Czech 'GyroDrive' beats flying cars for hybrid licence

Yahoo – AFP, Jan FLEMR with Laszlo JUHASZ in Bratislava, June 7, 2017

Czech pilot Pavel Brezina (L), owner of Nirvana Autogyro company, has made
a "GyroDrive" -- a mini helicopter you can drive. (AFP Photo/Michal Cizek)

Bochoř (Czech Republic) (AFP) - As global automakers compete to bring the first flying car to market, Czech pilot Pavel Brezina is trying a different tack: instead of creating a car that flies, he has made a "GyroDrive" -- a mini helicopter you can drive.

The engineer and owner of Nirvana Systems, a company producing motors for small flying machines, insists his vehicle is the first in the world authorised to operate both on roads and in the air.

"This is the only road certified flying vehicle I know about," Brezina told AFP in a hangar at the Prerov-Bochor airport in the eastern Czech Republic.

"Everyone is trying to make a high-speed car that can fly, but this is a different thing," said the tall, bespectacled 51-year-old, who has 30 years' experience as a pilot under his belt.

His GyroDrive vehicle is based on a gyroplane -- a mini-helicopter -- that uses a copter-style rotor to move up and down, and an aeroplane-type "pusher propeller" to go forward.

Pavel Brezina's GyroDrive vehicle is based on a gyroplane -- a mini-helicopter -- 

that uses a copter-style rotor to move up and down, and an aeroplane-type 

"pusher propeller" to go forward. (AFP Photo/Michal Cizek)

Brezina's company buys gyroplane kits from a German firm, and then assembles and equips them with a system allowing the pilot-driver to switch between a petrol engine propelling the rotors and an electric engine that drives the wheels.

The two-seat GyroDrive has a maximum driving speed of just 40 kph (25 mph) and can take its crew of two on short drives to a petrol station or a hotel.

It needs less than 100 metres (110 yars) to take off and reaches a top speed of 180 kph in the air. Its flying range is 600 kilometres.

After landing, the pilot only has to fix the main rotor blades along the axis of the GyroDrive and pull out a built-in licence plate to transform it into a road vehicle.

Prices start at 1.5 million koruna (57,000 euros, $63,500), but they can reach four million koruna, depending on specifications.

'Robust testing'

While Brezina is already planning to take his wife -- also a pilot -- and two children to London aboard GyroDrives, inventors worldwide are frantically working on prototypes of cars that fly.

In Slovakia, the AeroMobil company says it has received dozens of orders from

 customers for a flying cars such as this one, which is expected to hit the 

market in 2020. (AFP Photo/VLADIMIR SIMICEK)

In neighbouring Slovakia, the AeroMobil company says it has received dozens of orders from customers for a flying car expected to hit the market in 2020.

"We want to build a vehicle that will not only be able to fly and drive but also fulfil each technical and legal requirement," says AeroMobil CEO Juraj Vaculik, touting "a robust testing programme".

He told AFP that AeroMobil initially plans to produce 500 units of its winged car, which uses a turbo propeller to get off the ground.

The AeroMobil is expected to reach a top ground speed of 160 kph and up to 360 kph in the air, with a flying and driving range of some 700 kilometres.

In mid-May, Japan's Toyota also unveiled plans to launch a three-wheel flying car dubbed SkyDrive using retractable wings and drone technology.

The vehicle is expected to have a top flight speed of around 100 kph, hovering around 10 metres off the ground. It will have a top land speed around 150 kph.

Silicon Valley flying car startup, Kitty Hawk, reportedly backed by Google co-founder Larry Page, released a video in April of its airborne prototype and announced plans for deliveries of a "personal flying machine" this year.

Other firms, including ride-sharing service Uber, also have soaring ambitions for their flying car prototypes.

AeroMobil CEO Juraj Vaculik at the wheel of the firm's 'flying car'. (AFP Photo/

VLADIMIR SIMICEK)

Not for everyone

Brezina got the licence plates for his GyroDrive in March, three years after starting the project.

For his first trip, he flew some 230 kilometres west to an airport on the outskirts of Prague, then drove downtown to have a cup of coffee in the Czech capital's central Wenceslas Square -- and got stopped by the police on the way.

"Well, if you saw this driving through Prague, wouldn't you stop it? I would," chuckles Brezina, adding the police merely checked his papers and did a breathalyser test.

Brezina told AFP he has already been safely flying gyroplanes all over Europe and beyond for the last seven years with a group of friends.

"I would liken it to a group of motorbikers, this is actually a 3D motorbike. We also travel to other continents where we rent gyroplanes," he said.

Looking into the future, Brezina said he doubts GyroDrive will take over roads and airways.

"First, it requires a set of certain qualities to become a gyroplane pilot, and second, it's not just about pushing a button. I think it will spread, but not on a mass scale."

Co-financed by the Slovak government, AeroMobil will not be everyone's flying car either because of its eyewatering price tag of 1.2-1.5 million euros ($1.35-1.7 million) per unit.

It will rather serve as "some kind of a flying Uber service," Vaculik said.

"Our concept is that not many people would own this flying car but many will be able to use it," he added.

Malaysian PM's chief of staff and former ambassador killled in helicopter crash

Witness reports mid-air explosion as six people killed, including Najib Razak’s principal private secretary and senior member of his party

The Guardian, AFP, Kuala Lumpur, Sunday 5 April 2015

The scene of the helicopter crash that killed the Malaysia PM’s chief of staff.
Photograph: Xinhua News Agency/REX/Xinhua News Agency/REX

The Malaysian prime minister’s chief of staff and and his country’s former ambassador to the US were among six people killed when a helicopter crashed south of Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.

The helicopter went down in a rubber plantation in the town of Semenyih, killing everyone on board, including Najib Razak’s principal private secretary, Azlin Alias.

Also among the dead was Jamaluddin Jarjis, an MP and senior member of Najib’s political party, UMNO, also a former Malaysian ambassador to the US.

“I am personally grief-struck. Jamaluddin Jarjis was my friend of many years and no truer friend could I have,” Najib said in a statement.

“Azlin Alias was my chief of staff and a truly outstanding government servant. The contributions of these two men to the government, to UMNO and to Malaysia were very significant.”

Najib added that he had ordered an investigation into the cause of the crash, saying that “no stone will be left unturned”.

The transport minister, Liow Tiong Lai, said in a separate statement that all six bodies had been recovered and sent to a hospital in the capital, Kuala Lumpur.

“This is indeed a great loss and my thoughts and prayers are with their families and the families of the other victims during this tragic time,” the minister said.

A witness told Malaysia’s official Bernama news agency that the helicopter “exploded in mid-air” during heavy rain.

“Then, the debris, tail and blades were thrown all over the place,” the witness, Roslan Harun, was quoted as saying.

71-year-old flies self-made planes in China

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2014-09-15

Jin Shaozhi flying the White Swan in Zhejiang. (Internet Photo)

Unlike most people in their 70s, Jin Shaozhi, a native of Hangzhou, Zhejiang, is keen on flying with self-made airplanes.

Jin has invested over US$30,000 and countless time training to assemble and pilot planes over the last eight years. His latest work, the White Swan, can fly at an altitude of 1000 meters, according to media in Hangzhou.

Jin was a doctor before he retired several years ago. His penchant for planes started 30 years ago as a part-time model airplane trainer. The team he led won medlas at national amateur model airplane competitions.

"To a fan of model airplanes, the biggest dream is to actually fly a plane in the sky," said Jin, who finally had all the time in the world to immerse himself in the making and flying of airplanes after he retired.

Jin has received flight trainings in various models. He has bought two sets of Bee 3C model planes, one in 2007 and another in 2010. Bee 3C is mainly used for agricultural purposes.

Later, he started making his own planes from scratch. "If you know about model airplanes, it is not hard to make a real plane that can fly," he said. "All you have to do is just multiply the specifications of model planes by six and assemble the parts according to the drawing."

Jin now owns a self-assembled, US$16,000 gyroplane that he named the White Swan. "Most of the parts are from hardware stores except for the engine, which is a second-hand item purchased from overseas," said Jin. Theoretically White Swan can fly at an altitude of 1,000 meters. To ensure safety, however, Jin flies just around 500 meters.

According to Jin, only few out of the many people capable of making planes end up flying their own. There are only four in Zhejiang, and he is one of them.

A major challenge for amateur flyers is to find a proper site to practice flying. According to the aviation administration of China, private planes are not permitted to fly without approval, so pilots are often banned from flying.

"We would go to remote places, such as newly-paved roads not yet opened to the public, for test flights," said Jin.

Jin has had two accidents and was summoned to the Civil Aviation Administration of China for questioning. One happened in 2008, when his first Bee 3C broke down during a test flight and hit a small hill when landing. Fortunately, Jin was unharmed.

On the other test flight, he broke his leg. Nevertheless, his passion for flying has never diminished.

123 helicopters purchased from Airbus by Chinese firms

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2014-07-10

A Bavarian State Police EC-135 helicopter in Germany. (Internet photo)

Three Chinese companies signed a contract on July 7 to purchase 123 helicopters from Airbus' helicopter branch during the visit by the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, according to Reuters.

"We are grateful to the operators for selecting Airbus Helicopters to be their partner in developing the general aviation market to serve China's needs," said Guillaume Faury, CEO of Airbus Helicopters. Two types of helicopters including the light single-engine helicopters from Airbus Helicopters' Ecureuil family and the light twin-engine EC135 will be purchased by the Chinese firms according to the report.

Our sister newspaper China Times said that Guangdong Baiyun General Aviation Company purchased 50 helicopters while the Yunnan Fengxiang General Aviation Company bought 18 and Fujian Xinmei General Aviation Company bought 55. The Chinese helicopter market is growing at a rapid speed, as Airbus had previously predicted. Currently, 800 civilian helicopters are purchased annually on the global market, while China buys only 50 on average.

This number is expected to grow gradually by 2020 according to Airbus, after which China is expected to buy around 200 civilian helicopters each year.

"It is evident that China’s relaxation of its low-altitude airspace regulations is enabling the country's burgeoning helicopter market to realize its potential," said Faury.

The Chinese market for helicopters is predicted to be worth US$68 million over the next 20 years, according to the company, which is jointly owned by France and Germany.

Beijing, Moscow set to develop large aircraft together

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2014-05-21

Putin arrives in Shanghai for a two-day visit, May 20. (Photo/CNS)

While Vladimir Putin began his two-day visit to Shanghai on May 20, the Moscow-based Kommersant reported that the Russian president will offer his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping a chance to jointly develop Mi-26 heavy-lift helicopters and also aid in the development of large commercial aircraft.

A Russian delegation source told Kommersant on May. 19 that China needs at least 1,000 long-range and wide-body commercial aircraft to compete with Airbus and Boeing in the future. The Moscow-based United Aircraft Corporation has put forward concept designs for such an aircraft that can meet the needs of Chinese airlines in the global market. Putin and Xi will likely discuss details during the two-day visit, the Russian paper said.

Beijing is also looking for a chance to produce the Russian-built Mi-26 heavy-lift helicopters for the People's Liberation Army. Prior to the trip, Putin announced that an agreement had already been reached between the two nations to build large commercial planes as well as a heavy helicopter. Putin believes that Beijing and Moscow are capable of designing and building competitive products for the global market, Kommersant said.

Russian deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin meanwhile told the Moskovsky Komsomolets, a newspaper run by the Moscow Communist Youth League, that China and Russia are moving closer together in the development of aircraft. Since Russia alone is unable to compete against the United States and France in producing large commercial aircraft, Rogozin said that cooperation from China is necessary to change this situation.

China, France sign major business deals on Xi visit

Google – AFP, Marianne Barriaux (AFP), 26 March 2014

French President Francois Hollande (R) shakes hands with Chinese President

 Xi Jinping, at the end of a joint press conference, after a meeting at the Elysee

presidentiel palace on March 26, 2014, in Paris (AFP, Alain Jocard)

Paris — Beijing and Paris signed scores of deals Wednesday worth 18 billion euros ($25 billion) on the second day of a lavish state visit by the Chinese president, in what Francois Hollande said would bring much-needed growth.

Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan have been given VIP treatment on a nostalgia-tinted trip to France marking the 50th year of full diplomatic ties between the two countries -- a visit due to culminate with a concert at the Versailles palace on Thursday.

On Wednesday afternoon, after kicking off his trip in the eastern city of Lyon, Xi travelled to Paris where he met with Hollande and signed a raft of deals.

"Eighteen billion euros of contracts -- that is jobs, growth and, most of all, significant prospects for the coming years," Hollande said during a joint press declaration with Xi.

By far the biggest deal was a Chinese order for 70 Airbus planes worth more than $10 billion.

The order covers the purchase of 43 mid-range A320 planes and 27 long-haul A330s, the European aviation giant said.

China had already announced its intention to purchase the planes but subsequently froze the order due to a row over EU plans to impose a carbon emissions levy on airlines.

This forced Airbus to take the 70 planes off its order book, so Wednesday's contract is considered a new order.

Airbus Helicopters and China's Avicopter also announced a deal to jointly produce 1,000 civilian helicopters over 20 years.

And the two countries signed agreements in a number of other areas including the nuclear, financial and automotive sectors.

France's 'duty'

France lags behind some European neighbours, especially Germany, in trade and investment links with fast-growing China.

Last year, France had a trade deficit with China worth 25.8 billion euros, and on Wednesday, Hollande told Xi that Paris had a "duty... to re-balance trade between our two countries".

His comments came as the number of jobless in France surged by 0.9 percent in February to a new record of 3.34 million, in what is likely to increase the deep unpopularity of Hollande's Socialist government.

Xi and Peng began the French leg of their trip on Tuesday in the eastern city of Lyon, a former silk centre that forged enduring links with China from the 16th century.

The power couple were treated to a lavish dinner at city hall, and sampled regional delicacies such as wine, saucisson and Beaufort cheese.

On Wednesday, the couple visited bioMerieux, a French diagnostics firm run by a prominent Lyon business dynasty that has old trade links with China.

"In the near future, the Chinese health sector will greatly develop and this will be in the interest of the Chinese people and the whole world," Xi said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (C) signs the golden book on March 26, 2014

during a visit to the Fondation Charles de Gaulle in Paris (Pool/AFP, Eric Feferberg)

He then visited the city's Franco-Chinese Institute before leaving for Paris to meet the French president.

Xi is scheduled to make a major speech in Paris Thursday highlighting historical bonds such as the experiences of Communist Party luminaries Zhou Enlai and Deng Xiaoping, who both studied in France.

Xi's wife Peng, China's first prominent First Lady and a famous singer, is also a Francophile.

And while she no longer has a French counterpart after Hollande split from his partner Valerie Trierweiler, Peng has her own activities planned that will see her named special UNESCO envoy for the promotion of women's education.

The question of human rights in China was ever-present on the vi sit amid an ongoing, government-backed crackdown on dissent, with Tibetan exiles planning a big rally in Paris on Thursday.

Since 2009 about 120 Tibetans have set themselves on fire in China in protests against the authorities, denouncing what they say is an erosion of their religious freedoms and culture and discrimination by the country's Han majority.

The issue of human rights was not mentioned in either of the leaders' declarations on Wednesday, where journalists were not allowed to ask questions.

The Chinese leader is on his first-ever European tour and after visiting The Netherlands and France will head to Germany and Belgium.

Related Article:

China, France set to sign major business deals on Xi visit

Army Helicopter Goes Missing Over Borneo

Jakarta Globe, January 22, 2014

A US Bell 412 in flight above Mojave, California. (Wikimedia Commons)

A military Bell 412 helicopter carrying ten soldiers went missing on Wednesday over the jungles of North Kalimantan while on an inland logistical operation.

The helicopter had left from Tarakan, bound for Long Iram in the district of Nunukan, when it lost contact with a control tower at Malinau airport some 15 minutes after takeoff, a soldier who declined to be identified told news portal Kompas.com.

“Its last contact was with the Malinau airport air traffic center at around 1:45 p.m.” the soldier said.

The helicopter, which took off from Tarakan at 1:30 p.m., was slated to return by 4:00 p.m. As of 6:00 p.m., its whereabouts remained unknown.

“We cannot yet ascertain what has happened to the helicopter, but according to the information that we have now, it cannot be contacted,” the soldier said.

The military command in neighboring East Kalimantan, which oversees the fledgling North Kalimantan province, declined to comment immediately.

The Bell 412 is a utility helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter.

Related Article:

Missing Army Helicopter Found, Passengers Safe

US navy helicopter goes down off Virginia coast

• Four out of five crew members rescued, navy said

• Incident occurred 18 miles from naval base in Norfolk (US), VA

theguardian.com, Paul Lewis in Washington, Wednesday 8 January 2014

An MH-53 Sea Dragon helicopter. Photograph: US navy

A US navy helicopter with five crew members on board crashed in the Atlantic off the coast of Virginia on Wednesday. The navy said four of the crew had been rescued, and efforts were under way to pick up the fifth.

The model involved was a Sikorsky MH-53E Sea Dragon, one of the largest and heaviest helicopters in the US military, used in mine-hunting missions. The navy initially misidentified the helicopter a CH-53E Super Stallion, but subsequently released a correction.

The US navy has a base in Norfolk, Virginia, about 18 miles from the crash scene. The incident came a day after four crew members died when a US air force helicopter went down near a town on the coast of Norfolk, in the east of England. Local police said that incident occurred during a training exercise involving two US military aircraft, both HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters.

Navy petty officer David Weydert told the Associated Press that the helicopter involved in Wednesday’s crash in Virginia was reported down about 11am ET.

A Pentagon spokesperson said: "Five personnel were aboard and search and rescue efforts are ongoing. The helicopter is assigned to helicopter mine countermeasures squadron 14 from naval station Norfolk. It was conducting routine operations off the coast when the crash happened."

Related Article:

Low flying over Norfolk (UK) nature reserve 'was accident waiting to happen'

Low flying over Norfolk nature reserve 'was accident waiting to happen'

Cley parish council leader says military aircraft were seen flying as low as 10ft over area that is a breeding ground for birds

theguardian.com, Josh Halliday, Wednesday 8 January 2014

A fleet of HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters flying over RAF Lakenheath.
Photograph: US air force/RAF/PA

There have been longstanding concerns about low-flying military aircraft carrying out training exercises over the Norfolk coast where a US air force helicopter crash killed four crew members on Tuesday night.

As police launched an investigation into the cause of the crash, local residents and politicians said they had seen military aircraft flying as low as 10ft (3 metres) above Cley Marshes nature reserve.

Richard Kelham, chair of Cley parish council, said flying so close to a breeding ground for birds was an "accident waiting to happen" and had prompted complaints to nearby RAF bases. Another councillor said regulations had been introduced about 15 years ago to order the aircraft to fly higher when using the area near Salthouse.

"We used to complain to the commanding officer who bluntly told us to piss off. In a sense it's an accident waiting to happen," Kelham said.

"We do feel for the families of the crew but they were put in a position they shouldn't be in. This is a place for birds."

He said the council had complained to RAF Marham and to RAF Lakenheath, which hosts US air force units and was home to the crashed aircraft.

"It's the oldest and one of the biggest and most famous bird reserves in the country. We're not happy about them flying low. It's not uncommon and we certainly don't raise an eyebrow," he said.

"You used to get Tornados [RAF aircraft] screaming about at roof height, but that doesn't happen so much now, and before that A-10s [US air force planes] flying across the beach 10ft up."

Councillor Jennifer Murray said she could see the flashing lights of emergency service vehicles from her home near where the helicopter came down. She said regulations had been introduced about 15 years ago to order aircraft to fly higher, but the military continued to use the National Wildlife Trust area as a training site.

"A few months ago there were three of those little black helicopters hovering over each other for about half an hour – we always see them," she said.

Asked whether she had seen military aircraft flying low, Murray said: "They always have done. At one time there was a regulation that they had to be higher, about 15 years ago. But I don't think there have been any [crashes] in the last 30-plus years. I don't think there have been any great problems."

Wendy Wyatt, a former councillor, said she had complained many times about aircraft that fly so low they cause her seafront cottage to tremble. Last year Wyatt's home was so close to a low-flying military helicopter that the pilot was able to wave from his cockpit window, she said.

"They are going too low. I don't know whether they are allowed to but something needs to be done," she said.

"There have been instances where a lot of other locals have complained.

"I had to call Lakenheath [the RAF base] because my house shakes when they come across through Glaven valley and then go out to sea. There's been huge helicopters in the marshes and there are quite scary aeroplanes that land in the fields.

"It's quite frightening thinking they are carrying guns and bullets. They do very low things and I know it's not right but you can only complain so many times."

Wyatt, who lives close to the crash site, said she suspected an aircraft had ditched into the marshes after hearing a "really strange noise" when she went outside to collect some wood.

"I didn't know whether it was a helicopter coming down and then I thought: 'Oh, something's crashed'," she said.

"I went inside not thinking any more of it, put my son to bed and there was lots of noise and cars – a lot more than there usually are – and then that's all I heard until 10pm when [the] BBC phoned me."

A woman who lives half a mile from the crash site said it was unnerving to see aircraft flying so close to the ground on training exercises.

"We do get low-flying helicopters. There's been occasions where you do feel that's a bit low and it's slightly unnerving," said the woman, who declined to be named.

She said military aircraft flew "reasonably often" in the area, which is away from buildings.

Norman Lamb, the North Norfolk MP whose constituency includes the crash site, told Sky News he had been worried about helicopter training exercises in the area. He said the model of aircraft that crashed, an HH-60G Pave Hawk, was "regarded as a very reliable helicopter".

On Wednesday Norfolk police enforced a strict no-fly zone over the crash site as investigators continued attempts to recover the bodies of the four crew members. The area is strewn with bullets from the crashed aircraft.

Cley Marshes is a popular spot for birdwatchers. The saltmarshes are home to large birds including pink-footed geese, wintering wildfowl and marsh harrier.

Carl Bishop, who runs boat tours nearby, said: "It is very common around there to see helicopters. They do a lot of low flying. It's not every day but once a week, usually at night-time."

Related Article:

US helicopter crash dead named


US navy helicopter goes down off Virginia coast

India 'cancels helicopter deal with AgustaWestland'

Google – AFP, 1 January 2014

File picture shows a new AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat helicopter at the

 Farnborough International Airshow in Hampshire, southern England, on 

July 11, 2012 (AFP/File, Adrian Dennis)

New Delhi — India has cancelled a 556-million-euro ($753 million) contract with Anglo-Italian firm AgustaWestland to buy luxury helicopters for VIPs following a corruption scandal, the Press Trust of India reported Wednesday.

The deal was scrapped after Defence Minister A. K. Antony held a meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the national news agency said, quoting what it described as official defence ministry sources.

India had suspended the deal in 2013 after Italian investigators began looking into allegations that AgustaWestland paid bribes to win the contract.

The Italian boss of AgustaWestland's parent company Finmeccanica was arrested last February over the case -- touching off a firestorm in India, where the Congress-led government has been battling a string of graft scandals before elections this year.

India signed the deal in 2010 for 12 helicopters from AgustaWestland after the company beat competition from American and Russian rivals.

In November last year the helicopter maker had sought arbitration to try to salvage the contract.

Italian prosecutors suspect kickbacks worth around 10 percent of the deal -- $67.6 million (50 million euros) -- were paid to Indian officials to swing the deal in favour of AgustaWestland, according to Italian media reports.

India has already received three of the helicopters, intended to be used by such dignitaries as the prime minister and the president, but Antony halted deliveries of the remaining nine.

India's auditor general said in a report last year that the defence ministry "deviated from procurement procedure and tender on several instances in the deal" including altitude requirements.

Indian detectives raided the home of former air force chief S.P. Tyagi as part of the probe into the allegations of bribery. Tyagi has denied any wrongdoing.

Cash was allegedly handed to Tyagi's cousin, with more money funnelled via a web of middlemen and companies in London, Switzerland, Tunisia and Mauritius.

The purchase also came under scrutiny from Italian investigators probing allegations the Italian group had broken the law by bribing foreign officials.

The company denies any wrongdoing.

A spokesman for the company in India was not immediately available to comment on the PTI report.

The cancellation is expected to be a big blow to AgustaWestland, which has a factory in southwest England.

The decision will also be a severe blow to Finmeccanica, whose chief executive Giuseppe Orsi resigned from behind prison bars in February last year.

Orsi denies any wrongdoing and his lawyer has called the allegations against him "inconsistent" and his arrest "unjustified".

The latest move by the Indian defence ministry is seen as a government attempt to contain the fallout from the corruption scandal before elections due in the first half of this year.

The helicopter deal was cleared by Singh, whose Congress-led government has been buffeted by a series of corruption scandals that analysts say could affect the party's electoral chances in 2014 polls.

Related Articles:

Finmeccanica helicopter deal payments frozen by India

Italy Defense Firm Chief 'Arrested for India Bribes'

Glasgow crash firm grounds 22 helicopters

Google – AFP, 12 December 2013

Emergency services workers look on as the wreckage of a helicopter is winched

 from the collapsed roof of a pub in Glasgow on December 2, 2013 (AFP/File,

Andy Buchanan)

London — The British operator of a Eurocopter EC135 helicopter involved in a fatal crash in Glasgow said Thursday it had grounded its 22-strong fleet of the model after discovering a defect.

The "precautionary measure" by Bond Air Services puts one-third of Britain's police and ambulance helicopters out of action, according to the BBC.

But Eurocopter, which is owned by European aerospace giant EADS, said the decision to ground the helicopters was standard procedure, and stressed that no action was needed by other operators around the world.

The news came as authorities in Scotland said another person had died from injuries sustained in last month's crash of a Bond-operated police helicopter, bringing the death toll to 10.

"During normal operations yesterday, one of our EC135 fleet has experienced an indication defect that requires further technical investigation," Bond said in a statement.

"Therefore as a precautionary measure, we have temporarily suspended service operations whilst we undertake detailed diagnosis."

After overnight checks on the faulty air ambulance helicopter, the company carried out tests on each of the grounded aircraft.

In a statement, Eurocopter said: "The ongoing investigation follows a standard procedure initiated in case of a reported incident. Eurocopter is in close contact with Bond to fully support the activities.

"Eurocopter does not recommend any further action for the other EC135 aircraft in service around the world."

There was no indication of a link with the November 29 crash in Glasgow, when an EC135 apparently dropped out of the sky onto the roof of a crowded pub.

The cause remains a mystery, after investigators found no evidence of engine or gearbox failure and reported that all significant components were present when it crashed.

The 10th victim, 59-year-old Joe Cusker, died on Thursday in hospital in Glasgow, police said.

Rescuers battle to free Glasgow helicopter pub crash victims

Google – AFP, Andy Buchanan (AFP), 30 November 2013

Emergency services inspect the roof of a pub in central Glasgow, Scotland, shortly

 after midnight on November 30, 2013 where a police helicopter crashed earlier (AFP, 

Andy Buchanan)

Glasgow — Scottish emergency services battled Saturday to rescue people trapped in the wreckage of a Glasgow pub after a police helicopter crashed into the building, causing dozens of casualties including probable fatalities.

The chopper smashed through the roof of The Clutha pub, where more than 100 revellers had crowded in to see a band play on Friday night ahead of St. Andrew's Day, which celebrates Scotland's patron saint.

Police said 32 people had been taken to hospitals across Scotland's biggest city after the helicopter plunged into the riverside bar at 10:25 pm (2225 GMT).

Emergency services gather shortly after 

midnight on November 30, 2013 at the

 site where a police helicopter crashed 

into a pub in central Glasgow (AFP,

Andy Buchanan)

Emergency services worked through the night in a bid to recover people from the scene.

Witnesses said the helicopter, with two police officers and a civilian pilot on board, dropped like a stone, while people inside the pub heard a whoosh before the roof caved in and the air filled with dust and screams.

Firefighters said they had made "some contact" with an unknown number of people in the wreckage of the one-storey building, which was "very unstable".

"It's a case of working hard within the building to try and determine how many casualties are there," fire brigade officer Lewis Ramsay told reporters.

"We are determined that we are going to get the building stable and we will be in there to carry out those rescued."

Ramsay said the 125 firefighters at the scene had "rescued numerous casualties" who had "multiple types of injuries".

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond -- who just days earlier was celebrating the release of a legal blueprint for independence -- confirmed that a police helicopter had been involved in the "tragic accident".

"Given an incident of this scale we must all prepare ourselves for the likelihood of fatalities," he said.

He was to visit the command centre co-ordinating the emergency response later Saturday for an update on the situation.

Emergency services inspect the
roof of the Clutha pub in central
Glasgow, Scotland, shortly after
midnight on November 30, 2013
where a police helicopter crashed
earlier in the evening (AFP, Andy
Buchanan)

An AFP photographer at the scene said the helicopter appeared to have smashed through the top of the bar on the banks of the River Clyde, with a rotor blade sticking out of the roof.

The site had been cordoned off, with emergency service workers visible on the roof after dawn.

Police officer Rose Fitzgerald said it was too early to say why the Eurocopter EC135 T2 helicopter crashed.

"A full investigation is now underway however at this early stage it is too early to provide details on why the helicopter came down," she said.

"We are working hard to recover people still inside the building."

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch has sent a team to the scene.

Witnesses told of confusion, terror and then bravery after the accident.

Grace MacLean, who was inside the pub at the time of the crash, told the BBC that the revellers were listening to a ska band at the time.

"We were all just having a nice time and then there was like a 'whoosh' noise -- there was no bang, there was no explosion," she said.

"And then there was some smoke, what seemed like smoke. The band were laughing and we were all joking that the band had made the roof come down.

"They carried on playing and then it started to come down more and someone started screaming and then the whole pub just filled with dust. You couldn't see anything, you couldn't breathe."

The band, Esperanza, later said on their Facebook page that they were all well.

Jim Murphy, a member of parliament and the opposition Labour Party's spokesman for international development, told the BBC he was driving through the area shortly after the incident.

Emergency services inspect the roof of the 

Clutha pub in central Glasgow, Scotland

 shortly after midnight on November 30, 2013

 where a police helicopter crashed (AFP, 

Andy Buchanan)

"I jumped out and tried to help. There were people with injuries. Bad gashes to the head. Some were unconscious. I don't know how many," he said.

He said he and other people formed a human chain to get survivors out of the pub.

"The helicopter was inside the pub. It's a mess. I could only get a yard or two inside. I helped carry people out."

Gordon Smart, who edits the Scottish edition of Rupert Murdoch's newspaper The Sun, said he saw the helicopter coming down.

"It was just such a surreal moment. It looked like it was dropping from a great height at a great speed," he told Sky News television.

"There was no fireball and I did not hear an explosion. It fell like a stone. The engine seemed to be spluttering."

British Prime Minister David Cameron said: "My thoughts are with everyone affected by the helicopter crash in Glasgow -- and the emergency services."

Wreckage of the Eurocopter EC135 lifted from the roof of

 the Clutha pub in Glasgow. Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/

Getty Images

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