sales and demand for light twins have created room for the H140 and that the H135 and H145 will continue to be pro- duced when the H140 is certificated. Commitments for 74 H140s were received during VERTICON, with the majority slated for air ambulance operations.
The Year of New Trim VERTICON saw several announcements of new trim options for 2025. Enstrom Helicopter Corp. debuted two trim levels for its 480B turbine helicopter. The Elite trim package includes a sleek new paint scheme, interior trims to comple- ment the exterior paint, an all-glass instrument panel, three- axis autopilot, and air-conditioning. The base Signature package offers similar paint and interior trim and compara- ble avionics; air-conditioning and autopilot are optional. Robinson unveiled the R66 NxG with three trim levels
featuring a refreshed paint scheme, Garmin glass avionics, autopilot, an impact-resistant windshield, and interior trims. The Southwood trim is the entry-level NxG option, with the Palo Verde offering a higher-end interior and avionics. The premium Riviera, a limited edition, increases the autopilot to three-axis and includes higher-end interior materials, light wood flooring, and its own unique paint scheme. Bell unveiled the Designer Series luxury interiors for its
407GXi that include new color schemes, custom-stitched seats, and leather-wrapped armrests and headliner inserts.
Increased Demand for Aircraft Despite global economic and political uncertainty, OEMs reported increased demand so far in 2025 for the same period in 2024. The majority of the growth shared at the show revolved around the offshore oil-and-gas, helicopter air ambulance, search-and-rescue, and defense sectors. “We’re seeing more life in the oil-and-gas sector, with
increased production and renewed exploration, and also search and rescue,” says Roberto Garavaglia, senior VP of strategy and innovation at Leonardo. “At the same time, we’re seeing a revamp of the offshore oil-and-gas market where there’s a swap of interest from the large helicopters to the super mediums, like the [AW]189. We’ve [also] been very active in the military market, especially with military variants of commercial airframes.” Bell experienced a similar trend, with the highest com-
mitments in the helicopter air ambulance sector, driven by Air Methods’ purchasing agreement for 27 Bell 407GXis. Bell also reported a record-breaking year for the Bell 429 in Latin America, in addition to the OEM’s growth in the energy market with Entergy’s order for two of the aircraft for power-line patrol.
JUN 2025 POWER UP
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