May 2016

VTOL Electronic aircraft being developed in Germany

May 13, 2016

Just when we thought that we had a problem with drones, now Engineering and Technology Magazine reports that a German start-up is developing a personal electric plane that can take off and land vertically in a small area without the need for complex infrastructure. Lilium, the firm behind the concept, described the plane as combining […]

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UPSTREAM: Don’t Sacrifice Helicopter Safety During Low Oil Prices and Industry Cutbacks

May 9, 2016

The Editors of UPSTREAM, the International Oils and Gas newsletter published out of London, printed the following editorial which urged that helicopter safety should not be dependent on market economic forces and cutbacks related to those forces: Helicopter safety is priority number one The latest helicopter deaths in the North Sea are another grim reminder […]

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Severe Turbulence Terrorizes Passengers

May 6, 2016

Editor’s Note: I can tell you that this is no small trauma.  As a passenger aboard a Chautauqua Airlines Saab 340 years ago, the crew decided to fly us through 45 minutes of severe turbulence.  Horrible wingovers, descents, ascents—we were like a cork on a violent ocean.  I really thought for those 45 minutes I wasn’t […]

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Early Indications Point to Gearbox Failure on CHC Super Puma

May 2, 2016

The British Airlines Pilots Association (BALPA) said the “ripples” of the crash would spread far beyond Norway in part because the most recent crash has been preliminarily liked to gearbox issues — a problem which seems to be recurring in the Super Puma. BALPA’s General Secretary, Jim McAuslan, said: “The worldwide helicopter pilot community is united […]

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Super Puma Norway Heliopter Crash

May 1, 2016

A video has emerged purporting to show the main rotor system disintegrating during the final moments of the flight of the helicopter as it flew from the Gullfaks oil field to the Norwegian city of Bergen. The helicopter has been grounded by several European nations. It has also been reported that maintenance was deferred on […]

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