A lifelong aviation enthusiast who joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in 2007, Curt came to&nbsp;the publication&nbsp;from the broadcast industry where he was a national science and technology television reporter and producer. He writes on the FBO field, aviation finance, and sustainable aviation and occasionally contributes to&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;sister publication&nbsp;Business Jet Traveler. Curt was a member of the AINtv reporting staff that won the 2008 Aerospace Journalist of the Year award for Best Airshow Daily. That same year, he was a finalist for another AJOYA award. He earned an AJOYA for Best Business Aviation Submission in 2018 and was a finalist in that category in 2021. He received the National Air Transportation Association’s&nbsp; Aviation Journalist Award in 2012 and won a Pegasus Sapphire Business Aviation Award for outstanding journalism in 2021.
Before joining AIN, Curt worked with&nbsp;Consumer Reports’ television division, CRTV, and for several local television news staffs. An honors graduate of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, he earned a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Boston University in 1995. Curt lives in New York State with his wife and two young sons.

Senior Editor

Curt Epstein

Schweizer Helicopter has had a busy year, according to CEO David Horton. Last March, the light helicopter manufacturer received its unlimited production certificate from the FAA, which supplanted the limited production certificate it received in August 2020.&nbsp;This authorization allows the Fort Worth-based OEM full production of the S300C and S300CBi piston-powered helicopters without FAA oversight of each aircraft.
Additionally, the manufacturer has received approval for a crash-resistant fuel system STC in response to Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) SW-17-31R1. The first installation on a new-production Schweizer will take place by April and it is retrofittable. This approval also allows the company to resume U.S. sales of its helicopters.
After Schweizer was <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2018-01-26/sikorsky-sells-schweizer-s-300-helicopter-line">acquired from Sikorsky</a> in 2018, the company has worked to restart its production line for the venerable helicopter. Horton noted that it has delivered a dozen helicopters since 2021 and has several in its backlog. One of Schweizer’s goals this year is to expand its global sales force to strengthen its order book.
The airframer is also taking steps to improve the manufacturability of its parts. “When the helicopter was designed and built in the 1950s and 1960s, the manufacturing capability was limited and therefore you used a lot of castings in the production of these helicopters,” explained Horton. “We want to move away from castings as we can and go to machined parts,” which have lower lead times and would ultimately lower end costs for the customer.
It is also developing a digital flat-panel instrument display, which the company said will reduce weight by up to 15 pounds.
Schweizer has also worked to address what it describes as its customers' number-one concern: spare parts. Over the past four years, the company restarted its supply chain and invested $15 million in parts and tooling.
Horton noted that the OEM today has parts on its shelves to fill 90 percent of all orders when received. “We’re maybe not at the apex where we feel like it's 100 percent covered all the time, but we feel really good about where we are at with regards to supporting the fleet and having spare parts.”
To bolster its worldwide service network, the company authorized three new locations: HeliEast in Poland, Heli Holland in the Netherlands, and the UK’s Unionlet, which also has a track record of helicopter supply and support in Africa.
In November, the company <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2023-11-17/schweizer-completes-first-oem-certified-helicopter">completed the first example</a> in its OEM Certified Helicopter Program, which was established to bring new life to existing Schweizer airframes. The program comes in two levels, the first being 'Refresh,' which includes ensuring all life-limited components have at least 50 percent of their remaining time, at least 60 percent life remaining on the engine, all required inspections and repairs, overhauled landing gear dampers, new cabin and door Plexiglas, and touch-up paint.
The second level is "refurbish," which involves disassembling the entire helicopter and providing a more extensive slate of repairs such as new interior, Plexiglas, wiring, &nbsp;main and tail rotor blades, and hoses, as well as a factory-fresh or overhauled engine and cleaned and certified oil coolers. It is also stripped and repainted inside and out, and comes with a one-year, 1,000-hour warranty.
“When you buy a used helicopter, you are always taking some level of risk,” Horton told reporters during a Heli-Expo press conference. “Our intention of doing this is to take a lot of that risk out of buying a used helicopter.”
Thus far, he said the Fort Worth-based company has delivered four renovated Schweizers. With between 1,200 and 1,500 active helicopters in the company’s worldwide fleet, which has tallied more than 17 million flight hours, Horton believes there is an ample supply of potential airframes for the upgrade program.
The company also partnered with an insurance company to establish a dedicated coverage program offering prenegotiated rates and benefits unavailable to other piston helicopter manufacturers.
Looking ahead, Horton sees a path to bringing back the turbine-powered Schweizer 333.
“We still believe there is a future for the triple three. I believe in the next 18 months we will secure an order big enough to where we can start production. That will be our next big undertaking.”
Further on the horizon is the 444, a rendering of which Horton showed on Tuesday at the show. While he acknowledged that the aircraft—in the absence of development funding—is just a paper design, it serves a vital role.
“I think for any company, having something that you can push for to the future is really a great thing,” concluded Horton. “If you’re not really driving towards something, what are you doing?”

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

Schweizer Looks to Future as It Continues To Rebuild

With new manufacturing certifications in place, the OEM looks to ramp up production and support

Schweizer Helicopter, which was nearly eliminated during its former ownership by Sikorsky, has had a busy year, according to CEO David Horton.

Schweizer Looks to Future, Continues To Rebuild

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Kerry Lynch

News and information on safety procedures and concerns.

News and issues relating to civil and military unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) of all kinds and sizes, including those used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), combat (unmanned combat air vehicles, or UCAVs), law enforcement, research and other applications. Of particular focus is the FAA's planned integration of UAS into the U.S. national airspace system.

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.

Vertical Aviation International leader prepares to embark on new role at GAMA

 Viola Sees Expansion at VAI, More Work To Do

Matt Thurber

Light rotorcraft are helpful for moving officials around

Robinson Helicopters Support Firefighting Efforts

Manufacturers are looking at all sorts of technologies while serving existing markets

New Rotorcraft: More of the Same with Some Surprises in Store

Neelam Mathews

Single-engined rotorcraft will compete with Hindustan Aeronautics’ Light Utility Helicopter

Tata and Airbus Set To Build H125 Helicopters in India

Charles Alcock

News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.

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.

Heli-Expo 2024

In this article

Schweizer

More In Rotorcraft

Viola Sees Expansion at VAI, More Work To Do

Vertical Aviation International leader prepares to embark on new role at GAMA

Robinson Helicopters Support Firefighting Efforts

Light rotorcraft are helpful for moving officials around

New Rotorcraft: More of the Same with Some Surprises in Store

Manufacturers are looking at all sorts of technologies while serving existing markets

Tata and Airbus Set To Build H125 Helicopters in India

Single-engined rotorcraft will compete with Hindustan Aeronautics’ Light Utility Helicopter

Lithuanian Start-up Takes New Approach to Emergency Air Mobility

Evacuation of Ukrainian troops from Mariupol inspired efforts to "reinvent helicopters"

VAST Effort Explores Helicopter Safety Rating System

System would encourage operators to add equipment to prevent accidents

Single-engine Helicopter Market Stable, Supply Climbs

Aero Asset’s annual report noted a four-year peak in supply in Q4 2024

Airbus Helicopter Deliveries, Orders Climb During 2024

Helicopter sales for 2024 climbed 10% over 2023, including 58 Super Pumas

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN