WASHINGTON, Feb. 5, 2016 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- As the US
aerial firefighting industry prepares for another busy year in
2016, some operators are expanding their capabilities, and actively
pursuing new market opportunities—even outside the United States.
"Thus far this year, six Erickson Aircrane helicopters have been
busy in Western Australia,
New South Wales and Victoria, fighting fires at the height of the
Australian bushfire season," said Andy
Mills, Vice President of Commercial Aviation services at
Erickson, Incorporated. Mills reported that in mid-January,
the Portland, Oregon-based company
extended a contract in the Australian state of Victoria to deploy a third Aircrane to support
firefighting efforts there. "This Aircrane was mobilized from
New South Wales, where it just
finished fighting fires," he said.
Mills added that Erickson has renewed a contract with the Greek
government's Hellenic Fire Brigade to provide three Aircranes
during their 2016 fire season. "This marks the 18th
consecutive season that Erickson has been contracted in
Greece for wildfire protection and
suppression," he explained.
Also working in Australia is
one of three US Army surplus CH-47D helicopters acquired last year
by CHI Aviation for operation by Helimax, CHI's Sacramento-based sister company.
According to Larry Kelley, CHI
Aviation's Director of Fire Operations, the CH-47D is currently
engaged in firefighting under a contract with a selected Australian
partner. "There are numerous overseas companies that would
like to contract the Chinooks," Kelley reported. "We are
investigating several opportunities and are anxious to see what
happens in the very near future."
CHI Aviation is also increasing the capabilities of its
CH-47Ds. "We are in the final stages of developing an
internal 2,500 gallon water tank for fighting fires, with foam
capability, and expect to be the first operator to use this new
system for the 2016 fire season," said Kelley, who explained that
CHI will own the tank and all technical data for the tank and the
supplemental type certificate (STC) under which it will be
certified "Once the tank has final approval and certification
by the Air Tanker Board, we feel this will be a huge asset to the
firefighting community. It will provide all the agencies increased
performance, quicker turns, and larger payloads than some of the
air tankers currently in use."
Kelley said that he is hopeful that Helimax will be awarded two
US Forest Service (USFS) Exclusive Use contracts for the
CH-47D. "If not, we will pursue other overseas contracts for
the Chinooks, which at this time seems very positive," he
stated.
Also leveraging its technical expertise, fixed wing air tanker
operator Neptune Aviation was awarded a USFS contract last August
to perform heavy inspection and repair services on up to 10
twin-engine Sherpas, a military variant of the Shorts SD3-60 twin
turboprop regional airliner, which had been operated by the US
Army. According to Dan Snyder,
Chief Operating Officer of the Missoula,
Montana-headquartered operator, Neptune is providing the
labor to perform base-line maintenance in preparation for civil
certification as transport category aircraft to enable them to
conduct smoke-jumper and cargo ferrying missions in support of
wildfire suppression. The focus of the inspections—and any
necessary repairs—will be on the airframe, engines and landing
gear.
To date, Neptune has performed the contracted work on two
Sherpas at the USFS base in Ogden,
Utah, with all subsequent work on that aircraft to be
performed by Neptune in-house at Missoula, where inspections on a third
aircraft have just commenced.
"The Sherpa project is truly an example of the capabilities we
have always had in support of our air tankers, and we saw an
opportunity to use our expertise and capacity on another
program. We have always had a desire to diversify our
capabilities, and this was a natural fit with what we have already
been doing with our air tanker program," Snyder explained.
"The privately operated, US aerial firefighting industry is both
technologically creative, as well as mission-skilled," said
George Hill, Executive Director of
the American Helicopter Services and Aerial Firefighting
Association (AHSAFA). "That, along with the entrepreneurial
nature of its operators, is giving it an international footprint,
which we expect to increase going forward."
CHI Aviation, Erickson, Inc., and Neptune Aviation, are members
of AHSAFA, the Washington-based
trade association representing the interests of the privately owned
and operated aerial firefighting industry before various regulatory
agencies with responsibility for wildland management and fire
protection.
Media Contact: George
Hill, American Helicopter Services & Aerial Firefighting
Association, 8016737324, ghill@ahsafa.org
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SOURCE American Helicopter Services & Aerial Firefighting
Association