PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Transporting of Helicopters on trailers
View Single Post
Old 23rd Jun 2006, 15:45
  #15 (permalink)  
Flyting
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: In the mountains
Posts: 444
Likes: 0
Received 3 Likes on 3 Posts
R22 on wheels

I spent about 4 years trailoring a R22 around Southern Africa doing game capture. Had to. Needed to have fuel on hand, gear with etc etc. Costs were brought down radically as we would drive anything from 100 - 3000km to do work.

The heli would be flown onto the trailor which was a double axil leaf suspension. Machine facing backwards on the trailor sothat the windscreen wouldn't get broken by stones being flicked up by the vehicle. Tail boom and both blades was supported by upright supports. The whole thing sat very balanced and I would drive at around 100km/h max just for safety of braking with the weight of the heli, trailor and about 600-800l of fuel.

We enquired with Robinson if we could do the same with a R44 but was told not to as the tailboom wouldn't withstand the stress.

Theres been a move away from trailoring recently due to the stresses of driving long distances on dirt roads - VIBRATIONS and some one had to brake urgently for a tractoring puliing out in front and ended up hittting it. Damage to heli was a bit as the whole machine moved forward...

If you do use a trailor make sure you get into a routine for unhooking. Two machines were flipped over as the pilots were distracted during the unhook and preflight and forgot to undo the one skids side latches. Makes for an interresting explanasion....!!!
Flyting is offline