RCP1209_032-033_Feature 12/31/09 7:34 AM Page 32
FEATURED HELICOPTER
Elvis and Isabelle
Go Down Under To Help Saves Lives
By Erickson Air-Cranes
Arriving a month earlier than the pre-
vious year’s schedule, two Erickson S-
64F Helitankers have been offloaded from
a cargo freighter in Melbourne and are
currently on firefighting duty at
Bankstown Airport in Sydney and Es-
sendon Airport in Melbourne.
The Helitanker “Elvis,” based at Es-
sendon Airport in Melbourne, has been
given the title of “Flagship” by the Aus-
tralian United Firefighters Union. Elvis
gained national attention after helping
firefighters on the ground save hundreds
of homes during “Black Christmas,” the
horrible bushfire season of 2001. The S-
64F Helitanker was part of a massive ef-
fort to contain fires tearing through urban
interface areas left bone-dry by drought
and fanned by high winds and hot tem-
peratures.
Elvis is joined on his 12th visit to Aus-
tralia by another S-64F Helitanker named
Erickson S-64F Helitanker #739
“Isabelle” which is based at Bankstown
Airport in Sydney. Both helicopters come
directly from urban interface firefighting
assignments in Southern California where
they helped firefighters battle the record-
breaking “Station Fire” near Los Angeles
in the late summer. The world-renowned
maneuverability and precision drop capa-
bility of the S-64 Aircrane Helitanker has
made it the preferred method by Los An-
geles City and County Fire Departments
for fighting fires that threaten lives and
homes.
Udo Rieder, President and CEO of Er-
ickson Air-Crane, commented on the
tremendous relationship between Erick-
son Air-Crane and the firefighters of Aus-
tralia. “This is our 12th year assisting the
heroic firefighters of Australia who are the
real heroes risking their lives every single
day to protect lives and property. Our he-
licopter pilots and crews are the best in
Erickson S-64F Helitanker #731
32 ROTORCRAFT PROFESSIONAL • Heli-Expo 2010 Preview Issue
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