Helicopters for Rescue Missions in Malawi and Tanzania?
 

Hi,
we are providing rescue services for companies and individuals (athletes) and are looking for helicopters that could serve a SAR mission in Malawi and Tanzania (Kilimanjaro).
Do you know someone?

Thanks a lot!
Markus

What seize of helicopter is required?

SAR or MEDEVAC? Obvious choice in Tanzania would be Everett Aviation.

I prefer Lady Lori

Lady Lori: Africa By Air

To transport 1-2 passengers at once

Yes, much better to use an EC130 on random contract hire, than an EC145/BK117 that has been supporting the UK military for several years

+1 on Everett. Not sure where the Lady Lori thing comes from, they have temporarily hosted other operators that wanted their OC to access the Kenyan market, but I am unaware they have the depth and sophistication to remotely be compared to Everett.

I think you could say very the same for Everett’s 139 experience!

Don't Tropic Air support the British military in Kenya?

Everett Aviation currently have the BATUK (British Army Training Unit Kenya) contract in Nanyuki, but they also have bases in Bamburi and Dar es Salaam. They have AB139, and BK117s available and EC147/BK117, AS355N or SA365N2 for rescue missions.

Would those be the Bristow 139's currently operating offshore in the North Sea?

Link

Hmmmm. Be interesting to know who owns it and who is flying and maintaining it. Statoil terminated the offshore contract with Bristow/Everett (or should that be Everett/Bristow?) back in 2015. The two airframes were relocated to Bristow ops elsewhere and I believe that they are now on the SNS.

It's owned, flown and maintained by Everett.

The previous contract with Statoil was ended when Statoil decided to finish drilling 1 year early because of the falling oil price. The contract with Statoil was an Everett one, on the Everett Tanzania AOC with Bristow having 2 contracts, one for supply of airframes and another for crew. There were actually 2 airframes for O&G and a separate dedicated SAR one fitted with auto hover, twin winch, nite sun and FLIR - the first civil SAR auto hover helicopter in Africa. Both of the O&G aircraft were also winch-capable for back up. The 2 O&G machines ended up on UK offshore, but the SAR machine was moved to Nigeria where it stayed for more than 1 year flying for Bristow Nigeria. The present 139 was flown to Tanzania from UK recently after being purchased by Everett and operating for Statoil from Dar es Salaam on Kenyan AOC. It was flown out by Everett Head of Flight Operations

So apart from the aircraft, maintenance and crew (and presumably insurance), it was an all Everett contract?

That is what I hear. I'm told the Everett input was dedicated to painting anything that moved in Everett colours and making life difficult for Bristow.

Everett had the contract with Statoil. Bristow had 2 contracts with Everett, 1 for personnel, the other for aircraft. Everett provided one of the fines helicopter hangars in Africa and its own private passenger terminal.

What makes you think Everett made life difficult for Bristow? The Bristow contract was with Everett, not Statoil, so naturally they had oversight. The year after Statoil pulled out of Tanzania, the former Bristow director for Africa joined Everett as COO.

and the 139 was formerly G-CHCT, flown to Tanzania with the Head of Flight Ops and a German instructor onboard, and 1 engineer. It was a great flight down there from what I hear. :D;)

Well that would be giving the game away somewhat.......;)

Everett didn't make anything difficult for Bristow. My understanding is that Bristow didn't have the preferred aircraft type available, simple as that.