Latest news with #helicopter
BBC News
2 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Woman admits shining laser at police helicopter in Bodmin
A woman from Bodmin has pleaded guilty to shining a laser at a police helicopter while it was on a search mission.A justice of the peace in Bodmin Magistrates Court gave Kim Upton, 54, of Hillside Park a conditional discharge and told her she had "acted recklessly and stupidly".The court heard a laser had been pointed to the sky seven times around midnight on an evening in August while police officers in the aircraft were searching for a high-risk missing person using thermal imaging told the police she had not deliberately targeted the helicopter but had been using the green laser to light her garden for her dog. The magistrates said Upton's actions could have led to the helicopter crashing if the pilot had been blinded by the laser court heard she had not intended to distract the helicopter and her actions were not was handed a 12-month conditional discharge which means she can be sentenced for this first offence if she was found to commit another crime in the next year.
ABC News
a day ago
- General
- ABC News
Emergency services winch man to safety in Great Ocean Road cliff rescue
Emergency services have winched a man to safety after rising tides trapped him on a cliff face at Jan Juc on Victoria's Great Ocean Road. A police helicopter hovered above as a rescuer was lowered down and assisted the stranded man, aged 20, into a harness as large waves lapped below. He became trapped on the cliff face near Ocean Boulevard and Cantala Drive, according to police. The call for help to emergency services was made just after 3pm, and the man was rescued shortly before 4pm. He was being assessed for minor injuries.
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Cyprus shows off its new Airbus military helicopters touted as more advanced than what Germany has
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus on Friday unveiled four of its newly-delivered Airbus H145 helicopters that officials say are among the most advanced rotorcraft in the word with a proven track record that gives the Cypriot National Guard an operational edge. The helicopter is currently used by Germany, the U.S. Hungary, Belgium, Ireland and other militaries with over 500 variants currently in operation, logging over 8 million flight hours, according to Cyprus Defense Minister Vassilis Palmas. 'The new helicopter is a multi-role, digital instrument that is geared toward the demands of the 21st century,' Palmas told a ceremony at Cyprus' main Paphos air base. Two more of the state-of-the-art aircraft will be delivered, while the contract with Airbus allows for the purchase of additional helicopters, said Airbus Senior Vice President for the H145 program Daniela Dudek. Dudek said the reliability of the 3.8 ton aircraft is affirmed by its 40 years of service but the integration of advanced avionics and weapons systems make it the 'most military-capable aircraft in its category.' 'What we achieved over years to quickly integrate existing technology on the market, defense technology, and it is unique what you have here. You're even more advanced than what we currently have in Germany,' Dudek said. The helicopter's advanced avionics, which Airbus codeveloped with Israeli companies in the last two years, also includes an integrated weapons system dubbed H-Force which enables the pilot to easily operate the helicopters weaponry in flight, eliminating the need for a separate weapons officer on board. Dudek said another unique aspect of the Cypriot helicopters is an integrated battle management system that enables the aircraft to operate seamlessly with forces on the ground as well as other aircraft, including those belonging to the forces of other nations. Additionally, the helicopter's electronic warfare and other systems afford it a strong self-protection capability. Ethnically-divided Cyprus is in the process of modernizing its defensive capabilities to bring it up to modern European and NATO standards after years of relying on mainly Soviet-era, Russian-made weaponry. The island nation continues to operate Russian-made T-80 main battle tanks, but has recently sold off 11 Russian-made Mi35 attack helicopters to Serbia. Cyprus was split in 1974, when Turkey invaded following a coup by Athens junta-backed supporters of uniting the island with Greece. Only Turkey recognizes a Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence and maintains more than 35,000 troops in the island's northern third. The Cypriot defense minister said the helicopter purchase is part of wider strategic planning for the continuous upgrading of the National Guard, enabling the island to take part in joint military drills with friendly nations.
RNZ News
4 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Watch: Pilot has near-miss with radio tower on high country farm
A screen shot from the video posted by a pilot showing their near miss with a radio tower (to the right) which they failed to detect. Photo: Supplied / Screenshot Farmers are being urged to tell agricultural pilots about flight hazards on their farms, after a near-miss between a pilot and a radio tower that runs electronic farming systems. It comes as more high-tech devices are being used on farms. The video taken in high country central North Island showed a helicopter spray pilot narrowly missing a tall radio tower of technology company Halter for its virtual farm fencing and electronic cattle collar systems. Halter said its towers that were just under 10-metres tall enabled farm connectivity, and were compliant with Civil Aviation Authority rules. The pilot, who wanted to remain anonymous, sent the video to the New Zealand Agricultural Aviation Association, that then shared it on social media. Association executive officer Tony Michelle said poor light conditions meant the pilot did not know the tower was there, until they were right above it. "The towers vary in height from 3 to 10 metres, which is in the normal operating range for helicopters undertaking spray operations, so these are quite a significant flight hazard," he said. "But I'd like to reiterate they're no different to the other hazards that our pilots deal with everyday in the low level environment; wires, power poles, trees and the likes, pivot irrigators." Michelle said the association was pleased with the reponse it had from Halter, that promised to remind its clients to inform pilots about the location of towers on-site. "This isn't about a beat up at all on these on these systems, it's more about getting some awareness out there, particularly with farmers, so that they are aware of their obligations to notify our pilots of these hazards when they're on farm," he said. A Halter spokesperson said it was "proactive" at ensuring safe installation and operation of towers on farms. "Halter works alongside the New Zealand Agricultural Aviation Association to promote safe operations for farmers and agricultural aerial operators," they said. "Halter also educates farmers of the importance of informing agricultural aviation operators of tower locations before they commence operations on their farm." Meanwhile, Michelle said the farmer of the site in the video had since posted the tower's location to the New Zealand Defence Force's Flight Advisor platform for identifying local flight hazards. "There is some of the GPS systems that are used by agricultural aircrafts now where hazards can be loaded onto online platforms that then come up when the pilot is downloads the GPS files for any particular operation on farm," he said. "But the best way is for the farmer in a pre-operational brief, to have a map, identify with the pilot where the location of a tower or any other hazard, and actually do a fly around to make sure that they have identified all those hazards to the pilot." Civil Aviation Act rules showed agricultural aircrafts could operate below 500 feet above ground level, and low-level operations came with known risks like wires or other obstacles. A Civil Aviation Authority spokesperson said agricultural pilots doing low-level work like crop dusting "must stay alert for hazards". "Sometimes small towers and poles can blend into the environment and can easily be missed in a recce flight which can be problematic," they said. "Pilots need to be informed about all hazards and associated risks by landowners and there is also onus on the pilot to ask about these. "As well, things like cabin configuration and the time of day (sunstrike - shade) can also be barriers to not identifying small obstacles." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Isles of Scilly helicopter passenger service expands fleet
A company which runs a helicopter passenger service between the Isles of Scilly and the mainland is expanding its fleet to meet increased Helicopters runs up to 11 daily flights between the islands and Penzance, taking up to 10 people per crossing. The company said the addition of another helicopter would increase its fleet to three aircraft and allow up to 17 crossings per Page, Penzance Heliport base manager, said passenger numbers had increased by 30% since helicopter operators Starspeed took over running the service in 2022. "The addition of a third aircraft will make a significant investment in the resilience, reliability and extra flights to the islands which is obviously what we need," Mr Page told BBC Radio added: "Initially we'll lease it [the aircraft] for a long-term period with the aim, eventually, to purchase it like we've done with the other two. "The two we're running at the moment ranged between about £15m and £20m." Mr Page said the business had connected with the community and held classes for schools and invited the local Women's Institute group for a tour. "It's an ambition of mine to really connect with our neighbours and the community and we have worked hard as a team to do that over the past three years," he said. Penzance Helicopters expect to receive their new aircraft in August and have it in operation for summer 2026.
