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183-539: The AgustaWestland AW101 is a medium-lift helicopter in military and civil use. First flown in 1987, it was developed by a joint venture between Westland Helicopters in the United Kingdom and Agusta in Italy in response to national requirements for a modern naval utility helicopter. Several operators, including the armed forces of Britain, Denmark, and Portugal, use the name Merlin for their AW101 aircraft. It

366-479: A probe for aerial refuelling . Self-sealing fuel tanks are an optional item to be selected by the customer. An inlet particle separator system can be installed, protecting the engine when operating in sandy environments. Most variants of the AW101 are equipped with self-defence systems, such as chaff and flare dispensers, directed infrared countermeasures (infrared jammers), ESM (electronic support measures in

549-616: A runway . In 1942, the Sikorsky R-4 became the first helicopter to reach full-scale production . Although most earlier designs used more than one main rotor, the configuration of a single main rotor accompanied by a vertical anti-torque tail rotor (i.e. unicopter , not to be confused with the single-blade monocopter ) has become the most common helicopter configuration. However, twin-rotor helicopters (bicopters), in either tandem or transverse rotors configurations, are sometimes in use due to their greater payload capacity than

732-421: A $ 470 million cancellation fee. Several pre-production aircraft were assembled during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The first pre-production aircraft had its first flight powered by General Electric CT7-2A engines on 9 October 1987. Flight tests were suspended for six months following the crash of the second pre-production aircraft on 21 January 1993. On 6 June 1993, the first EH101 took its maiden flight with

915-605: A Canadian competition to replace the shipboard Sea King fleet, but the Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone was selected. In 2013, following difficulties with the CH-148 procurement, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) was reported to be seriously considering cancelling the contract with Sikorsky and was investigating the possibility of procuring the AW101 instead. However, an initial batch of six Cyclones

1098-609: A Doppler velocity system (DVS) which provides relative ground velocities; the DVS is also linked into the AFCS as part of the autostabilisation system. For safety, the aircraft is equipped with obstacle and terrain avoidance warning systems, traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS), and both voice and flight data recorders . The AW101 was initially equipped with the Ferranti Blue Kestrel search and detection radar which

1281-444: A collective input is made, all the blades change equally, and the result is the helicopter increasing or decreasing in altitude. A swashplate controls the collective and cyclic pitch of the main blades. The swashplate moves up and down, along the main shaft, to change the pitch of both blades. This causes the helicopter to push air downward or upward, depending on the angle of attack . The swashplate can also change its angle to move

1464-686: A common emergency egress system. The first HC4 began flight trials in September 2017, with an IOC in mid-2018; an interim folding main rotor head will be fitted to some HC3 for shipborne operations prior to the HC4 upgrade. Command of the UK Merlin HC3/3A fleet was formally transferred from the RAF to the Royal Navy during a ceremony at RAF Benson on 30 September 2014. As part of the same ceremony,

1647-428: A consortium in 1991 to perform the helicopter's complex systems integration. The AW101 features a network of helicopter management and mission systems designed to reduce pilot workload and enable the helicopter to undertake a wide variety of missions. A digital automatic flight control system (AFCS) is employed by the AW101. The AFCS allows the operation of a four-axis ( pitch , roll, yaw and collective ) autopilot and

1830-417: A constant altitude. The pedals serve the same function in both a helicopter and a fixed-wing aircraft, to maintain balanced flight. This is done by applying a pedal input in whichever direction is necessary to center the ball in the turn and bank indicator . Due to the operating characteristics of the helicopter—its ability to take off and land vertically, and to hover for extended periods of time, as well as

2013-400: A contract for six AW101 helicopters. In August 2012, it was reported that Algeria had signed an agreement with AgustaWestland for the provision of up to 80 helicopters, 42 of which were to be AW101s. Under the terms of this arrangement, early aircraft were to be manufactured by AgustaWestland, while Algeria was to commence the assembly of some AW101s later on. By September 2013 AgustaWestland

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2196-489: A contract was signed between AgustaWestland and the government, for the purchase of 16 AW101 helicopters. The agreement came about after fierce competition between different manufacturers to satisfy the Norwegian requirements. Participants were AgustaWestland , Eurocopter , NHIndustries , Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation and Boeing. The government considered that AgustaWestland AW101 met the requirements and specifications in

2379-616: A death in the family. I regard it rather as a death of the family." On March 20, 2004, former Alliance leader Harper was elected leader of the new party and appointed MacKay as his deputy. Following the merger, a rump Progressive Conservative caucus remained in Parliament, consisting of individuals who declined to join the new Conservative Party. In the House of Commons , Joe Clark , André Bachand and John Herron sat as PC members. Outside of Parliament, former leader Brian Mulroney joined

2562-552: A deployment in Afghanistan in 2014. In September 2013, Danish AW101s were to receive L-3 Wescam MX-15 electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensors; SAR aircraft already carry the FLIR Systems Star Safire II EO/IR sensor. On 25 October 2007, a project started that had the intent to replace all Westland Sea King search and rescue helicopters with new rescue helicopters by 2020. On 19 December 2013,

2745-611: A few months as party leader though, MacKay reneged on his promise and proceeded to negotiate a merger with the Alliance, which he announced had occurred on October 15, 2003. The two parties, it seemed, united to form a new party called the Conservative Party of Canada. The union was ratified on December 5 and 6 in a process conducted by each of the parties, and the new Conservative Party was formally registered on December 7. The merger prompted Clark to remark, "Some equate it to

2928-525: A few more flights and achieved a height of nearly 2.0 metres (6.5 ft), but it proved to be unstable and was abandoned. Progressive Conservative Party of Canada Provincial Provincial The Progressive Conservative Party of Canada ( PC ; French : Parti progressiste-conservateur du Canada ) was a centre to centre-right federal political party in Canada that existed from 1942 to 2003. From Canadian Confederation in 1867 until 1942,

3111-690: A full time basis. During the 2021 carrier strike group deployment to the Pacific, for instance, seven Merlins were embarked with the task group. In addition to its ASW role, the HM2 will be able to carry an airborne early warning (AEW) pod known as the Crowsnest, replacing the Sea King ASaC7 . In September 2011, Thales UK proposed re-using Sea King ASaC7 equipment, such as the Searchwater 2000, on

3294-463: A gift by their father, would inspire the Wright brothers to pursue the dream of flight. In 1861, the word "helicopter" was coined by Gustave de Ponton d'Amécourt , a French inventor who demonstrated a small steam-powered model. While celebrated as an innovative use of a new metal, aluminum, the model never lifted off the ground. D'Amecourt's linguistic contribution would survive to eventually describe

3477-580: A greater range than its predecessor. At the same time, the Italian Navy ( Marina Militare ) was also considering the replacement of its fleet of Sea Kings, which had been built by the Italian company Agusta ; Westland and Agusta soon began talks regarding the joint development of a successor helicopter. Agusta and Westland finalised an agreement to work on the project together, and formed a jointly owned new company, EH Industries Limited (EHI), to pursue

3660-641: A handful of seats in Quebec, with a few notable exceptions: The party never fully recovered from the fragmentation of Mulroney's broad coalition in the late 1980s, resulting in part from the failure of two provinces to ratify the Meech Lake Accord . The party suffered a decade-long decline following the 1993 federal election , during which it did not hold more than 20 seats in the House of Commons. It formally dissolved on December 7, 2003, when it merged with

3843-405: A helicopter determines the size, function and capability of that helicopter design. The earliest helicopter engines were simple mechanical devices, such as rubber bands or spindles, which relegated the size of helicopters to toys and small models. For a half century before the first airplane flight, steam engines were used to forward the development of the understanding of helicopter aerodynamics, but

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4026-510: A helicopter powered by a gasoline engine with box kites attached to a mast by cables for a rotor, but it never flew. In 1906, two French brothers, Jacques and Louis Breguet , began experimenting with airfoils for helicopters. In 1907, those experiments resulted in the Gyroplane No.1 , possibly as the earliest known example of a quadcopter. Although there is some uncertainty about the date, sometime between 14 August and 29 September 1907,

4209-416: A helicopter. This is because a helicopter generates its own gusty air while in a hover, which acts against the fuselage and flight control surfaces. The result is constant control inputs and corrections by the pilot to keep the helicopter where it is required to be. Despite the complexity of the task, the control inputs in a hover are simple. The cyclic is used to eliminate drift in the horizontal plane, that

4392-556: A large role within the British Empire . It was seen by some French Canadians as supporting a policy of cultural assimilation. The Conservative Party dominated Canadian politics for the nation's first 30 years. In general, Canada's political history has consisted of Tories alternating power with the Liberals , albeit often in minority governments supported by smaller parties. After a long period of Liberal dominance following

4575-526: A manufacturing licence and the rights from AgustaWestland for US production of a localised AW101 variant, designated as the Boeing 101. In October 2012, the aircraft was submitted in a U.S. Air Force competition to replace the HH-60 Pave Hawk ; however, the bid was dropped three months later. The AW101 follows a conventional design layout, but makes use of advanced technologies, such as the design of

4758-406: A medical team and 16 stretchers, and cargo pallets. The ramp, 1.91 by 2.3 metres (6 ft 3 in × 7 ft 7 in), can take a 3,050-kilogram (6,720 lb) load, allowing it to carry vehicles such as Land Rovers . The ramp and cabin floor are fitted with flush tie-down points. A cargo hook under the fuselage can carry external loads of 5,440 kilograms (11,990 lb) via the use of

4941-491: A mock-up of a utility version of the new helicopter, leading to a more generalised design that could be customised to meet the needs of various civilian or military customers. The first prototype flew on 9 October 1987. In 1987, Canada selected the EH101 to replace its Sea Kings in the anti-submarine warfare and search and rescue roles. The EH101's third engine and increased range compared favourably with rival aircraft, such as

5124-414: A motion for a leadership review which resulted in the 1967 leadership convention where Nova Scotia Premier Robert Stanfield was elected out of a field of eleven candidates that included Diefenbaker and Manitoba Premier Duff Roblin . Despite being personally well-regarded, Stanfield struggled to make an impact against Pierre Trudeau , who became Prime Minister the following year. The 1972 election saw

5307-751: A policy of distancing Canada from the United States. His cabinet split over Diefenbaker's refusal of American demands that Canada accept nuclear warheads for Bomarc missiles based in North Bay, Ontario , and La Macaza, Quebec . This split contributed to the Tory government's defeat at the hands of Lester B. Pearson 's Liberals in the 1963 election . Diefenbaker remained Progressive Conservative leader until 1967, when increasing unease at his erratic behaviour, authoritarian leadership, and perceived unelectability led party president Dalton Camp to call for and win

5490-477: A process of rebracketing , the word is often (erroneously, from an etymological point of view) perceived by English speakers as consisting of heli- and -copter , leading to words like helipad and quadcopter . English language nicknames for "helicopter" include "chopper", "copter", "heli", and "whirlybird". In the United States military, the common slang is "helo" pronounced /ˈhiː.loʊ/. A helicopter

5673-494: A rotor. The spinning creates lift, and the toy flies when released. The 4th-century AD Daoist book Baopuzi by Ge Hong ( 抱朴子 "Master who Embraces Simplicity") reportedly describes some of the ideas inherent to rotary wing aircraft. Designs similar to the Chinese helicopter toy appeared in some Renaissance paintings and other works. In the 18th and early 19th centuries Western scientists developed flying machines based on

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5856-517: A semi-automatic cargo release unit (SACRU). A rescue hoist and a hover trim controller are fitted at the cargo door. An optional cargo winch can be installed near to the rear ramp. The British Royal Navy's final order was for 44 ASW aircraft, originally designated Merlin HAS.1 (Helicopter, Anti-Submarine Mark 1) but soon changed to Merlin HM1 (Helicopter, Maritime Mark 1). The first fully operational Merlin

6039-441: A single main rotor, but torque created by its aerodynamic drag must be countered by an opposed torque. The design that Igor Sikorsky settled on for his VS-300 was a smaller tail rotor. The tail rotor pushes or pulls against the tail to counter the torque effect, and this has become the most common configuration for helicopter design, usually at the end of a tail boom . Some helicopters use other anti-torque controls instead of

6222-417: A state called translational lift which provides extra lift without increasing power. This state, most typically, occurs when the airspeed reaches approximately 16–24 knots (30–44 km/h; 18–28 mph), and may be necessary for a helicopter to obtain flight. In forward flight a helicopter's flight controls behave more like those of a fixed-wing aircraft. Applying forward pressure on the cyclic will cause

6405-456: A tail rotor failed due to a manufacturing defect. An improved tail rotor was designed and adopted on most AW101s which significantly reduced associated maintenance. In 1995, it was announced that the Navy's Westland Lynx helicopters would be retired in favour of an all-Merlin fleet. However, the subsequent Strategic Defence and Security Review 2010 stated that the future naval helicopters would be

6588-429: Is a cylindrical metal shaft that extends upwards from the transmission. At the top of the mast is the attachment point for the rotor blades called the hub. Main rotor systems are classified according to how the rotor blades are attached and move relative to the hub. There are three basic types: hingeless, fully articulated, and teetering; although some modern rotor systems use a combination of these. Most helicopters have

6771-452: Is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more horizontally-spinning rotors. By contrast the autogyro (or gyroplane) and gyrodyne have a free-spinning rotor for all or part of the flight envelope, relying on a separate thrust system to propel the craft forwards, so that the airflow sets the rotor spinning to provide lift. The compound helicopter also has a separate thrust system, but continues to supply power to

6954-452: Is called an aerial crane . Aerial cranes are used to place heavy equipment, like radio transmission towers and large air conditioning units, on the tops of tall buildings, or when an item must be raised up in a remote area, such as a radio tower raised on the top of a hill or mountain. Helicopters are used as aerial cranes in the logging industry to lift trees out of terrain where vehicles cannot travel and where environmental concerns prohibit

7137-470: Is capable of 360 degree scanning and can detect small targets as far as 25 nautical miles away. As part of the Royal Navy's Merlin HM2 upgrade program, Lockheed Martin implemented a series of improvements to the radar, notably allowing it to track 40 times the number of targets previously capable. Danish EH101s are fitted with the RDR-1600 search and weather radar . Mk 2 Royal Navy Merlins are equipped with

7320-547: Is equipped to stabilize and provide limited medical treatment to a patient while in flight. The use of helicopters as air ambulances is often referred to as " MEDEVAC ", and patients are referred to as being "airlifted", or "medevaced". This use was pioneered in the Korean War , when time to reach a medical facility was reduced to three hours from the eight hours needed in World War II , and further reduced to two hours by

7503-658: Is frequently utilised for troop transport duties and for the transport of bulky objects, either internally or underslung , including vehicles and artillery. The Merlin Depth Maintenance Facility at RNAS Culdrose performed most tasks upon the Merlin HC3. The Merlin's first operational deployment was to the Balkans region in 2003. RAF Merlins were first deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Telic in 2004, supporting coalition forces and were operated as

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7686-655: Is manufactured at factories in Yeovil , England, and Vergiate , Italy. Licensed assembly work has also taken place in Japan and the United States . Prior to 2007, the aircraft had been marketed under the designation EH101 . The original designation was EHI 01, from the name given to the Anglo-Italian joint venture—European Helicopter Industries—but a transcription error changed this to EH101. In 2000, Westland Helicopters and Agusta merged to form AgustaWestland , leading to

7869-678: Is the Sud-Ouest Djinn , and an example of the hot tip jet helicopter is the YH-32 Hornet . Some radio-controlled helicopters and smaller, helicopter-type unmanned aerial vehicles , use electric motors or motorcycle engines. Radio-controlled helicopters may also have piston engines that use fuels other than gasoline, such as nitromethane . Some turbine engines commonly used in helicopters can also use biodiesel instead of jet fuel. There are also human-powered helicopters . A helicopter has four flight control inputs. These are

8052-411: Is to control forward and back, right and left. The collective is used to maintain altitude. The pedals are used to control nose direction or heading . It is the interaction of these controls that makes hovering so difficult, since an adjustment in any one control requires an adjustment of the other two, creating a cycle of constant correction. As a helicopter moves from hover to forward flight it enters

8235-637: The Fort Victoria class . 30 aircraft have been upgraded to Merlin HM2 standard under the £750m Merlin Capability Sustainment Programme; Lockheed Martin UK delivered the final HM2 on 11 July 2016. The HM2 has a new mission system, digital cockpit , electro-optical camera and multi-static sonar processing. The HM2 achieved IOC on 30 June 2014 after flying 480 hours from Illustrious during Exercise Deep Blue earlier that month. It

8418-472: The 1979 election , defeating the Liberal government of Pierre Trudeau and ending sixteen years of continuous Liberal rule. Taking office the day before his 40th birthday, Clark is the youngest person to become prime minister. His tenure was brief as he only won a minority government, and it was defeated on a motion of non-confidence pertaining to his 1979 budget . Clark's Progressive Conservative Party lost

8601-585: The 1980 election and Clark lost the leadership of the party to Brian Mulroney in 1983. In the late 1960s and 1970s, following Quebec's Quiet Revolution , the Progressive Conservatives recognized the need to increase their appeal to Canada's francophone population. At the same time, the Tories moved away from economic nationalism towards a neoliberal platform. Both movements culminated with Brian Mulroney becoming prime minister after

8784-543: The 35th G8 summit . In 2010, the Italian Navy deployed three AW101s to Afghanistan, where they were flown in both the transport and utility roles. In 2011, it was reported that the Italian contingent in Afghanistan, consisting of AW101s, had been providing coverage of a wide area of the country. In June 2011 the AW101 was chosen by the Italian Air Force to replace its ageing Sea King HH-3F helicopters in

8967-572: The Bell 205 and the Erickson S-64 Aircrane helitanker. Helicopters are used as air ambulances for emergency medical assistance in situations when an ambulance cannot easily or quickly reach the scene, or cannot transport the patient to a medical facility in time. Helicopters are also used when patients need to be transported between medical facilities and air transportation is the most practical method. An air ambulance helicopter

9150-588: The Bell 206 with 3,400. Most were in North America with 34.3% then in Europe with 28.0% followed by Asia-Pacific with 18.6%, Latin America with 11.6%, Africa with 5.3% and Middle East with 1.7%. The earliest references for vertical flight came from China. Since around 400 BC, Chinese children have played with bamboo flying toys (or Chinese top). This bamboo-copter is spun by rolling a stick attached to

9333-663: The British Empire and the economic nationalism of the Liberal Party under Pierre Trudeau, the traditional positions of the two parties became reversed. It was with this background that Mulroney fought and won the 1988 election on the issue of the Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement . Mulroney also made a promise to Quebecers , claiming that he would reform the Canadian Constitution so that Quebec would be willing to endorse

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9516-687: The Canadian Alliance to form the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada . Several loosely associated provincial Progressive Conservative parties continue to exist in Manitoba , Ontario , New Brunswick , Nova Scotia , Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador . As well, a small rump of senators opposed the merger, and continued to sit in the Parliament of Canada as Progressive Conservatives. The last one of them rescinded their party status in 2016. The Yukon association of

9699-480: The Cold War 's end in the early 1990s. Wide-ranging cost estimates were presented by both proponents and opponents of the EH101 procurement, with opponents backing life extensions of Sikorsky CH-124 Sea King and Boeing Vertol CH-113 Labrador helicopter fleets. The EH101 controversy was seen as a factor in the 1993 Canadian federal election . The order was cancelled by the new Liberal government in 1993 resulting in

9882-527: The Cornu helicopter which used two 6.1-metre (20 ft) counter-rotating rotors driven by a 24 hp (18 kW) Antoinette engine. On 13 November 1907, it lifted its inventor to 0.3 metres (1 ft) and remained aloft for 20 seconds. Even though this flight did not surpass the flight of the Gyroplane No. 1, it was reported to be the first truly free flight with a pilot. Cornu's helicopter completed

10065-504: The Danish Ministry of Defence reportedly could not afford the retrofitting of the AW101 fleet for Afghanistan operations, against earlier reports of a deployment in 2012. In February 2013, Aviation Week reported that earlier reliability problems had been resolved and that a full upgrade package would be applied to Danish AW101s; these included the addition of electronic warfare pods and a new electro-optical system, in advance of

10248-558: The Disraelian sense in social policy, placing a high value on the principles of noblesse oblige , communitarianism , and One nation conservatism —and were thus seen as moderate (in the context of classical economic thought) in their economic policy. For most of their history they were trade protectionists , engaging in free-trade economics in only a limited fashion, as in Empire Free-Trade . Historically they comprised

10431-680: The General Electric CT7 producing 1,960 to 2,329 shp (1,462 to 1,737 kW) were the two available engine types, but by 2020 new aircraft were only being sold with the CT7-8E. The RTM322 powerplant was specifically developed for the AW101; it was subsequently adopted on the AgustaWestland WAH-64 Apache and the NHIndustries NH90 helicopters. According to Rolls-Royce, about 80% of AW101s use

10614-496: The Italian Navy , with options for four more. These AW101 included eight of the anti-surface/submarine (ASuW/ASW) version, four airborne early warning (AEW), four amphibious support helicopters (ASH). The government then exercised its option for four additional ASH helicopters, which were delivered by 2006. The same year the government ordered two more AW101 ASH helicopters in a slightly modified version. The first Italian Navy production helicopter ( MM81480 ) flew on 4 October 1999 and

10797-552: The Lockheed Martin VH-71 Kestrel , was produced to serve in the United States presidential transport fleet before the program was cancelled and the aircraft sold off to Canada for parts. Civil operators use the AW101 for passenger and VIP transportation. The type has been deployed to active combat theatres, such as in support of coalition forces during the Iraq War and the war in Afghanistan . In 1977,

10980-480: The Marte anti-ship missile on the AW101; as of 2011, the Royal Navy is considering equipping their Merlin fleet with an anti-surface missile. The Mk1, Mk3 and Mk3A variants can mount general purpose machine guns in up to five locations in the main cabin, aimed out of both door and window apertures. AgustaWestland has examined the integration of rockets and additional ground-attack weapons . Westland and IBM formed

11163-592: The Reform Party of Canada and later to its successor, the Canadian Alliance . Poor by-election results in Beaver River , Chambly , Laurier—Sainte-Marie , Oshawa and York North solidified the PC decline. Following Mulroney's resignation, his successor as Tory leader and as prime minister was Kim Campbell , who led the party into the disastrous election of 1993 . The Progressive Conservatives went from being

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11346-620: The Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322 turboshaft engine. Nine prototypes were built to explore military and civil applications, including a "heliliner" configuration. In February 1995, Britain formally placed its first order for a total of 22 EH101s; this was quickly followed by Italy's order for 16 EH101s in October 1995. The EH101 order was not without controversy, the RAF had declared its preference for an all- Chinook fleet; also, Boeing allegedly offered cheaper terms for

11529-732: The Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF) announced the purchase of eight EH101s for SAR duties and six tactical troop transports for 722 Squadron. The last of the 14 AW101s was delivered in March 2007 and the first SAR AW101s became operational out of Karup Airport in April 2007. In 2007, the six troop transport AW101s were transferred to the British MOD; in exchange, the British government ordered six new-build AW101s as replacements for

11712-443: The Senate , William Doody , Lowell Murray and Norman Atkins also declined to join the new party, and continued to sit as Progressive Conservative senators. On March 24, 2005, Prime Minister Paul Martin appointed nine new senators, two of whom, Nancy Ruth and Elaine McCoy , were designated as Progressive Conservatives. Ruth subsequently left to sit with the Conservative Party. The death of Senator Doody on December 27, 2005, and

11895-452: The Sikorsky Seahawk . The range and de-icing capability were also seen as vital for North Atlantic operations. The fledgling EH101, of which up to 50 were on order to replace the Canadian Armed Forces 's (CAF) Sea Kings, found itself subject to a wider political battle between the country's Conservative and Liberal parties, the latter viewing the aircraft as too costly. Critics attacked the EH101 purchase as excessive and unnecessary after

12078-420: The UK Ministry of Defence issued a requirement for an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter to replace the Royal Navy 's Westland Sea Kings , which were becoming inadequate in the face of advances in Soviet submarine technology. Westland Helicopters put together a proposal, designated WG.34 , for a three-engined helicopter of similar dimensions to the Sea King; the WG.34 was to feature more autonomy and

12261-440: The Vietnam War . In naval service a prime function of rescue helicopters is to promptly retrieve downed aircrew involved in crashes occurring upon launch or recovery aboard aircraft carriers. In past years this function was performed by destroyers escorting the carrier, but since then helicopters have proved vastly more effective. Police departments and other law enforcement agencies use helicopters to pursue suspects and patrol

12444-402: The combat search and rescue role. A total of 15 helicopters in the HH-101A variant were ordered and delivered between 2016 and 2020. In 1997, in light of the declining condition of its helicopter fleet, Canada launched the Canadian Search and Rescue Helicopter competition. It was won by the EH101, which was designated CH-149 Cormorant in Canadian service. In 2004, the EH101 was entered into

12627-434: The election of 1984 . He led the Tories to a record 211 seats, and a majority of seats in every province. Mulroney had declared himself an opponent to free trade with the United States during the 1983 leadership campaign . But a growing continentalist sentiment among Canadian business leaders and the impact of the "Reagan Revolution" on Canadian conservative thought led Mulroney to embrace free trade. His government endorsed

12810-424: The original Conservative Party of Canada participated in numerous governments and had multiple names. In 1942, its name was changed to the Progressive Conservative Party under the request of newly elected party leader Premier John Bracken of Manitoba , a former member of the Progressive Party of Manitoba . In the 1957 federal election , John Diefenbaker carried the party to their first victory in 27 years and

12993-423: The rotor blades, avionics systems, and extensive use of composite materials. The fuselage structure is modular and comprises an aluminium–lithium alloy , designed to be both light and damage-resistant. The AW101 is designed for operating in extreme weather conditions; it is fitted with a de-icing system and rated to operate in temperatures ranging between −45 and +50 °C. The aircraft's control systems allow

13176-595: The "Progressive Conservative" name in 1942 when Manitoba Premier John Bracken , a long-time leader of that province's Progressive Party , agreed to become leader of the federal Conservatives on condition that the party add Progressive to its name. Despite the name change, most former Progressive supporters continued to support the Liberal Party of Canada or the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation , and Bracken's leadership of

13359-462: The "high readiness" aircraft carrier. Problems with Merlin/Crowsnest have caused the Royal Navy to look for a replacement. As of 2023 the system, which is still to achieve full operating capability, has a planned retirement date of 2029. In 2021, the UK’s Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) announced that options would be examined and might draw on the already existing Project Vixen , researching

13542-529: The AQS903 anti-submarine system for processing sonographic data from sonobuoys to detect and target submerged submarines. The AQS903 was derived from the AQS901 system on the earlier Hawker Siddeley Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft. The AW101 is typically operated by a crew of three: a pilot, an observer, and a crewman/operator. The pilot is able to fly for the majority of a mission in a hands-off mode, enabled by

13725-399: The AW101 can be flown by a single person. The pilots' instrument displays include six full-colour high-definition screens and an optional mission display; a digital map or forward looking infrared (FLIR) display can also be installed. The AW101 is powered by three turboshaft engines. Initially the Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322 producing 2,035 to 2,160 shp (1,517 to 1,611 kW) and

13908-451: The AW101 to maintain a stable hover in 74 km/h (40 kn) crosswinds . An active vibration control system, known as the active control of structural response system , reduces airframe vibration by up to 80%, increasing crew comfort and minimising buildup of stress on the airframe. The cockpit is fitted with armoured seats for the crew, and can withstand an impact velocity of over 10 m/s. Dual flight controls are provided, though

14091-558: The Bambi bucket, are usually filled by submerging the bucket into lakes, rivers, reservoirs, or portable tanks. Tanks fitted onto helicopters are filled from a hose while the helicopter is on the ground or water is siphoned from lakes or reservoirs through a hanging snorkel as the helicopter hovers over the water source. Helitack helicopters are also used to deliver firefighters, who rappel down to inaccessible areas, and to resupply firefighters. Common firefighting helicopters include variants of

14274-741: The Canadian Alliance agreed to the name "Conservative Party of Canada" for the new party. After a by-election defeat in 1942, a group of younger Conservatives from the Conservative Party of Canada met in Port Hope, Ontario , to develop a new Conservative policy they hoped would bring them out of the political wilderness. The participants, known as the Port Hopefuls, developed a program including many Conservative goals such as support for free enterprise and conscription. Yet

14457-624: The Canadian Alliance and its predecessor the Reform Party of Canada derived principally from this group, and that support carried forward into the new Conservative Party of Canada. The success of the neoconservative movement in using the label "Conservative" has brought into debate the very definition of conservatism in Canada today. Although adhering to economic philosophies similar to those originally advanced by 19th-century liberals (known confusingly as both neoliberalism and neoconservatism ),

14640-552: The Canadian lexicon—as neoconservatives . However, there are also Blue Tories who identify strongly with the Monarchy in Canada and other traditional institutions. In Canada, Blue Tories include Ralph Klein and Mike Harris . From 1891 until the party's dissolution, Red Tories generally dominated the highest rungs of the party and its leadership. The emerging neoconservatives of the 1970s were significantly reduced in numbers in

14823-762: The Chinese top in a model consisting of contrarotating turkey flight feathers as rotor blades, and in 1784, demonstrated it to the French Academy of Sciences . Sir George Cayley , influenced by a childhood fascination with the Chinese flying top, developed a model of feathers, similar to that of Launoy and Bienvenu, but powered by rubber bands. By the end of the century, he had progressed to using sheets of tin for rotor blades and springs for power. His writings on his experiments and models would become influential on future aviation pioneers. Alphonse Pénaud would later develop coaxial rotor model helicopter toys in 1870, also powered by rubber bands. One of these toys, given as

15006-478: The Chinese toy. It was not until the early 1480s, when Italian polymath Leonardo da Vinci created a design for a machine that could be described as an " aerial screw ", that any recorded advancement was made towards vertical flight. His notes suggested that he built small flying models, but there were no indications for any provision to stop the rotor from making the craft rotate. As scientific knowledge increased and became more accepted, people continued to pursue

15189-501: The Chinook. RAF deliveries began in 1997; RN deliveries started the following year. Following the merger of Westland and Agusta to form AgustaWestland in 2000, there was no need for the separate EHI entity; the EH101 was formally re-branded as the AW101 in 2007. By April 2009, more than 180 AW101s had been sold worldwide; the combined operational fleet had also accumulated a total of 170,000 flying hours. In November 2007, Algeria signed

15372-539: The Conservative Party came to an end in 1948. Many Canadians simply continued to refer to the party as "the Conservatives". A major weakness of the party since 1885 was its inability to win support in Quebec , estranged significantly by that year's execution of Louis Riel . The Conscription Crisis of 1917 exacerbated the issue. Even though the Conservative Party of Quebec dominated politics in that province for

15555-514: The Crowsnest. Initial operating capability of the system was significantly delayed. While Crowsnest was deployed with the U.K. carrier strike group in 2021, it experienced operating challenges and revised plans meant that Crowsnest achieved initial operating capability in July 2023. Full operating capability is expected in 2024/25. It has been reported that initially only five Merlins will be equipped with Crowsnest, three of these being normally assigned to

15738-757: The FFS to provide rear crew training. The first training course at the centre started prior to delivery of the first rotorcraft. The training centre will be used by both Norwegian and foreign AW101 customers. Helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors . This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically , to hover , and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes allow helicopters to be used in congested or isolated areas where fixed-wing aircraft and many forms of short take-off and landing ( STOL ) or short take-off and vertical landing ( STOVL ) aircraft cannot perform without

15921-453: The Gyroplane No. 1 lifted its pilot into the air about 0.6 metres (2 ft) for a minute. The Gyroplane No.   1 proved to be extremely unsteady and required a man at each corner of the airframe to hold it steady. For this reason, the flights of the Gyroplane No.   1 are considered to be the first manned flight of a helicopter, but not a free or untethered flight. That same year, fellow French inventor Paul Cornu designed and built

16104-571: The Martian atmosphere is 100 times thinner than Earth's, its two blades spin at close to 3,000 revolutions a minute, approximately 10 times faster than that of a terrestrial helicopter. In 2017, 926 civil helicopters were shipped for $ 3.68 billion, led by Airbus Helicopters with $ 1.87 billion for 369 rotorcraft, Leonardo Helicopters with $ 806 million for 102 (first three-quarters only), Bell Helicopter with $ 696 million for 132, then Robinson Helicopter with $ 161 million for 305. By October 2018,

16287-875: The Merlin and the Wildcat, a derivative of the Lynx. Royal Navy Merlins have seen action in the Caribbean, on counter-narcotics and hurricane support duties, as well as maritime security duties in the Persian Gulf . Merlins have also seen active duty in Iraq, providing support to British and coalition forces based in the region. The Merlin HM1 has been cleared to operate from the Royal Navy's aircraft carriers , amphibious assault ships , Type 23 frigates , Type 45 destroyer and several Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) vessels including

16470-562: The Merlin; Lockheed Martin has proposed developing a new multi-functional sensor for both the AW101 and other aircraft. Lockheed originally planned to use a derivative of the F-35's APG-81 radar; however, a rival Elta system and the Thales system both commenced flight trials in 2014. On 22 May 2015, the MOD and prime contractor Lockheed Martin UK selected Thales to provide the radar and mission system for

16653-696: The PC Party gain popularity in Quebec . Mulroney won back-to-back majority governments in 1984 and 1988 , and during his tenure, major economic reforms such as the North American Free Trade Agreement and the goods and services tax (GST) were introduced. The GST, the government's failed attempts to revise the Constitution with the Meech Lake and Charlottetown accords, and the early 1990s recession , led to

16836-510: The Progressive Conservative Party switched to neoliberalism , the party did retain its social progressive policies unlike other parties which advocated neoliberalism. Mulroney and the government pursued an aggressive environmental agenda under the aide of then-environmental policy advisor, present-day Green Party leader Elizabeth May . Mulroney and members of the U.S. government sparred over action on acid rain . In

17019-462: The Progressive Conservative Party were known as "Tories". Provincial variants of the Progressive Conservative Party continue to exist in a number of provinces. The party pre-dates Confederation in 1867, when it accepted many conservative-leaning former members of the Liberal Party into its ranks. At Confederation, the Conservative Party became Canada's first governing party under Sir John A. Macdonald . The federal Tories governed Canada for over 40 of

17202-604: The Progressive Conservatives. However, it did not enjoy broad support among former Progressive Conservatives. In particular, no prominent anti-merger Progressive Conservatives such as Joe Clark or David Orchard were associated with the Progressive Canadian Party, nor were any sitting MPs or senators. The most prominent members to join were two 1970s and 1980s era politicians: former cabinet minister Sinclair Stevens and former junior cabinet minister, Heward Grafftey , who polled near or below Craig Chandler in

17385-561: The RAF's 78 Sqn was disbanded and the Royal Navy's 846 Naval Air Squadron stood-up with the Merlin. The RAF's 28(AC) continued to operate as part of the Commando Helicopter Force until July 2015, when 28(AC) Sqn stood down and 845 Naval Air Squadron stood-up. 846 NAS relocated from RAF Benson to RNAS Yeovilton in March 2015, with 845 NAS following in June 2016. In 1997, the Italian government ordered 16 AW101 helicopters for

17568-534: The RDAF. Danish AW101s have a higher gross weight capacity of 15,600 kg and were, as delivered, coated in a paint designed to reduce the aircraft's infrared signature . In the SAR role, RDAF AW101s have a crew of six and were initially painted yellow to distinguish themselves from AW101 allocated to military duties, but were later painted green, and all 14 AW101s are used for SAR and troop transport. On 28 January 2008,

17751-589: The RTM322 The engines power an 18.59 m (61 ft 0 in) diameter five-bladed main rotor. The rotor blades are constructed from carbon/glass with nomex honeycomb and rohacell foam, edged with titanium alloy in a sandwich construction . The shaping of the main rotor blades is derived from the BERP rotor blades first used on the Westland Lynx . This blade design improves aerodynamic efficiency at

17934-504: The Royal Navy for use by the Commando Helicopter Force. Royal Navy personnel worked alongside RAF crew at Benson to build experience during the transition. The £454m Merlin Life Sustainment Programme resulted in 25 HC3/3A airframes being fitted with the cockpit electronics of the HM2, folding tails and main rotor heads, strengthened landing gear, deck lashing mounting points, obsolescence updates, fast-roping points and

18117-599: The Tories ill-fated depression era mandate from 1930 to 35, John Diefenbaker won a minority government in 1957 , followed by a sweeping electoral victory for the Tories in 1958 . Diefenbaker was able to win most of the parliamentary seats in Western Canada, much of those in Ontario, and, with the support of the Union Nationale provincial government, a large number in Quebec. Diefenbaker attempted to pursue

18300-494: The Tories, though there remains some debate as to the precise degree. Many observers argue that for over ten years, from 1993 to 2004 , the "conservative" vote was split between the two parties, allowing Liberal candidates to win ridings that were previously considered safe for the Tories, made possible by a first-past-the-post electoral system. This assessment led to the growth of the United Alternative movements of

18483-789: The Tory elite drawn from the commercial classes in Montreal and Toronto . Prior to World War II , they were generally conservative in social policy, and classically liberal in economic policy. From 1964 on, this cadre came to identify more with neo-liberal influences in the US Republican Party , as espoused by Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan , and the Thatcherite leadership in the British Conservative Party , as represented by Sir Keith Joseph and Margaret Thatcher . They have come to be termed—in

18666-550: The aircraft's handling properties under low airspeed conditions—it has proved advantageous to conduct tasks that were previously not possible with other aircraft, or were time- or work-intensive to accomplish on the ground. Today, helicopter uses include transportation of people and cargo, military uses, construction, firefighting, search and rescue , tourism , medical transport, law enforcement, agriculture, news and media , and aerial observation , among others. A helicopter used to carry loads connected to long cables or slings

18849-483: The automatic stabilisation system, and is linked in with the aircraft's flight management systems. The AFCS, manufactured by Smiths Aerospace , is a dual-duplex system using two flight computers to provide redundancy and fault-tolerance . The AW101's navigation system includes a GPS receiver and inertial navigation system , VHF omnidirectional radio range (VOR), instrument landing system (ILS), TACAN , and automatic direction finding. The Mk1 and Mk3 are equipped with

19032-466: The aviation industry; and the turboshaft engine for helicopter use, pioneered in December 1951 by the aforementioned Kaman K-225, finally gave helicopters an engine with a large amount of power and a low weight penalty. Turboshafts are also more reliable than piston engines, especially when producing the sustained high levels of power required by a helicopter. The turboshaft engine was able to be scaled to

19215-416: The best possible way. On 12 June 2017, Per-Willy Amundsen , Minister of Justice and Public Security , announced the opening of Leonardo's AW101 Norway Training Centre at Stavanger Sola Air Station . The training centre includes an AW101 Full Flight Simulator (FFS), jointly developed by Leonardo and CAE to Level D, which is a CAE Series 3000 device, along with an AW101 SAR console training system linked to

19398-489: The blade tip and reduces the acoustic signature . Improved BERP IV rotors have since been developed; when installed this increases the AW101's maximum take-off weight. Each engine is supplied by a separate 1,074 L (284 US gal; 236 imp gal) fuel tank using dual booster pumps. Optional fourth and fifth tanks can be added to act as a reservoir supply, topping up the main tanks during flight, increasing range or endurance. The AW101 can also be fitted with

19581-435: The blades angle forwards or backwards, or left and right, to make the helicopter move in those directions. The anti-torque pedals are located in the same position as the rudder pedals in a fixed-wing aircraft, and serve a similar purpose, namely to control the direction in which the nose of the aircraft is pointed. Application of the pedal in a given direction changes the pitch of the tail rotor blades, increasing or reducing

19764-677: The building of roads. These operations are referred to as longline because of the long, single sling line used to carry the load. In military service helicopters are often useful for delivery of outsized slung loads that would not fit inside ordinary cargo aircraft: artillery pieces, large machinery (field radars, communications gear, electrical generators), or pallets of bulk cargo. In military operations these payloads are often delivered to remote locations made inaccessible by mountainous or riverine terrain, or naval vessels at sea. In electronic news gathering , helicopters have provided aerial views of some major news stories, and have been doing so, from

19947-410: The charter also included more radical policies, such as full-employment, low-cost housing , trade union rights, as well as a whole range of social security measures, including a government financed medicare system. Although many Conservatives rejected the charter, the charter still influenced party decisions. Delegates at the convention drafted John Bracken as leader, who was not even a member of

20130-406: The cockpit from overhead. The control is called the cyclic because it changes cyclic pitch of the main blades. The result is to tilt the rotor disk in a particular direction, resulting in the helicopter moving in that direction. If the pilot pushes the cyclic forward, the rotor disk tilts forward, and the rotor produces a thrust in the forward direction. If the pilot pushes the cyclic to the side,

20313-521: The country's first 70 years of existence. However, the party spent the majority of its history in opposition as the nation's number-two federal party, behind the Liberal Party of Canada . From 1896 to 1993, the Tories formed government six times—from 1911 to 1921, briefly in 1926, from 1930 to 1935, from 1957 to 1963, from 1979 to 1980 and from 1984 to 1993. It stands as the only Canadian party to have won more than 200 seats in an election—a feat it accomplished twice: in 1958 and 1984 . The party adopted

20496-470: The cyclic, the collective, the anti-torque pedals, and the throttle. The cyclic control is usually located between the pilot's legs and is commonly called the cyclic stick or just cyclic . On most helicopters, the cyclic is similar to a joystick. However, the Robinson R22 and Robinson R44 have a unique teetering bar cyclic control system and a few helicopters have a cyclic control that descends into

20679-436: The development and marketing of the new helicopter to potential operators. On 12 June 1981, the UK government confirmed its participation in the project, allocated an initial budget of £20 million to develop nine pre-series examples. A major agreement, which secured funding for the majority of the EH101's development program, was signed by both the British and Italian governments in 1984. At the 1985 Paris Air Show , Agusta showed

20862-478: The drive shaft of a Danish AW101 broke, leading to an emergency landing at Billund Airport. Following the incident, the Danish fleet was grounded as a precaution and the AW101's future was publicly debated. In the first six months of 2008, the RDAF reported an operational availability of roughly 50%, well below the target of 80%, partly due to an inadequate maintenance organisation and staff shortages. In January 2011,

21045-536: The early 21st century, as well as recently weaponized utilities such as artillery spotting , aerial bombing and suicide attacks . The English word helicopter is adapted from the French word hélicoptère , coined by Gustave Ponton d'Amécourt in 1861, which originates from the Greek helix ( ἕλιξ ), genitive helikos (ἕλῐκος), "helix, spiral, whirl, convolution" and pteron ( πτερόν ) "wing". In

21228-569: The end Mulroney managed to convince U.S. president Ronald Reagan to sign a treaty to reduce acid rain. A number of economic and governance issues contributed to the fall of the Progressive Conservative party at the federal level in the 1993 federal election : The second major factor leading to the Mulroney government's demise was that the party's base in Quebec came from Quebec nationalists, who withdrew their support after

21411-473: The endorsement of controversial fellow leadership candidate David Orchard , an outspoken opponent of free trade who wanted to return the party to its traditional economic nationalist roots. Orchard's endorsement of MacKay was predicated on four bullet points laid out in the Orchard-MacKay agreement, one of which expressly forbade the merger of the PC Party of Canada with the Canadian Alliance. After only

21594-439: The event was taken by Max Skladanowsky , but it remains lost . In 1885, Thomas Edison was given US$ 1,000 (equivalent to $ 34,000 today) by James Gordon Bennett, Jr. , to conduct experiments towards developing flight. Edison built a helicopter and used the paper for a stock ticker to create guncotton , with which he attempted to power an internal combustion engine. The helicopter was damaged by explosions and one of his workers

21777-495: The failure of the Meech Lake and Charlottetown Constitutional Accords. Many Quebec Tories, including a number of Members of Parliament (MPs), left the party to form the Bloc Québécois with like-minded Liberals. The third major factor was the rise of " western alienation " in the four provinces of western Canada as a result of attempts by both Tories and Liberals to woo Quebec. Western Canadians turned their support to

21960-462: The first 30 years of Confederation at both the federal and provincial levels, in the 20th century the party was never able to become a force in provincial politics, losing power in 1897, and dissolving in 1935 into the Union Nationale , which took power in 1936 under Maurice Duplessis . In 20th-century federal politics, the Conservatives were often seen as insensitive to French-Canadian ambitions and interests and seldom succeeded in winning more than

22143-408: The first half of the 20th century by continuing to follow mercantilism and nascent notions of the welfare state . Like their federal Liberal rivals, the party defined itself as a " big tent ", welcoming a broad variety of members who supported relatively loosely defined goals. Unlike the Liberal Party, there was a long history of ongoing factionalism within this tent. This factionalism arose from

22326-486: The first half of the 20th century was that the amount of power produced by an engine was not able to overcome the engine's weight in vertical flight. This was overcome in early successful helicopters by using the smallest engines available. When the compact, flat engine was developed, the helicopter industry found a lighter-weight powerplant easily adapted to small helicopters, although radial engines continued to be used for larger helicopters. Turbine engines revolutionized

22509-515: The following year , led the party to the largest federal electoral landslide in history. During his tenure, human rights initiatives were achieved, most notably the Bill of Rights . In the 1963 federal election , the party lost power and would not regain it until 1979 , when Joe Clark led the party to a minority government victory. The party lost power just nine months later and in 1983, Clark lost his leadership role to Brian Mulroney , who helped

22692-441: The form of RF heads), and a laser detection and warning system. British Merlins have been outfitted with protective armour against small-arms fire. A side-mounted forward looking infrared (FLIR) imaging sensor has been fitted to some variants. Two hardpoints are present in the underside of the airframe on which the HM1 model can carry four Sting Ray torpedoes or Mk 11 Mod 3 depth charges . Some customers have chosen to deploy

22875-515: The high operating cost of helicopters cost-effective in ensuring that oil platforms continue to operate. Various companies specialize in this type of operation. NASA developed Ingenuity , a 1.8 kg (4.0 lb) helicopter used to survey Mars (along with a rover). It began service in February 2021 and was retired due to sustained rotor blade damage in January 2024 after 73 sorties. As

23058-480: The idea of vertical flight. In July 1754, Russian Mikhail Lomonosov had developed a small coaxial modeled after the Chinese top but powered by a wound-up spring device and demonstrated it to the Russian Academy of Sciences . It was powered by a spring, and was suggested as a method to lift meteorological instruments. In 1783, Christian de Launoy , and his mechanic , Bienvenu, used a coaxial version of

23241-504: The in-service and stored helicopter fleet of 38,570 with civil or government operators was led Robinson Helicopter with 24.7% followed by Airbus Helicopters with 24.4%, then Bell with 20.5 and Leonardo with 8.4%, Russian Helicopters with 7.7%, Sikorsky Aircraft with 7.2%, MD Helicopters with 3.4% and other with 2.2%. The most widespread model is the piston Robinson R44 with 5,600, then the H125/ AS350 with 3,600 units, followed by

23424-662: The lack of an airstrip would make transport via fixed-wing aircraft impossible. The use of transport helicopters to deliver troops as an attack force on an objective is referred to as " air assault ". Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) helicopter systems of varying sizes are developed by companies for military reconnaissance and surveillance duties. Naval forces also use helicopters equipped with dipping sonar for anti-submarine warfare , since they can operate from small ships. Oil companies charter helicopters to move workers and parts quickly to remote drilling sites located at sea or in remote locations. The speed advantage over boats makes

23607-464: The largest bloc of the original Canadian Conservative party. Notable Red Tories include John Farthing , George Grant , John Diefenbaker , E. Davie Fulton , Robert Stanfield , Dufferin Roblin , Dalton Camp , W. L. Morton , George A. Drew , Leslie Frost , John Robarts , William Davis , Peter Lougheed , Joe Clark and Flora MacDonald . Blue Tories, on the other hand, were originally members of

23790-548: The last election. While some of them rejoined the Alliance later, seven of them, led by Chuck Strahl of British Columbia and including Grey, refused and formed the Democratic Representative Caucus . The DRC quickly entered a coalition with the Progressive Conservatives, which lasted until 2002 when Stephen Harper ousted Day as Alliance leader. Harper wanted a closer union with the PCs, but Clark turned

23973-581: The late 1960s. Helicopters have also been used in films, both in front and behind the camera. The largest single non-combat helicopter operation in history was the disaster management operation following the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster . Hundreds of pilots were involved in airdrop and observation missions, making dozens of sorties a day for several months. " Helitack " is the use of helicopters to combat wildland fires . The helicopters are used for aerial firefighting (water bombing) and may be fitted with tanks or carry helibuckets . Helibuckets, such as

24156-506: The late 1990s. Others insisted that a legitimate ideological gulf existed between the more ideological Alliance and the more moderate Red Tory -influenced PC Party, pointing to surveys that indicated many Tory voters would rather select the Liberals as their second choice than the Alliance. This seemed to be particularly born out in Ontario. The Liberals won all but one seat in that province in 1993 and 1997, and all but two in 2000—an era that

24339-555: The limited power did not allow for manned flight. The introduction of the internal combustion engine at the end of the 19th century became the watershed for helicopter development as engines began to be developed and produced that were powerful enough to allow for helicopters able to lift humans. Early helicopter designs utilized custom-built engines or rotary engines designed for airplanes, but these were soon replaced by more powerful automobile engines and radial engines . The single, most-limiting factor of helicopter development during

24522-570: The main medevac asset in southern Iraq; both Flight Lieutenant Kev Harris and Flight Lieutenant Michelle Goodman were awarded the DFC during this period. Merlins routinely operated around Basra until Britain's withdrawal in June 2009. In 2002, Westland made an unsuccessful unsolicited offer to the British Ministry of Defence , proposing an enhanced Merlin variant intended to satisfy the demand for additional lift capacity. An alternative measure

24705-444: The majority party to holding only two seats in the House of Commons, which was not enough to maintain official party status despite garnering 16% of the popular vote. It was the worst defeat ever suffered for a governing party at the federal level; the 151-seat loss far exceeded the 95 seats lost by the Liberals in 1984. The party's western supporters transferred virtually en masse to Reform, most of its Quebec supporters split between

24888-500: The mandatory retirement of Norman Atkins on June 27, 2009, and Lowell Murray on September 26, 2011, left McCoy, the youngest of the five, as the sole Progressive Conservative in the Senate and the last sitting PC in either chamber of Parliament until February 11, 2013, when she chose to change her designation to "Independent Progressive Conservative". McCoy changed her designation to "Independent" on February 17, 2016, thus bringing to an end

25071-485: The monorotor design, and coaxial-rotor , tiltrotor and compound helicopters are also all flying today. Four-rotor helicopters ( quadcopters ) were pioneered as early as 1907 in France, and along with other types of multicopters , have been developed mainly for specialized applications such as commercial unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) due to the rapid expansion of drone racing and aerial photography markets in

25254-409: The name could no longer be utilized. The group resubmitted with the name Progressive Canadian Party , and a new "PC Party" was recognized by Elections Canada on March 26. It secured sufficient backing to be registered as an official party on May 29. It was led by former Progressive Conservative MP Joe Hueglin of Ontario. The Progressive Canadian party aimed to be perceived as the successor party to

25437-601: The nearby park, the Parco Forlanini. Emmanuel Dieuaide's steam-powered design featured counter-rotating rotors powered through a hose from a boiler on the ground. In 1887 Parisian inventor, Gustave Trouvé , built and flew a tethered electric model helicopter. In July 1901, the maiden flight of Hermann Ganswindt 's helicopter took place in Berlin-Schöneberg; this was probably the first heavier-than-air motor-driven flight carrying humans. A movie covering

25620-510: The newly formed Conservative Party. In the 2004 election , Bachand and Clark did not run for re-election, and Herron ran as a Liberal, losing to Rob Moore in his riding of Fundy—Royal . Scott Brison , who had joined the Liberal caucus immediately upon departing the Conservative Party, was reelected as a Liberal in the 2004 election. After being expelled from the Conservative Party caucus in June 2007, Nova Scotia MP Bill Casey designated himself as an "Independent Progressive Conservative". In

25803-464: The nose to pitch down, with a resultant increase in airspeed and loss of altitude. Aft cyclic will cause the nose to pitch up, slowing the helicopter and causing it to climb. Increasing collective (power) while maintaining a constant airspeed will induce a climb while decreasing collective will cause a descent. Coordinating these two inputs, down collective plus aft cyclic or up collective plus forward cyclic, will result in airspeed changes while maintaining

25986-508: The offer down, and all but two of the DRC members rejoined the Alliance. One of the two, Inky Mark , eventually joined the PCs. Two by-election victories later in 2002 increased the PC caucus to 15 members and fourth place in the Commons. Clark, however, was unable to gain any ground in Ontario, and resigned on August 6, 2002. On May 31, 2003, Peter MacKay won the party leadership after securing

26169-561: The party back to official party status in the 1997 election , winning 20 seats. With the exception of one seat each in Ontario and Manitoba, the rest of the seats were all in the Maritimes and Quebec. However, the PCs never won more than 20 seats again, and only two west of Quebec (not counting by-elections and switches from other parties). The rise of the Reform Party/Canadian Alliance was doubtless damaging to

26352-490: The party by the late 1980s, and many of the disaffected drifted towards neoliberalism and parties with a neoconservative bent, such as the Reform Party of Canada . When the PC party held power at the federal level, it never truly embraced Reaganomics and its crusade against "big government" as vociferously as was done in the USA. Canadian neoconservatives lean more towards individualism and economic liberalism . Support for

26535-405: The party come within two seats of toppling the Liberal government, with their historical weakness in Quebec keeping them from victory, but a gaffe-ridden Tory campaign at the following election two years later saw the Liberals regain their parliamentary majority, leading to Stanfield's resignation. Joe Clark took the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party in 1976. He came to power in

26718-754: The party renamed itself as the Yukon Party in 1990. The British Columbia Progressive Conservative Party changed its name to the British Columbia Conservative Party in 1991. Saskatchewan 's Progressive Conservative Party effectively ceased to exist in 1997, when the Saskatchewan Party formed – primarily from former PC Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) with a few Saskatchewan Liberal MLAs joining them. The Progressive Conservative Party

26901-416: The party's increasing unpopularity and eventual collapse in the 1993 federal election where they won just two seats. In Western Canada the bulk of the party's support transferred to the right-wing populist Reform Party (which later became the Canadian Alliance ), while in Quebec support shifted to the sovereigntist Bloc Québécois . The Progressive Conservatives failed to recover much lost ground in

27084-508: The party's lack of electoral success, and because the party often reached out to particular political groups in order to garner enough support to topple the Liberals. These groups usually remained semi-autonomous blocs within the party, such as Quebec nationalists and western Canadian Reformers in the 1980s. In later years, observers generally grouped the PC Party's core membership into two camps, " Red Tories " and " Blue Tories ". Red Tories tend to be traditionally conservative, that is, "Tory" in

27267-479: The party. Bracken supported the Port Hope Charter and insisted the party register this policy shift by changing its name to the Progressive Conservative Party. In the early days of Canadian confederation , the party supported a mercantilist approach to economic development: export-led growth with high import barriers to protect local industry. The party was staunchly monarchist and supported playing

27450-400: The post in a vote in which all party members were eligible to cast ballots, instead of a traditional leadership convention. A point system allocated each riding 100 points to be distributed among the candidates by proportional representation according to votes cast by party members in the riding. (This same system was used by the Conservative Party of Canada in 2004.) In the 2000 election Clark

27633-411: The power normally required to be diverted for the tail rotor to be applied fully to the main rotors, increasing the aircraft's power efficiency and lifting capacity. There are several common configurations that use the counter-rotating effect to benefit the rotorcraft: Tip jet designs let the rotor push itself through the air and avoid generating torque. The number, size and type of engine(s) used on

27816-485: The presence of Progressive Conservatives in the Parliament of Canada. On January 9, 2004, a group claiming to be loyal to the Progressive Conservative Party and opposed to the merger, which they characterized as an Alliance takeover, filed application with the Chief Electoral Officer to register a party called the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. The application was refused on the grounds that

27999-535: The recommendation of the 1985 Royal Commission on the Economic Union and Development Prospects for Canada that Canada pursue a free trade deal with the United States. Traditionally, it had been the Liberal Party that held a position of continentalism and the Conservatives who had opposed free trade with the United States in favour of economic links with the United Kingdom . With the dissolution of

28182-455: The revised Constitution, which it did not in 1982, unlike Canada's other provinces. To do this, Mulroney promised that he would give Quebec distinct society status within a federal Canada with greater autonomy. This helped Mulroney garner substantial support from Quebec nationalists including Lucien Bouchard who joined the Conservatives claiming that providing Quebec with autonomy would be acceptable for Quebec to remain within Canada. Although

28365-436: The rotor disk tilts to that side and produces thrust in that direction, causing the helicopter to hover sideways. The collective pitch control or collective is located on the left side of the pilot's seat with a settable friction control to prevent inadvertent movement. The collective changes the pitch angle of all the main rotor blades collectively (i.e. all at the same time) and independently of their position. Therefore, if

28548-406: The rotor in cruise, which allows its rotation to be slowed down , thus increasing the maximum speed of the aircraft. The Lockheed AH-56A Cheyenne diverted up to 90% of its engine power to a pusher propeller during forward flight. There are three basic flight conditions for a helicopter: hover, forward flight and the transition between the two. Hovering is the most challenging part of flying

28731-422: The rotor throughout normal flight. The rotor system, or more simply rotor , is the rotating part of a helicopter that generates lift . A rotor system may be mounted horizontally, as main rotors are, providing lift vertically, or it may be mounted vertically, such as a tail rotor, to provide horizontal thrust to counteract torque from the main rotors. The rotor consists of a mast, hub and rotor blades. The mast

28914-478: The seat count despite being virtually nonexistent east of Manitoba. Campbell herself was defeated, as was every member of the Cabinet except Jean Charest , whom Campbell had defeated in the election to succeed Mulroney . Campbell resigned as party leader in December, and Charest, as the only remaining member of the previous Cabinet, was quickly appointed interim leader and confirmed in the post in 1995. Charest led

29097-418: The size of the helicopter being designed, so that all but the lightest of helicopter models are powered by turbine engines today. Special jet engines developed to drive the rotor from the rotor tips are referred to as tip jets . Tip jets powered by a remote compressor are referred to as cold tip jets, while those powered by combustion exhaust are referred to as hot tip jets. An example of a cold jet helicopter

29280-483: The skies. Since helicopters can achieve a unique aerial view, they are often used in conjunction with police on the ground to report on suspects' locations and movements. They are often mounted with lighting and heat-sensing equipment for night pursuits. Military forces use attack helicopters to conduct aerial attacks on ground targets. Such helicopters are mounted with missile launchers and miniguns . Transport helicopters are used to ferry troops and supplies where

29463-480: The sophisticated autopilot. All crew members have individual access to management computers and tactical information. The fuselage has a volume of 31.91 cubic metres (1,127 cu ft) and the cargo compartment is 6.5 metres (21 ft) in length, 2.3 metres (7 ft 7 in) wide and 1.91 metres (6 ft 3 in) high. The military version of the AW101 can accommodate up to 24 seated or 45 standing combat troops and their equipment. Alternative loads include

29646-575: The sovereigntist Bloc Québécois and the Liberals, and most of its Ontario and Atlantic supporters bolted for the Liberals. Even though the Progressive Conservatives finished third in the popular vote (just percentage points behind Reform), their support was spread out across the entire country and was not concentrated in enough areas to translate into more seats. By contrast, the Bloc managed to capture Official Opposition status with 54 seats despite running candidates only in Quebec, while Reform finished third in

29829-468: The subsequent 1997 and 2000 federal elections. When it became clear that neither the Progressive Conservatives nor the Canadian Alliance could on their own defeat the incumbent Liberals, an effort to unite the right-of-centre parties emerged. Eventually, in 2003 the party membership voted to dissolve the party and merge with the Canadian Alliance to form the current Conservative Party of Canada . Like their British counterparts, members and supporters of

30012-479: The tail rotor, such as the ducted fan (called Fenestron or FANTAIL ) and NOTAR . NOTAR provides anti-torque similar to the way a wing develops lift through the use of the Coandă effect on the tail boom. The use of two or more horizontal rotors turning in opposite directions is another configuration used to counteract the effects of torque on the aircraft without relying on an anti-torque tail rotor. This allows

30195-448: The throttle is to maintain enough engine power to keep the rotor RPM within allowable limits so that the rotor produces enough lift for flight. In single-engine helicopters, the throttle control is a motorcycle-style twist grip mounted on the collective control, while dual-engine helicopters have a power lever for each engine. A compound helicopter has an additional system for thrust and, typically, small stub fixed wings . This offloads

30378-417: The thrust produced by the tail rotor and causing the nose to yaw in the direction of the applied pedal. The pedals mechanically change the pitch of the tail rotor altering the amount of thrust produced. Helicopter rotors are designed to operate in a narrow range of RPM . The throttle controls the power produced by the engine, which is connected to the rotor by a fixed ratio transmission. The purpose of

30561-553: The type's current designation. The AW101 entered into service in 1999 and has since replaced several older helicopter types, such as the Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King , performing roles such as medium-sized transport, anti-submarine warfare , search and rescue , and ship-based utility operations. The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) operates the CH-149 Cormorant variant for air-sea rescue . Another variant,

30744-525: The utility of a naval unmanned system that could encompass strike, AEW, and air-to-air refuelling components. If implemented, the replacement of Merlin/Crowsnest by another system would permit all Merlin helicopters to focus on ASW operations for the remainder of their service lives. On 15 December 2009, plans were announced to transfer RAF Merlin HC3s and HC3As to the Royal Navy's Commando Helicopter Force to replace retiring Sea King HC4 helicopters. The Sea King

30927-517: The vertical flight he had envisioned. Steam power was popular with other inventors as well. In 1877, the Italian engineer, inventor and aeronautical pioneer Enrico Forlanini developed an unmanned helicopter powered by a steam engine . It rose to a height of 13 meters (43 feet), where it remained for 20 seconds, after a vertical take-off from a park in Milan . Milan has dedicated its city airport to Enrico Forlanini, also named Linate Airport , as well as

31110-511: Was able to garner the 12 seats necessary for official party status, but no more. Clark realized that as long as the centre-right vote was divided, there was no chance of dislodging the Liberals , but he wanted a merger on his own terms. He got his chance in 2001, when several dissident Alliance MPs, the most prominent one being Alliance deputy leader and party matriarch Deborah Grey , left the Alliance caucus. The dissidents felt that Alliance leader Stockwell Day hadn't learned from mistakes made in

31293-526: Was also reported that some of the eight airframes not scheduled to be upgraded for financial reasons may be updated. Five HM2s are in maintenance at a time, leaving 25 available, of which 14 were theoretically to be assigned to the Queen Elizabeth -class aircraft carrier . However, in practice with just 30 Merlin HM2s in service, it may be impossible to deploy 14 aircraft on a single operational carrier on

31476-486: Was badly burned. Edison reported that it would take a motor with a ratio of three to four pounds per horsepower produced to be successful, based on his experiments. Ján Bahýľ , a Slovak inventor, adapted the internal combustion engine to power his helicopter model that reached a height of 0.5 meters (1.6 feet) in 1901. On 5 May 1905, his helicopter reached 4 meters (13 feet) in altitude and flew for over 1,500 meters (4,900 feet). In 1908, Edison patented his own design for

31659-552: Was confirmed that their Out of Service Date (OSD) had been moved to 2040. By the end of 2022, all HC helicopters were upgraded to the HC4/4A Commando Merlin standard. The RAF ordered 22 Merlin HC3 for transport missions, the first of which entered service in January 2001 with No. 28 Squadron RAF based at RAF Benson . The type is equipped with extended-range fuel tanks and is capable of air-to-air refuelling. The Merlin

31842-434: Was criticised as the aircraft reportedly lacked protective Kevlar armour. By July 2010, the Merlin fleet was fully fitted with ballistic armour. The deployment of Merlins to Afghanistan allowed the detachment of Sea Kings to be withdrawn from the region in October 2011. As part of the UK drawdown in Afghanistan, Merlins were withdrawn from theatre in June 2013. In 2012, the RAF's Merlin HC3/3A fleet began to be transferred to

32025-464: Was delivered on 17 May 1997, entering service on 2 June 2000. All aircraft were delivered by the end of 2002, and are operated by 3 Fleet Air Arm squadrons: 814 NAS , 820 NAS , 824 NAS and 829 NAS (now disbanded and merged with 814 NAS), all based at RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall. 700 NAS was the Merlin Operational Evaluation Unit from 2000 to 2008. In March 2004, Navy Merlins were temporarily grounded following an incident at RNAS Culdrose in which

32208-418: Was delivered to the RCAF in June 2015. In December 2022, Canada's Department of National Defence announced a C$ 1.24-billion contract for procurement of three additional aircraft and upgrades to the existing fleet to current configuration of the helicopter; this will increase the fleet to 16 aircraft. The RCAF also acquired its own advanced training simulator configured to the new modernized cockpit. In 2001,

32391-422: Was dominated by the provincial Tories. This was largely because many former bellwether ridings in suburban Toronto (known as "the 905", after its area code ) turned almost solidly Liberal for most of the 1990s at the federal level while supporting the Tories at the provincial level. Charest stepped down from the leadership in 1998 to become leader of the Quebec Liberal Party . Former leader Joe Clark returned to

32574-469: Was generally on the centre-right on the political spectrum. From 1867 on, the party was identified with Protestant and, in Quebec, Roman Catholic social values, British imperialism , Canadian nationalism , and constitutional centralism. This was highly successful until 1920, and to that point in history, the party was the most successful federal party in the Dominion. As such, Canadian conservatism historically initially more closely resembled that which

32757-401: Was in the process of acquiring civil certification for the AW101; prospective customers include offshore oil platform operators and VIP clients. As of February 2014, AgustaWestland was considering adapting the AW101 as a heavyweight unmanned aerial vehicle , it is proposed that in this configuration an AW101 could be optionally crewed. On 7 June 2010, it was announced that Boeing had acquired

32940-434: Was officially presented to the press on 6 December 1999. Italy accepted delivery of the 21st AW101, configured for anti-submarine warfare, on 4 August 2009. In total 22 AW101 helicopters have been delivered to the Italian Navy. Italian AW101s have operated from a variety of ships and have seen service overseas; in 2009 the Italian Navy used its AW101 fleet as executive transports for visiting heads of state and officials during

33123-479: Was practised in the United Kingdom and, to an extent, Europe , than in the United States . The "Tory" approach worked well for the party until 1917, when, as was common amongst 19th-century conservative movements, Canadian Tories opposed the rollback of government intervention in social and economic matters advocated by the liberals of the era. In contrast to "American conservative" counterparts, however, they did not undertake as dramatic an ideological turnaround in

33306-472: Was set to retire in 2016, leaving the Navy operating a combination of the Wildcat and Merlin. 846 NAS reformed with ex-RAF Merlin HC3s on 30 September 2014; 845 NAS followed on 9 July 2015. On 25 May 2018, the first of 25 converted Royal Marines Commando Merlin Mk4/4A were delivered to Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Yeovilton. In July 2020, the Merlin HM2 and HC4/4A helicopters were planned to be in service until 2029 and 2030, respectively. On 11 June 2021, it

33489-479: Was the acquisition of six AW101s from Denmark in 2007; designated Merlin HC3A , these were assigned to the RAF, allowing Merlins to be deployed in Afghanistan . The HC3A is used for training and not for frontline operations due to various configuration differences. In December 2007, a second Merlin squadron, No. 78 Squadron was formed at RAF Benson. In 2009, five Merlin Mk3s were operating in Afghanistan, transporting troops and supplies. The deployment to Afghanistan

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