Thierry Dubois is a freelance writer specializing in helicopters, business aviation and aerospace technology. He earned a degree in fluid dynamics from an engineering school in Toulouse, France in the mid-1990s. At an unexpected crossroads, he found his first job in journalism. In 1997, he started working for French aerospace weekly Air &amp; Cosmos in Paris. This lasted until 2000, when he moved south to Lyons. He then became a freelancer, working for various aerospace publications and has been part of the AIN team since late 2000. In addition to writing about business aviation, Thierry shares responsibility for the rotorcraft section. He also is a regular on-site writer for AIN’s daily editions at international airshows such as the Paris, Farnborough, Dubai and Singapore shows, as well as at EBACE in Geneva.
In 2007, he won the Honeywell award for “Best systems or technology submission” at the Aerospace journalist of the year awards. In 2013, he won an Aerospace Media Award for the "Best Safety, Training &amp; Simulation Submission."
In other activities, Thierry moderates international conferences on aviation technology topics. Thierry is married and has three children, who seem to begin enjoying the mountains–as their parents do.

Writer

Thierry Dubois

Dublin, Ireland-based <a href="http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/2010-08-04/santulli-back-bizjet-business">Milestone Aviation</a> claims to be on track to lease $1 billion worth of helicopters by year-end. The company, created in 2010 by former NetJets top execs Richard Santulli and William Kelly, provides various leasing arrangements to helicopter operators, from lease on new helicopter delivery–the customer chooses the aircraft, negotiates the contract and then assigns it to Milestone–to sale-leaseback. 
Milestone’s primary mission is to help those operators that want to bid for major service contracts but don’t have the capital to qualify them for a large helicopter order. While the company’s core market is offshore oil and gas operators, Milestone also supports any operation where the helicopter is mission-critical, such as EMS, firefighting, utility and search-and-rescue. 
Although Milestone won’t support armed helicopter operations, it could finance helicopters used for military training if the aircraft remains on a civil register.
“We are not interested in corporate/VIP transport,” managing director Robert Dranitzke told AIN. The asset valuation tends to be variable and, in a downturn, the end user can do without the aircraft, he explained. However, the company could make an exception for proven business models such as the Nice-Monaco link.
The 23-employee firm now has “more than 20” customers and 60 helicopters under lease. It has another 40 helicopters under letter of intent with operators around the world, and “more than 30” helicopters on direct order with OEMs. These direct orders represent “no more than 15 to 20 percent of our overall business,” Dranitzke said. Milestone has directly ordered (as opposed to taking a purchase assignment from an operator) helicopters from two major manufacturers–Sikorsky and Eurocopter–so far.
Dranitzke told AIN that while financing is Milestone’s most successful product, the company defines its success by its partnerships with customers. For example, an agreement with Turbomeca for an engine support-by-the-hour program is supposed to bring more value for the operator. Although it is generating “small revenues,” it should be seen as the first in a series of such deals with OEMs and equipment manufacturers. “Our customers benefit from the advantageous terms we negotiate, thanks to our size,” Dranitzke said.

News and issues regarding all manner of civil and military rotorcraft and their powerplants, including helicopters, tilt rotors and unmanned air vehicles.

Milestone Finds Sweet Spot in Helicopter Leasing

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charles Alcock

News about environmental issues relating to aircraft operations, including noise issues, emissisions, and regulations. See Fuel for biofuel.

News and information on safety procedures and concerns.

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Powercor deploys Bell 407GXi rotorcraft in Australia

Aerial Inspections Make the Difference in Fighting Bushfires

Matt Thurber

News about simulators and training procedures, as well as workforce.

Loft Dynamics device makes emergency training much more realistic 

Los Angeles Police Dept Puts VR Simulator to Work

Traffic jams make it worthwhile for people to fly on short helicopter charter flights

Sweet Helicopters Keeps Indianapolis 500 Fans Moving

Facility will serve regional customers and improve the OEM’s efficiency

Airbus Helicopters Opens Niagara Distribution Center

Brazil’s energy market is a strong driver of rotorcraft activity in LATAM

Rotortrade Sees Growth in Latin American Helo Market

Hanneke Weitering

Essential news and analysis on the defense aerospace business. Your trusted source for new and ongoing programs and requirements in military aircraft (manned and unmanned), engines, avionics, weapons and associated systems, including ground-based air defense.

Contender to replace the branch's Airbus UH-72 Lakota trainers

Robinson Reveals R66 for Army Helicopter Training

News and issues concerning the aviation charter and fractional-ownership industries and markets, including company announcements, regulations, new developments and labor issues.

Universal Vulkaan Aviation has now ordered seven VIP helicopters

Leonardo’s Indian Distributor UVA Orders Two AW169s

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

More In Rotorcraft