Dallas (TX) (USA)
Heli-Expo 2017
6 - 9 March 2017
| Kay Bailey Hutchison convention center: |
| … |
SVH-4 |
DEA General Aviation |
tethered trainer |
| … |
R-4B |
Sikorsky Aircraft |
complete 'skeleton' frame |
| … |
UH-60 |
United Rotorcraft |
white with blue stripes, arrived by road |
| … |
Rotortec RT216 |
SBM Development |
|
| … |
AS350 |
Vector Aerospace |
cabin, for equipment install demo |
| [mockup] |
Bell 525 |
Bell Helicopter |
|
| [mockup] |
FCX-001 |
Bell Helicopter |
|
| [mockup] |
SKYe09 |
Marenco Swisscopter |
|
| [mockup] |
MD6XX |
MD Helicopters |
cabin, with four blade tail rotor |
| C-FJLB |
Bell 505 |
Bell Helicopter Textron Canada |
65013 to be delivered to Pylon Aviation/Scott Urschel |
| C-FNFO |
Bell 429 |
Bell Helicopter Textron Canada |
57224 repainted black, Mecaer Interior |
| C-GNNP |
Bell 505 |
Bell Helicopter Textron Canada |
65012 |
| D-HECB |
EC135T3 |
Airbus Helicopters Deutschland |
2006 EC135T3H model with Helionix avionics |
| I-AWCG |
AW169 |
Leonardo |
69004 arrived by road |
| N30JC |
A109S |
James C. Justice Companies |
22102 |
| N34UE |
Bell 429 |
Bell Helicopter Textron |
57081 |
| N41HX |
Bell 407HP |
Helicopter Express |
53866 recently upgraded to 407HP spec, trucked in |
| N48CD |
R44 |
Sky Helicopters |
30006 |
| N48UH |
R22 |
Universal Helicopters |
4724 |
| N60FW |
UH-60A |
Ace Aeronautics |
70-197 |
| N60XP |
UH-60XP |
Brown Helicopters |
70-1131 |
| N63SV |
A109E |
MercyHealth Life Flight |
11225 |
| N85PP |
Bell 212 |
Aero Tech |
31266 belly-mounted fire suppression water tank |
| N111HG |
Bell 206B |
Can See Aviation |
3255 |
| N118NX |
Mi-24D |
Cold War museum |
150153 coded 118 |
| N131TH |
AS350B3 |
BLR Aerospace |
7586 fitted with their 'FastFin' improved efficiency boom |
| N135AH |
EC135P1 |
EuroTec Vertical Flight Solutions |
0070 |
| N145AH |
H145 |
Palantir Technologies |
20040 at the Dallas Vertiport on 7 March 2017 |
| N145DV |
H145 |
Airbus Helicopters |
20117 Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department colours |
| N148RH |
R44 |
Robinson Helicopter Co |
14048 |
| N160AQ |
UH-60A |
Unical Defense |
70-309 |
| N161LG |
AS350B3 |
LAG Aviation |
7672 at the Dallas Vertiport on 7 March 2017 |
| N178SS |
AW119Kx |
AgustaWestland Philadelphia |
14924 KingWing titles, arrived by road |
| N181TH |
Enstrom TH180 |
Enstrom Helicopters |
10002 2nd prototype |
| N189EH |
AW189 |
Era Helicopters |
49018 |
| N206SF |
Bell 206B |
Safe Flight Instrument Corporation |
2392 at the Dallas Vertiport on 7 March 2017 |
| N209CP |
Bell 206L4 |
Southern Helicopters |
52339 |
| N212HP |
Bell 212 |
Heli-1 Corporation |
30951 |
| N216MH |
Bell 206L4 |
Meridian Helicopters |
52296 |
| N236AA |
UH-60A |
Arista Aviation |
70-339 |
| N278AH |
H145e |
Metro Aviation |
9734 registered as N83EL |
| N294Y |
S-92A |
Sikorsky Aircraft |
920294 Korean Coast Guard colours; future B-520 |
| N321PD |
R66 |
Sky Helicopters |
0741 |
| N325WF |
H130 |
Airbus Helicopters |
8168 arrived registered as N130VP |
| N358AH |
H135 |
Airbus Helicopters |
1230 at the Dallas Vertiport on 7 March 2017 |
| N375AH |
H130 |
Airbus Helicopters |
8245 at the Dallas Vertiport on 7 March 2017 |
| N407SE |
Bell 407 |
Bell Helicopter Textron |
54386 |
| N414UH |
Bell 407GX |
Metro Aviation |
54458 University of Utah, AirMed titles |
| N429XT |
Bell 429 |
Bell Helicopter Textron |
57180 at the Dallas Vertiport on 7 March 2017 |
| N472CH |
CH-47D |
Columbia Helicopters |
M3292 |
| N473P |
Bell 407GX |
PHI Air Medical |
54648 air ambulance completion by Wysong Enterprises |
| N476DH |
S-76D |
Sikorsky Aircraft |
761004 |
| N480PP |
Enstrom 480 |
VertiVue |
5120 |
| N522AA |
UH-60A |
Arista Aviation |
70-237 at the Dallas Vertiport on 7 March 2017 |
| N562K |
CH7T |
John S. Spencer |
017 |
| N630PB |
Bell 407GXP |
Bell Helicopter Textron |
54658 |
| N683DN |
UH-60A |
Rogerson Kratos |
70-506 at the Dallas Vertiport on 7 March 2017 |
| N684DN |
UH-60A |
Rogerson Kratos |
70-230 |
| N799BH |
Bell 407 |
Bell Helicopter Textron |
53700 |
| N801TV |
R44 |
Sky Helicopters |
13088 Texas SkyRanger titles, Channel 5 |
| N852MG |
Cabri G2 |
Middle Georgia State University |
1169 |
| N881LT |
MD902 |
MD Helicopters |
900-00117 reg covered over |
| N892GT |
H130 |
Guardian Flight |
8151 to be N397AH, arrived by road |
| N945DC |
H145 |
Jerry Jones / Dallas Cowboys |
20059 at the Dallas Vertiport on 7 March 2017 |
| N962SM |
Enstrom 280FX |
SRM Aviation |
2132 operated for Stephen R. Mann |
| N3500G |
H125 |
Airbus Helicopters |
7959 |
| N7049X |
R66 |
Robinson Helicopter Co |
0765 |
| N49660 |
Bell 206B |
Eagle Aviation Academy |
1825 |
| N88911 |
R66 |
Night Flight Concepts |
0602 night vision trainer |
| ZU-RRE |
SA341F2 |
Aerospatiale SA34X (PTY) |
1172 |
Credits: Lukas Kinneswenger
This year the HAI Heli-Expo, the world’s largest trade show and exposition dedicated to vertical aviation, took place from 6 untill 9 March 2017 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison convention center in Dallas (TX). For Bell Helicopter this Heli-Expo was a chance to use some home field advantage, as the company is headquartered in next door Fort Worth. Bell was one of the companies operating flights for media and prospective buyers from the Dallas Vertiport, located at the southside of the convention center.
One of the events at the expo was a delivery ceremony where Scott Urschel, the first customer of the Bell 505 JRX, received the first production Bell 505 JRX. Urschel was one of the initial members of Bell Helicopter’s Customer Advisory Group formed to assist in the design and development of the Bell 505 JRX. Eagle Copters formally delivered the second Bell 407HP re-engined with the Honeywell HTS900 to Georgia based Helicopter Express during the Heli-Expo.
With at least five on display at this year’s Heli-Expo, up from three in 2016, commercially-configured UH-60 Black Hawks seem to have become big business for some companies. Lhasa Snow Eagle General Aviation Corporation, which is a joint venture of Ruo’er Group based in Lhasa, will be operating a total of twelve H125s, for which Ruo’er Group signed a Letter of Intent with Airbus Helicopters. Milestone Aviation Group, acquired by GE Capital Aviation Services in June 2015, announced a €200 million firm order with Airbus Helicopters including H145, H135 and H175 helicopters. The helicopter leasing company also placed an order for six AW139 and three AW169 helicopters. Waypoint Leasing announced an acquisition of an additional sixteen Airbus rotorcraft.
Fresh from a fire fighting season, Oregon-based Columbia Helicopters brought one of its specially-equipped Boeing CH-47D Chinooks to the static display. Argentine company Cicaré Rotorcraft announced the appointment of DEAGA USA as its exclusive distributor for the Cicaré range of helicopters on the opening day of HAI Heli-Expo. Alpinlift Helikopter has placed an order for the SKYe SH09 helicopter and thus becoming part of the launch customer team.
MD Helicopters unveiled the MD6XX hoping for new military and civil helicopter orders and a re-branded the light-twin MD902 Explorer called the MD969. Although the terms of the deal were not disclosed, Erickson has received an order to build its first S-64 Aircrane in eight years. The Portland-based aviation firm is building an S-64E for the Korea Forest Service with an anticipated delivery date of December 2017.
Bell Helicopter unveiled its vision of the future of vertical lift in the form of a full-scale mockup of the FCX-001 concept aircraft. The German registered H135 equipped with the Helionixital avionics suite embarked on a demo tour of the US and Mexico after the show.
In 2018, HAI’s Heli-Expo will take place in Las Vegas (NV) from 27 February untill 1 March.
