Finale HeliExpo 2011

Bell 407GX new Gamin console

Sadly, HeliExpo 2011 is over. It was a good show and although many exhibitors and punters laughed at the exhibitionism of the lights and smoke which surrounded the launch of the Bell  407 varients and the Eurocopter EC145T2, they also appreciated the reason it was done: the recession. The helicopter industry has been floundering in the last few years and although military sales have kept up the turnover of the large manufacturers the market as a whole has suffered. There have been helicopter repossessions, flying business closures, private pilots have reduced in number and there are many unemployed professional pilots, so we needed the lift created by the flamboyance of this show. As we start to believe that the helicopter market is improving so it will start to do so. And indeed it is already is; a straw pole of exhibitors said that they had done well out of the show; got orders, made many good contacts. We are looking for a real resurgence in 2012, but there may be a small amount of growth already.
One example of this growth is the Enstrom Helicopter company. Two years ago it seemed that Enstrom was on the edge, production down and orders few. Last year Enstrom produced five helicopters; hardly something to make CEO Jerry Mullins smile. But the tide has changed, Enstrom has acquired two big Asian orders and even sold the full production line for this year in advance - it is on the verge of getting a backlog. The company is saved and in a way Enstrom, is a forerunner of the recovery.

Enstrom 480B

One benefit of the recession is the new desire of the OEMs to work together to improve the industry both in terms of new technology and more cost effective manufacturing. The helicopter industry is an unusual one in this matter; in most other industries the public welcome competition as a way of reducing the price, but in helicopter manufacturing competition is not direct. As Jeff Pino of Sikorsky pointed out, those who train on Schweizers stay within the Sikorsky fold, while those who train on Robinsons move up through the Robinson family. Those who start on the Enstrom Shark (OK far fewer than the other two) move on to the 480B. For this reason companies like Bell and Eurocopter keep on their small helicopters even if they sell far fewer than their larger, more utilitarian models. We human beings tend to be conservative with a small C and find it risky to change companies if we can remain within the family. This in itself can only be good for training establishments. As long as there are a variety of training helicopters, helicopter schools will have a choice of trainers, punters will have choice, the price will stay competitive and bigger companies will see the value of supporting smaller ones. I hope this spirit of co-operation continues, it can only be good for the helicopter market.