Crowded Scene At HAI Heli-Expo Sets Stage For Rotorcraft Renaissance

One of two new Airbus EC145e helicopters owned by Metro Aviation for the Flight For Life emergency medical service was displayed at Heli Expo. The aircraft is equipped with Metro’s standard medical interior and Genesys Aerosystems’ instrumental flight rules HeliSAS autopilot and stability augmentation, providing safety and workload reduction for both single- and dual-pilot operations.

Schweizer RSG aims to double and possibly triple production output of S300Cs (pictured) and S300CBs in 2023, with plans to further expand beyond that, depending on market demand. The Fort Worth-based manufacturer, which only resumed production four years ago after acquiring the rights from Sikorsky in 2018, will build and deliver 12 rotorcraft in 2022, says Schweizer President David Horton.

Swiss-based engineering company Marenco, led by Martin Stucki, the creator of the former Kopter SH-09, is seeking investors for a new eight-passenger hybrid-electric concept that was unveiled at Heli-Expo. Dubbed the M12/M22, the helicopter family resembles a larger version of the SH-09—now rebranded the AW09 following its acquisition by Leonardo Helicopters. Designed to carry an external payload of up to 4,400 lb. at sea level and 3,300 lb. at 10,000 ft., the initial single-engine M12 version would be powered by a 1,100-shp turbine/turbogenerator and electrically driven main and tail rotors.

With training and parapublic business picking up for the Bell 505, the company announced plans to collaborate with Safran on test flights of the Arrius 2R-powered light helicopter with sustainable aviation fuel. Bell delivered the 300th 505 in 2021.

Equipped for fire fighting, this Air Center Helicopters H225 Super Puma was the first of more than 40 rotorcraft to fly into Dallas for display at Heli Expo.

Colorado-based Firehawk operates a mixed fleet of nine Sikorsky S-70 and UH-60 Black Hawks and five Airbus H125s in support of wildland firefighting and other commercial services. Amid growing sales of the S-70 Firehawk fire-fighting variant, Sikorsky is offering new-production S-70M Black Hawks to the civil and parapublic markets following restricted category special airworthiness certification for the model from the FAA.

Balkiz Sarihan, head of Airbus Urban Air Mobility Strategy Execution and Partnerships (left) and Sam Marnick, chief operating officer of Spirit AeroSystems, announced that Airbus is partnering with Spirit to design and manufacture the wings for the CityAirbus NextGen electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing (eVTOL) multicopter. Airbus, which revealed the updated CityAirbus design in September 2021, is targeting first flight in 2023 and certification of the eVTOL by 2025.

A Kaman Air Vehicles K-1200 K-MAX operated by Montrose, Colorado-based, high-altitude, heavy-lift specialist Mountain Blade Runner helicopters was on display at HAI’s flagship event in Dallas.

Robinson delivered four helicopters—an R66 Turbine, R66 ENG (electronic newsgathering), R44 Raven II and R44 Cadet—to new operators after displaying them at Heli-Expo.