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

Héli-Union, a Paris-headquartered operator, is proceeding with a fleet renewal despite the declining activity in the offshore oil-and-gas sector, the company’s mainstay. Héli-Union operates in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

 


The last two of an order for six Finmeccanica AW139 medium twins were delivered in January. They meet all three criteria oil firms consider essential: high performance at takeoff (PC1), wide emergency exits and Sea State 6 (SS6) capability, Héli-Union CEO Patrick Molis told AIN.

 


Meanwhile, the Airbus Helicopters AS365N3 Dauphin is still “the heart of our fleet,” Molis said. The 14 N3s Héli-Union owns are being retrofitted with sturdier fasteners on the flotation system, a modification that will make them SS6-capable. However, with that upgrade they will meet only one of the three criteria. The cabin, relatively small by today’s standards, is another disadvantage, said Molis.

 


Héli-Union also has seven Sikorsky S-76C++s in its offshore fleet. The type meets none of the three criteria, and Molis claimed Sikorsky has not offered any upgrade for the medium twin.

 


Other types in use in Héli-Union’s offshore business are the EC225 (three), Super Puma L1 (two) medium twins and EC145 twin (two). “A few AS365N Dauphins [serve] as a backup in Africa,” said Molis. The company owns all the helicopters in the fleet.

 


Molis is now mulling Héli-Union’s next acquisition. “We are looking at the AW169,” he said. Finmeccanica plans to secure certification of the offshore version this summer, he went on, and the model would be suitable for oil rigs on which the helipad is relatively old and thus cannot support a heavy helicopter. With 4.8 metric tons (10,600 pounds) and enough power, the AW169 is “agile,” said Molis.

 


A major change in Héli-Union’s fleet renewal plan seems to be the cancelation of an order for four Airbus H175s. A source close to the company told AIN it has <a href="mailto:https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2016-03-01/h175-demand-suffers-oil-and-gas-slump">scrapped the purchase</a> but Molis would not confirm. “We are having a technical debate with Airbus Helicopters and the discussion continues,” he said. Héli-Union was one of the launch customers of the type, with deliveries planned for the 2014-2015 period.

 


The dwindling price of oil has necessitated workforce reductions for pilots and line maintenance technicians, by 20 percent and 30 percent, respectively. There are now about 100 pilots and 80 technicians. They are not employed by Héli-Union but provided by a specialist firm called Offset. Total workforce is close to 550.

 


After a peak in 2014 (at €150 million [$158 million]), revenue began to drop last year (€130 million [$147 million]) and Molis expects a further 10- to 15-percent reduction this year.

 


“Competition is more intense on the few tenders still happening,” Molis said. Most of them are for the renewal of existing transportation services. He expects the situation to continue through at least next year. Héli-Union has bases in Congo, Gabon, Cameroon, Nigeria, Argentina, Uruguay and Myanmar.

 


In France it offers maintenance, and training on a level-B Dauphin N3 flight simulator.

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