When the Statue of Freedom needed to be removed from the US Capitol dome in 1993 for maintenance, the office of the Architect of the Capitol, which supervises the grounds and buildings of Capitol Hill, planned to use a National Guard helicopter. However, HAI suggested that it would be more appropriate to use a commercial operator, and the high-profile assignment went to Erickson Air-Crane (now called Erickson), manufacturer and operator of the S-64 Air Crane. Te removal of the statue occurred in May 1993.
A little more than five months later, on Oct. 23, a Sikorsky S-64F Skycrane nicknamed “Bubba” lifted the 19-ft. 6-in. bronze female warrior statue up to the top of the US Capitol dome, demonstrating the aircraft’s heavy-lift and precision placement capabilities to an audience that included President Bill Clinton, other dignitaries, and the world media.