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.
Conducting operations in bitter Arctic winters is a part of everyday life for the Royal Canadian Air Force's (RCAF) search-and-rescue helicopter crews. Every year, RCAF SAR crews pluck hundreds of people from dangerous situations on sea and land across the vast Canadian wilderness. But one operation particularly resonated with Aviation Week's Laureate judges. The mission, on Feb. 9, 2013, tested the crew in challenging conditions, but their courage, resourcefulness and quick thinking prevailed and has won them plaudits on both sides of the Atlantic.
At capacity-constrained airports around the world, high winds are a major cause of flight delays and cancellations, often as a result of the knock-on effects of reduced airport flow rates. Landing aircraft currently have to maintain set distances apart due to the wake vortices occurring from the wingtip, but research has shown that in strong headwinds, ground speeds on approach are reduced and the effect of the vortices is quickly dissipated, potentially allowing the distances separating the aircraft to be reduced.
For offshore helicopter pilots, the approach to oil and gas platforms is one of the most work-intensive periods of the flight. During bad weather, pilots can struggle with high winds, while low visibility and clouds sometimes obscure heli-decks that often sit hundreds of feet above the sea level, and obstacles such as cranes and gas flares create challenges in the final moments before touchdown.
