MD Helicopters, Inc (MDHI) has announced that it set a 15-year record for deliveries in 2008. The company manufactured and delivered more than 50 aircraft last year, the best performance since 2000 when it delivered 38 aircraft and the most since 1993, when it was still part of McDonnell Douglas Corporation.

Under the direction of Chief Executive Officer Lynn Tilton, MD Helicopter also had its busiest December on record with seventeen aircraft completed. And for the first time since investment funds of Patriarch Partners, LLC purchased the company in 2005, the financial performance is positive. .

"We set very ambitious targets for ourselves in 2008," Tilton said. "Had we managed our supplier base better we would have shipped more aircraft - we delivered the balance of our plan in the first months of 2009. The year-over-year improvements are a credit to the hard work and dedication of our employees who labor each day to produce the finest rotor aircraft in the industry."

Among customers taking delivery in December were Chris and Ann Burrows of Walker Creek Ranch in Casper, WY and Frans van Bakel and Vicky Riepen of VB Logistics in Overpelt, Belgium.

The Burrows will use their new MD 530F on their two ranches in Casper that total more than 30,000 acres. They raise both sheep and cattle, and Chris is both a pilot and FAA Certified Airframe and Power plant Mechanic. He completed MDHI Pilot and Mechanic training this year in Mesa.

The region he will cover with his new aircraft includes high elevations, high density altitudes and remote rugged terrain. The MD 530F, noted for hot and high performance and ease of maintenance in the field is ideally suited for this topography.

When asked how he likes his new helicopter, Chris said, "It's the best helicopter in the world."

Frans van Bakel and Vicky Riepen, both helicopter pilots, accepted a new MD 520N with leather seats and a Chelton Flight System Flightlogic EFIS System.

The couple will use their new aircraft primarily for IFR training for commercial pilots in addition to courier and lift work. Their heliport in Overpelt is close to a highly populated residential area where noise is a major concern. They selected the MD 520N for its reduced noise levels, safety, agility and power.

Frans and Vicky took their new aircraft on a sightseeing tour of Southern California before shipping it to Belgium.

"The love of our aircraft and the excitement it creates when delivered is what keeps me devoted to this company," said Tilton. "We have rebuilt this company from the customer backward---finding new ways to meet the customers' needs and desires. We continue to raise the bar." what makes this company exciting.