Aviation Week Heli-Expo Show News Briefing - February 24-26, 2008 - (Page 12) The BA609 Tiltrotor Just Keeps on Going and Orders Have Surged Orders for the Bell/Agusta BA609 civil tiltrotor have soared 30% since the program’s “reintroduction” at last year’s Paris Air Show. “That event sent a very strong signal,” says Bell Helicopter’s marketing and sales chief Bob Fitzpatrick. The order book had atrophied to 60 sales but another 20 have been added since then, with strong interest from offshore and EMS markets. Certification is now expected in 2011 or 2012. Bell/Agusta is at Booth 3841. EC225s Deployed in the North Sea CHC Helicopter has augmented its North Sea fleet with three new Eurocopter EC225 aircraft from Aberdeen, the first EC225s for CHC in the UK North Sea. A five-year contract with Total E&P UK for exclusive use of the EC225s, as well as a AS332L2, will be worth some £57 million, more than $110 million. CHC said late last year that a contract renewal will likewise be worth more than $110 million: Norway’s Statoil will add two EC225s to an AS332L1, to be operated from Oseberg for SAR. Eurocopter is at Booth 631. MD ‘Returns to Grace in UK’ “We are grateful that we have returned to a place of grace in the eyes of GMP,” MD Helicopters CEO Lynn Tilton said as her firm trumpeted the pre-Christmas delivery of a new MD Explorer to UK’s Greater Manchester Police. The order “is an important milestone for our company and a vote of confidence that we expect to resonate throughout Europe,” she said. “We will follow this landmark delivery with many more.” Aeronorte Plies the Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula, that is. Braga, Portugal-based Aeronorte Transportes Aéreos is promoting passenger, tourist and aviation utility services, using its Eurocopter AS 350 B2 to fly from Porto, Portugal to Lisbon, Faro, Santander and Madrid. Aeronorte (Booth 3744) also has an Augusta Bell AB206B, and Bell UH1E (204) and UH-1H (205) aircraft. The company provides fueling and maintenance services too.
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