Military SAR, a look ahead

Richard Bryson, Program Chief Engineer of Collins Aerospace’s hoist and winch division, shares his view of what the future of SAR might look like

Lease or buy - renewing air medical fleets

For fixed-wing air ambulance companies in the private sector, balancing the pros and cons of leasing or outright purchase is key, say operators. But for smaller outfits, raising finance can…

Crash-resistant fuel systems - uptake by civil helicopter operators

Amy Gallagher updates readers on the long-awaited Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulation, with its final ruling and reporting analysis of the crash-resistant fuel systems (CRFS), along with the reaction of…

Doing your safety duty in airborne special missions

How do airborne special missions providers manage and mitigate the risks to their crews? Mario Pierobon spoke to the experts to find out more

Migrant search and rescue

Alex Pollitt, a SAR pilot with Babcock Mission Critical Services España, asks if the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean could result in the final flourish of the manned helicopter as…

Hoisting infectious patients: Helicopter hoisting in the current Covid-19 environment

Brad Matheson of Priority 1 Air Rescue shared his insights into how to safely hoist patients that present with a respiratory infection, whether it be Covid-19 or anything else, keeping…

Helicopter rescue hoist training

Barry Smith investigates the ways in which special missions operators can train their teams to be ready for the helicopter hoist rescue scenarios they are going to face, whether from…

LifeFlight’s AW139 fleet marks milestone

Air medical service LifeFlight Australia has reached 10,000 flying hours in its fleet of Leonardo AW139 helicopters

UK Coastguard to replace emergency radio network infrastructure

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency in the UK is investing over £170 million in a new radio network; meanwhile the coastguard helicopter crew at Lydd in Kent completed its 1,000th…

Air Ambulance KSS invites residents to take part in challenge

This September, UK-based Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex (KSS) is inviting county residents to take part in the charity’s ‘30 for 30’ challenge

Drones to help HEMS missions for the first time in the UK

Drones will be starting operational missions for the first time in the UK, assisting helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS)

The cost of special missions insurance

Helicopters flying emergency medical and police missions are involved in proportionately fewer fatal and non-fatal accidents than other rotorcraft, according to safety experts from the US Helicopter Safety Team. In…

Aerial assets of US Customs and Border Protection

A border is more than a wall, a fence, a divider or a boundary line. Amy Gallagher found out how the US Customs and Border Protection and Air and Marine…

Sharing experiences in crew resource management

Rick London of the UK’s National Police Air Service (NPAS) discusses the culture of crew resource management (CRM) in police aviation, and the importance of crewmembers sharing experiences with each…

Profile: The San Diego Police Department Air Support Unit

The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) Air Support Unit was formed in 1986 when the agency acquired its first Bell helicopter. For the next 20 years, the unit would operate…