Thu, Jun 25, 2009
Thousands In Service For Training, Commercial, And Personal
Use
Sikorsky Global Helicopters, a
Sikorsky company, Wednesday marked the 25th anniversary of the
first delivery of the aircraft now known as the S-300C helicopter.
The first 300C helicopter manufactured by Schweizer was delivered
to the Baltimore Police Department on June 24, 1984.
Schweizer Aircraft Corp., since renamed Sikorsky Global
Helicopters, acquired the licensing rights to the 300C program from
Hughes Aircraft Co. in 1983 and began production of the first
Schweizer-manufactured 300C helicopters the following year.
Within eight months of signing the agreement and shipping Hughes'
entire manufacturing inventory in 32 tractor-trailers from
California to the Schweizer facility in New York, the first
helicopter was assembled, test flown, and delivered. Eleven
helicopters were delivered in 1984, and within three years
production quadrupled. Schweizer purchased the entire 300C
helicopter program in 1986.
"The S-300C helicopter is a valuable part of Sikorsky's product
line," said David Oglesbee, Director, Sikorsky Global Helicopters,
Light Helicopter Division. "Achieving 25 years of S-300C aircraft
deliveries is a huge accomplishment and a testament to the
reliability and ruggedness of this airframe and to Sikorsky's
commitment to the product."
The 300C helicopter was the world's standard training helicopter
when it was first introduced and was used by the U.S. Army,
international militaries, and commercial helicopter operators. By
the time Schweizer acquired the program, the worldwide 300C fleet
stood at 2,700 helicopters. The S-300C helicopter proved to be a
useful platform for developing other model variations. The 300CB
helicopter was introduced in 1995 for the commercial flight
training market and was replaced by the 300CBi model in 2002.
The S-300C helicopter operates throughout the world in many
demanding roles including military patrol, power line/pipeline
patrol, commercial and military flight training, ranching, external
load operations, animal surveys, aerial photography and personal
transportation.
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