Today’s Top Pick is a 2007 Schweizer 300C.

The tiny Bell 47 helicopter might have been good enough to earn a place in the collection of New York’s Museum of Modern Art, but more people might recognize the Hughes 300, developed a decade later and used for a range of missions, including flight training, police patrol, traffic reporting, and agricultural work.

Its rounded fuselage and distinct oval-shaped side windows have become familiar over more than 60 years since the model’s commercial introduction in the early 1960s.

Schweizer, known for manufacturing a range of gliders, began building the helicopter under license from Hughes in the early 1980s and later acquired the rights and FAA type certificate for the aircraft, which became the Schweizer 300.

The later model 300C for sale here is well-suited for duty as a reliable, economical training helicopter or personal transport machine. Its familiar piston engine and traditional construction make it easy to maintain compared with larger, more complex turbine models.

This 2007 Schweizer 300C, also called a 269C, has 2,196 hours on the airframe and 144 hours on its Lycoming HIO-360-D1A engine. The aircraft’s empty weight is 1,233 pounds and its maximum takeoff weight totals 2,050 pounds. Useful load is 817 pounds.

The panel includes Garmin Aera 660, King KX 155 Nav/Comm, Garmin GTX 327 transponder, GDL 82 ADS-B Out, GDL 50 ADS-B In, and PS Engineering PM1000 intercom. The aircraft comes with two Lightspeed Zulu headsets with Bluetooth and active noise reduction.

Pilots looking for a basic, economical two-seat helicopter with modern equipment and vintage appeal should consider this 2007 Schweizer 269C, which is available for $250,000 on AircraftForSale.

If you’re interested in financing, you can do so with FLYING Finance. Use their airplane loan calculator to calculate your estimated monthly payments. Or, to speak with an aviation finance specialist, visit flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: Schweizer Finishes First Factory Refreshed S300CBi Helicopter
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The post This 2007 Schweizer Is a Classic, Rotor-Wing ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

From search and rescue to aerial photography, the possibilities for helicopter pilots are endless. Here is how to land a job as a helicopter pilot.

How Do You Become One?

The licensing process is similar to that of fixed-wing pilots. Aspiring helicopter pilots need to be a minimum of 17 years old and be able to obtain an FAA medical certificate.

A private pilot certificate is the first step in the journey to a career as a helicopter pilot. The training for this license teaches you the basics of flying a rotary-wing aircraft and prepares you to fly helicopters recreationally.

To make money while flying, you will need a commercial pilot certificate. You can work as a helicopter pilot with this license, opening the door to jobs in industries such as flight tours, medical transport, and law enforcement.

The airline transport certificate is the top-level license and requires significant training. Although it is not required for many helicopter pilot jobs, having it can make you more competitive during your job search.

Where Do You Train?

While they are less prevalent than fixed-wing flight schools, there are many schools offering helicopter flight training across the country.

 After you have researched local training options, your chosen flight school will be able to help you learn more about the process and requirements for obtaining your certificates. Once you have completed the necessary training for each, you will need to pass written and oral tests to earn your license.

Is It Expensive?

The cost of becoming a helicopter pilot varies greatly depending on your situation, but a private pilot certificate typically costs between $10,000 and $20,000. Earning your commercial license can cost upward of $100,000.

What Types of Companies Can Employ You?

Once you have your commercial pilot license, you can begin applying for helicopter pilot jobs. There are many types of companies and organizations in need.

Medical airlift and evacuation companies commonly use helicopters to transport patients, and therefore have a significant demand for pilots. Similarly, search and rescue operators also require pilots to operate their helicopters.

Helicopters are often used for observing the world beneath them or capturing imagery of the ground. There are companies that employ helicopter pilots for aerial photography and videography, and news organizations hire them as well. If you want to fly passengers, corporate transport and tour companies hire helicopter pilots.  

Government bodies also have a need for commercial helicopter pilots. For example, the military employs pilots to work as instructors, and the U.S. Forest Service  for their firefighting operations. Law enforcement agencies  hire civilian pilots to fly their aircraft.

Do You Make Good Money?

The salary for helicopter pilots can vary depending on their experience and employer, but you can expect salaries to start at around $70,000 per year. With more experience, one can easily earn upward of $100,000 to $200,000 annually.

Is There a Demand?

There is a significant need for helicopter pilots across the United States. Many employers are actively seeking new pilots, and the demand is forecasted to grow over the coming years.

Helicopters perform specialized tasks that are vital to society. Despite the cost and effort required to gain the necessary licenses and experience, helicopter pilots are rewarded with exciting career prospects and competitive salaries.

The post How to Land a Helicopter Pilot Job appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Airbus on Wednesday tapped European helicopter operator and longtime collaborator Avincis as its latest urban air mobility (UAM) partner. The companies plan to develop a concept of operations and mission profiles for the operation of eVTOL air taxis in “target regions” across Europe and beyond.

“eVTOLs will play an important role in our long-term fleet strategy as these technologies continue to evolve to give us further reach and capability in the field,” said John Boag, CEO of Avincis.

Avincis is one of the world’s largest aerial emergency services providers, with bases across Europe, Africa, and South America, including in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Mozambique, and Chile.

The company’s fleet comprises more than 220 aircraft, of which about 60 are Airbus models. The manufacturer’s CityAirbus NextGen, a prototype for which was unveiled in March, could be the first eVTOL model in the Avincis fleet.

“[Avincis’] established operational network, which is essential to enabling key missions such as emergency medical services, search and rescue, and firefighting, will be a valuable tool to collectively explore the mission potential of CityAirbus NextGen,” said Balkiz Sarihan, head of UAM at Airbus. “Through this collaboration, we will explore how eVTOLs can contribute to missions that save lives and protect communities, a shared goal among our two companies.”

The zero-emission, lift-plus-cruise design is built for a pilot to fly as many as three passengers in urban environments, but it could fly autonomous in the future. It will have a range of about 50 sm (43 nm), cruise at 75 mph (65 knots), and weigh about 2 tons, with a 40-foot wingspan.

The design includes a V-shaped tail, fixed wings, and eight electric propellers, each supplying a pair of electrical power units. During flyover, Airbus says, the aircraft will produce just 65 dBA of noise—about the volume of a typical office.

The cyclic, pedal, and collective controls typically found on rotorcraft will be replaced by a single piloting stick that controls all aircraft axes: a design the manufacturer claims is a first in the helicopter industry. The stick can be used to perform takeoff and landing, climb, descent, acceleration, deceleration, turn, and approach.

Use cases for the air taxi include passenger transport, medical services, and ecotourism. Airbus seeks to certify it in the enhanced category under the European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s (EASA) Special Condition for VTOL (SC-VTOL) regulations. FAA certification would follow shortly after.

CityAirbus NextGen is expected to make its maiden flight later this year and is undergoing testing of electric motors, rotors, flight controls, avionics, and other systems at the company’s test center in Donauwörth, Germany.

At the same time, Airbus continues to set the stage for the aircraft’s eventual debut.

The manufacturer in February partnered with international helicopter and fixed-wing lessor LCI in a collaboration focused on three key areas: UAM strategy, commercialization, and financing. The same month, the company added vertiport developer UrbanV and electric infrastructure provider Enel to its partnership with ITA Airways, the flag carrier of Italy, for a planned air taxi rollout in the country.

Airbus also intends to fly CityAirbus NextGen in Germany, Norway, Japan, and Latin America.

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Airbus on Tuesday announced an agreement with international helicopter and fixed-wing lessor LCI to jointly set the stage for advanced air mobility (AAM) operations of emerging aircraft, including electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis and other electric models. The collaboration will hone in on three key areas: AAM strategy, commercialization, and financing.

The partners will study AAM market perspectives and forecasts, conduct industry research, and leverage data analytics to uncover new applications and missions. They will also develop new AAM solutions, exploring the commercialization of aircraft fleets, batteries, and charging networks.

“For two decades, LCI and Airbus have delivered capacity and financing solutions to airlines and operators across the globe, and we are now extending that to advanced air mobility,” said Jaspal Jandu, CEO of LCI. “Transportation and logistical networks have a duty to be efficient, sustainable, and scalable. Both LCI and Airbus take a holistic and pragmatic view of advanced air mobility, including vehicles and also infrastructure, financing, and network adoption.”

Under the agreement, LCI will become a “key financial partner” for certain Airbus AAM projects, such as those focused on emergency medical services. The lessor will use its network to boost global adoption and acceptance of emerging aircraft. It also intends to explore leasing and finance solutions for potential buyers of the CityAirbus NextGen, Airbus’ flagship eVTOL air taxi model.

The all-electric CityAirbus NextGen is designed for a pilot to fly up to four passengers, with a 50 sm (43 nm) operational range and 75 mph (65 knots) cruise speed. The model includes fixed wings, V-shaped tail, and distributed electric propulsion system that powers eight electric propellers.

Airbus finalized assembly of the first CityAirbus NextGen model and powered on the aircraft at the end of 2023. The next phase will be a test campaign using the manufacturer’s new AAM test center in Donauwörth, Germany. Those flights represent a step toward type certification of the aircraft with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

“We are excited to extend our long-standing relationship with LCI, an innovative lessor that is globally unique in its positioning across the commercial fixed-wing, helicopter and AAM sectors,” said Balkiz Sarihan, CEO and head of urban air mobility (UAM) at Airbus. “LCI’s combination of operational expertise, customer networks, and financial insights complements Airbus’ technical innovation in flight technologies and will enable us to collectively drive the development of advanced air mobility.”

Airbus is working with Groupe ADP, the organization that manages Paris’ international airports, and regional French authorities to fly the CityAirbus NextGen at the 2024 Olympic Games in the nation’s capital, where other manufacturers such as Germany’s Volocopter and China’s AutoFlight also intend to demonstrate their respective air taxis.

Recently, the company stepped up its partnership for the aircraft’s rollout in Italy, where it is working with ITA Airways, the country’s flag carrier, to build a nationwide AAM ecosystem. It added vertiport operator UrbanV and green energy company Enel, which will assist airports with the transition to electric infrastructure, to the partnership. Prior to the initial partnership announcement in 2022, ITA purchased 28 Airbus aircraft, leasing another 56 following the agreement.

Beyond CityAirbus, the manufacturer is developing four low-carbon ZEROe aircraft concepts, each powered by hydrogen and built to fly 100 to 200 passengers. It hopes to introduce a commercial, low-carbon aircraft by 2035 and recently partnered with four Scandinavian firms to study hydrogen infrastructure at airports in Norway and Sweden.

Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, meanwhile, launched a dedicated drone and uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) business in November, signaling its interest in self-flying electric aircraft. Airbus already produces several UAS—such as the long-range, high-flying Zephyr—but last month expanded its portfolio with the acquisition of Aerovel by Airbus Helicopters.

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“This is the first sortie this aircraft has flown since arriving at Kadena, and this is the first active-duty Air Force crew to fly this helicopter,”  said Lieutenant Colonel Brian Rhoades, 33rd 33rd Rescue Squadron combat rescue helicopter team lead. “It flew exactly like how I expected it to and met all our expectations.”

• READ MORE: Air Force Says HH-60W Jolly Green II Helicopters Are Ready For Duty

Sikorsky’s HH-60W, called the “Whiskey” model, is the replacement helicopter for the HH-60G Pave Hawk and features longer range, improved survivability, updated avionics, and  new fuel system. Both models are derivatives of the long-running UH-60 Blackhawk.

The platform was designed to be used to recover isolated personnel from hostile or denied territory in a variety of threat environments, as well as for disaster relief, medical evacuation, and humanitarian missions.

• READ MORE: Crashes Prompt Army National Guard to Ground Helicopter Units

“The Whiskey came to Kadena to replace the Pave Hawk, which has been in service here since 1993 and has saved countless lives not only in Afghanistan but across the Indo-Pacific,” said Lieutenant Colonel Louis Nolting, 33rd Rescue Squadron commander. “The HH-60W gives us a modern, combat-capable helicopter with improved power avionics, defensive systems, weapon systems, survivability, and personnel recovery.”

According to Nolting, the squadron will complete its divesting of HH-60Gs by August, and more HH-60Ws will arrive before mid-2025.

• READ MORE: T-7A Red Hawk Trainer Completes Weather Testing

Earlier in February, the 920th Rescue Wing at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, also received its first HH-60W, marking the unit’s conversion from the HH-60G.

The post Air Force’s HH-60W Jolly Green II Takes First Pacific Flight appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The news comes days after two soldiers were killed when a Mississippi National Guard (MSNG) AH-64 Apache went down during a training flight near Booneville, Mississippi. The fatal incident was the second AH-64 crash in February. On February 12, a Utah National Guard Apache went down, injuring two on board.

• READ MORE: Probe Underway After Mississippi National Guard AH-64 Apache Crashes, Killing 2

“Two separate crashes of AH-64D Apache helicopters in Utah on February 12 and Mississippi on February 23 drove the decision to ground all [ANG] helicopters for safety reasons,” the service said.

The stand-down went into effect Monday, the Army National Guard said.

• READ MORE: Air Force, Navy Ground V-22 Fleets Amid Crash Probe

“We are a combat force with helicopters training or on mission worldwide every day,” Lieutenant General Jon Jensen, director of the Army National Guard, said in a statement. “Safety is always at the top of our minds. We will stand down to ensure all of our crews are prepared as well as possible for whatever they’re asked to do.”

The post Crashes Prompt Army National Guard to Ground Helicopter Units appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The Italian firm and Daedalean, a Swiss developer of AI systems for situational awareness and flight control, on Monday announced they completed a flight test campaign that evaluated AI capabilities for advanced navigation of rotorcraft.

Daedalean’s AI-enabled visual awareness system was installed on Leonardo’s SW4 and SW4 Solo RUAS/OPH (Rotorcraft Unmanned Air System/Optionally Piloted Helicopter) models, which flew out of the manufacturer’s PZL-Świdnik facility in Lublin, Poland. PZL-Świdnik is the largest helicopter production plant in the country.

Daedalean claims its PilotEye visual traffic detection system will be the first AI-based cockpit application to be certified for civil aviation. The company is looking to serve general aviation, commercial air transport, urban air mobility (UAM), and uncrewed air vehicles (UAVs).

The Swiss company will certify its neural network-based system with both the FAA and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The FAA has released an Issue Paper for the technology, while EASA has issued a Certification Review Item, to get the ball rolling.

“Leonardo is working towards prudently integrating AI in its products and services through both in-house developments and cooperations,” said Mattia Cavanna, head of technology and innovation at Leonardo Helicopters. “By collaborating with emerging companies on predefined use cases, we keep maturing our technology road maps towards a safer, affordable, and sustainable flight experience. Improving situational awareness…could contribute to further prevent aviation accidents and progressively enable higher degrees of autonomy to our platform.”

Daedalean and Leonardo collaborated on the yearlong project under a grant from Eureka Eurostars, the largest international funding program for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) looking to partner on R&D projects.

The partners equipped Leonardo helicopters with Daedalean’s aircraft-mounted cameras, computer, and interface display. Testing ran from July to September 2023. According to its analysis, Leonardo said the campaign delivered “outstanding results.”

“Daedalean is proud to bring our experience creating machine-learned algorithms for aviation to such a prominent player in the world of aviation,” said Luuk van Dijk, CEO of Daedalean. “It shows there is growing interest in and understanding of the benefits machine learning can bring today to increase flight safety.”

Daedalean provides what it calls “situational intelligence,” or the ability for an aircraft to understand its environment and anticipate and react to potential threats. Its visual awareness system uses machine learning to quickly and effectively perform tasks the company said previously could only be done by humans.

The company’s PilotEye solution can identify aerial traffic—including ADS-B-equipped aircraft as well as “non-cooperative traffic” such as birds or drones—determine an aircraft’s location in GPS-denied environments, and even offer landing guidance.

PilotEye represents a joint project between Daedalean and Avidyne Corp., a provider of integrated avionics systems, flight displays, and safety systems for GA and business aircraft. The system integrates with Avidyne’s Skytrax Traffic Advisory System into the IFD5XX flight display series.

Daedalean is also collaborating with Xwing, a fellow developer of automated flight systems, to harmonize their approaches to certification and speed the approval of both companies’ technology. Further, it has conducted joint research with the FAA, EASA, and other regulators to demonstrate that its system can be certified under stringent safety standards.

“Daedalean published multiple studies with regulators to evidence the fact that our machine-learned algorithms are capable of providing functions meeting and exceeding human capabilities,” van Dijk said. “As aviators and passengers become more familiar with AI-enabled systems, a future with autonomous flight becomes more attractive for the higher safety, lower cost, and increased capacity it will deliver.”

Leonardo, meanwhile, said it is “well positioned” to possibly retrofit its line of aircraft with Daedalean tech and is eyeing integration on future models.

The manufacturer has a network of research and development laboratories called Leonardo Labs, which serve as technology hubs connecting university talent with company experts. The sites are intended to drive innovation, uncover practical applications, and research areas such as materials and quantum technologies, sustainability, and applied artificial intelligence.

Other Leonardo projects under development include fuel-reducing technology, a tiltrotor airframe design, and a search and rescue helicopter.

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Leonardo Helicopters’ AW109 Trekker is the first model to use the system with the new capabilities. The company said the enhanced version helps improve overall mission effectiveness by decreasing the pilot’s workload.

• READ MORE: Auto Flight for Rotorcraft

“We are very excited to now offer a four-axis, IFR flight control system for the helicopter market,” said Carl Wolf, Garmin’s vice president of aviation sales and marketing. “This technology will provide IFR operators with advanced automated flight capabilities and bring added protections to one of the most challenging flight categories in aviation. We’re confident AW109 Trekker operators will be impressed with the performance of GFC 600H.”

The GFC 600H includes a console-mounted, push-button mode controller and display compatible with night vision goggles. High-performance digital servos and new linear actuators that Garmin developed provide crisper, more powerful responses than previous systems, resulting in smooth handling in all phases of flight.

• READ MORE: Garmin Receives GI 275 STC for Airbus Helicopters

The new system supports a range of autopilot modes, including altitude acquire, altitude hold, heading select, attitude hold, approach auto-level, radar height hold, vertical speed, and indicated airspeed. The system also can fly approaches using inputs from navigation systems.

Garmin said its system’s smart servos eliminate the need for two linear actuators and flight control computers for each axis. The result is a lighter, cost-effective system that retains the redundancy needed for IFR flight.

The IFR configuration of the GFC 600H has received European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approval on the AW109 Trekker helicopter. Garmin said it expects FAA approval later.

The post Garmin Offers IFR Flight Control System for Helicopters appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) began installing the system, dubbed Mission Data Extender (MDE), in December and said it represents the first fully integrated, hard-mounted commercial tablet to be used as a primary mission display on a naval aircraft.

“This is a huge step toward open architecture, innovative solutions to mission-data presentation,” Lieutenant Commander Neil Whitesell, in-service avionics systems project officer for the H-53 Heavy Lift Helicopters Program Office, said in a statement. “We did it at low cost, fast, and we provided a major capability improvement to the warfighter.” 

• READ MORE: 5 Killed in CH-53 Crash, Marine Corps Confirms

The CH-53’s current primary panel consists of two smart multifunction color displays (SMFCDs) that show hover cueing, ownship position, threat reports, route/waypoint information, moving map, and real-time, forward-looking infrared (FLIR). But the system is also aging.

“The SMFCD is currently suffering from reliability and reparability issues that reduce availability on the flight line and hinder readiness,” NAVAIR said.

• READ MORE: MH-139A Grey Wolf Training Unit Activates at Maxwell AFB

The MDE system provides the capability of the legacy SMFCD by deploying both developmental and nondevelopmental commercial/government off-the-shelf components but at less than one-third the price of an SMFCD upgrade, NAVAIR said.

“The CH-53E now has an aircraft-powered, Wi-Fi-based mission display capable of seamless interoperability with several carry-on data terminals and capable of walk-on/walk-off expeditionary mission planning,” Whitesell said. 

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The design is now standard on all newly manufactured R44 helicopters registered with the FAA. It follows on the heels of the FAA’s prior approval of the same configuration for the Robinson R66 Turbine in September 2023.

The Robinson R44 was developed in the early 1990s and today is flown all over the world.

• READ MORE: Robinson Helicopter Service Bulletin Targets Governor Controller Upgrades

According to Robinson, the new empennage design provides “enhanced handling characteristics during high-speed flight.”

“Robinson continues to invest in engineering enhancements that make our aircraft more accessible and easier to fly,” said Kurt Robinson, president of Robinson Helicopter Company. “Our aim is to deliver unrivaled safety and reliability so pilots can accomplish their mission with confidence.”

For the R44s in the field, Robinson Helicopter Company also offers the KI-285-2 retrofit kit, originally priced at $7,050, available at a discounted rate of $3,600 until the end of December 2024.

The kit can be purchased through a Robinson Dealer or Service Center, or by calling Robinson Helicopter customer service. According to the company, “The retrofit kit allows for the installation of the new symmetrical stabilizer on the existing tailcones in the field without the need for a complete tail cone replacement.”

Robinson Helicopter Company is also working with civil airworthiness authorities around the globe to secure foreign validations for this empennage configuration. The company noted, “After these regulatory approvals are obtained, foreign-registered R44 helicopters will be delivered with the new empennage as standard.”

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