Single Falcon helicopter sold to the Russians, but is it a sign of things to come?

PZL Świdnik, helicopter and aircraft manufacturer has signed a contract with a Russian local government to deliver a PZL Falcon helicopter. The negotiations lasted a month and the aircraft will be delivered in July. The PZL Falcon will be used to transport VIPs. If necessary it can also be easily adapted as a normal passenger helicopter. The Falcon returns to the Russian market after a 14 year absence, when the Russians bought 20 of these choppers in the late 1980s for their national carrier Aeroflot. According to PZL Świdnik spokesman, Jan Mazur, this transaction will definitely be one of the most significant contracts for the company this year. (Rzeczpospolita, p. B1; www.onet.pl) A.K.