Edwards & Associates: - Helicopter Association International

Edwards & Associates:
Promoting the Philosophy of Product, Service, and Safety
by Martin J. Pociask
Edwards & Associates, Inc complex in Bristol Tennessee.
Jeff Shapiro, President, and Paul Schreuder, Vice President, stand in front of Edward's
Flagship, the "world's highest time jet ranger."
A strong belief in maintaining satisfied
customers is the cornerstone philosophy
behind Helicopter Association
International (HAI) member, Edwards &
Associates, Inc. At Edwards, that
philosophy applies equally to those seeking
helicopter completions, a new or pre-owned
helicopter, and those who are modifying,
upgrading, or repairing their existing
aircraft. It's a philosophy that has
positioned them as a world-leading
helicopter dealer, refurbishing operation,
and completion center.
Edwards joined HAI in 1978, just one
year after being established as a company,
and has been an active Member and strong
supporter of HAI for over 25 years. In
1992, Robert B. "Bob" McNab, then
President and co-founder of Edwards &
Associates, became HAI's Chairman of the
Board. As a regular exhibitor at HELI-
EXPO, Edwards knows the value of
participation. Their generosity was
expressed in 1994, when HAI moved into
its new headquarters at 1635 Prince Street
in Alexandria, Virginia. Their gift to the
HAI Building Fund is noted on the "Donor
Wall" and reads, "was made possible
through a generous donation of Edwards &
Associates, Inc., Aeronautical Accessories,
Inc., and Rotor Blades, Inc."
Edwards also participated in the
production of HAI's Fly Neighborly video,
which describes the Fly Neighborly
Program. A voluntary noise reduction
program designed to be implemented
worldwide by local helicopter operators,
large and small. It includes all types of civil,
military, and government helicopter
operators. Implementation of this voluntary
noise reduction program helped to prompt
the FAA to agree to withdraw a Notice of
46 Spring 2004

Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on
helicopter noise.
In 1989, Robert Whitson, Vice
President and Director of
Maintenance at Edwards &
Associates, was awarded the HAI
"Salute to Excellence" Helicopter
Maintenance Award. Additionally,
Edwards' Quality Control Manager,
William "Tony" Webb was awarded
the HAI 1993 "Salute to Excellence"
Aviation Maintenance Technician
Award.
Carolyn Ferrell, Edward's Vice
President of Administration,
currently serves as Co-Chair of
HAI's Human Resources
Committee. This committee
sponsored the extremely successful
Job Fair held at HELI-EXPO 2004
in Las Vegas.
Edwards was purchased by Bell
Helicopter Textron in July 1999, and
operates out of a 225,000 square
foot complex, located in Bristol,
Tennessee. Factory-trained
technicians support the operation,
along with specialists, who perform
maintenance, overhaul and repair,
avionics, painting, interior
refurbishment and overall customer
support operations. Edwards &
Associates maintains an inventory of
quality new and pre-owned aircraft.
They are able to perform a variety
of custom configurations, while
exercising stringent quality control
Bell 430 UT Lifestar EMS.
Tony Stewart's Bell 407 and VIP interior.
over their product and services.
By any measure, Edwards
maintains a busy completion
operation. In 2003, the company
completed 76 new aircraft, which
consisted of Bell TH67s, 206BIIIs,
206Ls, 407s, 430s, 412s, and the
Huey II. Their completion center
works closely with their customers,
and is no stranger to special
requirements, be it for Electronic
News Gathering (ENG), Law
Enforcement, Forestry Services,
Emergency Medical Services
(EMS), and Corporate
configurations.
Their state-of-the-art computer
design program provides custom
paint schemes, executed by using
new techniques and equipment.
Also, their onsite manufacturing
capability helps to ensure inventory
availability, thus reducing downtime.
Computer engineered panel
layouts aid in design fitting and
selection of the appropriate avionics
package for each project. Edwards
provides a full range of installations
for radios, flight control systems,
mission-specific communications,
and entertainment systems. Skilled
technicians perform routine
scheduled and unscheduled
maintenance. Edwards is an FAA
and JAA Certified Repair Station.
They are also a Bell Customer
Service Facility for the Bell 205, 212,
and 412 medium helicopters as well
as the 206B 206L Series, 407 and
the 427, 222, 230 Twins, and the 430.
They are also a Sikorsky Customer
Service Facility for the S-76 and a
licensed Eurocopter and MD
Helicopter Repair Station.
Edwards maintains a complete
product inventory and through their
subsidiary sister company,
Aeronautical Accessories, Inc.,
which manufactures and distributes
from their 90,000 square foot
facility, provides more than 1,000
accessories and replacement parts
for all types of helicopters.
Spring 2004
47

"We don't do windows" is not spoken
here. They have an ample supply
and wide selection of windows, not
to mention interior trim, landing
gear, and mission-specific kits.
Aeronautical Accessories, also
located in Bristol, Tennessee, has
been an HAI Member since the
company began business in 1978.
Aeronautical Accessories currently
holds over 300 S.T.C. (Supplemental
Type Certificate) approvals,
including landing gear, windows,
interior trim replacements, carbide
skid shoes, and energy floatation
kits. These products are available
through their internationally
distributed catalog.
Aeronautical Accessories'
engineering department has earned
the status of Designated Alteration
Station (DAS), and their in-house
Designated Airworthiness
Representative (DAR) offers onsite
capability to streamline Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA)
certification and compliance.
In 1988, Edwards & Associates
acquired Rotor Blades, Inc. Rotor
Blades recently opened a new
20,000 sq. ft. facility is based in
Broussard, Louisiana, and
specializes in main and tail rotor
repair and sales. Expanding its staff
and capability, Rotor Blades
supports all Bell blade types and the
Sikorsky S-76. Plans are underway
to open a new repair facility in
Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
48 Spring 2004
Bell 430 U.T. Lifestar and Instrument Panel.
Edwards is currently working
with several customers and
manufactures on various designs for
the Bell/Agusta Aerospace
Company's AB139 helicopter. There
are plans to produce a luxurious
custom VIP interior, designed to
accommodate four to eight
passengers that utilize the available
space in the AB139.
Edwards is a fully authorized
FAA Part 135 Air Carrier Operator,
whose services include charter
flights, aerial photography, power
and pipeline patrol, executive
transportation, cargo hauling, and
other rotory-wing services. Because
safety is important to Edwards, the
company prides itself in using highly
qualified pilots for their charter
service operations and has been
awarded HAI's Operator Safety
Award for 17 consecutive years!
In 2003, the Air Trade Center
reported that Edwards and all its
employees throughout the three
companies had reported zero lost
time. One can point to the
institution of environmental, health,
and safety coordinators. The issue of
safety is a serious one for the
company and is reflected in the fact
that Edward's President, Jeff
Shapiro, conducts regular onsite
inspections to ensure that the best
safety practices are applied.
The company's interest in
promoting and enhancing safety,
efficient business operations,
professional development, education
and training, and all the while
staying abreast of the latest industry
developments and encouraging
industry participation, is noteworthy.
Busy as they are, providing
exceptional products and services,
Edwards still finds time to involve
themselves in issues affecting our
industry, such as public acceptance
and the Fly Neighborly program.
Active participation by HAI
members helps to advance the
helicopter as a safe and reliable
method of commerce and to
represent as a collective group the
concerns of hundreds of member
organizations. Successful members
such as Edwards & Associates
recognize the importance of
member participation.
Martin J. Pociask, is director of
communications for HAI.
The NYSP Bell 430 Airborne Law Enforcement/ EMS Configuration includes an AAI
sliding door and articulating patient loading system.