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 600 exhibitors, the bulk of which are the “smaller businesses that help make our industry what it is,” he said, and count on the trade show to line up their orders and business for the next year.
Many hail from Southern California, he said.
“There are a ton of support companies in Southern California,” Sweet said, adding that the region has been “leading the way” in the growth in automated and electric or “advanced air mobility” the industry has been seeing.
On Friday morning, the first two aircraft to land at the convention center as part of an opening ceremony were from Torrance-based Robinson Helicopter Company, which is making some of “the most popular helicopters made right now,” Sweet said.
The largest aircraft to fly in for the trade show will be a commercial Chinook, which is expected to arrive Saturday.
“Anybody who is an aviation geek, who goes outside when they hear a helicopter and looks up, will love this,” Sweet said of the parade of arriving aircraft. He added that the public can also walk the convention floor, Feb. 27-29. Then the aircraft will fly out again on Feb. 29 and March 1.
For information on times and tickets, visit heliexpo.com.
