Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

ACQUISITIONS AND DISPOSITIONS

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ACQUISITIONS AND DISPOSITIONS
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2015
Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]  
ACQUISITIONS AND DISPOSITIONS
ACQUISITIONS AND DISPOSITIONS
Sicher Helicopters SAS (“Sicher”). On April 9, 2015, the Company contributed $3.2 million in cash for a 75% interest in Hauser, which owns 100% of Sicher, a Colombian entity. In connection with the acquisition, the Company also transferred title of an AW139 helicopter to Hauser to be used in Sicher’s operations.
The Company recorded all identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the estimated acquisition date fair value in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 805 - Business Combinations (“ASC 805”). This acquisition did not represent a material business combination under ASC 805. The acquisition of the 75% interest in Hauser resulted in the recognition of goodwill of $1.2 million and other intangible assets, comprised primarily of a Colombian air operator certificate, of $1.4 million. The fair value of the noncontrolling interest was determined using a discounted cash flow analysis. The initial accounting for the acquisition is not complete because the Company is still evaluating certain information used to estimate the fair values recorded including the valuations of the tangible assets, intangible assets, deferred income taxes and noncontrolling interest.
The noncontrolling interest partner has a right to put its interest to the Company, and the Company has a right to call its partner’s 25% ownership interest, each upon the occurrence of certain events and at fair value at the time of exercise as determined by an independent accounting firm. As a result of this put right, the noncontrolling interest related to Hauser is recorded in the mezzanine section of the condensed consolidated balance sheet as it does not meet the definition of a liability or equity under U.S. GAAP.
Capital Expenditures. During the nine months ended September 30, 2015, capital expenditures were $47.3 million and consisted primarily of deposits on future helicopter deliveries and a base expansion project. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015, the Company capitalized interest of $1.8 million and $5.4 million, respectively. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, the Company capitalized interest of $1.0 million and $3.0 million, respectively. As of September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, construction in progress, which is a component of property and equipment, included capitalized interest of $9.4 million and $5.0 million, respectively. One S92 heavy helicopter was delivered in September 2015 but was not yet placed in service as of September 30, 2015. A summary of changes to our operating helicopter fleet is as follows:
Equipment Additions - The Company acquired three BO-105 light twin helicopters and one AS350 single engine helicopter in connection with the acquisition of Hauser during the nine months ended September 30, 2015. The Company placed four AW139 helicopters into service during the nine months ended September 30, 2014.
Equipment Dispositions - During the nine months ended September 30, 2015, the Company sold or otherwise disposed of property and equipment for proceeds of $18.5 million and recognized gains of $3.1 million. Additionally, a dry-leasing customer exercised a purchase option for three helicopters from which the Company recognized a gain of $1.2 million and an investment in sales-type lease of $2.3 million. Subsequent to exercising the purchase option, the customer opted for an early buy-out of two of the three sales-type leases, resulting in cash proceeds of $2.1 million and additional gains of $0.6 million. As of September 30, 2015, the investment in sales-type leases was $0.7 million. During the nine months ended September 30, 2014, the Company sold or otherwise disposed of property and equipment for proceeds of $7.0 million and recognized gains of $6.1 million.
Fixed Base Operations (“FBO”) Sale. On May 1, 2015, the Company sold its FBO business at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport to Piedmont Hawthorne Aviation, LLC. Pursuant to a membership interests purchase agreement, Piedmont Hawthorne Aviation, LLC acquired 100% of Era Group’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Era FBO LLC, for cash proceeds of $14.3 million. The Company recognized a pre-tax gain of $12.9 million on the sale.