Thanks Noooby and nice photo KiwiNed. I didn't mean to imply that snorkels aren't used but both Tokyo and LA City usually do ground fill with their tanks. I am aware of the 189 extended height gear. Mostly I am curious about long term, frequent external load work and how the helicopter might hold up. The helicopter wasn't designed as an external load machine. That much is obvious from the hook weight limitation. It seems well suited for offshore, SAR, EMS or VIP. I didn't know if anyone was deep into using it for a strictly utility ship with the emphasis on external load and off-airport landing.