S-92 upgrade...
Maybe the "talk" says so, but the reality doesn't seem to support that. CHC's sole UK registered AW189 has no work and there is talk it will be mothballed. 175 numbers are growing slowly in Aberdeen, but that is mainly to cover for dreadful availability. Super mediums have basically not had that great an impact in the Northern N Sea, especially in Norway.
Unless you can prove otherwise
Unless you can prove otherwise
The S-61/Sea King idea ported across to the S-92, using an "emergency sump and pump", will likely not be limited to 30 mins. The new MGB doesn't just contain this new arrangement, it also contains gears made from different materials that are more heat tolerant and durable.
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Yup, I'll give you that one. There is a single AW189 on contract in Aberdeen, which mainly plies it's trade to and from the Forties with Bristow. Six years since certification and only one machine in regular use in the Northern N Sea, it's hardly the revolution that was being "talked" about. By contrast there's about a 80 active O&G S92s between the UK and Norway.
It's possible the AW189 economics are not that compelling, especially when the distances offshore increase and fuel for more distant alternates have to be carried?
No doubt the emergence of the 175/189 will force Sikorsky to sharpen their pencil.