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Eurocopter Canada finalized its agreement
with Canadian Helicopters Limited (CHL) and fully endorses the Advanced
Mountain Flying Training Program. This agreement is beneficial to the
Canadian helicopter industry and the global operating community. This
specialized training is unique in Canada and addresses important flight
training issues.
"This agreement underlines our joint commitment to improving flight
safety," said Jean-Pierre Blais, president, Canadian Helicopters Limited.
"Eurocopter has been a long term supplier to Canadian Helicopters and its
technically advanced products are well recognized within the industry. We are
very pleased to have an agreement to team with them and believe their
technical support and promotion will assist in providing both a safer
environment for our customers in their work and good business opportunities
for Canadian Helicopters"
CHL's program, in existence for almost 60 years, teaches the science and
theory behind airflow in mountainous regions. Combined with practical
in-flight experience, pilots gain an advanced understanding of how to
navigate various mountain structures and how the helicopter will perform in
these conditions.
The standard course consists of 26 hours of flight training and 4 days of
ground school. Instructors teaching the training have more than 6,000 flying
hours in mountain flying. The school has trained more than 14,000 pilots
since being created in 1951. Military and law enforcement groups from around
the world have undergone training at the school, including the Royal
Netherlands Navy, the U.S. Navy Seals and the Norwegian Air Force, as well as
Canadian agencies including the Canadian Forces and the Royal Canadian
Mounted Police.
"Our program was founded and developed to equip our pilots with the
skills and training to navigate these difficult flying conditions," said Don
Wall, Senior Executive Vice President, CHL. "Through partnerships and
endorsements from industry leaders like Eurocopter, we can continue to
promote advanced flight safety."
In February, Eurocopter Group announced its endorsement of the CHL
Advanced Mountain Flying Training program after the program was audited and
approved by Didier Delsalle, a Eurocopter test pilot who received worldwide
recognition in May 2005 when he landed an AS350 B3 on the summit of Mount
Everest.
"CHL's program offers an intensive, world-class training based on years
of flight experience," said Guy Joannes, president and chief executive
officer, Eurocopter Canada. "This activity will be strongly promoted through
Eurocopter's worldwide network as a reference, we're very proud to support
this kind of innovative training in Canada".
Eurocopter Canada has recently announced its involvement in various other
training programs, including a new engineering program at the British
Columbia Institute of Technology.
About Eurocopter
Eurocopter Canada Limited (www.eurocopter.ca) is a subsidiary of
Eurocopter. Eurocopter Canada - based in Fort Erie, Ontario - has a customer
support network that spans the entire country. Established in 1992, the
Franco-German-Spanish Eurocopter Group is a Division of EADS, a world leader
in aerospace, defence and related services. The Eurocopter Group employs
approx. 15,600 people. In 2008, Eurocopter confirmed its position as the
world's No. 1 helicopter manufacturer in the civil and parapublicmarket, with
a turnover of 4.5 billion Euros, orders for 715 new helicopters, and a 53
percent market share in the civil and parapublic sectors. Overall, the
Group's products account for 30 percent of the total world helicopter fleet.
Its strong worldwide presence is ensured by its 18 subsidiaries on five
continents, along with a dense network of distributors, certified agents and
maintenance centres. More than 10,000 Eurocopter helicopters are currently in
service with over 2,800 customers in more than 140 countries. Eurocopter
offers the largest civil and military helicopter range in the world.
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