Although the shadow of the September 11 atrocity in the U.S. was evident at Helitech, the major American companies participated fully, and some praised both the exhibition and its new venue. Previously held at Redhill Aerodrome, conveniently close to London Gatwick Airport but all too often waterlogged, Helitech  moved this year to Duxford Airfield’s hard runway and concrete apron–a switch that was widely welcomed. This year’s event was held September 25 to 30.
 
A former Battle of Britain fighter base, Duxford is now home to the Imperial War Museum’s aircraft collection (said to be the largest in Europe) but it easily accommodated the temporary structure housing Helitech exhibitors. With little traffic around the airfield, helicopter demonstration flights posed no problems, and Eurocopter made the most of this–its EC 130B4 demo flights were in great demand during the show.

The EC 130 is currently being placed into service with launch customer Blue Hawaiian, and 15 of the helicopters will have been delivered to various operators by the end of this year. The single Turbomeca Arriel 2B that powers the EC 130 is claimed to be the first to incorporate a dual-channel full authority digital engine control (Fadec), while an automatic rotor-speed control system adjusts the engine to match flight conditions. This system ensures a minimum noise level at cruise speed.  
With 400 helicopter deliveries planned for this year, Eurocopter is having to pull out all the stops to meet demand, according to senior executive vice president Dr. Siegfried Sobotta.  “With about a 50-percent market share [excluding military models], our position is very strong,” he told AIN. “There is no competitor with such a broad product range,” although he expects “some reaction” to this before long.
 
In Europe, Sobotta expects the law-enforcement and EMS markets to grow, though the EC 120 is attracting “lots of customers who buy them for fun” and is penetrating down into Robinson-held markets among private fliers.  However, he  believes there is a need to increase acceptance of helicopters in general among those who currently perceive them to be noisy and a nuisance.   “The industry also needs to improve the all-weather capabilities of helicopters,” he added.