Robinson
Robinson Helicopter Co., often the manufacturer with the largest number of deliveries annually, had a much softer year in 2019, selling 196 aircraft compared with 2018’s 300. With 70% of sales coming from outside the United States, company President and Chairman Kurt Robinson attributed the soft year to the high dollar overseas and tariffs. Looking forward, Robinson has already sold out the first six months of 2020 production of the R44 and R66. Ever the innovator, at the show Robinson highlighted a
number of features for its aircraft, including a slimmer aux tank to free up R66 baggage space, a new cabin video and voice recorder, overspeed protection for R22 and R44 start-up, a tach and engine electronic monitoring unit, and a high- impact–resistant windscreen.
Sikorsky
Sikorsky maintained a low profile at Expo in response to the Kobe Bryant accident, which involved an S-76B. Like many other events at the show, the company’s annual press con- ference began with a moment of silence for those affected by the crash. Sikorsky leaders shared that the first CH-53K King Stallion
was in final assembly and the SB>1 Defiant was continuing test flights. Te company’s show floor display highlighted its Firehawk and recent deliveries to combat increased forest
fires in California and elsewhere around the globe. After last year’s announcement that the company would
offer upgrades for the S-92 with the latest technology, Sikorsky VP of Commercial Systems and Services Audrey Brady announced that two options are now available for position agreements: the S-92A+, which includes the Phase IV gearbox and increases maximum gross weight to 27,700 lbs, and the S-92B, which includes all the S-92+ features plus several additional items, including a global real-time health and usage monitoring system (HUMS). General Electric’s CT7-8A6 engine is an available option for both, producing more power for higher, hotter operations.
Bell
For Bell, 2019 saw steady sales increases over 2018. A flurry of announced orders at Expo highlighted the company’s predictions for an even better year in 2020. Bell announced its selections of Astronautics’s integrated flight display systems for the Bell 412EPX and 429 and a HUMS in the new Bell 407GXi, signaling its interest in outfitting new aircraft with the latest technology. Bell, too, noted geopolitical issues and tariffs as obstacles.
However, with 505 sales steady, the 525 Relentless in the final stages of flight testing, and strong interest in the new single- engine IFR 407GXi, hopes are high for additional growth this year.
2020 Q2 ROTOR 43
Robinson Helicopter experienced softer than usual sales in 2019, but by late January of this year it had already sold out the first six months of 2020 production for two of its most popular models.
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