Kopter awarded DOA approval
The newly branded Kopter Group has received design organisation approval from the EASA.
Design organisation approval (DOA) was granted to the Swiss manufacturer after it changed its name from Marenco Swiss Helicopter to Kopter.
Kopter is designing the SH09, a light, single engine helicopter that took its first flight in October 2014. The company is working towards achieving the helicopter’s FAA validation and to start deliveries in 2019. The aircraft has received around 100 letters of intent last year.
The EASA’s certification director Trevor Woods handed the DOA certificate to Kopter CEO Andreas Loewenstein at the European Aviation Safety Agency’s headquarters in Cologne, Germany.
Trevor Woods commented: “We are proud to handover this DOA certificate to Kopter. It demonstrates that Kopter fulfils the highest European aviation standards and possesses the capability, facilities, manpower, resources and quality assurance systems to design, produce and support the SH09 helicopter which is already on its way to certification.”
A mock-up of the SH09 will be on display at Heli Expo 2018 next week, along with the manufacturer’s other helicopter model, the PS04 – which the SH09 will be succeeding.
Kopter is the first manufacture in its category to be granted a DOA since the EASA was established in 2002.
Mr Loewenstein said: “We are extremely satisfied to receive this certificate, which acknowledges all the work we’ve done in building a well-performing team and organisation. We thank EASA for its trust and strong support in reaching this key step and look forward to pursuing our close cooperation on our way to certify our new turbine-engine helicopter.”
Rebranding
The Swiss helicopter manufacturer was originally named Marenco Swisshelicopter (MSH) and rebranded earlier in February. The company wanted to simplify its branding in the lead-up to its new helicopter launch.
Mr Loewenstein said of the rebrand: “We’re a company with an upward trajectory. Over the past few years, we have grown quickly. To support that growth, and place us as a leader in our field, we need to be clear about who we are. That means investing in our brand and telling our story.”
“Our new name provides us with immediate recognition. It allows us to own a word that is synonymous with helicopter travel. As we are an unmistakably Swiss company, the use of a ‘k’ – instead of a ‘c’ – gives the name a strong, Swiss–Germanic feel. It has a feeling of solidity and dependability – two things that are essential in our industry.”
