Brantly Helicopter, Founded in Philadelphia in 1945, Now Has Its B-2B Built Only in China
Why It MattersProduction of this light two-seat piston helicopter has moved from the United States to China, a shift in where a niche rotorcraft type is manufactured and supported.
Newby O. Brantly, inspired by the Sikorsky VS-300, founded the Brantly Helicopter Corporation in Philadelphia in 1945. His coaxial B-1 flew in 1946 but never entered production. The two-seat B-2 first flew on 21 February 1953 and was certified in 1959 after the company moved to Frederick, Oklahoma. The five-seat Brantly 305 followed in 1964, and the US Army evaluated five B-2s as the YHO-3 in 1958.
Ownership changed repeatedly. Lear Jet bought the company in 1966, when the Frederick plant had 100 employees. ARDC took the rights in 1969 and stopped in 1970. Michael Hynes revived the business in the 1970s, with F. Lee Bailey's Franklin Capital buying in. In 1989 James Kimura built a new factory in Vernon, Texas, under the name Brantly International, and in 1994 ownership passed to Beijing's FESCO.
In 2007 Cheng Shenzong, described as China's helicopter king, took a major interest. The Vernon factory closed at the end of 2010 and offices moved to Coppell, Texas. Today the B-2B is built only in China, by Qingdao Haili Helicopters. Industry statistics recorded only 12 B-2Bs delivered from US production between 1981 and 2007. The B-2B has a three-bladed articulated rotor, an all-metal fuselage and a choice of skids, wheels or floats. A total of 334 B-2s have been built.
