Friday, May 19, was a celebration day for Helicoptères Guimbal. The factory closed slightly earlier than normal and employees and a number of customers joined together for the handover ceremony of the 200th composite-construction Cabri G2.
Resplendent in a Union Jack scheme — the British national flag — it is no surprise that this landmark aircraft has been bought by HeliGroup, the distributor in the United Kingdom. The delivery of this aircraft brings the U.K. fleet to 28, the largest national fleet of Cabri G2 helicopters in the world.
The helicopter recently took center stage at Heli UK Expo, which was held at Wycombe Air Park on June 1 to 3, 2017, in association with fixed-wing sister event Aero Expo. It will also be carrying out a British tour to promote the type to training schools throughout the country in July.
Like many on the Guimbal production line, it is fitted with the latest Aspen Avionics panel — the EFD1000 Evolution digital display with its horizontal format fits perfectly into the standard Cabri EPM – a Guimbal-developed advanced multi-function vehicle monitor – and features the two displays now standard on modern glass-cockpits:
An Attitude Display Indicator with tape-style altimeter and airspeed indicator. To better fit the common ab-initio training mission, mechanical ASI and altimeters are retained standard on the Cabri and the tape-style instrument could be shown or not; and
A horizontal situation indicator with multiple GPS/VOR inputs and traffic awareness displays linked to ADS-B or FLARM.
Operators of the Cabri G2 are finding that this feature allows a direct transition from ground to twin turbine, glass cockpit helicopters. The Aspen glass-panel is certified by both the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the majority of their customers opt for this version. This particular machine is also the first to have the 145 horsepower to 160 horsepower upgrade.
Two more Cabri G2 helicopters are on order for delivery to the U.K. in September and November this year.
