Radar altimeters

[tartare]

Gents, without wanting to be crass, is a radar altimeter a standard piece of kit in IFR certified rotary wing aircraft like VH-NTV - i.e is it mandated?
Just a curious PPL asking...

[rjsquirrel]

Not mandated, in fact most helos are certified without Radar Alts so as to not be dependant on them as MEL kit.
On the other hand, virtually all offshore and executive medium IFR helos like the 76 and 355 have at least one of them, often two.

[Silvrado17]

For those on the FAA side of the pasture...

No requirement for Radar Altimeter in the certification of Transport Rotorcraft (according to 14 CFR 29).

It is installed in the S-92 (my current airframe), but is not required for dispatch according to the Master Minimum Equipment List (MMEL).

14 CFR 91.205 (h) does list a requirement for a radar altimeter for NVG operations.


Happy flying!

[gulliBell]

We have it MEL'd for offshore night ops, otherwise not mandated as far as I know...

[Shawn Coyle]

There is at least one helicopter with a mandated radar altimeter when the AFCS is installed, but otherwise not strictly called for in certification regulations.

[lelebebbel]

To answer the question about the ABC chopper - here is a photo of VH-NTV's cockpit, dated September 2007

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4094/4854315321_e235a40ddd_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/krzysztofmalek/4854315321/)
(c) Krzysztof Malek, posted on flickr.com

Radar Altimeter on the right.

I don't know if the avionics have been changed since the photo was taken.

[RVDT]

IFR certified rotary wing aircraft like VH-NTV

Don't think so although there is probably a requirement in the "CAT A" FM Supp.