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jgale | 
23 July 2010 at 09:34 | 169 views
On Monday this week I flew by helicopter from the heliport in Battersea down to the International Airshow at Farnborough. This is certainly the way to fly in and out of London, as you cruise swiftly above the clogged roads and endless traffic below. Within 15 minutes or so we were touching down in the airfield in Farnborough, and we were soon in a car winding our way through the traffic and people who are attracted to this very prestigious and important event in the aerospace calendar.
I do not usually attend the Farnborough Airshow, indeed this may be the first time I have ever been (certainly since I was a teenager!). But this was a special occasion as AgustaWestland were unveiling a new civil helicopter, which could end up being built in Yeovil. The new helicopter is called the “AW169”. It is designed to be used for a wide range of non-military purposes such as: air ambulance or for law enforcement, firefighting, disaster relief, search and rescue or simply as a commercial helicopter.
When I arrived in Farnborough I met Graham Cole, Westland’s UK Managing Director, and Graham updated me on the latest developments with the new aircraft. Graham and I had already met Vince Cable MP, the Business Secretary, a couple of weeks ago to discuss this issue.
Graham unveiled the new helicopter, just after noon, and in the presence of Vince Cable, who was in Farnborough for the day. Vince has already written to me to say how much his department supports the development of the new aircraft in the UK. Also present for this special occasion were all the “top brass” from Westland’s parent company, Finmeccanica, including the Chief Executive of AgustaWestland, Giuseppi Orsi.
Graham explained that AgustaWestland in Yeovil is going to be involved in the design, development and production of the aircraft, with a real opportunity for a civil helicopter production line in Yeovil in the future, if the aircraft proves to be a success.
There was a very warm reception for the new aircraft in Farnborough, and a distinct view that it fills an obvious gap in the market place. Sales potential is regarded as being as high as 1000 aircraft over 20 years globally, though obviously it is now very early days.
It would be fantastic for AgustaWestland and for Yeovil if we can secure a civil helicopter production line in the UK, as this would help to provide a solid stream of work to complement the ups and downs of the military helicopter order book. Military helicopter sales can come in periods of “feast” followed by “famine” so there is always a worry about keeping good order books in order to sustain jobs and engineering expertise.
AW169 would therefore be a breakthrough for Westland in Yeovil, and a very important support for the business in the future. But there is still a long way to go to get the project going and to start to secure the orders needed – and this will take a lot of work.
However, the aircraft certainly seems to have huge potential, and it includes the latest technology, good environmental characteristics (including reduced noise), and plenty of inside space – with room for up to 8-10 passengers.
My congratulations, therefore, to Graham and to all those involved in a very successful launch. A new team has now been established to exploit the potential of the non-military market in the UK, and to help to secure the diversification of the long established military activities in Yeovil.
There is a long way to go, but this could prove to be an important day in Westland’s future.
After the launch, I chatted with a group of those present and had a swift bite to eat, and then crossed the airfield to take a helicopter ride back to London. It was a beautiful sunny summer’s day, with the “Red Arrows” putting on a display and the “Eurofighter” showing off its potential for the assembled crowds. I would like to have seen more of the Airshow, but duty – and work – was calling me back to Westminster.
Ever,
David.
jgale | 15 July 2010 at 10:12 | 240 views
Last week started for me early on Monday morning in Westminster with meetings in my office, and then at midday I walked over to one of the “Committee Rooms” in the Palace of Westminster to meet a large group of students from Redstart School in Chard, who had come up to visit. The children had left Chard pretty early – around 6am – but they seemed to be enjoying their visit to Parliament and were full of questions for me (with the exception of one very young man who fell quietly to sleep during my talk!!).
When I met the group they had already had a guided tour of the Palace of Westminster, and had been to see the House of Commons, House of Lords and the historic Westminster Hall. They were a very good group and a credit to their school.
The Palace of Westminster is a splendid building, with a lot of history, and although it has to have a great deal of security these days – with many police armed with sub machine guns – it is still a public building much of which is open to the public at particular times of the day. There are expert tour guides, and it is possible to have a look into the chambers of the House of Commons and House of Lords when they are not “in business”.
I am always happy to fix visits to Parliament for constituents, groups, and schools – and if you would like to come up then please contact my London office on 0207 219 8413. We can, in addition, help obtain tickets for the Gallery of the House of Commons, though the numbers of these are always limited, and this is particularly so for Prime Minister’s Questions. The more time we have, however, the better the chance of getting tickets on the day you need them!
On Tuesday I had a meeting with “Virgin Money”, the banking arm of the Virgin Group. Why? Well this group has just purchased Church House Trust, a small Yeovil banking company, based at the bottom of Goldcroft and run by Graham Hughes. Graham’s company already had a Banking Licence, and the purchase of all this expertise from Yeovil can help the Virgin Group to grow and to deliver on its ambitious plans!
Yeovil is already well known for its engineering expertise, but most people would not have been aware of the financial expertise which is tucked away so close to the centre of town!
On Wednesday morning I met up with Nick Robinson, the Political Editor of BBC TV. Nick is putting together a BBC programme on the formation of the present Coalition Government, and he is interviewing quite a few people to put together a “definitive” account of the negotiations and backroom dealing. We spoke for well over an hour but I doubt that more than 30-60 seconds worth of this will actually be used in the programme, so you never quite know how your contribution will come out. Nevertheless, it is important to get the historical record right!
On Thursday I made the brief journey down Victoria Street to meet the Business Secretary, Vince Cable MP, in his departmental offices. I was seeing Vince to make some representations on behalf of Agusta-Westland about some key business challenges facing them over the year and indeed years ahead. The Business department, like all areas of Government, is facing big budget cutbacks, but there are still some key areas where its support could be crucial.
I will also continue to liaise with the Ministry of Defence to explore alternatives to the current Search and Rescue helicopter order, and the order to upgrade Puma. Both of these orders seem to be expensive and of questionable rationale, and I am convinced that Westland could deliver better and cheaper alternatives, which would also secure local jobs.
On Thursday afternoon I made a series of phone calls to people in the constituency, and I was back in our area on Friday for a long Advice Centre in Yeovil – in spite of being held up by traffic on the A303 near Stonehenge, where the delays seem to be getting ever worse!
On Saturday morning I also held a busy Advice Centre in Chard, on a whole range of issues.
Best wishes to all readers,
Ever,
David.
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