Have I got this wrong in that the FAA has not certified the EC225? If so how have ERA got 8 on order? A US company I believe. The item below comes from the HAI website at
http://www.rotor.com/Default.aspx?ta...ewsid905=56567
Era Helicopters, LLC signs for four additional EC225, Bringing its Total to Eight
Duxford, October 3, 2007 Helitech 2007-Era Helicopters, LLC (“Era”) of Lakes Charles, Louisiana, signed a contract for an additional four EC225 helicopters at Helitech on October 3 , bringing its total orders for this aircraft type to eight. Era is the first offshore oil and gas operator to have selected the EC225 for operations in the Gulf of Mexico, having signed its first Memorandum of Understanding for initially two EC225s at HeliExpo 2006.
Neill Osborne, Era’s President, commented, “We thoroughly reviewed the global supply and demand of heavy helicopters and the current fleet structure of our competitors. We selected the EC225 as our heavy helicopter of choice due to its superior versatility, advanced technology and greater payload/range for the demands of offshore oil exploration and production. The EC225 will play a pivotal role in our growth not only in the Gulf of Mexico but also as we expand into the international market. This order provides Era with strategic delivery positions in the coming years to meet the unprecedented demand for new technology helicopters in our market.”
Olivier Lambert, Eurocopter’s Senior Vice President Sales and Customer Relations, stated: Demand for new-generation helicopters by the oil and gas industry is at an all-time high. Since the EC225’s market launch, we have booked firm orders for a total of 51 aircraft with 18 options, of which 31 were sold in 2007 alone. We are very proud of Era’s confidence in our new product and appreciate the company’s forward planning to anticipate a further increase in demand. The six EC225s which are presently in service in the North Sea have clocked up an amazing 10,000 flight hours since the first one went into service only two years ago. Even more amazingly, this fleet has flown a total distance of 1.7 million miles, the equivalent of flying to the moon seven times. We are sure that this helicopter type will serve Era efficiently and reliably wherever they will be deployed, in the Gulf of Mexico and worldwide.”
The EC225 combines proven technologies derived from Eurocopter’s successful Super Puma/Cougar family with latest systems and enjoys high acceptance in the demanding offshore oil and gas market. The unrivalled safety features of the EC225, its strong economic productivity and the positive introduction into service in the offshore role have paved the way to remarkable sales success of this aircraft for the service of the oil and gas industry.
David Stepanek, Era’s Vice President of Business Development, remarked, “Era is a long-standing Eurocopter customer, operating a diverse fleet including the AS350 B2, BO105, EC120, AS350 BA, and the EC135 helicopters. We are continually pleased with Eurocopter’s innovative products and look forward to the addition of the EC225 as we expand our services to customers around the globe.”