Flight for Life, the first civil hospital-based air ambulance program in the U.S., operated the Alouette helicopter in 1972. Photo: Airbus


A 50-year Journey


On July 18, 1969, the French helicopter manufacturer


Aérospatiale (later


Eurocopter, then Airbus Helicopters) formed a partnership with the U.S. aerospace manufacturing firm Vought.


Under the partnership, Vought Helicopters Inc. (VHI) was charged with assembling, customizing, marketing, selling, and supporting Aérospatiale’s Alouette II, Alouette III, and SA 341 Gazelle light helicopters in North America; starting with


48 Nov/Dec 2019


helicopters already operating in the United States and Canada. The aircraft were built as ‘green helicopters’ in the Aérospatiale plant in Marignane, France. They were then shipped to the U.S. to be customized/ completed, delivered to customers, and supported afterwards. The ultimate goal was for Vought and Aérospatiale to work together as a team, designing both commercial and military helicopters for the global market.


These were challenging times for VHI to bring European helicopters to North America. The 17 Aérospatiale helicopters then in use by eight operators in Canada and the U.S. hardly equated to an overwhelming force in the market.


Nevertheless, VHI’s 43 employees did their best to turn the tide — and they succeeded. According to www.vought.org, “The first new sale was made in January 1970, an Alouette II to United Helicopters


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