Kaman Aerosystems, a division of the aerospace segment of Kaman Corporation, has announced at HAI Heli-Expo that a record number of K-MAX production deliveries are planned for March 2018.
“We are pleased that new production K-MAX aircraft from Lot 1 are expected to be delivered to Helicopter Express and Columbia Basin Helicopters next month,” stated Drake Klotzman, general manager of the AVMRO Division of Kaman Aerosystems. “This is an important milestone for the K-MAX program and I am very proud that we are continuing the production and delivery of K-MAX aircraft to customers around the world.”
Helicopter Express of Chamblee, Georgia, is a current K-MAX operator and is expected to take delivery of two additional aircraft (#4 and #5). Columbia Basin Helicopters located in La Grande, Oregon, is expected to take delivery of aircraft #6.
Development of the K-MAX was led by Kaman founder and former CEO, aviation pioneer Charles H. Kaman, and received Federal Aviation Administration certification in 1994. The single-engine, single-seat K-MAX is a rugged low-maintenance aircraft that features a counter-rotating rotor system and is optimized for external load operations and designed specifically for vertical reference flight. The aircraft can lift up to 6,000 pounds (2,722 kg).