Petroleum Helicopters (PHI) is to begin test flights in the Gulf of Mexico after taking delivery of the first Sikorsky S-92 at Heli-Expo 2004. The operator is in talks with offshore customers and plans to begin operational service with the 19-seat helicopter in the third quarter, says president Lance Bospflug.
Including two aircraft for PHI, Sikorsky says it now has 22 firm orders for the $16 million S-92, plus 17 options and four "deposit agreements". The orders are for offshore, VIP and scheduled-airline applications, says Jeff Pino, Sikorsky vice-president, commercial programmes.
Full US instrument flight-rules certification is expected by the end of April, leading to European and Canadian approval by the end of the third quarter, says Pino. Sikorsky is still deciding when to begin introducing upgrades into the medium-sized S-76C+, he says, after booking orders for 59 and options for 57 in the 12 months from December 2002.
Source: Flight International
