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Aviation History
1984
1984 - 0013.PDF
CIVIL HELICOPTERS Internationalism on the way Some 250 companies will be attending this year's Helicopter Association International convention. They all want to know if the recession in the heli copter industry is really ending. Some news stories seem to indicate that it is, while others point to a bleaker future. The strong dollar has helped French and perhaps even British machines to do well worldwide, but some major operators are laying off staff. Last autumn Flight visited Aberdeen to find one operator turning away ad hoc work while another was making pilots redundant. It is sometimes difficult to work out whether this is due to a real downturn, or to clients moving contracts between operators. Just before Christmas a North Sea oil company moved a major contract, leaving one operator with a large part of its fleet idle while the other had to start building a base from nothing. Given uncertainties such as these, it is not surprising that some operators remain wary of placing major orders for helicop ters. Predicting the fleet requirement five or ten years from now has always been a problem, but it is a greater problem if an operator is dependent upon a few major contracts. Public transport operators rely on a great number of ad hoc contracts with individual (i.e. ticket sales), and this kind of business lends itself far better to statis tical predictions. Helicopter manufacturers will find themselves making far more sales in the public transport market if helicopter airlines continue to emerge. One such airline (Airspur) is facing resistance from environmentalists, to whom the W30 inci- This year's Helicopter Association International convention (Las Vegas January 18-21) could see the start of more international co-operation. dent at Long Beach was manna from heaven. The forced landing came at a bad time, but Airspur's voluntary grounding of its W30s and its extremely co-operative stance towards environmental pressures should keep objections to a minimum. Other W30 orders could rest on the Airspur's performance. It is known that negotiations are going on in Chicago and New York, and this year's HAI convention may prove to be the place for a major announcement. A Westland team has also been hard at work in India. Canadian developments Within a few years Canadian workers should be building the Bell 400 series and MBB's BO105, and Pratt & Whitney Canada's Small Turbine Engine Programme should have produced a certif icated 400-500 s.h.p. engine by 1988. The opportunity for new technology to be included in these developments is great, and combined with advances in avionics- such as Efis—it should make the next generation of helicopters very attractive. The Aeronautical Industries Associ ation has expressed fears that US manu facturers are losing the lead in helicopter technology as the emphasis moves from the military to the civil market. The Cana dian programme will give North America an opportunity to keep its lead, but it will be against considerable European opposition. It is heartening to see increasing inter national collaboration, because protec tionism only serves to delay the devel opment of advanced technology. The only valid way of protecting a market is to build a better product. Predatory financing by European governments has been a common accusa tion by many US manufacturers. A senior executive of one US company said "we do not wish to compete with the French Government", referring to the success that Aerospatiale has had in North Amer ica. But a large number of French helicop ters have US engines, so it cannot be all bad for the American economy. The BO105, BK117, Westland 30-200, and Agusta 109 are in the same position. Three years ago the Helicopter Associ ation of America became the Helicopter Association International, to reflect trends and attitudes in the business. The HAI has now established a European office. Half of the world's helicopter industry is in Europe and perhaps, in the fairly near future, the convention may move out of the USA for the first time. But Las Vegas and Anaheim provide a very pleasant venue for those of us not so well blessed in winter climates. This year's convention will be even more useful and productive than those that have gone before. Q SLIGHT International, 7 January 1984 13
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