Canadian Squirrels aboard the Araon at Lyttelton

 A recent posting showed the Squirrel ZK-HWG departing from the Korean icebreaker Araon at Lyttelton. HERE

Yesterday December 26th two more Squirrels helicopter arrived aboard the Araon. Both Canadian registered - and both have very interesting previous New Zealand histories.

Above is a long range phone shot of the Aerospatiale AS 350 B2 C-GDWM6 c/n 2463 of Canadian Helicopters Ltd which had just landed aboard.

A 1991 production machine listed as HB-XVT in March of 1991. It was damaged on 12-08-1995 and came to NZ to be re-worked by Helicopters (NZ) Ltd at Nelson and became ZK-HNZ3 from 01-12-1997.

It went off to Lao Westcoast Helicopters (a subsidiary of HNZ) for work in Cambodia and Myanmar. 

It was re-registered as ZK-HDO4 on 04-05-2007 and was re-exported and cancelled on 06-10-2011 to become RDPL-34185 with Lao West Coast Helicopters of Vientiane, Laos (to continue its work looking for MIA's from the American War).

On 02-01-2018 it became C-GDWM6 with Canadian Helicopters Ltd, who had in the intervening period taken over Helicopters (NZ).

The second Aerospatiale AS 350 B2 arrived later and is seen above secured on the helipad of the Araon.

This is C-GHVU2 c/n 2132. A 1988 build which became N350MB followed by HS-NMB in February 1990 and HS-HTA from January 1995 in Thailand. On 08-09-1998 it became VH-WCU with Helicopters (Australia) Pty Ltd of Belmont WA - another subsidiary of Helicopters (NZ) Ltd. It joined the NZ register as ZK-HFH3 on 04-12-2001 and served several summer seasons at Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica before returning to Helicopters (Australia) this time as VH-WDQ from 26-06-2009.

Another return to the NZ register had it listed as ZK-HVU4 from 23-09-2013 with the renamed HNZ New Zealand Ltd of Nelson. It served at least two more trips to Terra Nova Bay until it moved to its parent Company as C-GHVU from 12-07-2018.