Welcome
Hello and welcome to your June 2021 issue of Airliner World. Seldom known to rest on our laurels, we’re breaking the mould this month in not one but two respects. The first of these relates to the unwritten rule that we don’t generally cover rotary aircraft. While they are fascinating machines and marvels of engineering in their own right, usually they don’t fit neatly into our core remit of ‘airlines or airliners’. So you can imagine the raised eyebrows and pursed lips when I mooted the possibility of a seven-page feature dedicated to some Sikorsky specials. While the editorial team is continuing to work from home, the potential for a pitch-fork wielding mob of airliner loyalists outside Key Towers remained a daunting prospect. To calm the nerves of any fixed-wing aficionados, our story concerns Helijet of Vancouver. Among an assortment of other aviation activities, this quirky Canadian carrier operates an impressive network of scheduled ‘airline’ passenger services, using a fleet of helicopters instead of turboprops or regional jets. While I promise this isn’t the start of a subtle slide towards us becoming Airliner and Helicopter World, I do hope you enjoy Howard Slutsken’s report, which kicks off on page 52 – we would, of course, welcome any feedback you might have via our usual channels.