Professional Pilot, May 2019

C elebrating its 70th year the Helicopter Association International brought its annual Heli Expo gathering to Atlanta GA for the first time Held March 4 7 over 1 million sq ft of floor space at the Georgia World Congress Center was filled with more than 700 exhibitor booths hosted 18000 and showcased 57 aircraft At the opening breakfast HAI Pres CEO Matt Zuccaro had a sit down with FAA Acting Administrator Dan Elwell to discuss many issues affecting the helicopter industry Educational opportunities were offered covering a variety of flight maintenance and management topics A flurry of exciting unexpected product announcements were made during the conference Airbus assembled an H145 on the show floor with a 5 bladed main rotor This new version of the light twin dubbed the H145D3 will boast a 330 lb increase in useful load FADEC lower empty weight and a single bolt foldable blade Certification is expected early 2020 and the mods will be available as a retrofit on earlier H145 models Airbus also displayed an EMS mockup of the H160 medium twin which looks to be certified 62 PROFESSIONAL PILOT May 2019 by the end of 2019 and a law enforcement H125 both interiors prepared by Metro Aviation Airbus nabbed 43 new aircraft orders during the show Leonardo showed its AW169 in a VIP interior layout alongside an AW109 Trekker and AW119Kx Preshow announcements highlighted increased sales and market value continued focus on customer support including the recent opening of their Gulf Coast Support Center in Broussard LA and revealing that the first production AW609 begins assembly in a few weeks Also making a Louisiana based announcement was upstart Kopter which revealed that its US production and service facility for the single engine SH09 will be in Lafayette LA With 25 orders already in certification is expected mid 2020 Bell drew crowds at its display primarily for the full size model of its in development Nexus electric vertical takeoff and landing eVTOL aircraft The company announced an IFR certified 407 to be ready by August and certification of the medium twin 525 Relentless planned for end of 2019 Autonomous Pod Transport APT UAVs and the Georgia State Police 429 were also at the booth Sikorsky unveiled 2 new versions of its S 92 heavy twin the S 92A and the S 92B The various improvements to each model will offer lower operating costs greater reliability and more operational capability Sikorsky also discussed plans for its version of urban air mobility focusing on optionally piloted existing models such as the S 76 MD Helicopter CEO Lynn Tilton spoke about additional military sales the continued advancement of the twin 902 into the 969 and a modified winged 200 knot version of the 969 to be called the Swift which will compete in the US Army Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft FARA program Smaller manufacturers also made news Robinson celebrated 40 years of building 12600 helicopters with a retro themed R22 Enstrom updated its 280FX piston single had its 480B turbine approved by Transport Canada and showed strong overseas sales Newcomer Guimbal is planning an around the world trip this summer with its 2 seat G2 equipped with a Fenestron type tail rotor and a 4 cylinder Lycoming engine Announcements were also prevalent in the aftermarket suppliers and rebuilders Metro Aviation had a busy year with new operating programs joint ventures with most OEMs and delivery of the first IFR certified EC145e Boeing purchased popular electronic flight bag app ForeFlight Universal Avionics unveiled helmet and head mounted EFVS Flight Deck Safran continues work in hybrid power and 3D printing of engines Aviation Specialties Unlimited debuted its new lightweight E3 NVGs And True Blue Power brought its new 5th gen lithium ion batteries HAIs Heli Expo will reconvene Jan 27 30 2020 in Anaheim CA EVENT COVERAGE Heli Expo 2019 HAI celebrates 70th anniversary in Atlanta GA Universal Avionics announced the retirement of CEO Paul DeHerrera L after 25 years with the company Incoming CEO Dror Yahav R took over April 10 Leonardo Managing Dir Gian Piero Cutillo addressed the media during the companys annual pre show press conference and dinner The company has seen solid growth and expects it to continue in the upcoming year Leonardo was voted 1st place in the 2019 Pro Pilot Helo Suport Survey L R Leonardo Helicopters Cust Sup Training SVP Vittorio Della Bella SVP of Strategy and Competitive Analysis Roberto Garavaglia Managing Dir Gian Piero Cutillo Managing Dir AgustaWestland Philadelphia Corp William Hunt and Leonardo Helicopters SVP Global Sales Emilio Dalmasso HAI Pres CEO Matthew Zuccaro welcomed attendees at the Membership Meeting Breakfast By Brent Bundy Phoenix Police Officer Pilot AS350 AW119 Cessna 210 182 172 Universal Avionics unveiled its new InSight Display System and Heli ClearVision Enhanced Flight Vision System helicopter flightdeck Photos by Brent Bundy José Vásquez Photo courtesy Universal Avionics