PHI and the russian aircrane Mi-10

[hotzenplotz]

I heard that PHI operated a Mi-10.

Did they operate that ship inside the USA?
What did they do with this helicopter?

I heard that it was a contract with the US government in 1967, and that no regular work was done.

Does anybody have some information about that interesting story?

http://www.military.cz/russia/air/helicopters/mi_10/big/Mi-10_7.jpg

[S92mech]

I've heard stories about this from some of the old timers. When I go back to work I will try to find out something for you.

[BravoKilo]

PHI certainly operated a Mi-10, the only one to be exported. It was a long legged version as in the photo. Probably late 60's was when it was operated.

Its serial was registered N16556. If my memory is correct I think I remember reading it was used on an oil contract in South America for a while.

Would like top hear what happened to it.

BK

[hotzenplotz]

I've got this from another forum.
I hope it's okay for everybody when I post it here, because I think this is a story worth to be told...

I was one of the pilots that flew the Mil-10 for PHI. It was brought into the USA in boxes and put together in a large hangar at New Iberia airport. Inside the hangar were representatives from Sikorsky, Pratt&Whitney, GE, etc. etc.

The helicopter was test flown around the Lafayette area using a BH-204 as a chase aircraft.

It was to be sold to an overseas operator, and the big PHI letters on the side were painted over, but at the last minute the deal fell apart. PHI was repainted on the Mil-10.

PHI got a contract in Ecuador with Texaco to use the Mil-10 to haul bulldozers and trucks into the Andes where they were building a pipeline across the mountains to the Pacific coast. The helicopter left New Iberia on Jan. 28, 1970, along with two BH-205's, for the ferry flight to Ecuador.

At some fuel stops in Mexico, jet A was trucked in using 55 gal. drums, days in advance, just to refuel the Mil-10. When the helicopter got to Columbia, there was a problem with the fuel control on the APU. Without the APU, it was impossible to start the main engines. We tried using start carts from the airlines, but no luck. After sitting in Columbia for several months, a new fuel control arrived from eastern Europe, and by then, Texaco decided they didn't need the Mil-10. So PHI elected to take it to Alaska, where the pipeline project was just starting.

On the first ferry flight leg back north, laning in Panama, the main transmission developed a crack and leak. The helicopter was parted out and sold to various companies. Rotor blades went to Sikorsky, engines went to GE, etc. The fuselage was scrap and parked behind a hangar.

I was in Panama several years later and went over to the big yellow fuselage and found several families living inside.