FROM THE DESK OF THE EDITOR Helicopter Industry Surges Past Pre-Pandemic Levels


Despite a volatile global economy, the vertical lift industry seems to be holding its own. At Heli-Expo 2023 in Atlanta, one of the common themes from the manufacturers was that sales and production was back above pre-pandemic levels.


At one Heli-Expo briefing, CEO Bruno Even and President Romain Trapp of Airbus Helicopters provided a market forecast. Even indicated that the helicopter market is strong, and over 20 years they expect to deliver 16,200 helicopters worth 120 billion euros (approx. $130 billion). He said that the helicopter market is recovering and that private and business aviation is growing, with the civil market exceeding pre-pandemic levels. To learn more, see on page 66 the article titled “Airbus Helicopters, Fresh News for Spring.”


Speaking of helicopter OEMs, Enstrom Helicopter is back! The 60-year-old iconic brand had gone into bankruptcy, but it has been revived by music industry billionaire and helicopter enthusiast Chuck Surack. At the helm of Enstrom is Todd Tetzlaff, the company’s new president and CEO. At Heli-Expo 2023 we had the opportunity to spend some time with the new CEO. In our “Executive Watch” column on page 14, we share what we learned about Tetzlaff and his plans for Enstrom.


We ourselves at Rotor Pro magazine are also changing to adapt to the times. In late 2022, we modified our brand from Rotorcraft Pro to Rotor Pro. In an effort to expand our base of content to account for the advent of new vertical lift platforms, we also


adjusted our tagline to say, “Rotor Pro is the global media outlet for helicopter, uncrewed, and eVTOL ops in civil and military markets.” Along the lines of adaptation, you may also notice two new columns in the publication. On the subject of safety, we have partnered with the Vertical Aviation Safety Team to provide a new column in every issue titled ”Safety First,” which focuses on safety topics that are relevant to vertical lift operations.


Additionally in this issue, we roll out our newest column titled “Uncrewed Update,” which is written in partnership with the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International, also known as AUVSI. AUVSI is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and supporting the unmanned systems and robotics industry.


Finally, on page 54 we report results of the “Annual Rotor Pro U.S. Helicopter Pilot Salary and Benefits Survey 2022-2023.” In this year’s report, we reflect on key drivers that have led to the current pilot shortage, and what the industry is doing to attract and retain experienced helicopter pilots.


Lyn Burks, Editor-In-Chief


is published six times a year and mailed out on or around the 10th of every other month by Rotor Pro Media Network Inc. RotorPro®


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Editor-In-Chief Lyn Burks


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Content Creators James Careless Randy Mains Joanna Nellans Jennifer Ferrero Rick Weatherford Wes Van Dell Randy Rowles Mark Tyler Matt Johnson Uros Podlogar


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Mar/Apr 2023


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