Signs Contract For Seven Aircraft, Receives Training Center
Certification
Eurocopter Chile and Cono Sur, subsidiary of the Eurocopter
Group announced contract signatures for the sale of 7 helicopters
to several parapublic and private operators from Argentina and
Chile during FIDAE Air and Space Show 2010. In addition,
Eurocopter’s training center for Southern Cone pilots and
technical representatives was officially certified by the Aviation
Authority of Chile (DGAC). This entity is the only
Eurocopter-approved training center in the Southern Cone of Latin
America.
Eurocopter AS 350 Firefighting
Demo
Henri Pesquidous, CEO of Eurocopter Chile and Cono Sur, declared
at the occasion: “We are particularly proud of the confidence
that prestigious operators in the region continue to place in our
products to perform demanding missions on a daily basis. Also,
receiving the official certification from the Dirección
General de Aeronáutica Civil of Chile for our training
center demonstrates the DGAC’s trust in Eurocopter’s
ability to meet the needs of its customers in terms of
training.”
During the FIDAE Air and Space Show, Eurocopter Chile and Cono
Sur signed contracts with several parapublic and private operators
from Argentina: the Provincia de Córdoba for one EC135 for
passenger transport and one AS350 B3 for rescue missions; the
Provincia de la Rioja for one AS350 B3 for rescue and fire fighting
missions; the Policía Federal de Argentina for 1 EC135 for
law enforcement missions; the Provincia de Misiones for one EC130
B4 for rescue missions and passenger transport and a private
customer for one EC120. An additional contract was signed with the
Chilean company Ecocopter for an AS350 B3 to perform commercial
operations.
The DGAC’s official certification of Eurocopter’s
Chilean training center was also announced during the show. This
center—the only Eurocopter-approved training center in the
Southern Cone of Latin America—delivers courses to civilian
and military pilots as well as to technical representatives from
Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru and Uruguay. Courses offered to
pilots include initial and recurrent training on the EC120, AS350
B3, AS355 NP and EC130 B4 as well as emergency procedure training.
Technical representatives may receive initial and recurrent
training on the above-mentioned machines and on the EC135, BK117
and BO105. In 2009, 26 pilots and 58 technical representatives were
trained at the center.
(L-R) Henri Pesquidous, M. Lorenzo
Sepúlveda
The Eurocopter Group has been present in the Southern Cone of
Latin America for 9 years via its subsidiary Eurocopter Chile and
Cono Sur and is currently the only helicopter manufacturer located
in the region with industrial activities. The Group also has
subsidiaries in both Mexico and Brazil, which handle the sale and
customization of new and second hand helicopters, commercial
support, spare parts distribution, maintenance and training courses
for pilots and technicians all over the Latin American continent. A
total of 1,135 Eurocopter helicopters fly in Latin America for
civil, parapublic and military operations. The Eurocopter Group
currently employs more than 500 people in Latin America.