Meanwhile in Thailand...
 

New toys for the boys...

and nice toys they are!!! pats on the back to Ned for the great images!!!

Great looking machines.

KP

Windows look bigger than anything I've seen on a 76. What's on the bottom? Ski basket, external cargo pod, unretracted step, external raft? I guess the days of hanging on to a CHC paintscheme for that offshore cred are gone :rolleyes:

These are new aircraft that are owned by TAS, so nothing to do with CHC :ok:

Since we are talking about Thailand, it is probably a ski basket.

Does somebody knows wether a certified modification kit exists to fit these enlarged windows on other 76 models ?

Are the D models flying on line yet? be interesting to see how they compare to the C++

I wonder why TAS didn't join the AW139 club? it seems many other long-term S76 operators have made the change from SK to AW.

Yes the 76D has done about 6 flights by the time I left yesterday.

"Windows look bigger than anything I've seen on a 76. What's on the bottom? Ski basket, external cargo pod, unretracted step, external raft?"

The back windows were made bigger since the first D came out. The original had smaller windows in the back but to comply with offshore regs they had to make them bigger. The things on the bottom is the liferaft.

Couple more from the second days shoot. Fun times with a great bunch of crews.

What are the main advantages in the operational context the D brings to the party over the C++?

That paint scheme manages to disguise the ugliness of the S92 quite well....

That paint scheme manages to disguise the ugliness of the S92 quite well....

Its prettier than the 225:ugh:

Awesome shots Ned by the way!

I believe some of the decks offshore won't take a 139 sized a/c. Hence the S76 as the option. Higher MAUW with the D over the C++ and more power, which is always nice to have out in Thailand. Paint scheme looks great. (Im also fairly sure when you order 5 of them you'd probably be able to get a good deal from Sikorsky)

From what I was told there is only two decks that cannot take the S92 so would assume if the decks can take the 92 then they could certainly take the AW139. One of the main issues they went with the D - again from what I was told was benefits of having one manufacturer when it came to parts and logistics etc

Last time I checked, there are an AWFUL lot of 139's parked, or in the process of being parked, worldwide, which leads me to speculate that if the 139's money-making numbers were really THAT good, operators would be parking other a/c in favour of the 139. Will happily be corrected on this.

The D was chosen over the 139 for one reason.......price

Fair enough...I think a new 76D is about $12m USD and a new AW139 about $16m USD, so there is a bit of a price difference.

What is the empty and MAUW of the D? Does it have a much better payload than C++?