HANGAR TALK Industry news relevant to your business
MD Helicopters Delivers MD 530F Conversion to High Line Helicopters
MD Helicopters Inc. (MDHI) recently announced it delivered an FAA-certified MD 530F model aircraft to High Line Helicopters (HLH) this month. This is part of MDHI’s successful FAA- approved E-to-F conversion program.
“The E-to-F conversion program provides an affordable option for MD 500E operators to boost power, capabilities, and maximum gross weight,” says Jason Lindauer, vice president of Military and Commercial Sales. “The program transforms the MD 500E into a more powerful and capable type-certified MD 530F. The aircraft leaves Mesa with a zero-time engine for a fraction of the cost of a new helicopter, saving operators time and money over buying new.”
HLH, a utility helicopter operator based in Georgia, chose to upgrade its MD 500E to an MD 530F for its increased power and capability potential for the company’s powerline and aerial vegetation management services. The updated aircraft now boasts a higher 3,350 pounds gross weight, increased cruise speed, and improved flight characteristics in confined areas, all for comparatively low direct operating costs (DOC).
MD Helicopters’ exclusive FAA-approved E-to-F conversion program maintains essential safety margins while delivering increased hot-and-high performance capability. Enhancements to the aircraft include:
•
Engine upgrade from the Rolls-Royce 250-C20B to the more powerful RR250-C30
• New main and tail rotor blades • Upgraded F model main rotor gearbox •
Upgraded tail rotor drive shaft
PHI Broome Base Celebrates Its Five-Year Anniversary
PHI’s Broome Base in Western Australia recently celebrated its five-year anniversary. The base has come a long way since a small team set up the operations in 2017. Initially, there were 41 employees and two aircraft at the base. It now has now grown to 95 employees and seven aircraft.
Some of the successes of the base include: •
June 2017 – transition to support full Inpex contract
• November 2017 – PHI won the Search and Rescue Medevac services contract to support Inpex and Shell in the Browse Basin
• •
April 2018 – full all-weather search and rescue aircraft arrived at the base
April 2020 – base relocation from several small hangars into a large hangar
• September 2020 – arrival of the Leonardo AW139, the first for PHI’s operations in Australia, which was also used to assist with distribution of Covid-19 vaccinations to remote communities
• September 2021 – SAR operation moved from subcontract arrangement to a full complement of in-house crew
• September 2021 – Introduction of SAR Cadetship Over the past five years the base has achieved: •
21,758 flight hours
• •
90,885 passengers transported 4,972 offshore flights
30
May/June 2022
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84
