South Beach Helicopters has announced that it has acquired an Airbus Helicopters AS350 B2 AStar helicopter that will be used in the company’s growing tourism and charter flights business.
“This is a progression of our business that will allow us to better meet the needs of our VIP clients,” said Lisa Landsman, president, pilot and owner of the three-year-old company. “This is our first Airbus helicopter. It’s a great addition to our fleet. It’s exciting for us.”
South Beach Helicopters has built a thriving business providing charter flights and aerial tours of the South Florida beach region with its fleet, which includes Robinson R44 and R66 helicopters. The larger and faster AStar will carry six passengers, in addition to the pilot.
The company’s charter business in particular has been growing as VIP clients request flights for special events and business entertainment. South Beach Helicopters offers flights with luxury touches.
“It’s become a cool thing to do,” said Landsman. “We’re going to continue to add helicopters to our fleet to meet the needs of our growing business.”
Each of the company’s helicopters are air conditioned, a big selling point in the south Florida climate. Sightseeing and charter flights are offered over Miami and other south Florida beaches, Key West, Orlando, the Bahamas and other spectacular locations.
The helicopters are also available for aerial photography and video, realtor and surveyor flights, birthdays, wedding proposals, and Easter egg drops. VIP pick up and drop off is available for weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, sporting events and concerts.
The AS350 B2 AStar is a high performance single-engine helicopter capable of a wide range of missions with excellent safety features. The wide cabin seats six passengers in forward-facing seats, all with panoramic views.
Nearly 1,400 AStars of all versions are in service in North America, including 545 AS350 B2s that are in use in for a wide variety of missions. The aircraft was purchased by South Beach Helicopters from Airbus Helicopters Inc. in Grand Prairie, Texas.
South Beach Helicopters’ pilots received Airbus Helicopters factory training, the gold standard in the industry — prior to taking delivery of the aircraft.
