Proceedings began at Helitech 1999 with a speech by Lord Glenarthur, chairman of the International Federation of Helicopter Associations (IFHA), in which he highlighted the importance of cooperation between competitive players in the helicopter industry. \r"We need your support in working up the infrastructure necessary to enable us to do our work. Without that infrastructure, our operations could easily become constrained, and then the opportunity for you to sell aircraft into our field becomes ever more difficult."\rGlenarthur was addressing senior representatives of seven manu-facturers: Dr Siegfried Sobotta, chairman of Eurocopter; Tommy Thomason, civil vp for Sikorsky Aircraft; Bruce Camp, vp of Bell Helicopter Textron; Valeri Kartachev, deputy general director of Kazan Helicopters; Jim Rogers, md of Bell Augusta; Henrik Shaeken ceo of MD Helicopters; and Paul Schweizer, vp of Schweizer Aircraft. \rGlenarthur singled out four issues which he felt illustrated some of the tasks facing the helicopter industry. Firstly, he welcomed recognition by the International Civil Aviation Organisation in Montreal, at which the IFHA recently achieved observer status. \r"I have held a series of discussions in Montreal with ICAO and I very much hope that we can carry our relationship with them forward for the benefit of the industry worldwide," he said. Secondly, Glenarthur highlighted the need to encourage understanding of the "largely untapped" potential helicopters offer within the broader aviation industry. \rThirdly, he welcomed the increase in the use of helicopters by the police and other emergency services, and said he was delighted with the manufacturers' positive moves to meet this requirement. Finally, Glenarthur looked forward to the introduction of the first tilt-rotor aircraft: "The combination of helicopter vertical take-off and landing capability with fixed-wing long distance cruise at altitude is something our industry has long dreamt of. We need to grasp the opportunities it offers," he said, going on to emphasise the importance of environmental issues. "We need to work closely with regulators to ensure that the massive potential which the early aircraft and most certainly their successors will introduce to our industry is put to adaptable use for the public good," Glenarthur concluded.