RotorWay Introduces New Turbine Helicopter

 

  NEWSROOM  

   

RotorWay Introduces New Turbine Helicopter

By Daniel Guevarra

 

 

July 31, 2009 - Oshkosh, Wisconsin  - The Eagle 300T is RotorWay's newest offering. Powered by a Rolls-Royce RR300-B1 engine, RotorWay claims this airframe/engine combination will be the most cost-effective turbine two-seat trainer in the world.

Like the RotorWay Talon helicopter, the Eagle 300T, which they plan to certify, will seat two. The useful load is 1,100 pounds, and with a capacity to haul 80 gallons of fuel, the Eagle will have a two-hour duration and a cruise of 110 knots.

The Eagle 300T will fill a niche in the initial turbine training market that is currently not being served and can be a cost-effective way for a professional pilot to build turbine hours. Reservations for the 300T are being accepted for $5,000.

Established in 1961 in Chandler, Arizona, RotorWay International is now the oldest and largest kit helicopter company in the world. With a well-established reputation for award-winning excellence, proven performance, comprehensive engineering, affordability and quality, the company is respected and admired by industry leaders and customers alike.

 

Though RotorWay International began in 1990, its roots are much older, grounded in a company called RotorWay Aircraft, which premiered its first kit helicopter model, the Scorpion, at the 1967 Oshkosh Fly-In. One of the forefathers of a new industry, this fledgling company was founded on the principle of providing the joy of helicopter flight to the common man.

As the company evolved, and the models along with it, the Executive model was soon born in 1980 and continued to be the company's premier model until the assets of the company were sold in 1990. A group of British investors, led by John Netherwood, purchased the company. Then, he set about getting the newly christened RotorWay International on its feet with the help of many of the previous RotorWay Aircraft staff and their expertise.

By late September of that year, the company introduced a greatly improved helicopter, derived from the original Executive, and called it the Exec 90.

In 1994, RotorWay International moved to a new 37,000 sq. ft. facility, which would house the entire company versus the multiple locations they were previously distributed amongst. Along with the modern, streamlined factory, the company also introduced a new and improved helicopter, the model Exec 162F.

In 1996, when John Netherwood decided to sell the company, the employees negotiated an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) arrangement to purchase RotorWay International. Rotorway remained employee owned until February of 2007 when the company was acquired by an ownership group led by Grant Norwitz, who first became acquainted with the company when he purchased one of its helicopters. He joined Rotorway in 2006 as CEO.

RotorWay International has sold helicopters in over 50 countries around the world and continues to be the unquestionable leader in the kit helicopter field.

 
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