Luxury 'Copter on Show Even Has Gold Fittings

Middle: The well-appointed cockpit includes a gold-plated torch on the rear bulkhead. Bottom: Ample areas of gold plating are evident on the S-70's doors.

The Sultan of Brunei's personal S-70C helicopter is stopping off at the Show on its way back to the US for resale. On view in the static park at Asian Aerospace is a deluxe helicopter until recently owned by the Sultan of Brunei. Returning to the US, having been traded back to its maker, is the Sikorsky S-70C on which, clearly, no expense has been spared. The well appointed VVIP transport, which was originally built in 1986, does not even skimp on opulence for the crew, having gold-plated door fittings and even a gold-plated emergency torch clipped to the cockpit bulkhead. The Sultan was obviously well pleased with the helicopter in its day, for he has replaced it with a similar adaptation of the virtually identical, but higher-powered, UH-60L Black Hawk.