Latest Generation Helicopter to Fly the Gulf for PHI

The first production Sikorsky S-92 helicopter is at its home base, from which it will open up a new age of Gulf of Mexico offshore service with Petroleum Helicopters, Inc. (PHI).

The first of two S-92 aircraft bought by the helicopter transportation company to support deepwater drilling and production activity was flown in September to PHI in Lafayette, La., from Sikorsky's main plant in Connecticut. PHI's second S-92 is nearing delivery. Another S-92 was delivered last month to a VIP customer in the United Kingdom.
"The S-92 is a revolutionary aircraft, representing an entirely new design. The result is the most technologically advanced and safest helicopter in the world," said Sikorsky President Steve Finger. "PHI and Sikorsky worked hard during this phase of the S-92's life to produce a configuration that mirrors future production aircraft in this great new generation."

Al A. Gonsoulin, chairman and CEO of PHI, said, "We feel our customers will be pleased with the S-92 because of its advanced safety features, range, payload, cabin size and cost effectiveness. The inclusion of Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) and Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) aboard our first two S-92s is important and provides another level of safety for our customer base."

Sikorsky already has orders or options for 60 S-92 helicopters. S-92 completion will increase through the end of 2004, with decreasing intervals between deliveries. The plan is to deliver 18 aircraft in 2005.

Sikorsky has been selected by the Government of Canada to provide 28 military H-92 derivatives. Another version of the H-92 is also being campaigned by Sikorsky to win the competition for the next-generation helicopter to serve the White House mission.

The arrival of the S-92 at PHI is the culmination of an effort to ready the aircraft for offshore transportation service, which included EGPWS and TCAS certification, as well as validation of the Coupled Flight Director and envelope expansion required for commercial charter service. 

PHI signed an agreement in August 2003 to purchase two Sikorsky S-92 helicopters, Sikorsky's newest aircraft in the medium-lift helicopter market.  The company has utilized every commercial helicopter that Sikorsky has produced, from the S-55 in the early 1960s to the S-92 today.

Sales of the S-92 are heating up in two of the world's leading oil-producing regions, the Gulf of Mexico and the North Sea, as well as in the corporate and VIP markets.

FMI: www.sikorsky.com