need help with business plan
 

could any one point me in the right direction so i can get some info on the future of the rotorcraft industry? i am writing a business plan and cannot seem to find anything with any numbers or stats that might be useful.
any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance.

Re: need help with business plan
 

A fine source is the Helicopter Association International in Washington DC. They provide detailed industry projections. A brief keyword search should start you on the path. They would also respond to emails, I think.

Re: need help with business plan
 

If you are hoping to make a small fortune in the helicopter business....it helps to start with a large fortune.

HAI news and some other outlets have had sales forecasts and other similar reports lately.....have also seen an artical in the latest Vertical magazine (hard copy).

Re: need help with business plan
 

A good place to start with cost projections for running various aircraft types is the Conklin & De-Decker (i think) site. Good for comparing how much an aircraft will cost to run.:oh:

Re: need help with business plan
 

FP,

I also recently wrote a BP for an aviation related business - I couldn't get the funding in the end, but that's another story - needless to say I hope it wasn't down to the BP.

I found the FAA website very useful for licensing statistics- this helps to identfy the trend in licensing (although anomolies exist, e.g. 911 etc, so pick the figures that look good and interpret that way - although any investor worth their salt will check your figures).

Through work I have also use the software by Conklin & De-Decker that StaticDroop refers to. The version I used is called "Aircraft Cost Evaluator" and was an excellent package for looking at the DOC's for various types. Takes a bit of setting up with correct reference values (cost of fuel, maintenance, labour, etc) but once there provides good [sic - might not be what you want to see !!] numbers.

As for format of BP - have you looked at the Microsoft website ? There are a number of templates for "business" documents - they're not necessarily appealing aesthetically but will provide a useful starting point if this is new to you (not trying to make assumptions).

I'd be happy to discuss some of the headings / subjects I used in my BP if you think it'll help.

FO