Helicopter Express acquires new Air Crane
The provider of aircraft services in the US state of Georgia has invested in an S-64F Air Crane from manufacturer Erickson
The heavy-lift aircraft has a maximum hook weight of 25,000lb (11,340kg), powered by two Pratt & Whitney JFTD12-4A (T73-P-1) turboshaft engines, offering cruise speeds of 169km/h with a range of 370km.
Helicopter Express has reached out to Intermountain Helicopters (IMH) to crew the new aircraft, due to IMH’s experience with the S-64 platform.
The S-64F joins the Helicopter Express mixed fleet of rotary-wing aircraft, which includes seven Eagle 407HP, six Bell 205A-1++ and Kaman K-MAX. The company also operates a number of Airbus H125/AS350 fixed-wing aircraft for firefighting, search-and-rescue, construction and other missions.
“We are excited to now add an S-64F to our growing worldwide commercial operations,” said Danny Hoss, Helicopter Express Vice President for Commercial Services. “Its unique heavy-lift capabilities will allow us to bring our safe and professional helicopter services to new missions and customers.”
Entrol launched a new flight training device based on the Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane in October 2022.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca is a Junior Editor at AirMed&Rescue. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector! He also led the creation of Waypoint: The AirMed&Rescue podcast, serving as its Production Editor and co-host.