The saga continues & continues & continues......
Captain Pheromone stated in a previous posting that "three Hueys will be coming from Gernany, certified and all". Are you sure about that Capt P, or have you been told that they will be certified? Just curious!
If its true that they're coming from Germany, then they may be ex German UH-1D's converted to SWFA 205's and have been working in Germany on sling or fire operations only, as you know the SWFA STC does not allow for the carriage of passengers.
The UH-1D's that were built by Dornier under license from Bell, were built under type certificate number 3033 with the explicit arrangement that the moment any of those German UH-1D's leave Germany, their data plates will be removed and the type certificate will become invalid. So its highly unlikely that they will be straight ex German Border Police UH-1D's.
From the 350 odd Hueys built by Dornier, some went to the Army and some went to the the Border Police. The ones (about 50) that went to the Border Police were placed on the German Civilian Register from day one, but the same regulations applied to those. On leaving German soil, the type certificate become invalid, and the German CAA will not allow the export of any Huey with an Export C of A. Data plates can stay, but no export C of A.
Since Dornier went broke a few years ago, Bell withdrew the Type Certificate granted to Dornier, with the result that, that particular type certificate is now in the hands of Bell, and totally worthless anyway.
Some of those ex German Border Police Hueys ended up in Ecuador and Chilé, and following a visit to Chilé the last 2 weeks, I established that they were exported from Germany with all their books and paperwork, but no C of A from the German CAA, with the result that it took both the Ecuadorian and Chilean owners more than 2 years to get those Hueys flying, resulting in vigorous and very expensive re-certification programs.
The result?
In Chilé they are certified in the Restricted Category and you can basically use them for sling work only, which is exactly what they are used for in Chilé. In Ecuador they have been issued with Standard Type Certificates for Ecuador only, but the moment they leave Ecuador, the C of A's become invalid. They are used for a number of purposes in Ecuador, including the flying of tourists/passengers. Those flying Huey's are priced in the region of US$600 to US$800K. Not worth it, but a very expensive exercise for the owners.
I bumped into a Canadian Operation in Santiago Chilé called Eagle Copters. Their Headquarters are in Canada, and I was told that Transport Canada does not entertain the Huey Programs in Canada either. Bell 205's yes, but no Hueys. All Hueys working in America are on Restricted C of A's as well. A couple of Sherriff's Departments use them for law enforcement, the spraying of mosquitos etc. No pax flying though. Sherriff's crew only.
So it will be interesting to see what Capt P's Hueys will be like, where they come from, how they're certified etc. I think its virtually impossible to buy a "Unrestricted Huey" anywhere. When they're typed certificated like the SWFA machines, they can sling & fire fight, but cannot fly passengers. Essential crew only, and for that I think its a bit of a waste.
The solution?
If you want to fly pax, buy a civilian 205 which costs a great deal more than a Huey, but that will at least allow you to fly passengers legitimately without problems. Second hand 205's sell for in the region of US$1.5 to US$1.8 million.
Mind you, the SACAA have been very slack regarding the entire Huey operation in South Africa, and the way it's going now, I guess anything can be possible. After taking a couple of hidings in the Supreme Court, which costed them millions, they are now fairly and squarely in bed with the Huey people, and are condoning practises, totally unheard of.
The mere fact that the Madam Flight Operations Chief allowed a non type rated pilot/instructor/DE to conduct conversions, and then accepted/allowed/condoned those conversions after consultations/fights with the parties involved, is indicative of their incompetence, inability and their wilingness to break their own rules. Well done Madame Flight Operations Chief. You have surely earned your position in Aviation in Africa.
The result?
Watch this space........ there's more to come.
As long as there's a pprune. the stories will come in.