The first day in a new job is daunting enough, without that moment coinciding with the start of the Paris air show.
But Bruno Even, the newly installed chief executive of French helicopter engine manufacturer Turbomeca, is taking it in his stride.
That's partly because, although he arrives from sister Safran company Sagem, Even also has a 13-year stint at Turbomeca under his belt, including a period as programme chief "so I know a little bit about the company", he says.
His initial task will be to ensure "customer satisfaction", he says.
"You have to have a good product and be competitive, but you have to meet your commitments and match customer expectation or the story will be short," he says.
In addition, two development programmes - the 1,100-1,300shp Arrano for the Airbus Helicopters H160 and the 504shp Arrius 2R to power the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X - need to be successfully brought into service.
And longer term, Turbomeca is also working on its Tech 3000 technology demonstration programme, which will eventually morph into a serial production engine to equip a future heavy helicopter.
Early discussions with manufacturers have taken place, but Even cautions that a programme launch is still some years away.
That said, Airbus Helicopters today unveiled a two-year concept development phase for its new heavy X6 programme during which it will firm the configuration, including the engine selection.
Turbomeca "has to propose the right solution", says Even, "but after that it's not my decision."
First runs of the complete Tech 3000 demonstrator are due later this year following tests of individual modules running since the beginning of the year.
Turbomeca promises it will deliver a 25% fuel burn reduction over comparable products.
Source: Flight Daily News
