By Brenton G Davis 

I imagine that when the car was first invented, people were amazed at the incredible improvement it brought to personal transport. I guarantee it wasn’t long after that the clever people began thinking, “now what else can we do with that?” Just look at what now gets achieved every single day with the many incarnations of the modern work ute. Similarly I am always fascinated by the myriad of attachments and tools which adorn the trailers of Bobcat, Dingo and Kanga operators. The original invention was great but the additional uses people find for these machines are just astounding.

The airplane was arguably one of the greatest inventions of our times. And whilst it has truly revolutionized personal transport around the world, the additional possibilities which unfolded with airflow passing over a wing-like surface really opened up a box of tricks. The plane is great: point A to point B in a straight line, faster than anything else, capable of carrying the numbers or payload of modern aircraft. But the helicopter was a whole new deal. The ability of being able to fly controllably in 362 different directions had the innovative minds working overtime. Since the very first production helicopters, manufacturers, sales teams and end-users have all realized that the ability of the helicopter to stop and hover, fly up or down or any one of the 360 degrees of the compass, gives us a truly unique piece of utility equipment. Strap things to it, hang them under it, or bolt stuff in it, and you have arrived in the very diverse world of utility helicopter operations.

True, many helicopters are gainfully employed all over the world simply taking passengers from point A to point B. These machines can vary from the smallest of piston helicopters on tourist jaunts to the largest of twin engine, multi-crew IFR machines hauling workers over vast stretches of ocean to their oilrigs. The price tags for the two different extremes of these transport tasks can be mind-boggling. It is feasible for a career pilot to find themselves one week in a $300,000 second hand R44 pattering out a well worn tour narrative to their guests, and the next week be sitting in a shiny new S92, AW139 or EC225 with price tags well into the multiple tens of millions. That progression can and does happen but, for the majority of career helicopter pilots, they will spend a good portion of their working life in the very diverse and challenging world of utility operations. A company dedicating itself to this type of work can provide some excellent opportunities for drivers and give a depth of experience invaluable on the resume. The big utility operations are found in the likes of Canada, PNG and New Zealand but an excellent variety can still be found within our shorelines. For the helicopter pilot, these workplaces become a colourful tapestry of skills, demands and rewards.

The utility helicopter pilot requires some particular skills and attitudes even before he goes near his aircraft for the day. In a world where blades turning equates to expensive invoices, time is money and waste is not very often tolerated. The majority of this type of work is done during daylight hours, so when there is light available, often times the client wants that machine working. This translates to long days for the pilot and crew. A ‘first light departure’ is often the norm so the pilot’s duties start well before the sun is up. Preflight inspections and refuelling by torchlight, can be commonplace. Flight planning and trip preparation is often done late the night before at the home or hotel room following that urgent phone call. And at the tail end of the day, the same is often true. Finishing on sunset and wrapping up in the dark are typical. Bookwork is critical to keep the accounts department happy and attention to detail can be demanding when the entries are being made in between bites of dinner. Key to surviving in this game is preparation. The flight bag needs to be kept up to date with all of the relevant charts, ERSA and equipment needed to take a machine away at a moment’s notice. Access and familiararity with NAIPS, (and when not available as is often the case on deployment), DECTALK and AVFAX. The utility helicopter pilot needs to be able to respond quickly to changes in the game plan and make good quality command decisions which will get them through their task safely and efficiently.

Utility ops come in many different varieties. One of the most common taskings asked of pilots when first stepping into this field, is aerial photography. Although it can get quite complex with specialized equipment and mounts, it is normally simply a case of someone needs a photographic record of something on the ground and they need it now. There is no endorsement or flight check required, but good basic flying skills can make the job go well. The ability of a helicopter to hold a stationary position in the sky, often gives the photographer license to try the impossible. Rarely does a photo job go by without the client wanting the helo in a position contrary to what our flight instructors taught us. Most times one or more doors will be removed to afford the man with the camera the best possible view. Sometimes, a sliding door will facilitate the same result. Either way, cabin security is an issue which must be addressed on the ground before the noise starts. Loose items can become dangerous with the increased airflow and must be either secured or left behind. Communications should also be sorted well before becoming airborne, as the patter between pilot and photographer is critical to get the aircraft into the best position for the shot. Most important of all though, is passenger security. Whilst dedicated filming harnesses are available, many still photographers will not worry about the restrictive nature of these and opt instead to simply utilize the normal seatbelts. A double and triple check of your passenger’s security for when that door is open, goes without saying.

The natural progression from stills photography is to video, or film. Nowadays almost all of this work is performed with very expensive, highly technical equipment which bolts to the outside of the helicopter. A range of common units are most widely used and all of these require at least some degree of electrical wiring adjustment to the aircraft. Usually part of this set up will include a monitor positioned in easy view of the pilot so that he can see exactly what the camera is picking up. With the precision and detailed required in video presentations today, it is no surprise that much of this work is becoming specialized with companies and pilots establishing themselves a well protected niche. Almost all of the work is performed with doors on, allowing the helicopters to be used in high speed filming runs on all sorts of sports and documentaries.

Probably the most common of the true utility uses comes about with the addition of the cargo hook and a net. The cargo hook, probably more so than any other piece of optional helicopter equipment, opens up a whole new world of revenue-raising operations. A pilot must hold a Sling Endorsement to carry loads which are ‘jettison-able’ by nature. But with a ‘hook’, some nets and strops and a suitably qualified pilot, the helicopter can be turned into a lifting and shifting miracle worker. Virtually any load you can think of has probably been slung under a helicopter at one time or another. If it’s too bulky, or filthy, or awkward or just too time consuming to try and get it onboard, a ground crew can prep it and hook it for the helo to lift. An electronic release button, backed up by a manual release lever allows the pilot to deliver the load once he has reached the destination without landing. Add to the equation a good supply of nets or strops plus ground crew and a single machine can move a remarkable amount of gear with impressive efficiency. The world of sling-loading has many manifestations. In its basic form, nets are hung directly from the hook with the pilot taking reference from a cargo mirror positioned forward of the pedals. Doors do not even have to be removed.

As the art takes a more purist form, the length of the line tends to increase. 100 foot lines are common place keeping the rotor wash away from the pick-up area and keeping the helicopter in clean un-circulating air. Doors are either off, or specialist lifting windows are installed, to facilitate what is known as vertical reference flying. Here the pilot must position their aircraft in a stable position in the sky allowing the crew below to attach the vital load. Keeping a madly vibrating helicopter stationary in height as well as lateral displacement whilst leaning the head out of the airframe and peering vertically down below, is a real learned skill. This specialist task of long-lining can become a very lucrative fulltime career in the fields of logging and construction.

Once helicopters started picking up things from their cargo hooks, it was not long at all before people thought of taking water to fight inaccessible fires. The cargo hook also facilitates the most common of airborne fire-fighting appliances, the Bambi-Bucket. Buckets come in a range of capacities to suit the huge variety of machines out there. The basic principal is a collapsible bucket which is weighted on one side. When lowered into a water source, it tilts to one side and fills with water for the pilot to then lift free into the air. Once over the fire, a trigger mechanism releases the load and the pilot returns for more. And just as with sling loading, the buckets can be hung on a variety of line lengths. For precision work on specific hot-spots, long-lines are preferred to keep downwash away from spreading the active fire. Buckets have been modified and improved over time with a huge range now available. One of the most common improvements has been the addition of a power-fill option which allows better use of shallow water sources.

A variation of the fire-fighting theme which does not require a pilot to hold a sling endorsement, is the Belly-Tank arrangement. More commonly used in the ‘urban interface’, the belly tanks are preferred around built up areas as they do not have  jettison-able equipment and are therefore perceived as a safer option.

It is a sweet irony for some companies when they complete fire-fighting duties in summer with their machines, then in winter, conduct fire-lighting programmes with the same helicopter. Again utilizing the cargo-hook, some pilots find themselves flying careful gridlines on their GPS whilst towing beneath them a Dragon or similar incendiary device. These units are designed to drip small amounts of burning gel or capsules into a forest to affect slow and cool, hazard reduction burns. The procedure is planned well in advance, with ground crews completing significant preparation work, and the decision to light is always pivotal on the correct ambient conditions on the day. Once again there is an option on this type of work which does not require an aircraft hook or pilot sling endorsement. Incendiary machines are available which fit into the cabin of an aircraft but these generally require some degree of modification to the floor or doors.

The mining industry too has seen a significant utilization of rotary wing aircraft. In the utility field the most common is the geo-survey role. Again utilizing the cargo-hook, the aircraft tows large antennae-like equipment which reads return signals bounced back from the earth. The interpretation of the readings gives geologists a better understanding of the properties of the land they fly over. Cockpit mounted equipment give the pilot very little in the way of tolerance for their flight. Accuracy in height, speed and lateral displacement is critical for the surveys.

Some of the most well recognized equipment on helicopters is still considered utility by nature, although tends to fall into the specialist flying category. The FLIR, winch and Nightsun, tend to be seen together as a package. They are most commonly used in Law Enforcement and Search and Rescue aircraft and were once typically able to be removed and fitted to suit individual role requirements. Today, however, these roles are being filled more and more by larger dedicated machines and are now no longer likely to be the domain of the utility helicopter pilot.

Helicopters are remarkably versatile pieces of equipment and there are many different ways to earn a living from them. By their nature though, utility helicopter operations tend to be in remote or unprepared places, operating at unscheduled times in opportunistic weather conditions. The companies and pilots who conduct these challenging tasks are often looked down upon from those more ‘structured’ branches of our industry. I would suggest though that much of this cynicism is misdirected by people in positions fortunate enough to hang off the shirt tails of fat government or oil company contracts. The reality is that you would be hard pressed to find a more diverse and intrinsically rewarding position than that of a true utility helicopter pilot. The adaptability and flexibility of these seasoned professional would put many complacent ‘line’ pilots to shame.