Meet A Rotorcraft Pro
By Lyn Burks
under military contract. His answer, “Sir, with all due respect (Farren) does n’t throw chains all over the tops of my helicopters.”
RPMN: How many helicopters have you guys transported over the years? WARGO:We have grown to the point of transporting nearly a helicopter a day, so I’d say it’s now over a thousand that we’ve moved.
RPMN:What is your current position? WARGO: I’m the Director of Safety, Security, and Special Projects for H.W. Farren, LLC. I develop the procedures for loading and protecting the aircraft we transport.
RPMN: How did you get started trans porting helicopters? WARGO: Well the first airframe I, myself, transported was my sailplane. I’d land out; we’d put it on a trailer and bring it back to the airport. But as far as H. W. Farren goes, I started work here in 1989. We moved big machinery back then; we didn’t really specialize in helicopter transport. One day a friend of mine, who was involved in brokering aircraft, had a client who taxied an S76 into a drainage ditch at Lincoln Park Airport (NJ). He called me since he knew Farren moved heavy equipment, and we took the helicopter back to the
10 June 2013
hangar for repairs. After that we start ed moving aircraft they brokered, and eventually got introduced to other air craft companies, including Sikorsky. We’ve been moving aircraft for Sikorsky since 1994. We also transport helicopters for AgustaWestland, as well as others.
RPMN: What unique challenges are involved with transporting helicopters? WARGO: Helicopters are extremely dynamic machines, and in many ways they are fragile. We try to make sure that each aircraft we service has a safe delivery so that they can save lives and perform their other extremely valuable tasks. We transport some helicopters for the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) , and a gen tleman there was asked by his superior why he was using us rather than one of the traditional trucking companies
RPMN: So tell me what transport was the most challenging. WARGO: The most challenging was the VH71, the cancelled Presidential pro gram. They were so pleased with our protective packaging, transport, and the care we took, and the personal attention. When that program ended, the Canada Dept. of National Defence awarded us the contract to transport the five remaining flight demonstra tors. Those aircraft were 20 feet high and 15plus wide with 26 feet of over hang. We coordinated with the various national and provincial Canadian gov ernmental departments and law enforcement agencies to truck those helicopters up there. We even had to shut down the Queen’s Highway. I remember running the wrong way down that highway to get the proper infrastructure clearance, but every air frame was delivered safely to the satis faction of all. Another challenging project was when we moved the Sikorsky Comanches. Two agencies that particularly stand out on one of those moves were the Maryland and Virginia tactical assault teams and state police departments, who literally put a onemile protective perimeter around us as we drove. No one was allowed to get near us as we moved down the highway. We got those airframes safely down to Jupiter, Florida, but I’m sure there were a lot of people on their CB radios swearing at us because we had the highway basi cally shut down.
RPMN: If you weren’t moving helicop ters for our industry, what else would you see yourself doing?
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