The Editor's Letter

Georgina Hunter-Jones

In Susan Sontag’s book, ‘In America’ she says: “modern improvements often start as luxuries...let’s hope that before long such devices will be available to better the lot of everyone.”

Except that she was writing about an era before the invention of motorcars, she could have been referring to the helicopter, for this is the state of the industry right now. Luxuries they may be, but more and more helicopters are becoming indispensible utility vehicles to be found everywhere. The problem, though, seems to be that the manufacturers cannot keep up with  demand, and that price does not reduce.

It is hard to imagine any other industry where manufacturers complain there are too many buyers and where purchasers are prepared to wait until 2009 or even later to receive their goods (part of which they pay for now!) But aviators (particularly helicopter pilots) are notoriously relaxed, easy going people, aren’t they? .....