Bristow Helicopters Ltd has reported a boost in registrations for its training programs following its high profile presence at Europe’s largest helicopter exhibition, Helitech 2011. Since the event, which took place in the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, UK, on 27-29 September, Bristow has experienced a rise in enquiries for its training programmes held both in Gloucester in the UK and its Florida based Flight Academy.

The company co-hosted an exhibition stand with its affiliate FB Heliservices, a leading provider of helicopter services to military and government agencies worldwide, displaying its range of capabilities to the 5,000 attendees that the event attracted. In addition to its JAA-approved commercial and multi-engine instrument training, Bristow was promoting it search and rescue training and operations and its TCAS 2 collision avoidance system.

From a technical perspective, Bristow had a busy and eventful exhibition holding a range of interesting meetings. Discussions with Turbomeca as well as Pratt and Whitney on engine reliability proved positive. A meeting with Sikorsky, the designers and builders of the world’s most advanced commercial helicopters was promising, with the installation of Bristow modifications on new aircraft deliveries to third party customers discussed.

Commenting on the success of Helitech, Fiona MacLeod, European Commercial Manager for Bristow, said: “Helitech has proved to be a very worthwhile event for us this year. We seized the opportunity to promote the full training, engineering and technical service capabilities that Bristow offers, and as a result have seen a boost in enquiries and bookings.

“We also used the event as a platform to catch up and discuss industry issues with the key aircraft manufacturers, such as Sikorsky and Eurocopter. For instance we met with Sikorsky to discuss the installation of Bristow designed modifications, including TCAS 2, on new aircraft deliveries to third party customers”.

At the event Fiona MacLeod was appointed to Helitech’s first Steering Group Committee a 13-member expert panel created to ensure the biennial event continues to reflect the needs of the industry.

Fiona continues, “This is a great opportunity for Bristow to help shape the development of this key helicopter event and work closely with industry leaders to exchange ideas about the rotary wing marketplace.”

As the first global helicopter operator to offer a dedicated service to the international offshore wind farm sector, Bristow’s Commercial Manager Scott Butler led a discussion at the conference regarding the opportunities the aviation industry can offer offshore wind energy installations. Following this, he met with key wind turbine manufacturers to ensure helicopter access is considered when designing and operating turbines and substations.

With numerous bases around the world, Bristow Group provides aviation support to the global oil and gas industry. The company has 3,500 employees and boasts a varied fleet of around 400 aircraft.