MD Explorer
Is this the one
He could have been wrong I suppose...but he did say it was his.
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There seems to be quite a few 135s for sale around Europe, why is that?
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Possibly because the are around 470 of them out there ..
Even taking off the few 135s donked that leaves a fair number for the industry to trade between themselves.
You may probably find there are a lot of 109s, 350s, 355s for sale too. Something to do with high production levels and a desire for trade.
For the moment, the 900 has not got the numbers, barely 100.
It may never make it of course, but if the Patriarch CEO Lynn Tilton has anything to say about the matter that MAY change. Nothing to do with the wringing of hands and wishing or lying about the Explorer to gain success it needs to be dragged kicking and screaming there on the back of its own success properly gained and with a good clean maintenance background.
As the best in many fields it could make it. But .... not until truth replaces the lies. There is a swell in that direction but can it keep flowing?
You can fool some of the customers some of the time but it is clear from that 100/470 disparity you cannot fool them all the time.
There seems to be quite a few 135s for sale around Europe, why is that?
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Possibly because the are around 470 of them out there ..
Even taking off the few 135s donked that leaves a fair number for the industry to trade between themselves.
You may probably find there are a lot of 109s, 350s, 355s for sale too. Something to do with high production levels and a desire for trade.
For the moment, the 900 has not got the numbers, barely 100.
It may never make it of course, but if the Patriarch CEO Lynn Tilton has anything to say about the matter that MAY change. Nothing to do with the wringing of hands and wishing or lying about the Explorer to gain success it needs to be dragged kicking and screaming there on the back of its own success properly gained and with a good clean maintenance background.
As the best in many fields it could make it. But .... not until truth replaces the lies. There is a swell in that direction but can it keep flowing?
You can fool some of the customers some of the time but it is clear from that 100/470 disparity you cannot fool them all the time.
And that list of serial numbers 00 - 100 is not in fact continuous, over 20 of these numbers have not seen the light of day, certainly not flying.
So that leaves 80 ish explorers flying around the......................................world
And how many now in the UK?
[Again, I wish to add that this is NOT a slur on the machine. I have never slagged off the a/c...it's the infrastructure supporting this innovative product that deserves all the slanging. And justifyably too.
So that leaves 80 ish explorers flying around the......................................world
And how many now in the UK?
[Again, I wish to add that this is NOT a slur on the machine. I have never slagged off the a/c...it's the infrastructure supporting this innovative product that deserves all the slanging. And justifyably too.
Slightly off thread...
There was me thinking [and writing as if] times had changed and the Explorer was again on the up when in comes a none too clear press release...
MESA, AZ, Oct. 6, 2005 MD Helicopters (MDHI) is bidding its MD Explorer for the U.S. Army's $1.3-billion Light Utility Helicopter Program.
"From the beginning, it has been clear that the MD Explorer is the single helicopter that meets the specifications of the LUH program on both variables of performance and price," said Lynn Tilton, Chief Executive Officer and founder of Patriarch Partners, LLC, an investment advisor who manages the funds that own a controlling interest in MDHI. "And, there has never been any doubt that we were going to go all-out to win this program in order to deliver to the US Army a helicopter widely known for its safety features and price/performance benefit," Tilton confirmed.
MDHI had been paired with Lockheed Martin, but since parting ways has made the commitment to move forward..........
There has been no release stating that the previous LUH arrangement was over....
SO WHERE DID THAT 'since parting' COME FROM?
It looks as if Lockheed Martin [LM] has called time on going with MDHI in pursuit of the LUH program only weeks after setting up camp.
Now if LM, presumably in possession of the full facts rather than any public domain spin, are either walking away or are being pushed away perhaps we will have to look at the apparently positive scenario again.
There was me thinking [and writing as if] times had changed and the Explorer was again on the up when in comes a none too clear press release...
MESA, AZ, Oct. 6, 2005 MD Helicopters (MDHI) is bidding its MD Explorer for the U.S. Army's $1.3-billion Light Utility Helicopter Program.
"From the beginning, it has been clear that the MD Explorer is the single helicopter that meets the specifications of the LUH program on both variables of performance and price," said Lynn Tilton, Chief Executive Officer and founder of Patriarch Partners, LLC, an investment advisor who manages the funds that own a controlling interest in MDHI. "And, there has never been any doubt that we were going to go all-out to win this program in order to deliver to the US Army a helicopter widely known for its safety features and price/performance benefit," Tilton confirmed.
MDHI had been paired with Lockheed Martin, but since parting ways has made the commitment to move forward..........
There has been no release stating that the previous LUH arrangement was over....
SO WHERE DID THAT 'since parting' COME FROM?
It looks as if Lockheed Martin [LM] has called time on going with MDHI in pursuit of the LUH program only weeks after setting up camp.
Now if LM, presumably in possession of the full facts rather than any public domain spin, are either walking away or are being pushed away perhaps we will have to look at the apparently positive scenario again.
I had the pleasure of flying a 900 recently....very nice machine once you figure out how to get into the pilot's seat. Absolutely the smoothest and quietest machine I have ever flown.
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What Happened to L.A.A (HEMS) Yesterday??
Was just wondering what happened to the L.A.A (HEMS) yesterday??
I heard it clipped one or several of the rotor blades and was grounded in South London while new ones were fitted??
TJF97
I heard it clipped one or several of the rotor blades and was grounded in South London while new ones were fitted??
TJF97
The absence of G-EHMS on what was called 'an annual' ... it lasted 7 weeks ... and might be better termed 'an age' ... is well documented.
Having arrived at Staverton on August 8 the aircraft was not expected to return to service after being off-line at least 7 weeks. and that was the time it took. Two weeks is a typical quote for an Explorer annual.
The absence of the primary airframe did not greatly affect the performance of the HEMS service. It has always been about getting the doctor to the patient rather than lifting them to hospital. HEMS normally only fly 1 in 5 of the patients attended so some 80% of the job continues as before, and the medical team still get to the incidents within the average 11 minutes from receiving the 999 emergency call to putting the doctor with the patient.
In the meantime the Medical Team flew in an AS355F1 G-BSYI chartered from PremiAir.
Having arrived at Staverton on August 8 the aircraft was not expected to return to service after being off-line at least 7 weeks. and that was the time it took. Two weeks is a typical quote for an Explorer annual.
The absence of the primary airframe did not greatly affect the performance of the HEMS service. It has always been about getting the doctor to the patient rather than lifting them to hospital. HEMS normally only fly 1 in 5 of the patients attended so some 80% of the job continues as before, and the medical team still get to the incidents within the average 11 minutes from receiving the 999 emergency call to putting the doctor with the patient.
In the meantime the Medical Team flew in an AS355F1 G-BSYI chartered from PremiAir.
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IC South London Press report
Emergency landing for rescue helicopter
SHOPPERS escaped uninjured when a rescue helicopter's rotor blade was hit by a fragment of metal which forced it down.
There was traffic chaos as the London Air Ambulance was forced to make an emergency landing on its way to help a Turkish woman who had been in collision with a bus in Welling High Street on Saturday.
As the helicopter made its descent, a piece of metal or sign from Coral bookmakers somehow struck the blades and forced the pilots to land the aircraft right in the middle of the road.
Workers at nearby Boots saw customers blown back into the shop as stock flew off the shelves.
Police had closed off part of the street to let the woman get help.
She was later taken to hospital in an ordinary ambulance suffering from a fractured skull. She was believed to be in a stable condition as we went to press.
The dramatic events unfolded around 1pm.
Adam Ayrilmaz at the Superfry chippy was one of the first to come to the woman's aid. He said: "No one knew what she was saying but I spoke to her and tried to reassure her by speaking Turkish. "She wouldn't let go of my hand. She was saying 'I don't want to die'. I did what any normal human being would have done, I went to the hospital with her and waited until around 9pm."
The air ambulance didn't leave the town centre until around 8pm, after a spare part arrived from Bristol.
The helicopter was checked and back in working order on Monday.
A spokesman for London Air Ambulance said the chopper's breakdown did not affect the time it took for the woman to get help. He added: "Given the location of the incident the patient would not have been airlifted to hospital and would have gone by land ambulance with the medical team accompanying her, which is what happened in this case.
"The medical team continued their shift in one of their rapid response cars which are used at night or when the aircraft is unable to fly."
A Transport for London spokeswoman said the accident was being investigated.
SHOPPERS escaped uninjured when a rescue helicopter's rotor blade was hit by a fragment of metal which forced it down.
There was traffic chaos as the London Air Ambulance was forced to make an emergency landing on its way to help a Turkish woman who had been in collision with a bus in Welling High Street on Saturday.
As the helicopter made its descent, a piece of metal or sign from Coral bookmakers somehow struck the blades and forced the pilots to land the aircraft right in the middle of the road.
Workers at nearby Boots saw customers blown back into the shop as stock flew off the shelves.
Police had closed off part of the street to let the woman get help.
She was later taken to hospital in an ordinary ambulance suffering from a fractured skull. She was believed to be in a stable condition as we went to press.
The dramatic events unfolded around 1pm.
Adam Ayrilmaz at the Superfry chippy was one of the first to come to the woman's aid. He said: "No one knew what she was saying but I spoke to her and tried to reassure her by speaking Turkish. "She wouldn't let go of my hand. She was saying 'I don't want to die'. I did what any normal human being would have done, I went to the hospital with her and waited until around 9pm."
The air ambulance didn't leave the town centre until around 8pm, after a spare part arrived from Bristol.
The helicopter was checked and back in working order on Monday.
A spokesman for London Air Ambulance said the chopper's breakdown did not affect the time it took for the woman to get help. He added: "Given the location of the incident the patient would not have been airlifted to hospital and would have gone by land ambulance with the medical team accompanying her, which is what happened in this case.
"The medical team continued their shift in one of their rapid response cars which are used at night or when the aircraft is unable to fly."
A Transport for London spokeswoman said the accident was being investigated.
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Nice to see that no one was hurt and all is now sorted.
PA news,
you can't resist a dig can you. You really are not at all subjective when ever a 902 is mentioned. 2 weeks is pretty good going to do an annual by the way and it wouldn't involve any rectification work.
How much do Macalpines actually pay you?
PA news,
you can't resist a dig can you. You really are not at all subjective when ever a 902 is mentioned. 2 weeks is pretty good going to do an annual by the way and it wouldn't involve any rectification work.
How much do Macalpines actually pay you?
Purveyor of Egg Liqueur to Lucifer
I hear there's a bandwagon about to leave!!
Pretty unusual place for an annual eh PA News?
Looks like you missed this one and managed yet another of your anti-MD902 venomous posts.
Still, what an excellent crew of engineers they must be,
1400 - get the call
Drive to Welling High Street (3hrs 4mins according to Autoroute)
1800? - Arrive Location
2000 - A/C departs
SS
Pretty unusual place for an annual eh PA News?
Looks like you missed this one and managed yet another of your anti-MD902 venomous posts.
Still, what an excellent crew of engineers they must be,
1400 - get the call
Drive to Welling High Street (3hrs 4mins according to Autoroute)
1800? - Arrive Location
2000 - A/C departs
SS
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I agree SS, the weekend crew did an excellent job.
If Macs had the maintenance contract the aircraft would have still been on the street Monday morning!!
It just shows how much safer the 902 is in the city environment where fod damage is a real danger. Imagine if the shop front sign had gone through the tail rotor of an EC145 or AS355 on landing. No such problems with a Notar aircraft.
Dr A
If Macs had the maintenance contract the aircraft would have still been on the street Monday morning!!
It just shows how much safer the 902 is in the city environment where fod damage is a real danger. Imagine if the shop front sign had gone through the tail rotor of an EC145 or AS355 on landing. No such problems with a Notar aircraft.
Dr A
Attack from two people who might just be employed by the maintenance organisation that did such a good job in recovering the Explorer, at a fully commercial price, might just wash by.
You are not independent. The only difference is that I am willing to post transparent and take the stick. Or ignore the post. I have no hidden handle.
On many occasions I have stated that the aircraft is fine it is other aspects that draw criticism.
Years ago I was being put down by statements about the health of the programme like 'no one is interested' ... well wrong, they are interested and have been for a long time.
Operators are still very worried whether the support for the aircraft is up to scratch and as a result some of them are visibly voting with their feet. And this is not all Explorer the worry is across the product line. The eminence of the Explorer is that there are some with a vested interest in defending that product.
The length of time taken undertaking an annual could be a matter of question if one organisation claims four days and yet 2 weeks is 'pretty good going.' This is customer availability time. The customer is supposed to be important, and if he/she is happy with 7 weeks so be it.
It does not mean I am right, it means I am asking.
It does the Explorer case no real credit to blandly state that
'It just shows how much safer the 902 is in the city environment where fod damage is a real danger. Imagine if the shop front sign had gone through the tail rotor of an EC145 or AS355 on landing. No such problems with a Notar aircraft.'
Half truth seeking to negate the truth. The fact is that this whole thread hangs on FOD to EHMS. Fanciful 'ifs' about whether the sign went through the MRB or might have gone through the tail rotor of a different type that was not even there hardly apply when we have a 'proven' instance of FOD.
There is little doubt that NOTAR is less likely to suffer FOD but that is not to say there have never been instances of FOD to the NOTAR fan [or for that matter fan failure]. Rarer or not the resultant flight emergency is similar.
You are not independent. The only difference is that I am willing to post transparent and take the stick. Or ignore the post. I have no hidden handle.
On many occasions I have stated that the aircraft is fine it is other aspects that draw criticism.
Years ago I was being put down by statements about the health of the programme like 'no one is interested' ... well wrong, they are interested and have been for a long time.
Operators are still very worried whether the support for the aircraft is up to scratch and as a result some of them are visibly voting with their feet. And this is not all Explorer the worry is across the product line. The eminence of the Explorer is that there are some with a vested interest in defending that product.
The length of time taken undertaking an annual could be a matter of question if one organisation claims four days and yet 2 weeks is 'pretty good going.' This is customer availability time. The customer is supposed to be important, and if he/she is happy with 7 weeks so be it.
It does not mean I am right, it means I am asking.
It does the Explorer case no real credit to blandly state that
'It just shows how much safer the 902 is in the city environment where fod damage is a real danger. Imagine if the shop front sign had gone through the tail rotor of an EC145 or AS355 on landing. No such problems with a Notar aircraft.'
Half truth seeking to negate the truth. The fact is that this whole thread hangs on FOD to EHMS. Fanciful 'ifs' about whether the sign went through the MRB or might have gone through the tail rotor of a different type that was not even there hardly apply when we have a 'proven' instance of FOD.
There is little doubt that NOTAR is less likely to suffer FOD but that is not to say there have never been instances of FOD to the NOTAR fan [or for that matter fan failure]. Rarer or not the resultant flight emergency is similar.
Last edited by PANews; 5th Nov 2005 at 00:12.
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Here's one for the pilots then.
You are about to land in a city street on a HEMS mission. There is a shop 20ft to the left and 20 ft to the right. At 10ft from the floor you see a sizeable piece of shop frontage break off and rise over the main rotor disc.
Would you rather;
1. Be flying in a 902 with no risk to the yaw control.
2. Be in an 145 or 355 with the risk of the shop frontage knocking out the tail rotor resulting in a massive uncontrollable yaw which even the best pilot could not control probably resulting in a nasty roll over.
The one incident of in-flight notar fod damage took out 12 of the 13 blades and in the pilots own words "there was no evidence of loss of control".!!
PANews, why do you keep stating the Annual on EHMS took 7 weeks? I was personally involved with that check and it didn't take half that time. The main reason most of the 902 operators don't trust Eurocopter can be put down to the misinformation in your monthly rag. The 902 operators know how long an Annual check takes and know that your 7 week claims are laughable. Therefore they assume all the other quotes you come out with are laughable. I only know of one maintenance organisation who claims to be able to do a 902 annual in 4 days and they have recently lost quite a few contracts due to unhappy customers who would rather the job done properly than quickly!
As to the problems with MDHi I'm with you all the way PAN. I would love nothing more than the new owners to finally sort their sh1te out so that the 902 can once again be a real competitor to EC, Bell and Agusta. Patriarch have come up with a mission statement which I will not repeat here but looks on paper to be a modest and realistic way of rebuilding the company. There is no point in them playing the damage limitation game because the damage has already been sustained. They are instead opting for an actions speaks louder than words approach which the old MD management were not very good at. There will be no overnight recovery but I believe that there will now be a recovery.
Dr A
You are about to land in a city street on a HEMS mission. There is a shop 20ft to the left and 20 ft to the right. At 10ft from the floor you see a sizeable piece of shop frontage break off and rise over the main rotor disc.
Would you rather;
1. Be flying in a 902 with no risk to the yaw control.
2. Be in an 145 or 355 with the risk of the shop frontage knocking out the tail rotor resulting in a massive uncontrollable yaw which even the best pilot could not control probably resulting in a nasty roll over.
The one incident of in-flight notar fod damage took out 12 of the 13 blades and in the pilots own words "there was no evidence of loss of control".!!
PANews, why do you keep stating the Annual on EHMS took 7 weeks? I was personally involved with that check and it didn't take half that time. The main reason most of the 902 operators don't trust Eurocopter can be put down to the misinformation in your monthly rag. The 902 operators know how long an Annual check takes and know that your 7 week claims are laughable. Therefore they assume all the other quotes you come out with are laughable. I only know of one maintenance organisation who claims to be able to do a 902 annual in 4 days and they have recently lost quite a few contracts due to unhappy customers who would rather the job done properly than quickly!
As to the problems with MDHi I'm with you all the way PAN. I would love nothing more than the new owners to finally sort their sh1te out so that the 902 can once again be a real competitor to EC, Bell and Agusta. Patriarch have come up with a mission statement which I will not repeat here but looks on paper to be a modest and realistic way of rebuilding the company. There is no point in them playing the damage limitation game because the damage has already been sustained. They are instead opting for an actions speaks louder than words approach which the old MD management were not very good at. There will be no overnight recovery but I believe that there will now be a recovery.
Dr A
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I think something posotive came from this incident in a funny kind of way. A HEMS helicopter arrives to an incident and is involved in its own emergency situation causing the Heli to make an emergency landing.
1. The woman that they we're called too still arrived at hospital in the required time, great work.
2. The Heli recieved minimal damage and landed safely without injury to any other person, great work by the crew.
3. The Heli was back in the air that same day, great work by the engineers.
I agree if it had not been a NOTAR then the circumstances may have been different but it was a NOTAR and the circumstance was as it was reported.
Excellent work by all and a posotive look on the incident, everyone was safe and London remains safe as long as those guys keep working, keep it up and well done.
TC
1. The woman that they we're called too still arrived at hospital in the required time, great work.
2. The Heli recieved minimal damage and landed safely without injury to any other person, great work by the crew.
3. The Heli was back in the air that same day, great work by the engineers.
I agree if it had not been a NOTAR then the circumstances may have been different but it was a NOTAR and the circumstance was as it was reported.
Excellent work by all and a posotive look on the incident, everyone was safe and London remains safe as long as those guys keep working, keep it up and well done.
TC
The 145 wouldn't land in those tight spots 'cos it's VTOL specs are ify. Plus it's bigger than the MD and EC135.
Also a piece of: "shop frontage????" would worry me if it started dancing with the MRB's never mind the TRB's!!!!
Anyway, I digress. What I have difficulty accepting is that the CAA allows a helicopter unlimited access to any busy street in the City?????
Using HEMS Jar Ops App1 to 3.005(d) (c). (2). (c). must by definition seriously minimise the choice of landing sites every time [dimensions from nearest obs being atleast 2D (daytime)].
Your 20' analogy Dr atkins is therefore unacceptable.
Anyone who cared to do an RA of this operation into some of these tight streets would deem it unacceptable in this day and age.
Also a piece of: "shop frontage????" would worry me if it started dancing with the MRB's never mind the TRB's!!!!
Anyway, I digress. What I have difficulty accepting is that the CAA allows a helicopter unlimited access to any busy street in the City?????
Using HEMS Jar Ops App1 to 3.005(d) (c). (2). (c). must by definition seriously minimise the choice of landing sites every time [dimensions from nearest obs being atleast 2D (daytime)].
Your 20' analogy Dr atkins is therefore unacceptable.
Anyone who cared to do an RA of this operation into some of these tight streets would deem it unacceptable in this day and age.