New AW139s for the RAAF
New AW139s for the RAAF
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Australia
Age: 47
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They started rolling them out 12-18 months ago at various bases, I believe none at Williamtown NSW yet though?.
First 139 to Nigeria didn't have air-con because customers wanted payload priority and the original gross weight meant it carried less than a 76 even before the air-con. Resourceful engineers cut gasper vents into the cabin windows, resourceful pilots painted out the skylights with house paint. The next ones had air-con. In the sun it is a lot hotter in a 139 than a 412/76. Hope the RAAF bean-counters didn't think of a/c as a luxury.
Oh Malabo. That isn't quite true is it. CHC had a Global policy of no aircon in any helicopters at that time if it was optional. A silly rule but there you go.
Payload was about as good as the 76 in the 139 even with the lower gross weight. The real difference was in the real world Nigeria DOC's, where the 139 was cheaper than a 76 because the C+ engines couldn't hack it and were changed out every 600-1000 hours. $$$.
31060, 31070 and 31072 all went to Nigeria without A/C. Yes, resourceful engineers put gasper vents in the windows but it was also resourceful engineers that painted out the glasshouse windows so that the pilots wouldn't put their maps up there for some shade. Pilots in NIgeria would never get their hands dirty with housepaint dear boy! Too busy racing home to the bar and the nightfighters.
If CHC were smarter they would have put the A/C in at the start an not saved the dollars. The weight of the old A/C system is about the same as one person with a bag.
The only thing the 139 couldn't do in Nigeria that the 76 always did do, was break the autopilot. The 139 just kept on trucking. LOL
Payload was about as good as the 76 in the 139 even with the lower gross weight. The real difference was in the real world Nigeria DOC's, where the 139 was cheaper than a 76 because the C+ engines couldn't hack it and were changed out every 600-1000 hours. $$$.
31060, 31070 and 31072 all went to Nigeria without A/C. Yes, resourceful engineers put gasper vents in the windows but it was also resourceful engineers that painted out the glasshouse windows so that the pilots wouldn't put their maps up there for some shade. Pilots in NIgeria would never get their hands dirty with housepaint dear boy! Too busy racing home to the bar and the nightfighters.
If CHC were smarter they would have put the A/C in at the start an not saved the dollars. The weight of the old A/C system is about the same as one person with a bag.
The only thing the 139 couldn't do in Nigeria that the 76 always did do, was break the autopilot. The 139 just kept on trucking. LOL
Dunno. It was always a mystery to me why they put pimped out recycled 76's on that RAAF contract from day 1. I would have thought with a high-profile and financial client like that they would have bought new toys that exactly matched the job requirements.
Looks pretty flash to me, and with aircon (note the inlet in the top sliding cowl)
Sound like a pretty good job to me, fly a SAR AW139 on gentlemen's hours... home in time for tea and medals!
Sound like a pretty good job to me, fly a SAR AW139 on gentlemen's hours... home in time for tea and medals!
this one has RAAF written on it, and no hole.
Play "spot the difference" - there are quite a few to be had there.
Obviously Navy, as the senior service, they get the aircon and the dual winch and fancy gizmo bolted to the long nose.
Obviously Navy, as the senior service, they get the aircon and the dual winch and fancy gizmo bolted to the long nose.
VH-NVE is the one supplied for the RAN SAR service at Nowra. It was an ex UK SAR machine with just a couple of hundred hours on it. FLIR, double winch, autohover, etc. SYJ is ex NSW EMS. Was mostly based at Wollongong. None of the NSW EMS machines had air con.
Definitely not the case for the Navy machine. 10 hour day as determined by Navy flying programme. Usually starts around 1200, finishes at 2200.
The boys are on their way back to Nowra from Avalon/Albury in air-conditioned comfort as we speak. So much for the 1200 starts, they've been on the go since dawn it seems. Perhaps a phone call to the union rep on arrival would be in order 
Last edited by gulliBell; 3rd Mar 2019 at 22:47.
That's interesting. So the obedient servants of the mother country get the flash aircon to keep them comfy in the stifling hot 25 degree UK summer heat waves. But out in the dominions of Tindal and Pearce etc where it can be 40+ in the shade for days on end they are only worthy of having the big fan on top. Save the expense and the weight of the optional extras.
CHC? AW139 in Den Helder?