This website uses cookies
More information
The monthly news publication for aviation professionals.

ACE 2026 - The home of global charter.

Related information from the Handbook...
The bimonthly news publication for aviation professionals.

Request your printed copy

First of four H125s arrives at ETPS
Formula 1 style telemetry will keep tabs on the progress of trainee pilots flying Empire's new H125s. Realtime data will be streamed to Boscombe Down.
From left: Colin James, managing director, Airbus Helicopters UK; Earl Howe, Minister of State for Defence; and Nic Anderson, managing director air and space, Qinetiq. (© Airbus 2018, photo by P. Masclet/Master films).
Read this story in our August 2018 printed issue.

Empire Test Pilots School (ETPS), part of Qinetiq, has taken delivery of the first of four Airbus Helicopters H125 aircraft. All four ETPS H125s will be delivered following customisation by Airbus Helicopters' UK design team, which will equip the aircraft with a three-axis autopilot, dedicated communications equipment and a traffic awareness system.

A flight test instrumentation suite will also be installed which, in a similar fashion to Formula 1 motor racing telemetry, transmits data to the ETPS base at Boscombe Down in real-time, allowing students in practical and class-based environments to test and evaluate aircraft design and performance.

Other News
 
Linfox plans debut for H160 on private missions in Australia
December 15, 2025
Optimised with Safran Arrano engines, the H160 delivers an 18 per cent reduction in fuel burn. It is also certified to fly with a 50 per cent blend of SAF. The aircraft benefits from a reduced maintenance footprint.
Korean National Police adds H225 for law enforcement and emergencies
November 30, 2025
Airbus has secured a new customer in South Korea as the police agency has ordered its first H225 for complex mission support across the country.
Airbus and Østnes boost order book with ten H125s
November 30, 2025
The H125 is engineered to excel in the most demanding conditions, and this total of 14 orders in 2025 affirms the type's position as the preferred tool for customers across the Nordic countries.