Record number of first time exhibitors prepare for Helitech 2009

More than 45 companies are making their debut at Helitech 2009, which this year takes place from 22-24 September at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford, near Cambridge.

The majority, such as EADS Test & Services and Multiflight, are newcomers to Helitech itself while others, including INAER and Timken, exhibited for the first time last year, when Helitech Portugal was launched.

A major reason for Helitech’s popularity lies in its ability to attract companies of all sizes from across military and civil helicopter supply chains – making it a significant global showcase for products, systems and support services. Reflecting Helitech’s international spread, this year’s first time exhibitor crop is hailing from the USA, Canada, Sweden and as far afield as New Zealand.

In the military arena, UK first time exhibitor Consolite Technology will be showing a complete capability for upgrading a helicopter’s interior and exterior lighting to ensure its compatibility with night vision goggles.

In the surveillance field, Swedish company DST Control will be exhibiting the latest variants in its range of stabilised electro-optical sensor systems. The company’s COLIBRI gyro stabilised micro gimbal has two axes that give a new level of stabilisation performance thanks to purpose-built, high-bandwidth torque motors which implement active vibration attenuation.

UK-based Helimedia provides intelligence, surveillance and communications solutions for customers in military, public safety and security sectors; the company recently supplied Italian helicopter operator Helica with a high definition video system (HDVS) ‘in a box’ for its fleet. The HDVS is the first portable 1080p HD video system that delivers live 1080p HD video imagery to a network of receivers on the ground. The system, which can be rapidly installed and removed when necessary, was commissioned just before an earthquake in L’Acquilla so Helica was able to support disaster relief missions with its live airborne HD video imagery.

For commercial helicopter operators, UK company Sensor Technology is launching a new load sensor that combines GPS track guidance with load sensing plus other intelligent functions to automatically optimise and cost complex operations such as crop spraying and water bombing. The HeliNav-LoadMaster sensor has its own on-board display and computer.

Being independent of the host helicopter’s systems means it can be swapped from one craft to another in seconds, allowing it to be shared around a fleet of aircraft. HeliNav-LoadMaster, records the exact weight of each load, the total distance flown so operators can just download the data and invoice the customer.

New Zealand exhibitor IMS NZ will be displaying examples of its underslung load equipment, such as the Cloudburst firefighting bucket range. And from Australia Avinet is bringing its Air Maestro system to the European market for the first time. Already used by many Australian helicopter operators, this web-based system gives operators control of core operational and compliance information to help them effectively manage their business and maintain regulatory compliance.

Sue Bradshaw, Exhibition Director of Helitech, said: “We are really delighted that so many exhibitors have chosen to make their first appearance at Helitech in the UK. In common with other sectors of the aviation industry the rotary wing arena is raising its game to cope with the current economic climate; our exhibitors are really showing their resilience with many maintaining or even increasing their marketing budgets.”

For further press information about Helitech please contact Victoria Bailey or Nick Johnstone at CMS Strategic on tel: +44 (0)20 8748 9797 or email: info@cmsstrategic.com