European Rotors 2023
After the success of the first edition in 2021 and with the sporadic growth in the 2022 edition, the third edition of EUROPEAN ROTORS took place this year in Madrid, from the 27th to the 30th of November.
The European Helicopter Association (EHA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) have come together to create an exceptional showcase for the European VTOL sector: the industry, operators and regulator are coming together to shape the future of vertical flight, with focus on the latest developments from a safety point of view.
EUROPEAN ROTORS is a unique platform for the industry, driven by the desire of leading OEMs to do business and share knowledge through a comprehensive educational program. During the duration of the four days, all participants can meet the entire value chain, including OEMs and 1st, 2nd and 3rd tier suppliers, discover the latest technical innovations and future trends of the VTOL community, expand their network by meeting international organizations participating in different areas of the industry, engage with people of various professional levels, from young talents to expert industry leaders, showcase their products and future developments and much more.
EUROPEAN ROTORS' unique concept is complemented by certified training sessions, best practice seminars and workshops.
The show will empower the helicopter community to face future challenges and highlights the contribution of VTOL operations to the European community.
The Conferences:
Over the course of EUROPEAN ROTORS, participants are offered a range of educational opportunities, tailored to the needs of the different sectors and professional levels of the VTOL community.
The content of these courses will enable operators, maintenance personnel, pilots, managers and others to succeed in today's industry dynamic environment.
In order to ensure that all visitors have the possibility of participating in these conferences, they were held on 3 stages located close to the static display area. During the conferences, all the latest and upcoming developments in the sector were covered, from air ambulance, aerial work, police and parapublic to offshore, general aviation and drones - always highlighting the perspective of the industry, operators and regulator.
Leonardo:
Leonardo is a world player in the Aerospace, Defence and Security industry. As a world leader in the Helicopters sector, Leonardo integrates the most advanced mission suites and meets the latest safety standards. Their helicopters offer unparalleled flexibility and availability and have set a well-established track record for multi-mission support. They have the most modern and complete range of models and an around-the-clock and around-the-world customer service.
In their stand, it was possible to visit their next-generation, high performance, single-engine helicopter AW 09 and 2 AW 169 helicopters that are in the light-intermediate category, very versatile, combining best-in-class performances with superior range and safety. One of the AW 169 belonged to the UNI-FLY and was configured for offshore helicopter hoist operations and the other belonged to the italian Carabinieri and was configured for security services.
Airbus Helicopters:
Airbus is a leader in designing, manufacturing and delivering aerospace products, services and solutions to customers on a worldwide scale. As the largest aeronautics and space company in Europe and a worldwide leader, Airbus is at the forefront of the aviation industry.
They strive to provide the most efficient helicopter solutions to their customers who serve, protect, save lives and safely carry passengers in demanding environments. Its helicopters are in service across more than 150 countries worldwide, performing nearly every type of vertical flight task imaginable. The company’s product line offers the full spectrum of rotary-wing aircraft solutions for civil, government, military, law enforcement and parapublic uses.
In their 2 stands, it was possible to visit their single-engine helicopter H125, known for its performance, versatility, low maintenance, and low acquisition costs, while also excelling in high-and-hot and extreme environments, their twin-engine H135, known as one of Airbus’ most successful lightweight rotorcraft due to is endurance, compact build, low sound levels, reliability, versatility, and cost-competitiveness, their simplified and versatile H120 model and finally the latest member of the company’s four-tonne-class twin-engine rotorcraft product range the H145, that is suitable for a variety of civil and military missions.
Bell:
“Thinking above and beyond is what we do.”
With history going as far as 80 years, Bell has been reimagining the experience of flight and where it can take us. They were the first to break the sound barrier and to certify a commercial helicopter. NASA’s first lunar mission had a part of Bell’s engineering and one of the most advanced tiltrotor systems was brought to market by them.
Their headquarters is located in Fort Worth, Texas, but they have strategic locations around the globe. Since nearly one quarter of their workforce have served, Bell has a passion for helping the military achieve their missions.
They assume the commitment to deliver exceptional experiences to their customers. Efficiently and reliably, always with safety at the forefront.
In their static display area, we could see the light, twin-engine helicopter Bell 429, belonging to the Air Zermatt with the HEMS configuration and the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X, which is Bell's new five-seat aircraft designed for safety, efficiency and reliability through advanced avionics technology.
MD Helicopters:
First time comers to European Rotors, MD Helicopters is a leading light helicopter manufacturer for civil and military operators worldwide. They guarantee a safe, agile, and hard-working platform and consistently deliver light helicopters capable of reliable performance. For nearly 70 years, MD Helicopters has been helping customers accomplish their mission, wherever it takes them. With new leadership and a clear vision,they’re moving boldly ahead.
They had on display one of their models, the versatile and high performance MD 530F model. This model delivers increased operational capabilities, greater mission versatility, and superior performance. It can operate more effectively in hot, high environments than other helicopters in its class. Can be used in a wide range of missions, from Law Enforcement, Utility and VIP services.
Konner S.r.l.:
The company was officially born in the year 2002 and is located at Amaro, Italy. They offer a long term experience in the field of turbomachinery, aerospace and precision mechanical engineering, granting them the ability to apply experience and innovative thinking to the development and production of aeronautical products.
With the idea of making flying easier and safer, and after years of constant research and improvements, Konner gave birth to cutting edge aviation products: the TK 250 diesel turbine, the K1 and K2 helicopters.
The K1 (two seats) and K2 (four seats) are lightweight, single-engine helicopters, built using cutting edge technology and with reliability, safety and easy operation in mind. With this, they guaranteed their customers satisfaction and their own technological successes, allowing the company to expand both its production facility and business.
Helitak:
Helitak Fire Fighting Equipment is a world leader in aerial firefighting systems.
They offer a vast array of solutions that differ from the normal underbelly tanks on the market. Their expandable fire tank offers many very distinctive advantages such as:
- The size of the tank does not interfere with the structure of the landing gear and doesn’t pose a threat to the safety of the aircraft during landing on unprepared surfaces;
- The external installation of the Helitak fire tank leaves the internal cargo space for both passengers and equipment;
- The carbon fiber construction provides a lightweight alternative;
- Their capacity ranges from 1000 liters to 11,000 liters for Helicopter use and 15,000 liters for fixed wing applications;
- They offer a unique Fire Tank Controller, that allows the operator and the Helitak to control and record variable application rates, water collection and delivery, maintenance and operations data telemetry;
- The top of the tank has several openings, facilitating access for carrying out maintenance tasks.
On display, they had 2 models: the FT1400, attached to an Airbus AS350, and the FT4500, attached to a Sikorsky UH-60A.
On the static display area, many stands belonged to the first-, second-, and third-tier suppliers. They offer a showcase of systems that are essential to the VTOL industry and that can drastically improve the way the operator's mission is completed. We saw from highly advanced avionics to cutting edge manufacturing techniques and materials, from high quality personal use equipment to the equipment and gear required to guarantee the survivability of the crew, surveillance and reconnaissance systems, NightSun searchlights. Also present were industries that make, maintain and operate UAV VTOL systems, used in the most various types of missions.
It’s also important to mention one of the most crucial parts that are the communication and media partners, responsible for bringing to the World what's going on in the VTOL community, such as Vertical and RotorHub.
EUROPEAN ROTORS returns in 2024 and it will be held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands
If you want to see more about this event, you can consult their website:
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