High attendance and record sales signal better days for the vertical aviation industry.
HAI also released a Roadmap of Advanced Air Mobility Operations, a white paper developed with input from members of the HAI Advanced Air Mobility Industry Advisory Council (AAM-IAC), which describes the next steps necessary for AAM development in areas such as regulations, infrastructure and airspace use, and vehicle development.
Celebrating Underdog Recoveries Two vertical aviation OEMs also demonstrated a return to normal operations after difficult circumstances. A completely rebranded MD Helicopters (MDH) intro-
duced its new leadership and announced ramped-up production. MDH’s new president and CEO, Brad Pedersen, an aerospace industry veteran with a proven record of turning around industry companies, didn’t hold back when he spoke to reporters. Pedersen acknowledged the company had fallen short in the past in both customer service and aftermarket support
but said it is already focused on remedying these issues. Te company plans to increase deliveries from four aircraft in 2022 to up to 24 a year by 2024, with production focusing on the MD 530 line. “We have had a rocky heritage, but the bones of the
company and the product has always been great,” Pedersen said. “Primarily, [our focus now] is aftermarket support and making sure we have spare parts. We have a plan to purchase 702 parts and have all of those in stock by the end of the year. Tese are the most used and most requested parts with our service centers and with our distributors.” A key limiting factor to increasing manufacturing at MDH is labor: the company had 130 job openings at the time of the show. Pedersen admitted that labor shortages were plaguing MDH more than the supply-chain problems affecting the larger market (see “Supply Chain Woes and Creative Solutions” on p. 36). By strengthening its supplier relationships with longer-term purchase commitments, the company has maintained a steady stream of parts,
JUNE 2023 ROTOR 33
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
