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(The Rotorcraft Collective) – Many pilots mistakenly believe they will have sufficient reaction time when encountering power lines and other wires. Yet wire strikes have been among the top three causes of fatal helicopter accidents for more than a decade. Chris Hill, a wire-strike survivor and VAI’s senior director of safety, talks about wire-strike avoidance technologies and techniques that can help improve safety.

The FAA is accepting comments on this proposed airworthiness directive (AD) through Jan. 12, 2026. It would require a one-time inspection of the bonding-braid positioning on the socket of the pilot cyclic stick and, depending on the results, correcting the positioning, and installing a binding clamp.

The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has determined the probable cause of the accident to be the pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from power lines during low-level agricultural spraying operations.

(Vertical magazine) – Transporting aircraft or components across international borders can be one of the most complex aspects of helicopter maintenance, explained panelists at the Vertical MRO Conference earlier this year in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada.

The Chinese OEM conducted a passenger-carrying flight of its pilotless EH216-S electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for representatives of the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand Nov. 25 in Bangkok.

Reiser Simulation and Training is joining forces with the OEM to develop the AW139 Level 3 flight training device, including for United Kingdom–based HeliOperations.

The FAA is accepting comments on this proposed airworthiness directive (AD) by Jan. 12, 2026. It would require repetitive visual inspections of the rear damper and corrective actions, if necessary.

The Air Methods operator introduced its new helicopter Nov. 24 in Granite City. The H145 will replace an Airbus/MBB BK 117.

Boeing has obtained a US Army foreign military sales contract valued at nearly $4.7 billion to produce AH-64E Apache attack helicopters for international operators, including 96 units for the Polish Armed Forces.

The OEM has published an interview with Lt. Col. Audrius Vaicekauskas, pilot and technical engineer, about how the H145 is expanding Lithuania’s border patrol, law enforcement, and search-and-rescue capabilities.