UK MFTS RW - Airbus H135/H145 selected
 

Just got email press release confirmation that Airbus is supplying H135 and H145 for UK MFTS,

cheers

Selection confirms H135/H145 family as the UK military training helicopters of choice · Airbus Helicopters on course to support more than half a century of military helicopter pilot training in the UK

Airbus Helicopters in the UK has been selected by Ascent
as the Aircraft Service Provider for the UK’s Military Flying Training System (
UKMFTS)
. The contract, worth £500 million over 17 years, will see Airbus Helicopters
deliver aircraft and an integrated support solution over the course of
18 months, ready to start training in April 2018.This will involve the manufacture of aircraft in addition to developing the support infrastructure and training initial crews and maintenance personnel


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RAN/Army using same H135 and paint scheme for helo training from NAS Nowra..

Lots of time on type when folks PVR to Police/Air Ambulance flying!

Has anyone seen how many frames are in the contract.

29 H135 and 3 H145 training aircraft

cheers

Poor handling qualities (optimised to be flown on autopilot) and a shiny cockpit instrument set. Did MFTS try any of these aircraft before signing a contract?

Who is doing the engineering? AHUK?

Is there a rationale behind moving away from the SE/ME route straight to all-ME?

Apart from money?

I heard several Instructors talk about why they had persisted with SE when apart from the odd Gazelle there were no SE types left in service. In particular the teachings of EOL's took up a slice of the course that wasn't felt pertinent to current types in service.

US Navy regime uses single for basic training and twins for IFR ... big tender out now.

TBM,

Nope the USN / USMC just use TH-57C Sea Ranger only for primary and advanced rotary wing and IFR and no twins used at all,

Cheers

I'm perhaps a product of my era, but I reckon any helicopter pilot needs to be at least rudimentally proficient at doing an auto ...

But the more of that basic pilot-type handling you can remove from the syllabus, the more you can move to the simulator and the cheaper the training becomes.

It's crap but it's driven by bean counters and career officers, not pilots and instructors.

Eventually all the fun will be taken out of flying and no-one will be any good at it any more.

and safer. For the training provider at least.

It's safer?

Just like happened with that disastrous decision to replace Mil SAR with Bristow ;)

Now, how do I change my handle to AscentWannabe?

Arm out the window:
It's EOL's their stopping not autos. Big difference.

It's now showing evidence in civvy street that a lack of EOL training will inevitably result in another skill base perishing. QED Strathclyde and the Clutha accident.
Not saying the lack of EOL training was the cause - far from it...but that pilot flew Chinooks for ages and then the EC135 for ages - none of which practiced EOL's.
And now we see the further demise of handling skills by procuring ME's that will forever prevent future pilots from experiencing the differences between an EOL and an auto. Coupled with more sim training and lo and behold - we blindly follow our FW brethern down the road of automation where modern pilots need degrees in systems management rather than spatial acuity and handling skills.
Perhaps there are statisticians and mathematicians out there who have advised the industry accordingly and the future does not require these skills any more - it belongs to redundancy and back up systems to guide you safely home:rolleyes:.
Try telling that to the AirFrance 320 passengers whose crew lost the plot a few years ago.

As a QHI who instructed for years at Shawbury, I always felt that there was a place for EOLs in the syllabus as long as single engine helis were being used. If all twin from now on, as long as the student/pilot can manoeuvre in auto to the flare/check/level point, then I'd suggest he would walk away from the subsequent 'landing' following a real double engine failure.

In my day we practised autos and EOLs at night. Actually not that difficult provided you knew you were over an airfield with no obstacles.

Presumably the 145, as the advanced trainer, is destined to replace the 139 at SARTU (or whatever it will be called) for basic SAR trg.

ISTR the Met Police wanted to do winching with the 145 but the aircraft didn't have the OEI performance to allow training in a 'Safe Single Engine' condition.

Will we have the comedy of military winching training only conducted when the wind is strong enough to meet OEI hover performance?

I can't imagine any DDH, ODH or SDH signing off the risk to life to operate live winching when an OEI hover (or safe flyaway) can't be achieved.

I thought SARTU (Now 202 (R) I beleive) used Griffons for RAF students and the 139 were for 'overseas' pilots?

The MFTS H145s are significantly different from the Met's EC145s: the new FADEC'd donks offer 30% more OEI power.

Defense News says they'll be used for maritime and mountain crew training.