HAI/ROBB COHEN PHOTOGRAPHY


The Return of Schweizer By Jen Boyer


New manufacturer offers iconic aircraft and commitment to customer service.


J


ULY 2021 WAS A MONTH OF SIGNIFICANT, hard-earned milestones for Schweizer RSG. On Jul. 19, the FAA issued a certificate of air worthiness to the company for the first Schweizer S300C helicopter off its production line. Tree days


later, Schweizer RSG delivered the helicopter—the first new aircraft to bear the Schweizer name since 2016—to Foreign Asset Trade Co. for use by the Senegalese Air Force. Te road to this day was long and littered with obstacles


that would have made more than a few seasoned aerospace veterans reconsider their life choices. Yet, Schweizer RSG President David Horton pressed on with enthusiasm and dedication to an aircraft he refused to let die on his watch. Originally certificated by the FAA in 1959 as the Hughes


32 ROTOR SEPTEMBER 2021


269, this iconic piston aircraft was popular in the civil market and, as the TH-55A Osage, was for decades the US Army’s primary helicopter trainer. Te helicopter also underwent a number of design and ownership changes over the years (see sidebar on p. 37). Schweizer RSG, a US-owned company based in Fort Worth, Texas, purchased the Schweizer 269/300 and 333 lines from Sikorsky in 2018.


Labor of Love A veteran of the helicopter industry, Horton knows a thing or two about helicopter manufacturing, maintenance, supply chains, customer service, and sales. He’s served as a director at Bell, a vice president at Safran Helicopter Engines, and as president of three aviation companies, Heli-Dyne Systems,


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