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The submission deadline for the 2026 POWER UP Magazine Photo Contest is tonight, Dec. 1, at 11:59 pm eastern (UTC-5). We will feature the winning photos in the March 2026 edition and display them at VERTICON 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. The grand prize winner will receive $500.

(EMS1) – A California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) Sikorsky S-70i Firehawk crew assisted ground teams with airlifting the hiker from a steep embankment Nov. 30 in Shelter Cove.

The United States Helicopter Safety Team (USHST) has published its monthly safety report for November. The report covers various metrics, including average accident rates and average fatal-accident rates for the past five years.

The New Jersey–based company has promoted Raj Kotecha to the role. Kotecha was previously VP of strategic accounts.

This proposed FAA airworthiness directive (AD) would apply to the AS332C/C1 and L/L1/L2 models. The AD would require operators to replace the rotor-shaft assembly; modify the rotating swashplate assembly to replace each of the three ball joint–cup assemblies with one-piece self-lubricated spherical bearings; and modify the scissors hinges and swashplate trunnions on the main rotor, as applicable. It would also require the application of an anticorrosion agent and prohibit the installation of a main-rotor hub or rotor-shaft assembly without meeting certain requirements. The FAA is accepting comments on the AD through Jan. 12, 2026.

The OEM secured orders for a mix of Bell 505, Bell 407GXi, and Bell 429 helicopters from operators in Poland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom during EUROPEAN ROTORS 2025.

(Ski magazine) – Hundreds of search-and-rescue professionals from 25 countries highlighted new technologies and techniques during an International Commission for Alpine Rescue conference in Jackson, Wyoming.

(The Rotorcraft Collective) – Many pilots mistakenly believe they will have sufficient reaction time when encountering power lines and other wires. Yet wire strikes have been among the top three causes of fatal helicopter accidents for more than a decade. Chris Hill, a wire-strike survivor and VAI’s senior director of safety, talks about wire-strike avoidance technologies and techniques that can help improve safety.

The FAA is accepting comments on this proposed airworthiness directive (AD) through Jan. 12, 2026. It would require a one-time inspection of the bonding-braid positioning on the socket of the pilot cyclic stick and, depending on the results, correcting the positioning, and installing a binding clamp.

The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has determined the probable cause of the accident to be the pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from power lines during low-level agricultural spraying operations.