Residents between Fullerton and Anaheim may have noticed a variety of helicopters buzzing overhead Friday and will see several more over the weekend.
They are in town for an expo at the Anaheim Convention Center, the largest gathering in the world of the vertical aviation industry.
The Helicopter Association International has brought its annual HAI HELI-EXPO to Anaheim for the first time since 2020 when it was one of the last large gatherings at the convention center before the coronavirus pandemic shut things down. The convention moves around the country each year; in recent years, it’s been hosted in Dallas and Atlanta.
Dozens of helicopters — including some of the largest on the market — will fill the convention floor for the expo, which opens Feb. 26. But first, most are landing at the Fullerton Airport, a staging area where they will also fill up with a lower-emission fuel to reduce the impact of the convention on the local air quality, said Dan Sweet, a spokesperson for the Helicopter Association International.
From Fullerton, they are being directed one at a time to the west side of the Anaheim Convention Center, landing in a small parking lot. Some have to have their rotor blades removed to fit through the loading door to the convention floor.
“This is like having my own personal airshow,” Sweet said of the caravan of aircraft that will at times arrive in 10 to 15-minute intervals. “They are beautiful machines.”
On the lower range, some might sell for a bit under $1 million, he said, but others can reach into the tens of millions. He remembers one from before that had interior detailing like the luxury Aston Martin cars.
“You are seeing some of the newest and best-painted aircraft coming in,” Sweet said. “They are just spectacular machines.”
The expo isn’t just for show, Sweet said. “We anticipate approximately $2 billion worth of business will take place during the four days of our show.”
There will be more than…
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