ZK-HCW

Helicopters (NZ) Ltd of Nelson imported two new Sud Aviation SE3160 Aloutte III helicopters for servicing the off shore oil rig out from Oamaru.

They arrived by sea on 13-09-1969 and became ZK-HCW (c/n 1606) and ZK-HCX (c/n 1614) on 18-09-1969 with HCW first flying here on the following day.

Photo above is by C F L Jenks via A Jenks thought to be taken about February 1970 at Nelson.

Photo below taken at Oamaru on 13-11-1970 by Dave Paull.

ZK-HCW went on for a longthy career. After cancellation from the NZ register on 25-03-1971 it became VH-UHR with Helicopter Utilities Pty Ltd at Mascot (Sydney) on 07-04-1971 and was operated by Airfast Helicopters until cancellation 31-12-1974 and re-listing the same date as P2-UHR with Airfast Services Pty Ltd out of Boroko PNG.

It returned to its old Australian registration of VH-UHR on 21-12-1977 with Airfast Helicopters before transferring to Aviation Developments Pty Ltd of Sydney on 14-08-1978. Its Australian career ended on 06-06-1969 when it was cancelled for a move to the States to become N606RA with Roberts Aircraft Inc at Colorado Springs on 02-04-1980. on 26-05-1981 it appeared listed to Contract Service Inc at Anchorage, Alaska followed by a change of registration to N901SD and a move to Sundance Helicopters Inc from September of 1982.

I next have it as being with Helicopter Support Inc of Orange, Connecticut from July of 1984. Its US letters were cancelled in April of 1986 for it to return to its home land to become F-GFHE with Heli-Inter at Pontoise (Northwest Paris) from 20-10-1986.

Its final operator (afaik) was Locavia out of Marseille from around 1992 - It being withdrawn and cancelled on 26-08-1996.

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Added 10-09-2015.
Skyjeep has kindly sent in the photo below.

I rode in these when HNZ was ferrying staff to/from Maui A and Blue Whale craneship in around 1977.

Here is a photo from one. such flight.

Regards.