SEE
An S-64 Lift an HVAC Unit onto a High-Rise Rooftop
The Right Tool for the Job Today, Erickson owns and operates 16 S-64 Air Cranes around the world for heavy-lift construction projects, timber harvesting, oil and gas support, and a whole lot of firefighting. Partnering with forest services, Erickson mobilizes its Air Cranes seasonally to fire hot spots—typically in the United States, Canada, Greece, Australia, South Korea, and Italy. It’s a mission made possible because Erickson
took its new type certificate and created a 2,650-gal. tank and fire-suppression system that attaches to the aircraft’s belly. With the tank, the S-64 can drop more than 25,000 gal. an hour. Along with ushering in an era of nimble aerial firefighting, the hydro-tank proved that the Air Crane could be a multipurpose tool akin to a Swiss Army knife. “It’s not very fast. It isn’t made for going
cross-country. It’s made for picking stuff up. Because of that, there are 32 hard points on the aircraft designed for bolting on equipment,” says Chapman, who has fought fires across the globe, including 25 seasons in Australia. “We can bolt on the tank and take it off. We
Celebrating a 50-year legacy and the aircraft that made it possible.
by Christine Knauer
loads and created the shock and pendant lift to decouple the load from the aircraft and reduce vibrations during longline timber harvesting. “Jack was always open to new ideas. For a
lot of things, people would have said, ‘You can’t do that,’ but Erickson did,” says Chapman, who worked alongside the founder in the early days. “He was willing to try.” By 1992, Erickson wanted control of the
S-64’s type certificate. Te aging fleet needed reliable support and parts supply as well as a solution for the frequent in-flight engine
shutdowns plaguing the S-64 at the time, which Sikorsky lacked. In addition, the resourceful entrepreneur envisioned capitalizing on the aircraft’s unique design to expand its capabilities and his business. Tat year, Erickson purchased the S-64 type
certificate and renamed the aircraft the S-64 Air Crane. In acquiring the certificate, Erickson set the stage for rescuing the legacy S-64 from obsolescence and creating an aircraft modern- ization program that would extend the life of the fleet and give operators a truly versatile utility aircraft.
can bolt on gear for setting power-line towers and take that off. Erickson can build and adapt equipment for just about any mission. If you want to add a tank to the surplus military machines that are coming out, you likely have to make major structural modifications, usually cutting through the floor to put in the doors. From the onset, the Crane was designed to have systems added to it.” In the years ahead, Erickson developed more
bolt-on accessories—a water cannon for precise aiming, a Sea Snorkel for quickly scooping up water, and a hydraulic grapple that eliminated ground crews in logging operations, greatly increasing safety. Despite its beefy airframe, the S-64 Air
Crane feels remarkably maneuverable for a helicopter its size, according to Rich Foote, field maintenance aircraft manager for Erickson. “Te Crane’s single-rotor system makes it so agile. It can juke and dive and do a lot of things other aircraft can’t.” Chapman, who has logged some 17,000
flight hours in a variety of aircraft, agrees. “Te S-64 doesn’t fly like a big helicopter. It looks kind of ungainly, like it would be sluggish, but
MARCH 2022 ROTOR 25
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
