CHC takes delivery of first H175 aircraft

CHC takes delivery of first H175 aircraft

The delivery is supported by a nose-to-tail HCare services contract

02/08/2017 – CHC Helicopter will today take delivery of its first H175 for use in offshore oil and gas operations. The aircraft has been delivered in full offshore passenger transport configuration, allowing CHC to begin training and adjustment from the operator’s base at Aberdeen, ahead of operational launch in August 2017.

Based at CHC Helicopter’s site in Aberdeen, Scotland, the H175 has been configured to carry 16 passengers in offshore oil and gas configuration and will benefit from a nose-to-tail HCare services contract. The HCare contract will help maximise cost efficiencies through coverage for all spare parts and repairable items supplied from Airbus Helicopters’ North Sea Fleet Centre, also in Aberdeen.

Dave Balevic, Senior Vice President, Engineering and Operations at CHC Helicopter, said, “The H175 allows us to continue to refine our global fleet to meet the unique needs of our customers while offering the latest aircraft technology and capabilities.”

Today, a global fleet of 15 H175 have flown more than 12,000 hours, with 13 flying oil and gas missions – the majority of these in the North Sea with one operating in the Gulf of Mexico. The H175 has a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of nearly 8 tonnes and is designed to provide unmatched efficiency across a range of missions, including utility, VIP transport, oil and gas and search and rescue. Equipped with Helionix, Airbus Helicopters’ integrated suite of advanced avionics and 4-axis autopilot, the H175 offers enhanced situational awareness and improved operational safety by helping to reduce pilot workload and increasing mission flexibility.

Ben Bridge, EVP Global Business at Airbus Helicopters said, “CHC will benefit from the enhanced flexibility the H175 offers, helping to smoothly and efficiently transport up to 16 passengers to North Sea offshore installations.” He added, “With full glass cockpit, automated systems, spacious cabin and large windows, the H175 represents a major achievement for AH, helping to raise the bar in terms of operational efficiency, safety and comfort in offshore operations”.

With virtually little or no vibration at cruise speeds of 150 knots and maximum speeds of 165 knots, the H175, already in operation with NHV, Pegaso, Babcock and Monacair and is playing a key role supporting the offshore oil and gas industry through the efficiencies that this flexible aircraft brings into service. 

WORLDWIDE S-92® HELICOPTER FLEET SURPASSES 500,000 HOURS

Las Vegas, Nevada - Serving customers around the world in missions as diverse as the countries flying it, the S-92® global helicopter fleet has surpassed 500,000 flight hours. Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX), celebrated the milestone at the 2013 Heli-Expo Industry Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“The S-92 helicopter was conceived as a commercial aircraft with the heart of a BLACK HAWK and designed to meet the needs of the North Sea offshore market, and today, the S-92 helicopter is a well established, versatile aircraft that has become known for its reliability, comfort and safety features,” said Mick Maurer, Sikorsky President.

More than 90% of all S-92 hours today are flown in the offshore configuration, with 54% being flown in harsh North Sea conditions. Designers mandated FAR/JAR safety margins, on-condition maintenance and revenue-producing operating costs for commercial customers.

“In the nine years that the S-92 helicopter has been steadily carving its place in the large helicopter market segment, it has grown from the ‘new kid on the block’ proving its potential to a super performer in a variety of missions,” said Carey Bond, President of Sikorsky Global Helicopters.

“Sikorsky is proud of this fleet hour achievement by our S-92 for many reasons – among them are the lives it has saved through search and rescue, the countries that entrust it with the transport of their heads of state, and the service to the offshore oil industry in getting workers to their jobs and home again. Five hundred thousand flight hours is a testament to the reliability of the S-92 aircraft and to the loyalty, trust and commitment of our customers; and for all of that, Sikorsky is both proud and appreciative.”

The S-92 helicopter was introduced in mockup form in 1992 with an unveiling at the Heli-Expo industry show that year in Las Vegas, Nevada. It ultimately made its first flight in 1998 at Sikorsky’s Development Flight Center in Florida. PHI Inc. became its first commercial operator when it purchased the S-92 helicopter in 2004 to perform the offshore oil transport mission.

Today, PHI continues to operate a strong fleet of 24 S-92 helicopters. Al Gonsoulin, PHI Chief Executive Officer, said, “The S-92 is the deepwater aircraft of choice in the Gulf of Mexico; its range, payload and, most importantly, its reliability have greatly supported the expansion of drilling and exploration to some of the farthest points in the Gulf and Alaska. It is a solid performer, day in and day out.”

CHC Helicopter’s S-92 helicopters, now numbering 37 in the company’s worldwide fleet, have logged more than 150,000 hours of flight time – since 2005 for offshore transportation to the oil-and-gas industry, and since 2007 for search-and-rescue missions. “Every day in places around the globe, CHC is taking customers further, enabling them to do more and bringing them home safely,” said William Amelio, CHC’s president and chief executive officer. “Sikorsky and its S-92s are important to fulfilling that purpose.”

Bristow Group’s global fleet includes 49 S-92 helicopters that operate in the North Sea, Canada, Brazil, U.S. Gulf of Mexico and Nigeria. Additionally, Bristow has 18 S-92 helicopters on order and options for 16 more. Bristow’s S-92 fleet has logged over 155,000 hours in its operations in the North Sea, U.S. Gulf of Mexico and Nigeria. William Chiles, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, “Bristow is the leading provider of helicopter services with an outstanding record in safety performance. We strive to provide operational excellence to our clients by providing the safest, most reliable and efficient service. The S-92 embodies these features as part of our global fleet.”

Sikorsky is marking the milestone by conducting celebrations with its customers. Events are planned in the coming months in the Gulf of Mexico, North Sea region, Brazil, and China. Sikorsky also is hosting an event at its booth at Heli-Expo on March 6 to recognize S-92 helicopter customers.

Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., based in Stratford, Conn., is a world leader in helicopter design, manufacture, and service. United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, Conn., provides a broad range of high technology products and support services to the aerospace and building systems industries.

CHC Norway wins contract extension with Aker BP

CHC Norway Wins Contract Extension with Aker BP
Will Continue Supporting Valhall Oil & Gas Production

STAVANGER, NORWAY – CHC Group announced it has signed a two-year contract extension with Aker BP to support their infield shuttle at the greater Valhall field in the Norwegian North Sea.

“I’m delighted that we have been selected by Aker BP. We have been their aviation partner since the production start-up in 1982, and we value the continued confidence in this partnership”, stated Mark Abbey, CHC Regional Director Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). “As the leading helicopter service provider in Norway, this work allows us to continue to build on our 50 years aviation experience supporting oil and gas customers on the Norwegian Continental Shelf as we continue to evolve our services and technology to best meet their needs”.

The contract will run until September 2021. CHC will provide two AS332L aircraft for this operation. One will be located offshore on the Valhall PH platform and the other, a back-up aircraft, will be based at Sola. 

“CHC has a proud history offering safe and reliable transportation to a variety of customers in EMEA,” said Karl Fessenden, President and CEO of CHC Helicopter. “We are eager to continue to add new chapters to our history in the region, as we have had seen success not only in the North Sea oil and gas space, but also providing search and rescue services and additional transport as far west as Ireland, as far South as Equatorial Guinea, and as far east as Kazakhstan”.

Mission ready for 2018

Simplicity, Agility, Collaboration, Innovation and Ownership. Five words that hold the secret to CHC Helicopter’s success. Despite challenging market conditions in the energy sector, our corporate values and have helped us adapt, develop smarter, safer ways of working and embrace new opportunities.

Nowhere has this rapid evolution been more apparent than in the emerging field of renewables. Offshore wind operators are increasingly recognising the benefits of utilising helicopter operations to support construction and maintenance activities.

In the past five years, offshore wind has emerged as a mainstream sustainable energy source in Europe. Close to 13GW of installed capacity is already supplying power to homes and businesses across Europe, but installed offshore capacity is expected to increase to 70GW by 2030, according to WindEurope, the voice of the European wind industry. By that time, it is expected to be meeting between 7-11 percent of Europe’s energy demand, with 84 percent of that capacity installed in the North Sea.

At the heart of CHC’s renewables offer is our growing reputation in supporting Commercial Helicopter Hoisting Operations (CHHO); a versatile capability being shaped through our operations in Den Helder in the Netherlands and Humberside in the UK.

“CHC is in a strategic position to be able to provide essential services from a ring of operational bases around the North Sea, so we are ideally located to serve the entire basin”, explains Jan Lalkens, Base Manager, Den Helder. “That applies to traditional oil and gas, but increasingly renewables”.

Up until recently, construction support on offshore wind developments has primarily been provided by marine vessels, but as larger capacity arrays move into ever deeper waters and further offshore, helicopter services become increasingly attractive to support crew transfers. “What’s more, weather conditions in the North Sea sometimes mean marine operations simply aren’t suitable for supporting construction and maintenance work. In such instances, a helicopter can often perform a vital function instead,” adds Jan. “Increasingly, customers are seeking a dual service approach”.

As the number of connected turbines increases across the region, so too does the need for planned maintenance, servicing for which will often necessitate an engineer being lowered directly onto the turbine.

“It’s then that our expertise in CHHO comes into play”, says Jan. “CHC is the first of the big three helicopter operators to embrace the service, offering a solution based on our established offshore oil and gas standards”.

As says Roger van Schijndel, Manager Flight Operations explains, CHHO builds on CHC’s established operational track record in winching through of our worldwide Search and Rescue capability. “However, the requirements and methods of operation are completely different”.

Roger continues: “For Commercial Helicopter Hoisting Operations an aircraft must be capable of maintaining single engine performance in a high hover until the passenger being hoisted can be safely retrieved or put back on the spot. That is a mandatory requirement. If an engine stops, basically nothings happens and the aircraft remains in the same place. That safety margin far exceeds current requirements for the SAR mission where the focus is on saving a life, not carrying passengers”.

The Leonardo AW139 has proved to be an exceptionally capable and versatile aircraft for delivering CHHO missions. As CHC global Centre of Excellence for all Leonardo aircraft, Den Helder is ideally equipped with the skills, knowledge and operational insight to develop and refine safe and efficient CHHO operations for our customers.

The Southern North Sea bases currently operate 13 aircraft, almost all of which are capable of supporting hoisting operations. “The equipment is almost plug and play in terms of versatility and our ability to adapt to different mission profiles”, adds Roger. “It’s a simple task removing seating from the aircraft, install the winch and the aircraft is mission ready”.

Unique training capability
In a first for the Netherlands, CHC recently opened a new training facility in Den Helder, which will provide dedicated classrooms and dry training facilities to support the training of engineers in preparation for hoisting operations.

In terms of crew training, CHC has unmatched experience operating the AW139 ­– we were the worldwide launch customer for the aircraft type in 2004. Prior to conducting commercial hoisting, all CHC crews complete a specialist, modular-based training programme, developed in-house, to equip them with the skills necessary to conduct safe and efficient operations. In addition to simulator-based training delivered in conjunction with manufacturer Leonardo, in Italy, crews undertake hoisting training in support of offshore operation; wind turbines; and if required, a module focused on marine hoisting.

“The first crews and trainers are now mission-ready for offshore and wind turbine hoisting. This training was made possible by international collaboration with our SAR business units in the UK and Australia. However, future training will vary depending on the scope of work required by the customer”, explains Dennis Groeneveld, Manager Crew Training. “Ultimately, it’s about having the correct balance of skills required to deliver all types of missions”.

With almost half of new offshore wind capacity set to be installed in Europe between 2018-2020 destined for UK waters, operations from our Humberside base, on the UK’s east coast, have been expanded.

In 2017, CHC secured a six-year contract with Ørsted to support the construction and first five years of operations on Hornsea Project One, which once completed will be the biggest windfarm in the world. Located 120km off the coast of Yorkshire, UK the windfarm will ultimately supply clean electricity to well over one million homes. The contract will be delivered in partnership with Uni-Fly – a specialist operator with extensive experience of hoisting operations to offshore wind turbines and installations.

“Contract operations commenced in early January 2018, using an AW139 aircraft to deliver crew change flights to various vessels and jack-up rigs conducting operations on the Hornsea 1 construction park”, explains Dave Riches, Base Manager, Humberside and Norwich. “In April 2018, the first Uni-Fly AW169 arrives, which be a dual role aircraft. It will take care of some crew change flying, as well as begin to conduct some hoisting operations”.

The partnership with Uni-Fly is based on a tried and tested collaborative model, shaped through collective experience gained from an earlier Ørsted wind farm project - Westermost Rough. “When Uni-Fly first moved to Humberside, operating an EC135 aircraft on hoisting operations in 2015, CHC provided handling operations and ramp support,” says Dave. “We also provided space in our hangar for maintenance and acted as the main point of contact with the customer. That model has formed the basis for our Hornsea contract“.

Being based at the same heliport facility effectively means we work as a single, joined-up operation”.

Preparations for the start of operations of the AW169
CHC will be supporting Uni-Fly during the AW169’s entry into service later this year. Following the success of our recent entry into service programme developed for the H175 in the UK, as well as the AW189 in Australia, CHC will assist Uni-Fly as it transitions from single pilot operations to dual crew operations on the new aircraft.

Significant investment at Humberside has also completely revamped the heliport, providing enhanced passenger facilities and new information screens. Briefing rooms have been expanded to accommodate larger aircraft types and provide more space for changing, while the inbound arrivals area has been streamlined.

Ultimately, today’s customers are seeking transnational solutions. They want a single, safe, reliable and versatile partner to serve their needs across different countries and regions. With our base at Den Helder emerging as a de facto global centre of excellence for commercial helicopter hoisting operations, coupled with our growing capability in the UK, CHC has the equipment, infrastructure, skills and experience to serve the needs of a rapidly-expanding global renewables industry.