News
Helitech International 2015 gearing up

Organized by Reed Exhibitions, this year's event is being staged at ExCeL London from October 6-8, in association with the European Helicopter Association. New exhibiting companies include ATEQ UK, Eastern Atlantic Helicopters, Gulf Helicopters, Northrop Grumman LITEF Gmbh, Panalpina Inc. and Swiss Rotor Solutions AG.        
 
Making its debut in London, Gulf Helicopters Company (GHC), headquartered in Qatar, is a commercial helicopter operator with a global presence covering the Middle East, Far East, India, Europe and North Africa. The company will be participating at Helitech International 2015 with its joint venture partner, Quality Aviation Inc., to launch and promote its Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) capabilities to benefit operators of AgustaWestland AW139/AW189, Sikorsky S-92 and Bell helicopters.
 
"In order to promote our MRO and training capabilities in line with our vision to reach out to new markets, GHC has decided to participate at Helitech International 2015 as it holds an important position in the calendar of helicopter industry," said Mohamed Al Mohannadi, Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Helicopters Company. He added: "Helitech International is ideally positioned to cover the full region – not just Europe but also Middle East, America and also Africa. I believe that the event is the only dedicated forum for the helicopter industry, where people from the industry can get together to discuss their business."
 
GHC holds both European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Part 145 maintenance organization approval as well as Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) repair station approval. GHC is also an ISO 9001:2008 certified organisation for helicopter transportation, maintenance and associated services.
 
Gulf Helicopters Training Academy is an AgustaWestland authorized training centre, which houses an AW139 Full Flight Simulator (FFS), Level B, to provide the whole range of training including Type Rating, Recurrent, Line Oriented Flight Training, Night Deck Landing, Multi-crew Cooperation and Check-rides, either on a wet lease or on a dry lease. GHC delivers a complete range of training, including type specific, for both pilots and engineers and also ancillary training to support the requirements of customers.
 
GHC has also signed a contract with AgustaWestland to provide a FFS capability for the AW189, Level C; the company's plan is to add two more simulators to cover market requirements to support demand from customers. GHC's AW139 FFS is certified by EASA under JAR Flight Simulation Training Devices – Helicopter. In addition, GHC holds EASA Part 147 maintenance training organisation approval.
 
Another new participant at this year's event is Northrop Grumman LITEF GmbH, a leader in the development and manufacturing of inertial sensors – gyros and accelerometers – for navigation, reference systems and platform stabilization. Its customer base with civil and military applications covers the globe.
 
Northrop Grumman LITEF GmbH's current state-of-the-art inertial sensor technologies and systems include Fibre Optic Gyros and Micro Electro Mechanical Systems which find their application in Attitude & Heading Reference Systems and navigation systems for commercial and military airborne applications and inertial measurement and stabilization units for industrial applications.
 
Northrop Grumman LITEF GmbH, based in Freiburg, Germany is a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman. Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems, cyber, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and commercial customers worldwide.
 
Helitech International 2015 will take place against a market backdrop of steady global demand for helicopters during the next five years. According to Honeywell Aerospace's 17th annual "Turbine-Powered Civil Helicopter Purchasing Outlook," some 4,750-5,250 civilian-use helicopters will be delivered during the period 2015 to 2019.
 
Overall, five-year demand for turbine-powered, civil helicopters remains steady versus the 2014 five-year forecast, with moderate improvement in new helicopter purchase plans reported, offsetting the short-term uncertainty of large-fleet operators in the face of lower energy prices and fluctuating market currencies.
 
"Near-term demand appears stable despite a pullback in 2014 deliveries and ongoing concerns with the energy sector," said Mike Madsen, president, Defense and Space, Honeywell Aerospace. "Purchase interest for helicopters in training, tourism, firefighting and law enforcement categories is trending up, influenced by increased utilization rates and helicopter replacement cycles. Interest across these mission sectors is helping to sustain near-term demand. Looking ahead, several new platforms are scheduled to enter service over the next few years, also bolstering overall helicopter demand."
 
The forecast estimates the five-year share of demand from the U.S. and Canada at 34 percent, up nearly eight points on stronger North American buying plans. When combined with Latin America, the Western Hemisphere represents 53 percent of the five-year global demand. Europe's share tallies 24 percent, with the Asia-Oceania region accounting for 14 percent, and Africa and the Middle East contributing 9 percent.
 
"Following our highly successful events in London and Amsterdam in 2013 and 2014 respectively, the growing reputation of Helitech International as the place to do business is clearly resonating within the industry and we're delighted with the strong interest received to date from new companies around the world," said John Hyde, Event Director for Helitech International. "The international reach and the quality of the many visitors that will attend in London will present potential opportunities for these new companies to network and discuss their respective business strengths with many levels of the international rotary wing supply chain."