Euroheli is acquiring two further helicopters as it caters for expanding air taxi demand throughout Germany. "We are comparing the merits of a JetRanger 206 with the AS350 and AS355," says owner and md Harald Becker. "We carried 11,000 passengers last year and the fleet expansion will help maintain and improve our strong nationwide service."

The Freiburg-based company, which operates a mixed fleet of four EC120s and an AS350 over a range of flight services, has also invested in new equipment for its aerial filming work. It has just taken delivery of a new high definition camera.

"We are the first operator in Germany to invest in a Cineflex HD gyro-stabilised camera system," says Becker. "It is by far the most stable aerial system I have experienced, and the video elements are second to none."

The new camera will be used largely on broadcast and commercial shoots. "We have just completed work on a month-long event for a major German high performance car maker who wanted to introduce a new range of vehicles to its worldwide sales force. I just wish

we'd had the Cineflex for that job." The Cineflex V-14 was used in the filming of BBC's Planet Earth natural history programme.

Now Euroheli is focusing on further building its fleet. "Business is expanding and we will decide what is right for us in terms of the price and the ability of the new additions to do the job," says Becker.