Our Skills

For the French Government

A public-private partnership has been associating HeliDax and the Ministry of Defence since 2008. HeliDax's primary mission is to provide aircraft for the French army helicopter pilots trained at the renowned Army Aviation School (B.E. 6è RHC).

HeliDax does not train these pilots but provides helicopters along with the necessary maintenance and management in order to guarantee their maintenance in operational condition.

HeliDax owns 36 EC120B Colibri helicopters that it modifies to meet the specific requirements of the mission. This is how HeliDax manages to provide 100% of the assets requested by the Armed Forces.

Thanks to the expertise of HeliDax employees, these aircraft have an availability rate of more than 90%. 30 to 32 are always ready to take off in order to ensure the best possible conditions for the future military pilots. The company provides 22,000 flight hours per year.

Since May 2010, more than 771 student pilots and instructors from the French Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force and Gendarmerie), as well as Belgian and Nigerian pilots, have been trained at the Army Aviation School (BE 6èRHC) and therefore were served by HeliDax.

Since its creation, HeliDax has naturally been located on the site of the Army Aviation School Base (B.E 6è RHC) located in Dax.

Flotte
36 Colibri EC120B
Taux de disponibilité
90%
Taux de satisfaction
100%
Heures de vol
22 000 h/an
Pilotes formés
771 depuis 2010

Customisation

Customising helicopters, to exporting expertise

Since 2014, HeliDax has been diversifying its activities. HeliDax is regularly approached by third party customers to customise their H120s on the same model as that made available to the French Armed Forces. It has also customised equipment for customers in Norway, Switzerland and Italy.

In 2017, the company converted helicopters in its workshops for a private operator based in Malaysia.

Installation of autopilots, digital displays, flight data recorders, radio set modifications: HeliDax is happy to export its expertise.
HeliDax also operates in Malaysia, at the recently founded flight training centre, where it also prepares the aircraft for their training missions.

Another example: HeliDax is also involved in engine maintenance for Safran Helicopter Engines (formerly Turbomeca), in Bordes (Pyrénées-Atlantiques).

HeliDax assesses these helicopters on site, advises the customers on how to proceed then customises the aircraft to allow its customers to launch their own flight training program.

"They are not competitors because we only handle maintenance," says Jean-Jacques Chesneau. Part of the income generated by this activity is transferred to the French State.

Stretchers for Intensive Care Units

Helidax also manufactures stretchers for French helicopters used in air rescue operations.

HeliDax innovates

A flight demonstrator

Made from the wreckage of a helicopter, the HeliDax demonstrator is expected to be one of the attractions of the upcoming Paris Air Show, the International Aeronautics and Space Exhibition (June 17-23, 2019 in Paris). Every year, HeliDax presented a static helicopter at Le Bourget in which many curious people would settle in turns. The frustrated visitors expected to fly!

With this innovation, HeliDax hopes to meet this request and why not, to encourage vocations. 50 trainees from the Jean-Taris technical high school in Peyrehorade (40) and from the InTech Engineering schools in Agen (47) and Dax (40) have been working for months to shape this demonstrator in coordination with students from the IMA School (Aeronautical Engineering & Maintenance) located in Bordeaux.

Designed to promote the aviation trades, it will offer users a total immersion between real and virtual. The company has been working for 1.5 years on this project (outside scheduled hours) as a non-profit activity.

The demonstrator, in HeliDax colours
The control desk of the demonstrator
In the cockpit of the demonstrator

HeliDax operates a fleet of 36 H120 helicopters specially modified to meet the specifications of the military user. It is worth noting that the new technologies implemented by Airbus and Safran have made it possible to significantly reduce fuel consumption, maintenance costs and noise emissions.

However, the main specificity of this unique fleet in the world lies in the modifications made by HeliDax to adapt the H120 to the specific requirements involved in the operation of a military aircraft.

A worldwide unique fleet of personalised helicopters

To meet French Army Aviation requirements, the following equipment is fitted on the H120 helicopters that are then labelled “NHE” (Nouvel Hélicoptère Ecole)

Autopilot with SUP mode

Digital cockpit (PFD & MFD with integrated mapping)

ADF

Radio altimeter

UHF/VHF

Flight Data recorder

Low light level indoor and outdoor lighting (BNL)

Swivelling retractable landing light compatible with night vision goggles (NVG)

IMC qualification for military use

Certificats techniques et agréments

World-class qualifications

To provide these “upmarket” services, HeliDax can rely on human and material resources to meet the requirements of its customers:

Staff: more than 55 experts in the field of maintenance, planning, logistics, reliability and continuing airworthiness
Three hangars with a total surface area of 15,000 sq.m, including a 4,200 sq.m workshop
Engine workshop approved by Safran Helicopter Engines for level 3 maintenance
High-performance airworthiness management tool (AMS software)

Certifications achieved

Quality Services

Some significant results:

22 000

flight hours per year

190 000

Flight hours since HeliDax was created

+ de 90%

Daily technical availability rate of aircraft

100%

of resources requested by the armed forces have been provided

A World Reference

HeliDax is a global reference in terms of "test fleet" (study of aircraft ageing, enhancement of their reliability) for Airbus and Safran Helicopter Engines. Third-party customers have also approached the company to have their H120 helicopters customised along the same lines as those made available to the French armed forces.

Remarkable Results

This outstanding performance is the result of attentive customer care, very close teamworking, and efficient and cost-effective maintenance.

High Level

The customised helicopters (NHE) have also been used as substitutes to the military helicopters in service within the armed forces to reduce training costs and maintain the operational capability of crews at a high level.

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Aircraft Maintenance

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Address

Route de Tercis
BP 20076
40102 Dax Cedex
France

For the French Government

Customising helicopters, to exporting expertise

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