Rotorcraft
Kopter Shows SH09 at Helitech
EASA certification of the single-engine model is expected in next year's second half.

The first prototype of the Swiss-built Kopter SH09, which made its maiden flight on Oct. 2, 2014, is among the nine helicopters on display at Helitech. The model on display wears the red-and-white livery of the newest customer, Malaysia’s Systematic Aviation Services (SAS), which operates from Kuala Lumpur’s Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport. Designed by pilot and engineer Martin Stucki, the Kopter SH09 reflected its creator’s frustration with legacy single-engined helicopter designs and their often poorly designed cockpits. Stucki conducted market research that indicated a viable market for a new 2.5-tonne helicopter and in 2007 he formed Marenco Swiss Helicopter (later renamed Kopter) to develop what he claimed would be the first all-new light single-engine turbine helicopter for decades.