Sikorsky’s top marketing executive Jeff Pino offered the following insight into the internal thinking at Sikorsky.
The S-61 program shows too many regulatory problems for Sikorsky to stay in the business. ‘We’ll support it, but essentially we’re out of that business in a direct sense.’ Pino implied the new Carson blade initiative for S-61s is also something Sikorsky will stay away from.
Excuse me. Did I miss something? It must certainly have been the "support" offered on the S61 for the last few years? Maybe I missed it somewhere?
As Mr Pino has only just joined Sikorsky, he may well be unaware of the problems this particular model has suffered in the last few years - namely a lack of major parts to support the programme; gutting of the product support department and a TOTAL lack of interest in the problems this has posed for the operators of this type! It might be worth Sikorsky's while to get out and
talk to some of their existing
customers, rather than deliver this information to the AHS. We are already quite aware of the level of commitment from that end.
Fortunately there are alternatives to the factory for parts and support. One of the major bright spots in the S61's future is the composite Main Rotor Blades that Carson has had the vision to create. These blades provide a means to enhance the performance of the S61 to a level that means it will remain in commercial service for at least another 20 years, whether the marketing department wants it or not. The Carson blades offer the most economic improvement to the existing fleet that money can buy, and will be the way forward for many aircraft (including military) for some considerable time.
The fact that Sikorsky entirely lost the large offshore market (due to terminating manufacture of the S61) and handed the ENTIRE market to the Eurocopter Super Puma, is of course one of those great aviation mis-marketing stories of all time.
Now, to win back those lost (and very loyal) customers, they announce that they are essentially stopping support on the last large commercial helicopter they built , and that a large number of their loyal customers
still operate.
Maybe I lost something in my comprehension of modern marketing methods, but somehow I think that those boys at Eurocopter who have been laughing in their wine for the last 20 years, must be in absolute hysterics now?