Mesa, AZ, September 15, 2008 – Takes First in Four Categories

Mesa, AZ, September 15, 2008… MD Helicopters, Inc. (MDHI) has earned a 2nd place overall ranking in the Aviation International News 2008 Product Support Survey. The annual survey is based solely on customer input and is widely recognized as the barometer of aviation industry.

MD Helicopters second place ranking this year shows continued overall improvement and staying power after having jumped to 2nd place in the 2007 survey. MD Helicopters’ overall rankings improved to 6.78 from 6.69 in the 2007 survey results. The company received the top rankings in Parts Availability, AOG Response, Cost of Parts and Overall Aircraft Reliability. MD Helicopters also took second in the Technical Reps category and Authorized Service Centers.

“I am pleased that MD Helicopters continues to show improvement as judged by the industry,” said Craig Kitchen, COO MD Helicopters, Inc. “We still have much work to do, but our continued improvement in the survey scores is confirmation that we are on the right course and that our customers are feeling the impact of our efforts.”

MD Helicopters continues to rebuild their Supply Chain and Production capabilities at their main Mesa, Arizona facility. Their Monterrey, Mexico based fuselage manufacturing facility and Heritage Aviation’s completion center in Grand Prairie, Texas also continue to improve; providing cost and capability advantages.

The 2008 AIN Product Support Survey results and the related article were published in the August 2008 issue of the magazine. Additional information may be found at http://www.ainonline.com

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About MD Helicopters, Inc.
MD Helicopters, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of commercial and military helicopters. The MDHI family of rotorcraft is world renowned for its value, versatility and performance. The MD Helicopters family includes the twin-engine MD Explorer®, and single engine versions of the MD 600N®, MD 520N®, MD 500E® and MD 530F®. The NOTAR® system for anti-torque control is used exclusively by MD Helicopters. The Company is based in Mesa, Ariz. For more information about MDHI visit http://www.mdhelicopters.com or
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About Patriarch Partners, LLC
Patriarch Partners, LLC is a private equity investment firm with offices in New York, Charlotte, North Carolina and Dallas, Texas. Funds affiliated with Patriarch manage assets in excess of $6 billion and include majority and minority ownership positions in more than 70 companies. Founded by Lynn Tilton in 2000, Patriarch provides innovative financial solutions, strategic direction and operational expertise to its portfolio companies.