RBI Hawker Australia announced that it has been appointed a rotor blade repair service center for Leonardo Helicopters. The Brisbane-based facility has been operating in Australia since receiving its Part 145 maintenance organization approval from the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) in June 2021. It was appointed a Customer Service Facility for Bell in July 2021. With this latest approval, RBI Hawker Australia is authorised to offer OEM approved helicopter rotor blade repair services to Leonardo AW139 and AW109 models from its 1,000-square-meter maintenance facility in Eagle Farm, Brisbane.
“This service expansion demonstrates our ongoing commitment to providing high-quality OEM-supported rotary blade repair services to both government and commercial Leonardo helicopters operators in the region,” said Ian D’Arcy, Jet Aviation’s vice president for North East Asia. “We look forward to working closely with Leonardo Helicopters to provide the quality customer service and support that operators have grown accustomed to expect from RBI Hawker, both in the Middle East and Australia.”
RBI Hawker has been providing maintenance support to both commercial and military helicopter operators in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and wider regions from Dubai since 2005. It is the authorised Bell CSF and Leonardo Service Center with an extensive OEM-approved standard and expanded repair portfolio.
Jet Aviation overhauls three Bell 412s for Middle East Customer
Jet Aviation announced the successful delivery of three Bell 412 helicopters following major inspections and refurbishments for a returning customer in the Middle East. The company has been providing helicopter maintenance, repair, upgrades, and modifications from its location in Fujairah, U.A.E., since 2017, including dedicated maintenance support throughout the region. Jet Aviation’s maintenance facility in Fujairah was commissioned to refurbish, paint and sell three Bell 412s in conjunction with five-year major inspections. With the inspections requiring full disassembly of the aircraft, engine upgrades were also performed on all three aircraft.
“It was a big project that the team was excited to take on,” said Mike Conomos, general manager of Jet Aviation’s maintenance facility in Fujairah. “The helicopters had been parked in different locations across the region for an extended period of time before they were trucked to us in early 2021. Coupled with the required paint and refurbishment, each aircraft took an average of 3,000 man-hours to complete. All three deliveries were made on time following stunning transformations. “Our customers appreciate both the scope of our capabilities and our commitment to the highest standards. The team drew on all their experience, expertise, passion and flexibility with this project, and I couldn’t be prouder of them,” Conomos said.
Jet Aviation has a team of more than 20 maintenance professionals in Fujairah — representing nearly as many nationalities — engaging in the provision of integrated aviation solutions for helicopters across the Asia-Pacific and Middle East.
Mi-171A3 offshore helicopter completes first flight
The multipurpose helicopter Mi-171A3, developed by the Russian Helicopters Holding Company (Rostec State Corporation), has started flight tests. The maiden flight in hover mode lasted 15 minutes and passed properly; all systems evinced stable operation. The rotorcraft is designed for offshore operations and maintenance of offshore drilling platforms. During the flight, the crew consisting of chief test pilot Alexander Klimov and test pilot Vladimir Kutanin performed a series of short vertical manoeuvres, while turning and moving the helicopter in all directions at various speeds.
“The modern and competitive Mi-171A3 helicopter was developed in record time: the state contract for the development of a helicopter modification designed for flights to offshore platforms was signed by the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade with the Holding in 2020. The total amount of state support for the project amounts to 1 billion rubles,” said Denis Manturov, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation.
The development of the Mi-171A3 began in 2018. The latest helicopter fully complies with IOGP (International Association of Oil and Gas Producers) standards and meets the increased requirements for promoting the safety of flights over water.
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