¿It is safe to fly in a helixóptero? Today we will clarify a doubt that perhaps many of you have when it comes to flying in this type of aircraft.
On 2022, Airbus Helicopters registryó 374 gross orders (grandchildren: 362), what highlights the recoveryón ongoing market with the impressive number of 216 helixósingle-engine light pteros sold. Deliveries increased from 338 on 2021 a 344 on 2022, contributing to the preliminary quota of the 52% of Airbus Helicopters in the civil market and for púgeneral warfare. The flight hours of the helicopter fleetóAirbus planes have returned to pre-COVID levels in 2019.
With this initial context, and moving forward with this publicationón that has the objective of knowing más about these aircraft, that many times seem so far away for the púwar in general or for aviation followersócommercial passenger, today we will review very important issues related to helixópteros.
Helicópteros and their safety
Together with Airbus, we have prepared a series of questions and answers, transmittingí informationón fundamental for those people who want to know moreás about these mámachines and their safety. For this, We spoke with Erick P.érez Director TéTechnical and Operations at Airbus Helicopters México and Alberto Robles Director of Airbus Helicopters for Latinoamérica.
We start with Erick Pérez, talking about helical flight safetyóptero and if it is safe to fly in them:
¿Is it safe to travel in a helic?óptero?
Rigorous airworthiness standards and regulations have evolved in the úlast déto ensure that helical operationsópteros are carried out safely and in accordance with regulations. The helicesópteros must be in good mechanical conditionánico, with acceptable flight conditions and be operated by a pilot who has sufficient experience, and mental capacity and fíphysical to deal with any unforeseen circumstances that may arise.
Many of the accidents máCommon injuries occur as a result of non-essential operations at low altitude, in which the propellersópteros collide with various obstacleságlasses, followed by events that occurred during meteorological conditionsólow visibility logic. There is plenty of evidence that this is partly to do with human factor skills or errors., including inherent pilot skills, the drivers toéprisoners and alsoén maintenance staff.
like any aircraft, the helicalsóPteros must undergo exhaustive controls and very strict maintenance. Volar un helixóPtero is very safe as long as the necessary processes to operate this type of aircraft are respected.. Therefore, Safety Road Shows are so important to Airbus, as they show the way to improve operational safety. East án led by Safety Network AéAirbus Helicopters area and air authorities participate in themálocal utica, security supervisors, pilots, maintenance engineers and senior managementón of our operators.
Airbus Helicopters launched Safety Road Shows as a cooperative effortón with operators, customers, manufacturers, authorities and the academic worldémic to promote safety toérea.
¿Whaté parápilot training meters or technologyíto make you fly in a helicóptero be safe?
It is a generalized reality that trainingón and educationón of pilots and crews do not keep pace with innovationón in the cabin. In fact, with initiatives such as the Safety Road Show that we celebrate on 17 from January this toñor with the Aviation Brigadeón part NoéEcuadorian ritual, we intend to start identifying hazards and managing risks to reduce risk levels on the ground and in flight. Spaghettién we are establishing a méall to define specific daily operational hazardsíficos, identify its potential consequences and propose corrective and protective measuresón to prevent or mitigate them.
Airbus is bigén has a training programón to línea para técynics and instructors, así as for pilots. SpaghettiéWe have a network of 18 training centersóno and 21 full flight simulators in all regions of the world, including Europe, Norteamérica, Asia-Pacífico, Áfear, Middle East and Sudanérica.
Regarding technologyía, our propellersópteros isán equipped with advanced glass cabins, starting with the Multifunction ScreenóVehicle numberíass and engine (VEMD) for the oldestía of the helic fleetósingle-engine pteros and going through advanced visualization systemsón digital like the Helionix systems for the H135, H145, H160 and H175 with visión sintéethics, Integrated HTAWS and additional security and management featuresón of the system, including an automatic flight control systemávery advanced four-axis attic. These systems significantly increase situational awareness.ón and reduce the pilot's workload.
In the same way, from 1960, one of the charactersístics mádistinctive characteristics of the propellersópteros Airbus is the Fenestron shrouded tail rotor, which introduced a new level of safety in propellersópteros, both on the ground and in the air, and which is incorporated today in the propellersópteros H130, H135, H145, H155 y H160. Además to protect ground personnel from the dangers of a traditional rotating rotor and to protect the rotor blades within their designño de «fan tail», the Fenestron provides control efficiency.
¿Whaté Airbus Helicopters does to ensure that every díup helixópteros sean másafe to operate?
The first thing is to reiterate that security is our mátop priority and is the axis that runs through everything we do: from the designñO, the engineeríand productionón until maintenance, the trainingón and assistance. No sóWe innovate our products to make them más insurance, but alsoén we focus on the operational safety of our products, even afterés of its delivery to the customer, as a determining factor in meeting the corporate goal of zero security incidents. For instance, This Safety Road Show in Ecuador is part of this úlast.
Además, we bet on innovationón constant in the sector, incorporating into our helicópteros los úlatest technological advancesósecurity logic. An example is the Helionix system, an advanced set of avióAirbus technology that offers unparalleled pilot assistance in an intuitive human-m interface.áwhich one, improving así overall safety by reducing pilot workload and effectively protecting úunique flight envelope. Spaghettién includes an alert system, self-monitoring functions and a monitoring screenóvehicle numberículo and petitionón, así such as the Auto Control Systemáflight ticket (AFCS). Helionix comes standard on the twin-engine úlast generationón H175 y H160, and in multipurpose twin-engines H145 y H135.
SpaghettiéWe are developing an experimental management systemón im processingágenes on board for automatic approaches and landingsáattics in difficult conditionsíCila. The system Eye for Autonomous Guidance and Landing Extension, o Eagle, powers all image processing functionságenes of a helicóptero in the grandfather systemónica, improving crew situational awarenessón and reducing pilot workload.
From the designño más cutting-edge aircraft systems and displays máadvanced s, on Airbus we have developed a reputationón of innovationón constant whose objective is to incorporate the úlatest advances in safety for our rotary wing aircraft.
¿Whaté considers Airbus that mustíto develop to generate más confidence regarding the reliability of this type of aircraft?
Airbus Helicopters works with partners to leverage the strengths of a global network through a collaborative approachón and a visionóShared information about safety and customer expectations.
Supporting industry-wide initiatives such as the Vertical Aviation Safety Team (VAST), Airbus works with its customers to introduce management systemsóno of security (SMS) as part of its commitment to improve flight safety around the world and reduce accidents. An SMS is an important tool to support propeller operations.ópteros through a reactive organizational approach, proactive and predictive of risks. One of its objectives is to actively promote a safety culture, using safety-based decision making and managementón of risks.
From 2009, Airbus Helicopters en Américh Latina has organized más de 200 Safety Road Shows to promote and reinforce the safety culture in flight and on the ground with operators, pilots and youéhelical conesópteros, así as with authorities, universities and industry in general in order to promote the best práethics in the industry and mitigate incidents. It is a Mexican initiative that has been exported throughout Américh Latina and the world.
Our commitment to safety is such that, in september 2020, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Airbus Helicopters México and Airbus Helicopters Chile organized a Safety Road Show in línea, the first of its kind in the history of the initiative, which was attended by about 500 participants.
Regarding the regionón and future of these aircraft in the market, Alberto Robles tells us the following:
¿Cuál is the future of rotary wing aircraft?
Our innovation modelón is always based on three time frames. Short term, we have más de 12,000 helixópteros currently in operationón, which forces us to continue proposing solutions that update and improve the fleet in service of our clients. medium term, we aim to develop new products, and in the long term, we intend to introduce the disruptive mobility solutions of the future.
Lo máWhat stands out for the future is sustainability, what to beá the third revolutionón of our sector. Our goal is to be one of the lískills in this field. East án emerging technologyías well as electrificationón and hybridizationón so that the propellersópteros sean más safe and can fly sustainably. In the úlast thirty or forty toñWe have reduced your fuel consumption by half. In the próten, we propose to do exactly the same.
The CityAirbus Next Gen is an example of a solutionóDisruptive mobility. With eight hourséelectric powered lights, the CityAirbus provideá a vehicleíass más silent and emission-free to travel distances of about 80 km at a speed of 120 km/h. Other vehiclesíDisruptive Airbus asses are the Racer, a high-speed demonstrator that combines cruising speed of 400 km/h with vertical flight and what to flyá for the first time thisñO. For its part, the DisruptiveLab, which just made its first flight in January, help usá to demonstrate that we can reduce CO2 emissions by 50% thanks to a new aerodin architectureámica combined with a propulsionón híflange.
Finally, ¿thaté growth opportunities sees Airbus Helicopters in the regionón?
Airbus Helicopters has been present at Américh Latina for meás de 50 añy-axis, a través of its clients in the regionón, has performedñI play a vital role in supporting society, offering the más wide range of helicócivil and military pteros to cover all types of civil and government operations. We are the manufacturer líder in the regionón con más de 1,400 helixópteros en operationón, representing a third of the operational fleet in the regionón.
Afterés of the Covid crisis, we have seen cómo the civil and parap marketúwar has been gradually recovering in 2020. 2021 has been theñor the consolidation of that recoveryón and in 2022 has been consolidated. In the military market, projects take a little longer.ás to consolidate.
There are several propellersópteros in our range that we see a great future in Américh latina. On the one hand, the high performance of the single-engine H125 at high altitudes with high temperatures, coupled with its versatility, they make the H125 a propelleróptero perfectly adapted to the needs of m operatorsás demanding of the regionón. Thanks to its flat floor cab, this is a helixóptero can be reconfigured ráask and fáeasily for all types of missions. Other advantages of the H125 are its low maintenance cost, its greater maneuverability and the reductionón pilot workload, especially in extreme environments. we have close to 850 helixósingle-turbine pteros already flying in the regionón, almost all H125.
The twin-engine H145 alsoén has proven to be a helicóptero perfectly adapted to heat and high altitude conditions típicas from some regions of Américh latina. In fact, is he úonly twin-engine that has managed to land on the top of Aconcagua. The H145 allowíto expand multiprop capabilitiesósite of the Armed Forces of several countriesíLatin American ses, because with a úSingle platform allows law enforcement agencies to perform a wide range of missions, from SAR (Search and Rescue), EMS (Emergency Medical Service) or passenger transport, even missions of a m profileámilitary with weapons. The ésuccess of the six H145s flying in the Force AéEcuadorian area, known as Cobra, are a clear example of versatility since they entered service in May 2021. They have already reached más de 2,000 hours of flight carrying out missions to support the populationón and security.
In the helical segmentómedium pterodactyls, Both the H160 and the H175 are options that adapt to operational needs of higher loads and longer distances.ás long. The H160 (which is already operating in Américh latina) can transport to 12 passengers offering some esáTruly extraordinary safety and comfort standards. For its part, the H175, which Pegaso already operates in the Gulf of México and OMNI in Brazil for the energy segmentético, can carry up to 16 passengers with a radius of actionón of 160 NM. The military versions of both propellersópteros, the H160M and the H175M, They are an optionón modern and efficient for the Armed Forces looking for modular and versatile platformsáuseful to cover the entire range of military missions with a single propelleróptero.
If we talk about helicóheavy pterodactyls, We see many options in Latin Americaérich for the model Súper Puma H215. Towardsáuseful and adapted to m environmentsás demanding, The H215 is already used in Bolivia flying at más de 13,000 feet for example, and úLately we have seen it tooén fighting the fire in Chile. The H215 can carry up to 20 firemen, or load for example up to 3,500 liters of water in a bambi bucket.
