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Old 30th Aug 2020, 12:25
  #150 (permalink)  
Hot and Hi
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Africa
Posts: 535
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Devil

The only way I can interpret it being a "personal" or "private use" helicopter is that it *won't* be certified. That would practrically make it an "experimental" (or "kit") helicopter. Which puts it at par with the Gazelle, i.e., same weight/performance class with nil or very limited commercial utility.

Not certifying it would also go a long way towards

- achieving early market launch
- reducing purchase price
- bring down annual maintenance cost (GBP 15k per annum was mentioned here)

Mostly I have stayed away from "kit" helicopters as they don't seem to have the reliability and safety of their certified brothers. In that sense, the "ultra-rich" private Leonardo clients may indeed not be Hill's target market as they definitely want to rely on their certified aircraft and their IF-rated multi-crew to take them anywhere, anytime they want to (OK, let's not do there ...)
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