Blackhawk
 

Kestrel
Pays
Aerotech
RFS

Whats the latest on the UH60 with aerial fire fighting?

https://www.seek.com.au/job/50322344...7-8a49fdd6971e

They already have sourced an ex-army pilot for this one in Adelaide.

As a B1 LAME?

Who’s Aerotech?

They have all the SEATS in SA, then took on a couple of AS350’s about 5 years ago when AHPL (now Babcock) started offloading their single engine helicopter work.

The agencies must be laughing again... as they were in the early 2000’s when operators were buying surplus 204’s 205’s... a Mudgee operator did very well at this occasion with no competition.

One had to of course keep up with the “Jones’s” and thus the Blackhawk is the flavour of the year.

Some early backyard players have been spat out down the south coast trying to operate a hawk way out of their depth but I’m sure there will be a few players that can and hopefully will train and keep the dollars upto to meet the standard and this will unfortunately for Aus be overseas companies with big budgets playing here for summer .

I can think of two Australian operators that are investing appropriately into Blackhawk and training local crews up that are already experience Bell medium fire pilots.

Can an ex military Blackhawk lift as much as a Bell 214 Hevilifter?

Isn’t the Blackhawk capable of night work with nvg’s?

Any helicopter is if the cockpit has been missed and meets the equipment requirement, the company has an AOC allowing it with trained crew etc.

Just look at Kestrel Aviation that used B412’s on fires with NVG. They have approval for initial attack at night, and hover fill from unsurveyed Water sources.

Two pilot operation?

From my experience of operating them some years ago the standard hook was for 8,000lbs but we had the optional 9,000lb ones.

MAUW = 22,000lb.