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

Eurocopter revealed a mockup of the executive version of its EC175 medium-twin helicopter today at EBACE and is also offering an even more luxurious VIP version. Prices for the new variants are around €17 million ($22 million) and vary with options. The VIP version is some €500,000 ($650,000) more expensive than the executive option.


Cabin interior designer Peter Eidsgaard of Pegasus Desig explained that he wanted to “remove the feeling of a helicopter” and wanted the cabin interior to look like a house, jet or yacht. He “simplified lines” in an attempt to make the background adaptable to the various versions. In addition to the executive version (nine to twelve passengers), three styles for the VIP variant (six to eight passengers) are available.


Frédéric Lemos, Eurocopter’s senior manager for business and private aviation, said executive/VIP sales are expected to reach a combined five examples per year. He expressed hope that the MoU for the first VIP EC175 will be converted to a firm order before EBACE 2013 closes on Thursday. The first delivery is planned to take place late in 2015. Lemos clarified that the executive/VIP EC175 will not be sold in China, due to Eurocopter’s agreement with Avic on the joint EC175/AC352 program.

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