Dallas – February 26, 2006 – HAI 2006
Fort McMurray, AB: Phoenix Heli-Flight (www.phoenixheliflight.com), a provider of medevac, wildfire suppression, survey & exploration, and passenger/cargo transfer helicopter services in Western Canada, has announced that it is buying the first Canadian-certified AS355N from Eurocopter Canada. The AS355N is a lightweight twin-engine aircraft capable of carrying one pilot and up to five passengers at a fast cruising speed of 120 kts. It is equipped with two FADEC Safran ARRIUS 1A turbine engines.
“The comfort of the AS355N’s front cabin was a big selling feature for us,” says Phoenix Heli-Flight President Paul Spring. “Our customers want to see where they are going – even if they are sitting in the back — in a spacious cabin that is both safe and quiet.” This isn’t the case with other manufacturers’ helicopters, Spring adds, where rear seat passengers can find themselves sitting up against a bulkhead and facing backwards.
“We also selected the AS355N for safety reasons; specifically its FADEC-equipped engines,” says Spring. “This said, the AS355N’s Safran ARRIUS 1As are essentially the same as the engines used in the Eurocopter EC120, which we also have in our fleet. Such commonality makes it easier to integrate a new aircraft into our operation, and it minimizes the amount of training needed for both our technicians and pilots.”
Since Spring founded Phoenix Heli-Flight in 1991, this company has exclusively flown Eurocopters. Today, its fleet contains AS350BAs, AS350B2s, EC120Bs, and EC130B4s. “Using one manufacturer helps keep maintenance and training costs down,” Spring says. “This is why we are also buying a new AS350B3 to replace an older aircraft, in addition to buying the first Canadian-certified AS355N.”
Eurocopter Canada Limited (www.eurocopter.ca) is a subsidiary of Eurocopter. Eurocopter Canada based in Fort Erie, Ontario has customer support centres in Vancouver, British Columbia and Montreal, Quebec. Eurocopter is the world’s leading helicopter manufacturer, the world’s No. 1 helicopter manufacturer. In 2005 Eurocopter generated revenues of € 3.21 billion and employed a workforce of 12,500 worldwide. The company offers the broadest range of helicopters in the industry. More than 9,500 Eurocopter helicopters are in service in 139 countries with 2,500 customers.
Eurocopter is a wholly-owned subsidiary of EADS. EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2004, EADS generated revenues of € 31.8 billion and employed a workforce of about 110,000. The EADS Group includes the aircraft manufacturer Airbus, the world’s largest helicopter supplier Eurocopter and the joint venture MBDA, the international leader in missile systems. EADS is the major partner in the Eurofighter consortium, is the prime contractor for the Ariane launcher, develops the A400M military transport aircraft and is the largest industrial partner for the European satellite navigation system Galileo
| For more information, please contact: | |
| Laura SENECAL Tel : + 905 871-7772 Fax :+ 905 871-3599 laura.senecal[at]eurocopter.ca Eurocopter Canada Limited |
Jean Louis ESPES Tel : + 33 (0)4 42 85 95 55 Fax :+ 33 (0)4 42 85 95 64 jean-louis.espes[at]eurocopter.com Eurocopter |
| Christina GOTZHEIN Tel : + 49 (0) 89 6000 64 88 Fax :+ 49 (0) 89 6000 44 37 christina.gotzhein[at]eurocopter.comEurocopter Deutschland GmbH |
Jesus RUIZ Tel: +34 91 379.66.04 Fax: +34 91 379 66 10 jesus.ruiz[at]eurocopter.com Eurocopter España, S.A |
| Christopher BACH Tel.: +49 (0) 906 71 45 65 Fax : +49 (0) 906 71 39 39 christopher.bach[at]eurocopter.com Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH |
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Website: www.eurocopter.com
