Beck Helicopters at Eltham add another Bell UH-1 to their fleet.
Bell UH-1B-BF c/n 652 was built in 1963 for the US Military and carried the serial number 62-4592.
It later joined the US civil register (in about August of 1982) as N1386L and in recent times has been working in Australia as 'Helitak 723'.
It has now been purchased by Beck Helicopters and was placed on the Australian civil register as VH-NYJ as from 08-01-2016 with Thomas Osborne of Stanley, Tasmania.
It was shipped into Auckland on 26-12-2015 and will eventually be placed on the NZ register.
See newspaper story at :-
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/agribusiness/75697368/Taranaki-helicopter-company-buys-4th-heavy-hitting-Huey-to-fight-big-bushfires?cid=app-iPad
See also the links withing this www.stuff story.
check out ga aircraft australia,to see a pic of vh-pfn..........ex zk-rfn also whats the hughes 500 sittin beside the road down levin area at deer hunters museum
ReplyDeleteI wonder how they will get on with trying to register it in nz as I thought and read that any x military helicopters that come into nz had to undergo harsher requirements to be able to work here?
ReplyDeleteThe review recommends that former military helicopters in New Zealand be "ring fenced" and some restrictions might be placed on their use.
ReplyDeleteMr Lanham said the authority would work with the helicopter operators over the next two years to improve the maintenance and airworthiness standards for the machines and introduce operating limitations where needed.
Ex-military helicopters would have to meet higher standards in future to gain certification to fly here.
The machines were attractive to operators because they could be bought for as little as US$100,000 ($210,000) or 10 per cent of the cost of equivalent civilian helicopters.
Can't see it being a major drama. They already operate three others and do their own in house maintenance.
ReplyDelete