FEATURE - AIRCRAFT SALES An Export to Africa By Art Berard - Berard Aviation
flatbed trailer for the start of a long jour- ney from Phoenix, Arizona to Johannes- burg, South Africa. The MR blades, the TR blades, the
C
head, and the landing gear were removed and carefully crated. The helicopter, drained of all fluids in compliance with HAZMAT shipping regulations, was pro- tectively wrapped and ready to ship. The
areful! Easy now!” The voice of the anxious shop foreman called out as he di- rected the crane operator loading a Bell 222B onto a
plan indicated that the flatbed leave Phoenix at midnight for the long drive to LAX where the ship would be loaded onto a Cargolux Boeing 747 “big door” freighter for the flight to Luxembourg and transshipment on to JNB. After strapping the helicopter and blade
boxes down, the driver found the trip to LAX slow and uneventful. Traffic was light, the wide load garnered no attention from police, and damage to the helicopter was avoided as the truck maneuvered un- der bridges and passed by low hanging tree limbs on side roads as it made its way
to LAX. The Bell 222B exportation referenced
above had begun four months earlier when this writer received a call from an affiliate aviation company in Johannesburg who were retained by a buyer in Democratic Republic of Congo to source a good used twin engine helicopter for its mining op- erations. After researching the entire Bell 222B market, one was found that fit all the buyer’s criteria. Initial pre-buy activities included travel to the 222B’s home base in Arizona to take dozens of pictures of the aircraft, which were sent to the buyer.
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