Swiss startup helicopter maker Kopter plans to decide on a location for its U.S. manufacturing facility and hopes to “start swinging shovels” early in 2019, senior vice president Larry Roberts told AIN this week at the Air Medical Transport Conference (AMTC) in Phoenix. He also said Kopter is looking at establishing a flight-training facility, most likely with an established industry partner, “probably somewhere between Dallas and Atlanta.” The company is continuing its flight-test program for the turbine single SH09, which it hopes to conclude next year and gain certification in 2020 or 2021.
Kopter also would like to bring a flying prototype SH09 to next year’s Heli-Expo in Atlanta, provided it did not delay the flight-test program, he added. It is displaying a full-scale mockup of an SH09 with an air medical interior at AMTC. Roberts noted that the SH09 has “got just about the same cabin volume as an [Airbus Helicopters twin-engine] EC145” and “definitely more” than other twins, including the Airbus EC135 and Bell 429.
“There’s a lot of interest from the operators due to the big clamshell doors, cabin volume, speed, range, and power,” he said. Despite the large cabin, “the helicopter is very compact and it can do scene work very efficiently. And the cabin space allows room to carry a doctor or to hook up the patient to more sophisticated medical equipment faster,” Roberts said, noting that the cabin can accommodate up to two patients or a patient requiring dual oxygen therapy.
He also stressed that the SH09 will be equipped with a four-axis autopilot and have the ability to do WAAS approaches to plus six degrees, giving hospitals greater flexibility and the ability to use their own proprietary approaches. The SH09 is powered by a single 1,020-shp Honeywell HTS900 engine. Preliminary data indicates a maximum cruise speed of 140 knots and a maximum range of 430 nm. The retail price is expected to be close to $3.5 million.