Some news about the G2 and China :

The G2 should be certified in China in the last quarter of the year.
Guimbal has already received two firm orders from there.
The flying academy of HeliAviation (Germany) and biggest user of G2 will base one of their eight G2 in Shanghai in april. They're already training about 30 Chineses pro pilots students in Germany at the present time.
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International continuous CPL(H) training for future helicopter pilots of the Dalian police starts today at the TRAINING ACADEMY in Augsburg. Further police officers from the Chinese seaport in the Liaoning Province will follow at the beginning of 2013.

This year, the European helicopter manufacturer and global market leader for civil and semi-governmental helicopters, Eurocopter, was able to supply several EC 155 helicopters to the Chinese.
The fact that Eurocopter has again chosen the Heli Aviation TRAINING ACADEMY over many other national and international aviation schools speaks for its trust and the valued quality of the training in our company.
This is why the five police officers of the Chinese Dalian police today started their continuous training as commercial pilots CPL(H) in the TRAINING ACADEMY in Augsburg. The trainee pilots in the first Asian class will remain in Germany for 10 months and complete their pilot training on the Guimbal Cabri G2 in addition to night flight training and turbine transition training. This training enables and permits the prospective helicopter pilots to fly turbine-driven helicopters. During their training time in the TRAINING ACADEMY in Augsburg, our Asian trainee pilots will be accommodated in the apartments of Heli Aviation. Outside the training, too, they will always be supported by our training team and looked after during their leisure activities.
After successfully completing their training as commercial helicopter pilots, the pilots of the Dalian police will then travel on to the Eurocopter training centre in France to attain the type rating for the Eurocopter EC 155.
Training for further police officers from China is starting at the Heli Aviation TRAINING ACADEMY at the beginning of 2013.

..........

As there are a couple of potential purchasers "holding back" due to warranty concerns, how about any owners posting the problems they have had, plus hours flown.

Not small problems, but problems that involved more than 5 hours labour or 200 euros in parts.

Be interesting to see what goes wrong rather than keep discussing warranty.

:)

Pea
From what I gather the UK one's have had issues with electrical items, probably due to the rather large amount of the wet stuff we have been having.
The nail in the coffin for me replacing both my Schweizers was the e mail, at the point of me deciding to buy dispite the warranty, received from distributor that started "I am sorry I havent replied I have been a bit busy" that reply took 5 days, wonder what service I would have if i had purchased 2 and had warranty issues ? Oh well stick with the faithful Schweizers

Hello H500,
It seems that you don't have luck with your email and the UK distributor !
Why don't call him or go directly there to buy your two new G2 ? :)
Maybe he was busy selling this one ;) : Third Cabri sold into UK market | Helihub - the Helicopter Industry Data Source
An interesting article as usual from HeliHub.com
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Dear All,

As the Sales Director for Cotswold Helicopter Centre (UK Agents for Guimbal) I can confirm that we have had no major warranty issues with either of our Cabri G2's in approximately 1000 hours of flying between the 2 aircraft.
We have experienced minor issues with sensors and brackets that have cost us nothing more than the occasional hour here and there in labour. Any parts required have been provided free of charge under warranty and usually within 24 hours.
Anybody wishing to learn the truth about the service Hughes500 received from Cotswold Helicopter Centre is welcome to contact me directly. Suffice it to say that there were a large number of emails and telephone calls between us, all of which were answered promptly. The delays in responding that he has referred to insessantly, only took place after he had stated emphatically that he was not going to buy an aircraft due to his concerns regarding the warranty.
This will be my final post on this matter so please contact me directly if you require any further information.

Andy Moorhouse
[email protected]

Cabri experience
 

Heliped

Why don't you contact HeliAviation in Germany Home*- Heli Aviation GmbH

They have eight Cabris on their training fleet and are the leading operator of the Cabri. Their top hours machines are expected to reach the 2,200 hour mark this summer.

I don't think that they would keep buying more Cabris unless they were trouble free and profitable.

For H500.
 

Hallo dear friend .... can I say a word or two to help.

I think most of us agree Bruno Guimbal's neat Cabri G2 has to be the way forward if the flying training trade is prepared to pay a bit extra. A year back I spent a very contented couple of days flying the Cabri for what was then the LOOP newspaper ... and impressed I was indeed. Composite construction, multi blade M/R giving sensible autorotation characteristics, plasma ignition, stroking seats for extra crew protection, no finite life components, (not a calendar throw-away design) glass instrument panel, fenestron style T/R, up to 5 hours endurance, crashworthy fuel tankage and a sensible dedicated luggage locker. The model I flew was touching 110 knots with nicely harmonised conventional individual controls. Yes ... all in all a neat trainer worthy of taking over from the successful R22.

So the Aix-en-Provence factory haven't acquired some decent selling boots yet AND expect the customer to pay for labour repairs ... so some potential customers say they won't buy! .... isn't that something like turning down a dinner date with Miss World 'cos she wants you to pay half the bill!

And bear in mind a new machine is unlikely to give major problems in the first couple of years after which the operator pays the whole bill for replacement parts anyway.

Having started and operated three flying schools over the years, I'd go for the Guimbal product if I was setting up a fourth ... swallow my pride and put up with the 50% warranty.

OR. I'd settle for locating a couple of used examples when they became available. Let's say a two-year old example sells for sterling £125k. That's 35% less interest, insurance and depreciation.

I'll bet a sixpence to the O2 dome that by 2010 the cabri type will be as ubiquitous as the venerable Robinson. But I have to admit to being badly wrong once before! Regards to all. Dennis K.

can i get a ride of your time machine as well.

fats

Dennis

I had decided to bite the bullet on the warranty and buy 2 until the distributor sent what was quite a hostile and to be honest damed rude e mail. At that point I decided I wasnt going to feather his pocket and he can do without the sales. On reflection given the current economic climate I am mighty pleased I did.
Many may call me nieve and stupid in doing so, quite frankly it is my money and I am the customer so I do as I please. I would agree the machine is light years ahead of anything else but the numbers just do not add up currently.
Combine this with my 300's are a natural progression on to my 500 's for the customers"
It comes down to what I have said to everyone on this site would you buy a £ 250k car with no warranty, when lets be honest it is the labour that is the expensive bit. IF the machine was as good as everyone says then there would be no issue for the manufacturer would there !!
I enjoyed your article in Loop but is any school really operating them ? No, Cotswold have one as they are the distributor and have had to lease out the other for next to nothing to another school. Now with a little more immagination and customer service the UK fleet would have doubled by the end of next month

For H500
 

Hi again ... sadly I have to agree that your words make absolute sense but having met the great Bruno guy himself at Aix, and his lovely lady sales person, they seem to know where they are going so I'm surprised they haven't got their act together. For sure, the guys that pay the piper etc.

Have a good business year (when this b ... cold goes back to Russia) Oh and at Shobdon I'm just completing a Spanish national's PPL on a lovely MD (actually Hughes) 500 he has bought. Remember G-GEEE ? But now going over to the FAA N reg. Regards to all. DRK

For Fatman
 

Oh sorry ... just forgot. Yes welcome to the world of we COFs (rides always FOC!) DRK

Hughes 500

You really do yourself no favours at all.

A few years ago you made a post on pprune complaining that you got no reply from Schweizer when you approached them to supply you with a new helicopter but without seats and pedals, or somesuch, as you already had these items.

At the last Helitech exhibition in 2011, I stood behind you whilst you asked the Cabri distributor if you could have a Cabri supplied without various instruments and avionics as you already had these items.

Food for thought, perhaps?

Splitneedles

I have said my bit, please tell me how many Cabris have been sold in the UK since Helitech ?
Yes Schweizer since being bought by Sikorsky is crap.

What I find difficult is the number of people on this website who are happy to let the manufacturers take the piss. WE are the customer, manufacturers need to realise that.
I have voted with my wallet if you dont like it then tough

Dennis pleased you are enjoying G-GEE although I know the reg struggling to remember flying it, was she the C model at Walton Wood a few years ago ?

"Remember G-GEEE ?"

I remember her Den...red with white stripes...did my 5 hour conversion with you at Shoreham abut 10 years back !

I only fly the 162f these days, and I hear on the vine that EASA say I'll be losing my H300/H500/206b ratings...:rolleyes:..but that's another another thread.

I've just emailed you at sky.com btw

Kev L

G-GEEE
 

Yes 500 ... G-GEEE was the earlier 1976 G-BDOY C-20, which my client had 'modified' to take a C-18. Its great fun as a trainer especially these coldish days. And can I raise yet again the EASA situation of training on a type certified for more than four seats! Whither the B206, Enstrom 480,Squirrels, R66 etc? I know not!

Dennis K.

Dennis

I had that argument years ago with The CAA. I got my way when I suggested that they came and taught my client with the ac in 5 seat configuration. When told that would be no problem i pointed out that he was just at the hover / take off / land part ( lesson 8,9) and i would be removing the duals to get the 5th seat in, there was a bit of a silence !!!!

Five seat training
 

Yes H 500 ... quite ingenious. But how does the CAA view B206 - R66 - AS350 etc.

PS. The 500 HM version IS right hand drive too. DK

At the risk of furthering the thread drift (sorry), as a non-EUer, what is this 5 seat issue of which you speak?

I am poised to be amazed yet again at the european bent (sadly being exported to the world) for created rules that need magic or miracle to follow and still aviate.