Based in London, Tony covers European defense programs. Prior to joining Aviation Week in November 2012, Tony was at Shephard Media Group where he was deputy editor for Rotorhub and Defence Helicopter magazines. Tony has covered avionics, unmanned vehicles, the supply chain and cyberwarfare.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has certified Airbus Helicopters’ new version of the EC145 light twin-engine helicopter. EASA certification for the EC145 T2 covers single-pilot, instrument flight rules (IFR) and night-vision goggle operation, the manufacturer says. EASA has not yet published the certification documents on its website, due to the Easter break.
Denmark may be a signatory to the Joint Strike Fighter program, but that does not automatically oblige it to purchase the fifth-generation combat aircraft.
New weather forecasting algorithms are being used to help North Sea helicopter crews avoid an infrequent phenomenon. Between 1992 and 2013, there were more than three-dozen instances of lightning strikes on helicopters in and around the North Sea; they were recorded when lightning had not been forecast but were seemingly prompted by the presence of the helicopter itself.
