The EC155 AWH flew in to land at the University Hospital in Lausanne a total of 26 times in the month of June, following the IFR procedures prescribed

While fixed-wing aircraft commonly fly under instrument flight rules (IFR), the case is different for helicopters. This is a gaping omission that needs to be rectified, since the ability to operate under IFR at low altitude could be of considerable advantage to helicopter operators, especially those transporting passengers to and from hospitals, airports and offshore drilling platforms. Two series of experimental trials are being conducted with the EC155 all-weather helicopter (AWH) to evaluate navigation solutions specifically designed for rotary-wing aircraft. Their aim is to exploit the helicopter’s capacity to descend at an extremely steep angle (6° to 9°), an approach that causes less environmental pollution. The first set of trials relates to the GIANT(GNSS Introduction in the Aviation Sector) project, which started in July 2005 with the objective of validating the use of the SBAS/EGNOS(1) satellite system for controlling IFR approaches to hospitals. This system does not require a specific ground infrastructure and provides precise orientation in three dimensions (the vertical co-ordinates, which are unavailable in conventional GPS, being of special interest). Working in collaboration with REGA, the number-one Swiss emergency medical service (EMS) provider, the EC155 AWH flew in to land at the University Hospital in Lausanne a total of 26 times in the month of June (totalling about six flight hours) following the IFR procedures prescribed by Skyguide, the Swiss air navigation service provider. Like GIANT, OPTIMAL is a research project under the European Union’s 6th Framework Programme (FP6). Co-ordinated by Airbus, it started in 2004 and aims to optimise IFR landing procedures at airports, for both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. In late June, the EC155 AWH executed more than 30 approaches (totalling about eight flight hours) at Toulouse-Blagnac airport using the SBAS/EGNOS and GBAS(2) systems. The latter makes use of a local ground station to analyse and improve the GPS signals before relaying precise positional data to the aircraft along with a defined final approach path. GBAS may one day replace more conventional instrument landing systems (ILS) by providing co-ordinated management of multiple, simultaneous approaches on different routes by fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters alike, without any risk of collision. By preparing the way for innovative operating concepts, Eurocopter has gained a lead on its competitors. But these innovations must be introduced in production aircraft without delay, as soon as the procedures have been endorsed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), at the risk of losing precious ground…