Primp My Ride: Eurocopter Teams with Hèrmes

Eurocopter and the house of Hermès revealed their “l’Hélicoptere par Hermès,” an EC 135 with a decidedly up-market interior, today at the NBAA Convention. The new helicopter came about after officials from both companies met at EBACE in Geneva in May last year, held discussions for six months and decided to cooperate on a joint project that culminated in the special edition of the EC 135 on display at the NBAA show this week. According to American Eurocopter CEO Marc Paganini, the l’Hélicoptère par Hermès needs certification because of numerous changes made to the helicopter, the most visible of which is the redesign of the skids to make cabin access easier. Certification is expected by next summer and Eurocopter plans to use the helicopter on display for demonstration purposes before selling it. Several buyers have shown interest, and first delivery to a customer is expected in October.