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Aviation History
1987
1987 - 2346.PDF
has been postponed rather than cancelled, the singles market is picking up. "As safety requirements are increased, we may see custom ers migrating to twins," he says, echoing suggestions from the emergency medical services thdt continued growth may be in the form of more twins. According to Cliff McKay, Canada's assistant deputy minister for regional indus trial expansion, the renego tiated Bell deal has cost only time, and that is not such a precious commodity given the reason for the change—a depressed market. Work on the 206B JetRanger began last year, and by early 1987 several examples were in flight test and the first Cana dian 206B was taking pride of place on Bell's stand at the HAI Convention in Dallas. The stretched 206L LongRanger has followed close behind. In August, James Schwalbe was able to report that all 206Ls available in 1987 had been sold, and that only a few 206Bs remained. Production was running at four a month on each line. Not that start-up has been without its problems. Had the Mirabel plant been used for the proposed Series 400 helicop ters, assembly and fabrication procedures could have been debugged on the first model as production began from scratch. Following renegotiation of the contract, Bell's introduction of the existing 206 lines has meant that the Mirabel facility "has had to hit the ground running," says Schwalbe. Production had to be trans ferred without losing a place in the sched ule. This has been a major preoccupation for the Bell management this year. The company has been helped by the availability of aviation skills and expertise, since about 50 per cent of Cana dian aerospace is to be found in the Montreal area. Schwalbe tells Flight that he could not be happier with the people who have been taken on. Employment stands at around 500, and introduction of the 212 next year will add a further 50. Bell expects to be employing 600+ by the end of 1988 to build the 412 and "to meet other needs". More than 100 employees have been to Fort Worth for training peri ods of from two to 24 months. After de Havilland Canada had lost several weeks to a strike this year (as new owner Boeing came to terms with the workforce in Toronto), Schwalbe reports that "Bell did not come to Montreal to keep the unions out". The company hired a consultant to educate it in new industrial relations thinking. Work teams have been introduced so that employees may be more The Bell 412 is expected to be the fourth commercial helicopter to be built at Mirabel involved. They receive multi-skill train ing, and monthly meetings provide an opportunity for two-way communication. "We have a long way to go," says Schwalbe. "We hope to develop a sufficiently good relationship between both sides that we won't require third- party intervention. This is the way of the future. We have to do more than give a pay cheque." Transferring expertise has perhaps been Bell's biggest challenge. Once the renegotiation had been completed and the 206B JetRanger set up, Schwalbe says that three months were necessary to prepare for the 206L. After that he needed six months at least before bringing in the 212, and then as much time again to intro duce the 412. (The 222 and 214ST are not covered by the Canadian Government deal, so if these are to follow there will have to be a commercial decision from Fort Worth. Schwalbe will be looking for six months' notice.) Bell continues to increase the Canadian content of its pro- Be^ expects to need at least six months to prepare for 212 production after the 206L ducts, and has been attending "reverse trade" shows (where local industrial services are offered). It aims to reach 70 per cent. MBB has been faced with similar challenges in its much smaller establishment at Fort Erie. The West German manufacturer was allocated just C$70 million in the origi nal C$948 million programme (but claims to be "Canada's first helicopter manu facturer," because it set up shop in 1984). Five per cent is owned by Fleet Aerospace, which produces the tailboom and cabin floor for the BO.105. Canadian content has begun at about 30 per cent. Reaching the same 70 per cent target at which Bell is aiming is a major challenge, but the introduction of Pratt & Whitney engines in place of Allison powerplants from the USA will go a long way towards it. The manufacturer will also complete any BO.105s and BK.117s which are sold to Canadians, as well as providing customer support and training. MBB has found many of its initial employees in the Canadian aviation community and, like Bell, it has brought a few managers from "home". Unlike its Texan counterpart, which has settled in a strongly French culture, MBB can iden tify strongly with the large German- speaking immigrant community in southern Ontario. Ultimately, almost 300 people will be employed by MBB, with many more jobs for suppliers. MBB's early fortunes in Canada have been done no harm by the Coast Guard's purchase of a dozen BO. 105s, which, with four previous machines, have been bought to replace single-engined Bell 206s. Very soon the company should receive its first Pratt & Whitney engines to get the BO.105LS-5 programme under way. Richard Dixon sees the defence market becoming important. The prospect of a major contribution to the New Shipborne Aircraft programme and the mid- 1990s Canadian Forces Light Observation Helicopter gives each manufacturer incentive. Dixon expects to see a signifi cant part of NSA fabrication being done in Canada. MBB has produced a large proportion of the twin- engined helicopters operating in the USA, while Bell's JetRanger series is ubiqui tous. The West German manufacturer's plant at Fort Erie is right across the water from Buffalo, where ' heli copter pioneers Arthur Young and Larry Bell met more than 40 years ago. It might not take that long for the home of the second-largest helicopter fleet to become the Number Two western producer. E 32 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, 14 November 1987
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