As the vertical lift industry convenes in Dallas next month (February 9 to 11) for the 55th HAI Heli-Expo trade show and meeting, it is a dazed and uncertain business beset by flat markets, rising (often ruinous) insurance rates, a growing shortage of rotorcraft pilots and mechanics and a soft overall economy. Nevertheless, the folks who fly helicopters for a living are nothing if not plucky, facing their business days in much the same spirit as the besieged commander who, informed he is surrounded by the enemy on all four sides, chuckles grimly and mutters between clenched teeth, “Good. That means we’ve got ’em right where we want ’em.”
Fortunately for the bottom line of Heli-Expo’s organizer, the venue for this year’s show is Dallas, traditionally the site of strong attendance, as well as home base to two of the helicopter world’s bitterest rivals, both of which are plotting major presences at Heli-Expo 2003. Another manufacturer is hoping to use the show as a springboard for a freshly certified design that has yet to show any tangible market strength.
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