Dallas (TX) (USA)

Heli-Expo 2017

6 - 9 March 2017

Credits: Lukas Kinneswenger

This year the HAI Heli-Expo, the world’s largest trade show and exposition dedicated to vertical aviation, took place from 6 untill 9 March 2017 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison convention center in Dallas (TX). For Bell Helicopter this Heli-Expo was a chance to use some home field advantage, as the company is headquartered in next door Fort Worth. Bell was one of the companies operating flights for media and prospective buyers from the Dallas Vertiport, located at the southside of the convention center.

One of the events at the expo was a delivery ceremony where Scott Urschel, the first customer of the Bell 505 JRX, received the first production Bell 505 JRX. Urschel was one of the initial members of Bell Helicopter’s Customer Advisory Group formed to assist in the design and development of the Bell 505 JRX. Eagle Copters formally delivered the second Bell 407HP re-engined with the Honeywell HTS900 to Georgia based Helicopter Express during the Heli-Expo.

With at least five on display at this year’s Heli-Expo, up from three in 2016, commercially-configured UH-60 Black Hawks seem to have become big business for some companies. Lhasa Snow Eagle General Aviation Corporation, which is a joint venture of Ruo’er Group based in Lhasa, will be operating a total of twelve H125s, for which Ruo’er Group signed a Letter of Intent with Airbus Helicopters. Milestone Aviation Group, acquired by GE Capital Aviation Services in June 2015, announced a €200 million firm order with Airbus Helicopters including H145, H135 and H175 helicopters. The helicopter leasing company also placed an order for six AW139 and three AW169 helicopters. Waypoint Leasing announced an acquisition of an additional sixteen Airbus rotorcraft.

Fresh from a fire fighting season, Oregon-based Columbia Helicopters brought one of its specially-equipped Boeing CH-47D Chinooks to the static display. Argentine company Cicaré Rotorcraft announced the appointment of DEAGA USA as its exclusive distributor for the Cicaré range of helicopters on the opening day of HAI Heli-Expo. Alpinlift Helikopter has placed an order for the SKYe SH09 helicopter and thus becoming part of the launch customer team.

MD Helicopters unveiled the MD6XX hoping for new military and civil helicopter orders and a re-branded the light-twin MD902 Explorer called the MD969. Although the terms of the deal were not disclosed, Erickson has received an order to build its first S-64 Aircrane in eight years. The Portland-based aviation firm is building an S-64E for the Korea Forest Service with an anticipated delivery date of December 2017.

Bell Helicopter unveiled its vision of the future of vertical lift in the form of a full-scale mockup of the FCX-001 concept aircraft. The German registered H135 equipped with the Helionixital avionics suite embarked on a demo tour of the US and Mexico after the show.

In 2018, HAI’s Heli-Expo will take place in Las Vegas (NV) from 27 February untill 1 March.

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