ERIKSON Aircranes: how do they get here?

[Flying Ted]

Hi Guys,

Simple question.

I understand that our fire fighting aircranes travel the world following the fire session. So do they fly here, are they shipped or air freighted?

Cheers FT

[dubbleyew eight]

the blades come off them and they are shipped in huge containers.

[Wally Mk2]

They have a great support team with each airframe that travel the world in a box.

Used to watch them hover just in front of us in the B200 & the old Beech would rock about like in a hurricane! Must have put out a huge rotor down-wash.


Wmk2

[dubbleyew eight]

much overrated wally.

we were given tales of horrendous vortices and high noise when their presence on our airfield was mooted.

the reality is that a returning aircrane is one of the quietest helicopters around and we havent noticed anything in the way of vortices.

all nonsense sprouted by melodramatic tossers I'm afraid.

the ericson teams are all great guys.

[VH-XXX]

There's a WIKI page on Erikson air cranes and their deployment to Australia. By ship and by air.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_(helicopter) (Link may not work)


I remember a CFI telling me that the Air Cranes sat for a number of years at Essendon during fire seasons and didn't do anything at all after the government paid a hell of a lot of money to bring them over. It was only when Elvis became "famous" after being called in to save a few houses and it did a great job did the public fully embrace the Air Crane and things progressed from there. Very easy to get government funding when the public are calling for it. As you can see in 2006-2007 they brought 4 of them over.

Two other Aircranes, "Georgia Peach" (N154AC) and "Incredible Hulk" (N164AC), were rushed out from the U.S.A on board a Russian Antonov An-124 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonov_An-124) air freighter to assist with the 2001-2002 Sydney bushfires following the successful deployment of "Elvis".[5] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_(helicopter)#cite_note-5)[6] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_(helicopter)#cite_note-6)

Also used in the US Military or at least were as I understand.

Here's one taken at the Pima Air and Space museum in Tucson Arizona.

http://members.iinet.net.au/~bc_j400/erik.jpg (

[dubbleyew eight]

we host "Marty the Mustang"

[Flying Ted]

Thanks Guys. I knew you would know!

Do they knock down to fit in a normal shipping container or an oversize box?

Wmk2: do they really ship the crews in a box as well? Sounds a bit rough to me.

[Ultralights]

all the ones i have seen arrived by air. flown in Antonovs.

[Creampuff]

ERIKSON Aircranes: how do they get here?A Daddy Chinook kisses a Mummy Kamov, and the baby Aircrane grows in Mummy's tummy until...

[Wally Mk2]

'88' well there was plenty of rocking in the old Beech especially when they where fully loaded for test purposes so us 'tossers' must say not over rated at all, the noise side of it I never commented on but yes they where not overly noisy for their size.

'Teddy' yes they did ship the crews in the box but we both left off the 's'...........screws:E


Wmk2

[Big M]

Pics from early OCT 2013. SYD freight apron. Choppers arrived via airmail.
Delivery aircraft noted in first pic.

http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy231/DixonErase/IMAG0482.jpg

http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy231/DixonErase/IMAG0483.jpg

:ok:

[Capn Bloggs]

787 engines. I'm impressed! :E

[John Eacott]

Normal contract requirement (for Oz) is the Aircranes to be sea freighted, RoRo. There are usually six brought over for Australian use and the contract has just been renewed for 5 years with S64E models for commonality and availability, unlike the previous mix of S64E and S64F. Two are contracted to NSW RFS, two to Victoria DEPI and two to NAFC.

If the season brews up early the call has sometimes been made to airfreight the Aircranes, but with a $1 mil tab it isn't done too often.

The Sikorsky S64 Skycrane was developed as a military heavy lifter with a modular lifting concept: mobile hospital, tanks, bus, personnel modules were all created. When Sikorsky ceased model support it was bought by Erickson and had to be renamed, hence the S64 Aircrane. Erickson have also made new build units, notably the ones for the Italians with glass cockpits, etc. Just like we should have done 14 years ago......