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Aviation History
1971
1971 - 0398.PDF
FUCHT International, 18 March 1971 367 Helicopter marketing at Oxford FOLLOWING the bare announcement in November 1970 that CSE were to undertake marketing and support for Bell helicopters, there has been steady progress in setting up the operation, as Flight was able to see recently during a visit to Oxford. Discussing the project with Lord Waterpark and Mr T. Sopwith, the two CSE directors most concerned, one is left in no doubt that this is a forward- looking move aimed at establishing CSE's place in the helicopter world during the present recession conditions, so as to be ready to make the most of the revived interest which must come. The Bell position in the United Kingdom has been something of an anomaly, with lines of communication which have extended both to Fort Worth and to Agusta at Cascina Costa. While this has resulted in the sale of 70 Bell helicopters in the British Isles, supplied from both sources, the subsequent support has depended in fair measure on the spares holdings of the larger operators rather than on a factory-sponsored spares organisation. As a distributor for the United Kingdom and Ireland, CSE deals direct with Fort Worth and is independent of the Bell European office in Brussels. The situation is very similar to that obtaining between CSE and Piper, but whereas that association has over 700 aircraft sales to its credit, the new plan is being founded on service with sales to follow as the market bears up. Spares for the Model 47 and the JetRanger have already arrived at Oxford and the CSE mark-up will be the same as that applied to Piper spares, giving a competitive price. CSE will have either a JetRanger or a 47G-5 available "off the shelf" and a contract has been placed with British Executive Air Services for the assembly of new aircraft as they are received from the USA. BEAS—which, though located at Oxford, is not a member of the CSE group—is at present re-equipping its helicopter school with the 47G, and the combination of BEAS flying training and Oxford Air Training School ground training has been approved by the DoTI. Helicopter activity in the United Kingdom pales into insignificance when one considers that Bell has produced over 15,000 units since the original 47B was certificated in March 1946. To some extent the slow growth rate must be the result of the variable weather conditions in Europe, since a business aircraft which is limited to VFR/VMC is scarcely a worthwhile addition to a company transport fleet. Lord Waterpark feels strongly that the era of the truly IFR helicopter is not far off; already JetRangers are carrying sophisticated avionics, but for all-weather com mercial operations it is the advent of the twin-engined light helicopter that holds the most promise. By the installation of the "Twin-Pac" PT6T-3 in the Model 205, Bell has produced the Model Two-Twelve, first deliveries of which were made at the end of 1970. The Two-Twelve has a large reserve of power with 1,800 s.h.p. available, derated to 1,250 s.h.p. for take-off, compared to the single 1,400 s.h.p. T53-13A of the earlier version. There Rotary executive jet. The Bell Two-Twelve (above) is a promising new comer to the range of turbine-powered helicopters, offering twin-engined safety and IFR potential. Below, Tommy Sopwith, on experienced Jet Ranger owner and director of CSE, seen with Lord Waterpark, marketing director, and John Hedges, who has joined the company on retirement from the Queen's Flight. Assembly of imported aircraft is being under taken by BEAS are several British operators to whom this size of heli copter is likely to appeal and Bell is well advanced with ARB certification. Despite being three times the size of the JetRanger, the Two-Twelve is marketed as a six-seat executive as well as a general utility machine, and the first aircraft in this configuration is already in use with Mack Trucks of Allentown, Pa. Tommy Sopwith's JetRanger, in which we flew down to Oxford, gave a good example of the value of the helicopter when time is the owner's main concern. It took us little over half an hour from Battersea to Oxford, despite the need to follow a tortuous route avoiding Heathrow and overflying Northolt. The combination of the need to remain in VFR contact and yet to maintain safety margins and cause the minimum of noise disturbance means that routes in the London area must be closely defined. Already the wider use of the light turbine helicopter has overcome objections on the grounds of noise, and recent trials of possible landing sites conducted by the Greater London Council made specific reference to this fact. If this reduced noise level were to be combined with twin-engined safety and IFR capability there seems no practical reason why many of the constraints on heli copters around London could not be lifted. With the Bell range of helicopters to add to the Piper fixed-wing range, CSE's share of the general-aviation market is likely to be large. In 1970 the company's turnover exceeded £5 million and the forecast for 1971 is that £6 million will be achieved; certainly it will be well placed to take advantage of any helicopter openings in the future.
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