Viddler

Quite A Spectacle... For What May Turn Out To Be A Spectacular Helo If there's one company that made a spectacular impression on attendees of last month's Heli-Expo 2008 in Houston , TX , it would have to be Eurocopter. In addition to featuring an increasingly diverse -- and popular -- product line, the company also unveiled a full-size mockup of its upcoming seven-ton-class, 16-passenger EC175. The splashy ceremony had teeth to it, too... as the EC175 is highly anticipated by a number of customers, particularly those in the oil and gas industry. Indeed, Eurocopter used the unveiling to introduce the first two customers for the helo -- US-based Bristow Group, and Canada 's VIH -- but the helomaker reportedly left the show with a slew of new orders that pushed to-date orders and commitments to 111 units. Those orders come from across the globe, including Europe: UTair (Russia), Bond (UK), Dancopter (Denmark), Heli-Union (France), NHV (Belgium); USA (ERA and Halvorson Group); Mexico (Pegaso); Asia-Pacific: Global Vectra (India), HNZ (New-Zealand). All those customers intend to use the EC175 mainly for offshore oil and gas missions, according to Eurocopter, as well as SAR operations. "I am extremely proud of the success of the EC175 which honestly speaking largely exceeded our expectations in terms of number of customers and units," said Lutz Bertling, President and CEO of Eurocopter. "This success illustrates that the EC175 perfectly complements the current Eurocopter product range and obviously meets market needs. Pratt & Whitney Canada 's new-generation PT6C-67E engine will power the EC175. In a nod to increased globalization of the helicopter industry, Eurocopter partnered with Harbin Aviation Industry Group, a subsidiary of China 's AVIC II corporation, to develop the EC175. FMI: www.eurocopter.com Copyright 2008, Aero-News Network, Inc., ALL Rights Reserved.