Guimbal
A Eurocopter engineer spent his spare time on a two-seat trainer that first flew in 1992, founded a company in 2000, and his Cabri G2 became the first new piston helicopter certified in over 30 years.
Guimbal: the company and the aircraft that made its name
A side project at Eurocopter
Bruno Guimbal was an engineer at Eurocopter who worked on the AS365 Dauphin and the EC120 Colibri in the 1980s. His own project was a small two-seat training helicopter, the Cabri, and the prototype made its first flight, a 45-minute sortie, in April 1992. In 1996 it set a world record. In 2000 he founded Hélicoptères Guimbal at Aix-en-Provence to put it into production, and the first production Cabri G2 flew in March 2005.
Certification at last
In December 2007 EASA certified the Cabri G2, the first two-seat piston helicopter to be certified in more than 30 years. The first production aircraft went on 19 September 2008 to the French training operator iXAir, which had ordered ten. FAA certification came in February 2015, and by February 2016 the type was certified in 24 countries. Output climbed from 28 aircraft in 2014 to 44 deliveries in 2015, with 56 projected for 2016.
Training schools and a drone
Guimbal has since widened its range. The Cabri G5 is a four-seat development, and the Cabri also became the basis for the VSR700, an unmanned helicopter developed with Airbus Helicopters for naval use. For a company founded on one engineer’s side project, it now trains a large share of the world’s new helicopter pilots. When deliveries began in 2008 the plan was to build one aircraft a month in 2009 and two a month in 2010, with lead times of under a year.
Guimbal in numbers
Het bedrijf
- Kortom
- Opgericht in 2000
- Founded by former Eurocopter engineer Bruno Guimbal
- Based at Aix-en-Provence
Productie
- Het meest bekend om
- Cabri G2
- EASA certified December 2007; FAA February 2015
- 44 delivered in 2015
- Cabri G5 four-seater; basis of the Airbus VSR700 UAV
Vandaag
- Nu
- Independent
- Cabri certified in 24 countries by 2016
De cijfers
- Cabri G2 produced
- 282014
- Cabri G2 delivered
- 442015
- Countries certifying the Cabri
- 242016
Every notable Guimbal aircraft
Photos: ZLEA / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
| Vliegtuig | Rol | Eerste vlucht | Gebouwd | Status | Opmerking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guimbal Cabri G2 | Two-seat training helicopter | 1992 | In productie | Prototype 1992; production first flight March 2005; EASA certified December 2007 | |
| Guimbal Cabri G5 | Four-seat light helicopter | Four-seat development of the Cabri | |||
| Airbus Helicopters VSR700 | Unmanned naval helicopter | Developed with Airbus Helicopters from the Cabri |
Guimbal aircraft in the world’s air forces
1 air forces in the Order of Battle fly or flew Guimbal types. Eén ervan heeft er nog één in gebruik.
| Luchtmacht | In dienst | Voorheen gevlogen |
|---|---|---|
| Bulgaarse luchtmacht | Guimbal Cabri G2 |
Where Guimbal built, who led it, what it achieved
Fabrieken
- Aix-en-Provence works · Aix-en-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône — Headquarters and assembly
Mensen
- Bruno Guimbal · founder, designer — Former Eurocopter engineer on the Dauphin and EC120
Records en primeurs
- Cabri prototype set a world record in 1996
- Cabri G2: first two-seat piston helicopter certified in more than 30 years, December 2007
Guimbal, year by year
Cabri prototype first flight
Prototype sets a world record
Hélicoptères Guimbal founded
First production Cabri G2 flies
EASA certification
First delivery, to iXAir
FAA certification
Everything people ask about Guimbal
Who founded Guimbal?
When was the Cabri G2 certified?
Where are Guimbal helicopters built?
Is there a drone version of the Cabri?
Around Guimbal
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Geverifieerd op 3 oktober 2026.