DAVE SODA PHOTOGRAPHY


A partial list of mission-specific


equipment that can be added to an S-64


includes hoists, a fire tank, a foam cannon, a grapple, and a sea or pond snorkel.


As type certificate holder for the S-64 with OEM capa-


bilities, Erickson offers in-house design, engineering, and production services, from creating mission-specific equipment to completely rebuilding legacy aircraft. “We take old CH-54s, the military version of the S-64,


and rebuild them with new skins, new formers, and new parts and pieces. We add all the improvements that Erickson has developed along the way, from ceiling materials and component connectors to the tail boom and parts on the landing gear. Te aircraft is then about 90% new,” says Sembach. “Our goal is to make it last indefinitely.”


Each S-64 operated by Erickson receives


its own name. “Gypsy Lady” is shown on the left, and to the


right, “Elsie” sits on the ramp.


Over the past 50 years, Erickson’s engineers have made


more than 1,350 improvements, large and small, to the S-64’s airframe, instruments, and payload capabilities. Still, the company continues to look for ways to improve and mod- ernize the Air Crane, from adding a glass cockpit with night-vision capability to developing an automatic flight control system. Composite main rotor blades are one of the most recent and impactful additions. “I flew the new composite blades last summer. At 8,500


ft. and 85 degrees, I could pick up an additional 700 gal. Plus, we noticed a slight decrease in the fuel burn because


28 ROTOR MARCH 2022


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