Story ID: 428
Heli-One Offers New Services, New Facilities
By: Curt Epstein
Caption: The MRO recently relocated its Canadian headquarters and established new services for the the AW139, the S-92 and the venerable S-61.
Word Count: 517
Canadian rotorcraft MRO Heli-One (Booth 2608) has launched a new campaign highlighting its support of the venerable Sikorsky S-61. Known as “Supporting the Legacy,” the company has pledged to keep the durable helicopter, which debuted in the 1960s, in continued use by operators for years to come.

British Columbia-based Heli-One has more than four decades of support experience for the type including all levels of inspections and checks, and more than 200 nose-to-tail proprietary repairs and upgrade modifications to help safely extend the life of the aircraft. Beyond typical maintenance work, the company works to salvage parts typically deemed beyond economic repair, and it holds an extensive inventory of type-specific components for exchange, allowing operators to minimize downtime.

The company recently relocated its facilities from Boundary Bay to new facilities located nearby in Richmond and Delta. The Richmond complex includes the headquarters as well as the airframes and structures facility, while the Delta location houses component and engine support workshops. At the latter, the MRO last week also debuted its new engine accessory shop, which can offer dedicated service for Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6C-67C and PT6T engines, along with General Electric’s CT58/T58 and CT7 powerplants and the Arriel and Makila from Safran. The facility recently added cleaning, testing and overhaul services for PT6C-67C fuel nozzles with turnaround times as quick as 10 days, and is currently processing approximately 100 per month. “The expertise our team has gained goes beyond standard repair procedures,” stated Heli-One president Anthony DiNota. “They have played an integral role in developing proprietary repairs and streamlining procedures to improve efficiency and delivering quality product with low turnaround times.”

During Heli-Expo, Heli-One, which is a CHC Helicopter subsidiary, introduced a new safety and situational awareness upgrade for the Sikorsky S-92. The baseline system consists of a pair of tailboom-mounted video cameras that monitor engine and cargo door operations in real-time, and a mockup of the system is on display at Heli-One's booth. An enhanced version provides two additional mounted cameras to focus on a hoist and cargo hook during lifting operations, as well as video recording with audio capability. Camera feeds can be shown on any of five cockpit multifunction displays and pilots can easily toggle from one view to another. “The additional views offer pilots greater situational awareness upon landing, facilitating more efficient operations with ground crew,” noted DiNota.

Heli-One offers global coverage with locations in Canada, the U.S., Norway and Rzeszow, Poland, which has just added second-generation exhaust duct repair for the Leonardo AW139 to its list of services. According to DiNota, the repair can be performed in less than 30 days and is a more affordable option than replacement of the assembly. Since opening in 2014, the location has expanded its AW139 capabilities, which also include base maintenance and first-generation duct repair. The 65,000-sq-ft facility carries EASA, FAA and TCCA approvals and has a maintenance hangar capable of accommodating six large airframes along with an avionics workshop, structures shop with specialized tailboom repair area and a dedicated paint bay.