Cobham Aviation Services joint venture FB Heliservices has been awarded a two-year contract to provide helicopter flying training to the Albanian Ministry of Defense.
FB Heliservices will provide a series of courses that will provide multiengine type conversion, glass cockpit familiarization, instrument flying and Search And Rescue training to 12 Albanian Air Force pilots and Search and Rescue training only to four helicopter crew members.
FB Heliservices Limited is a joint venture company jointly owned by Bristow Helicopters and Cobham Aviation Services. It specializes in the provision of helicopters including operational support and training services to military and government agencies in the United Kingdom and worldwide.
Training will be delivered on a combination of the FB Heliservices Agusta A109 and Bell 412 HAR2 aircraft. These courses are designed to provide essential training for the pilots and crew before they operate newly delivered Cougar helicopters to the Albanian Air Force. The courses will take place over the period of July 2012 to June 2014.
This contract is the first between the Albanian Ministry of Defense and a British company.
“I am delighted that FB Heliservices has been awarded this contract and in particular that this is the first contract of its kind awarded to a U.K. Company,“ said FB Heliservices Managing Director Peter Richardson. “ FB Heliservices has a very strong track record of delivering helicopter pilot training services to military customers around the world and we look forward to working with the Albanian Ministry of Defense to provide the training to their pilots in order for them to successfully move on to their new Cougar helicopters.”