me it was the first time they’d seen an MD face in 10 years. I was glad to be that face. To show them that we’re not just talking; we’re doing.”
Planning for MD’s Future Collectively, the MD team is determined to move the needle. Within a year, they expect to announce new products in the pipeline. Within 5 years, they want to have the best customer service in the industry. Within 10, they want to be a significant player in the light-single market forecast. “We’re glad we’re able to continue to fly an aircraft we
love,” says Goodspeed. “Staying with MDs also meant we didn’t have to retool or retrain. Tat, combined with MD’s overall affordability, saved us about 20% over switching to a new helicopter company. Tat allowed us to purchase three new MDs instead of only two aircraft from another helicopter brand.” Comments like this remind Weeks of all the customers
Above:
Receiving inspector Matthew Chavez, foreground, and
Jamikel Yarbrough,
material coordinator, pull parts from MD Helicopters’
ever-growing stocks in its main
warehouse. Right:
The production line is a hive of activity, with aircraft moving from sheets of aluminum,
awaiting forming and riveting, to
near-flight-ready aircraft.
MD helicopters in New Zealand, but until this year, the country had only one ASC—on the North Island. New Zealand now has a service center on the South Island, as well, maintaining aircraft for a community that’s been flying MDs since the 1970s. “We’re looking at the premier service centers that haven’t
joined our network. We’re sharing our vision with them and working to bring them into the MD family,” says Weeks. “We want them to benefit from things that will put more profit in their pocket, like our training resources and parts price discounts.” Te MD team is now determining
where other ASCs are needed to align with MD helicopter populations. According to Weeks, several new centers are near signing. Another goal: using ASCs to install upgrades in the field to alleviate the need for customers to send aircraft back to MD’s Mesa, Arizona, headquarters, a move the company hopes will keep its fleet modern and its aircraft relevant. As a reflection of the OEM’s new
straight-talking style, the company has launched a “World Apology Tour.” An MD 500 fly-in featuring 63 aircraft was held in New Zealand in February. Te company looks forward to holding additional fly-ins in the future. “Tat has brought real moments of
clarification,” says Weeks. “When we went to New Zealand, someone told
50 ROTOR SEPTEMBER 2023
who are rooting for MD to stick around. “We’re careful not to work an inch deep and a mile wide,” he says. “We identify our top priorities, and we progress week by week so that we’re somewhere new at the end of the year.” “MD has had many iterations—some great, some not so
great,” says Pedersen. “But our product is strong. It will outlive me. It’s an honor for all of us to be entrusted with the future of this company.”
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