Photo Gallery: Ultimate Heli
Monday, July 15, 2013
Customer Profile
No. Helicopters: 8
Location: Grand Central Airport,
South Africa
Aircraft in Fleet:
- Bell 407
- Bell UH-1 Huey
- Eurocopter AS350 B2
- Eurocopter AS350 B3
- Eurocopter AS355N
- Eurcopter EC130 B4
- Robinson R44
- Robinson R22
- Fire Fighting
- Cargo Transport
- Construction
- Custom load work
Description: Ultimate HELI supplys the safest and the most efficient helicopter charter, helicopter maintenance, helicopter training, utility helicopters and helicopter support worldwide. Ultimate HELI's state-of-the-art fleet of helicopters and highly experienced and trained staff always strives to exceed customer expectations.
Contact information:
Ultimate HELI (PTY) LTD
1st Floor, Main Terminal Building
Grand Central Airport, New Road
Midrand, Gauteng
Johannesburg, South Africa
Phone: 011 044 5555
Fax: 086 275 3903
email: info@ultimateheli.co.za
Our thanks to Shaun Roseveare, CEO of Ultimate Heli for sending us these beautiful pictures of their aircraft engaging in external load operations work in South Africa.
One of the more unusual projects they have worked on is rebuilding the Giants Castle Mountain Hut, which is located along a footpath at an altitude of 7542ft beneath Giants Castle peak in the central KwaZulu-Natal Ukhahlamba Drakensberg in Central South Africa. In 2009 the hut was destroyed by fire from a lightning strike and is currently under reconstruction.
The job was challenging because it required lifting multiple, odd-shaped loads at altitude in mountainous terrain, with the temperamental weather and winds often associated with these environments.
According to Roseveare, "load weights for the Giants lift ranged from 300-620 Kg's, well within the capabilities of the AS350B3+ at the altitudes and temperatures we were operating at, but the physical sizes of some of the loads were quite challenging"
Giants Camp is at 5767ft, with the hut site at 7542ft necessitating a climb of 1945 ft while slinging the cargo over a distance of 8,09 km. The highest altitude reached was 8100ft.
The cargo included a generator and power tools, sand, cement, 6.5m x 1.25 roof trusses, 6.6m wooden batons, roofing tiles and flashing. Due to the different cargo sizes and weights some intricate planning was needed to find the most suitable material/weight/sling combinations to move all the material safely and efficiently. "We broke the loads down into eight loads. Flying the heavier loads - 620 Kgs of cement and sand - was quite standard since we used cargo nets which made them stable loads. However, flying the roof trusses was quite a challenge and we needed to pay careful attention to the flying characteristics of the load."
Highlights of the job says Roseveare, "were bringing skills we've learnt working in Africa home to put to good use on a rewarding community involvement project like this. Especially in a UNESCO world heritage site. And being one of only three helicopters - besides police search & rescue - in the past five years to fly at Giants."
The team completed the entire lift within four hours. A few days later, while the builders were still on site, it snowed.
