Heli Expo 2006 - In the glow of its crowning victory on Everest, Eurocopter is taking full advantage of the excellent health of the civil helicopter industry.

Breakthroughs
Perched at the top of the Eurocopter stand, the AS350 B3 Ecureuil that championed Everest, and Didier Delsalle, its pilot, dominated the show. The duo did not go unnoticed in a land that favors the biggest and the best. But, their presence was also another way of recalling that Eurocopter still stands head and shoulders above the rest in a more and more competitive world civil market.
Fabrice Brégier, the Eurocopter President, underlined this point during the Heli Expo opening press conference. With 401 helicopters ordered in 2005, an order book at the end of 2005 totaling almost ten billion euros for the last five years, and a range of helicopters in a world class of its own, Eurocopter is strengthening its position as world leader. The company has even allowed itself the luxury of setting the pace in the US – no longer a closed shop, Eurocopter has made great and lasting strides into the United States market.

“We are number one in terms of market share for the fifth year in a row in the civil and parapublic sector,” stated Marc Paganini, the CEO of American Eurocopter. “And we have more than 50% of the market in key sectors such as EMS, parapublic, utility, and tourism.” In 2005, American Eurocopter delivered 93 aircraft and took orders for 122 more. A comprehensive range, which has really caught the eye of the Americans, explains this success – and the mere presence of the aircraft on show at the Heli Expo stand showed this clearly.

The EC120 B Colibri and Ecureuil family have been selected by numerous federal agencies (Homeland Security, Customs & Border Protection), police forces, tourist operators, and others. The EC135, half of whose sales are made on the US market, has not only confirmed its predominance in the EMS sector, but has also made a remarkable breakthrough into the oil sector – a performance all the more outstanding because several competitor aircraft in this category are now hot on its tail. The EC145 is also beginning its career in the American EMS sector, and has been entered in the LUH (Light Utility Helicopter) military program bid (see article in this issue).

Major Expansion
In less than three years, American Eurocopter has transitioned from the distribution and customization of European-built aircraft to the manufacture of parts and complete helicopters. The sites in Grand Prairie (Texas) and Columbus (Mississippi) currently manufacture EC145 tail booms, Ecureuil/AStar horizontal stabilizers, and Dauphin engine cowlings. But this is just the start! With the certification of the first “made in the USA” AStar, and its delivery to the Texas Department of Public Safety on 8 February 2006, Eurocopter can now legitimately claim to be an American company.

This is a major step that could be a prelude to the manufacture in North America of most of the 322 “UH-145s” for the LUH program. The announcement of the winner of the invitation to bid is expected in June. A Eurocopter victory would be a quantum leap forward for the Columbus site, and would lead to the creation of 350 new jobs. This would also strengthen Eurocopter’s foundations and presence on US territory.