen and wide windows. Its state-of-the-art technologies, materials, systems and avionics make it a quiet and powerful helicopter. A single-engine helicopter, the H130 is known for its widespread use with sightseeing services, charter operators and emergency medical services.

In addition to the H130’s panoramic seating, the active vibration control system and improved air conditioning contribute to its unbeatable level of comfort. This rotorcraft also offers the most economical operating cost per seat in its class. With the open-space cabin, passengers enjoy spectacular views from their forward-facing seats. Rear passengers are comfortably seated on a raised theatre-style platform. The H130 is a member of the Ecureuil family, which represents 47% of the Airbus-built in-service helicopter fleet worldwide, and has accumulated over 40 million flight hours.

PRESS RELEASE – 27th February 2024

Enstrom Helicopter Corporation is pleased to announce that it has partnered with Kelly Aerospace Thermal Systems to provide air conditioning for Enstrom 280FX and F28F helicopters. The state-of-the-art all-electric system will be STC’d by Kelly and available for installation in factory new aircraft as well as for field installation.

“Air conditioning has been high on our customer’s wish list,” said Dennis Martin, Enstrom’s Chief Commercial Officer. “So when it came time to develop a new system for the 280FX and F28F, we went to the experts at Kelly. Their system is lightweight and incredibly powerful. Enstrom owners will finally be able to enjoy their helicopters in cool comfort during the warm summer months.”

For Kelly, the partnership marks the entry into a new market. “Kelly has long been a leader in air conditioning for general aviation airplanes,” commented Walter Dodge, Kelly’s VP of Business Development. “With that success, we want to expand into the rotorcraft market, and we couldn’t be happier about doing that with Enstrom. Their premium aircraft are the perfect place to showcase our air conditioning technology.”

The new air conditioning system will be available for retrofit later in 2024, and available on factory new aircraft in 2025.

PRESS RELEASE – Anaheim,  28 February 2024

LCI, a leading aviation company, and Airbus Helicopters have unveiled a new Flight Path partnership, which will address the long-term capacity, sustainability and financing requirements of the industry. 

Airbus predicts demand for over 16,000 new helicopters by 2041, with a combined value approaching $130 billion. The new partnership will see LCI and Airbus Helicopters leveraging their combined knowledge, experience and analytical capabilities to identify the infrastructure and financial innovations that will address this demand. 

Flight Path builds upon a 20-year relationship between the companies, which most recently culminated in a collaboration agreement to develop advanced air mobility ecosystems around the CityAirbus Next Gen programme.  Going forward, it will also include investment in further helicopter units, types and technologies, with a growing emphasis around sustainability.

Jaspal Jandu, CEO of LCI, says: “This strategic partnership between LCI and Airbus signals our collective commitment to deliver long-term, sustainable capacity solutions to the market. The combination of Airbus’ long-standing expertise in business development, forecasting and planning, with LCI’s track record in leasing, investing and financial innovation, will enable us to sustainably address the multibillion dollar requirements of the market.”

Bruno Even, CEO of Airbus Helicopters, says: “LCI and Airbus have worked together in close cooperation for almost two decades, culminating most recently in the delivery commitments for seven next generation helicopters. This new partnership is a natural elevation of this relationship and one that reflects our shared capabilities. Together with our partners, Airbus Helicopters is committed to delivering sustainable growth and innovation to its customers as they undertake their mission-critical work.”

LCI’s fleet currently includes over 50 Airbus helicopters. They are deployed by 14 operators in 10 countries across the globe on a range of missions including emergency medical services, search and rescue and offshore wind.
The first phase of Flight Path will see the committed delivery of at least seven latest generation Airbus helicopters to LCI by 2025. 

LCI has ordered five new Airbus H145 helicopters, all of which are being placed in its joint venture (JV) with Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing Company, Limited (SMFL).  The first two aircraft are being delivered by the end of March 2024 and will be operated in Oceania. 

In addition, LCI will deliver two H175 helicopters by the end of March 2024. The aircraft will be operated in South America.

The new partnership aligns with LCI’s long-term commitment to sustainable growth.  LCI is a signatory of Aircraft Leasing Ireland’s (ALI) Sustainability Charter, with a commitment to driving forward and achieving responsibility goals, centred around 10 priority sustainability principles, including a commitment to achieving net zero by 2050.

PRESS RELEASE – Rome,  28 February 2024 10:00

  • Metro will act as Leonardo distributor for the AW09 in the US and Canadian civil markets for all applications.

Leonardo and Metro Aviation, a prime privately-owned HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Service) operator and service provider in the US, have announced the signing of a Distributor Agreement for the AW09 next generation single engine helicopter. Metro will act as a Leonardo distributor for the type in the US and Canada for all civil market applications. The Distributor Agreement includes a commitment for 30 units that will translate into Preliminary Sales Contracts. 

This latest deal builds on the collaboration started at Heli-Expo 2023 aimed at supporting the introduction and positioning of the AW09 in the USA and in doing so, benefitting from Metro Aviation’s renowned experience and capabilities in the development of Aircraft Interior & STCs (supplemental type certificates), service and training. 

Gian Piero Cutillo, MD of Leonardo Helicopters, said “We’re excited to perform this further step forward in our collaboration with Metro which paves the path to the introduction of our new single engine in the important North American market. Also, combining our industrial capabilities with Metro Aviation’s extensive and recognized experience in operations and support enhances the AW09 value proposition, providing superior mission capabilities to the operators of this platform.“ 

“I first saw the 09 prototype in 2017 and have been excited about bringing it to the U.S. market since then,” said Metro Aviation President and CEO Mike Stanberry.  “Metro has enjoyed a great partnership with Leonardo and designed multiple interiors for the 09.  We look forward to integrating it into our fleet and performing completions for air medical, law enforcement, tourism, and beyond.”

The AW09 continues to generate a very positive response from all geographies worldwide as the programme development progresses. Rotorcraft companies highly welcome the AW09 for its outstanding characteristics and multirole capabilities that represent a significant evolution compared to existing products in this category. The AW09 perfectly complements Leonardo’s product range in the Long Light Single-segment, introducing an all-new design aircraft to sustain long-term competitive positioning in this weight category. A full-scale mock-up of the cabin, together with the advanced connectivity and digital features of the type, is on display at the Leonardo booth at Heli-Expo, attracting lots of interest within the rotorcraft community thanks to its distinguished features in cabin space and ergonomics, and external footprint. The total number of Preliminary Sales Contracts for the AW09 will soon exceed 100 units globally. 

Metro Aviation is the world’s largest air medical completion center and traditional air medical operator, with more than 170 helicopters and airplanes in 27 states and the District of Columbia.  Metro’s presence is evident for many air medical, law enforcement and other components and installations. Metro has developed and received FAA Supplemental Type Certificates (STC’s) for many air medical components and installations including fixed and rotor-wing. Quite often, Metro not only performs the installation, but purchases the aircraft and trains the ground and flight personnel. Its foundation of safety, quality and customer service has remained for 40 years and is still the cornerstone of the company.