Norsk Helikopter Reaches 10K Fleet Hours Milestone

STAVANGER, Norway, Dec. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Norsk Helikopter has become the first offshore oil operator in the North Sea to achieve 10,000 fleet hours with the Sikorsky S-92(R) helicopter. Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).

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The milestone was reached on Nov. 20.

"Norsk's reaching 10,000 fleet hours with the S-92 is a tremendous accomplishment and affirms the strength of this aircraft in its offshore oil missions," said Sikorsky Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer Stephen B. Estill. "Sikorsky is pleased that Norsk is operating at such a high level -- what essentially amounts to more than 2,000 hours per aircraft, per year. This incredible amount of flight time is a true testament to Norsk and to the S- 92."

The S-92 was the first helicopter in the world certified to the latest Federal Aviation Administration and European Joint airworthiness safety standards. The aircraft is the winner of the Collier Trophy, and features a Rotor Ice Protection System available on S-92 helicopter military variants as well as commercial aircraft.

"At Norsk, we are very pleased with the work our employees have performed in introducing the S-92 to European offshore operations. We are also pleased with the support we have received from Sikorsky, as well as the strong performance of the S-92 in our harsh North Sea environment", said Norsk Managing Director Ivar Eie.

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., based in Stratford, Conn., is a world leader in helicopter design, manufacturing and service. United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, Conn., provides a broad range of high-technology products and support services to the aerospace and building systems industries.

Norsk Helikopter began operations in 1993 and is a well established helicopter operator providing helicopter transport services on the Norwegian continental shelf. Norsk Helikopter AS has specialized in the transportation of passengers to fixed and mobile installations in the North Sea.