Carson Helicopters

Last updated
Carson Helicopters
Company type Private
Industry Aerospace
Logging
Founded1963
Headquarters Perkasie, Pennsylvania, U.S.
ProductsCommercial helicopters
Website carsonhelicopters.com

Carson Helicopters, Inc is a helicopter operating company based in Perkasie, Pennsylvania, United States. Carson operates a fleet of Sikorsky S-61 helicopters in aerial lift services and aerial firefighting. Carson is known for its development of the "Carson Blade" for the S-61 and H-3 Sea King. [1] In 2010, Carson Helicopters, Inc. partnered with Sikorsky Aircraft to develop and manufacture the S-61T, an upgraded version of the S-61 helicopter. [2]

Contents

In 2015 former VP Steve Metheny was sentenced to prison for falsifying documents that led to a 2008 crash that killed seven firefighters and two pilots. [3] A federal jury had earlier found that the primary cause of the crash was the failure of the GE designed engine, specifically issues with the engine's fuel control, of which GE had previously been notified. [4]

Upgrade Programs

British Royal Navy Upgrade Program

In 2007, Carson Helicopters partnered with the British Royal Navy to modernize its British HC4 Sea King Helicopters because British forces faced issues operating the Sea Kings in Afghanistan due to the country’s altitude above sea level and lower air density which contributed to a dramatic decrease in lift and forward speed. [5]

The upgrades included the replacement of the aircraft’s legacy metal main rotor blades with the Carson Composite Main Rotor Blade and to use Agusta Wesland’s five-bladed composite tail rotor. Within 12 months after installation, the upgrades were tested and deployed after receiving a UOR from the MoD.

The increased performance provided by the Carson Composite Main Rotor Blades enabled the aircraft to operate at its operational and design capability in hot-and-high environments without having to strip weight or decrease defensive aids, such as armor or weaponry and its associated ammunition. [6]

S-61T Program

In February 2010, the U.S. State Department signed an open-ended contract for as many as 110 Sikorsky S-61 Triton Helicopters ("S-61T") for U.S. diplomatic transportation and cargo services. [7]

The S-61T, which was an upgraded SH3H, included a fully modernized glass cockpit with digital screens and avionics, crashworthy seats, a modular wiring harness derived from the UH-60 Black Hawk, as well as engine and transmission improvements. Upgrades also included the Carson Composite Main Rotor Blades which provided a 10 knot increase in cruising speed using the same horsepower and a 1750 lb. increase in lift. [6]

Incidents and accidents

A Carson Helicopter S-61N Fire King being refueled during firefighting operations in Southern River, Western Australia. Refueling panorama gnangarra.jpg
A Carson Helicopter S-61N Fire King being refueled during firefighting operations in Southern River, Western Australia.
A Carson Helicopters Fire King drops on the 2007 WSA Lightning Complex fire. Wsa-lightning-complex S61type1-drop ron-blaylock.jpg
A Carson Helicopters Fire King drops on the 2007 WSA Lightning Complex fire.
A Carson Helicopters Fire King drops on the 2007 WSA Lightning Complex fire. Wsa-lightning-complex S61type1-drop scott-linn.jpg
A Carson Helicopters Fire King drops on the 2007 WSA Lightning Complex fire.

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion</span> Transport helicopter series by Sikorsky

The Sikorsky CH-53E Super Stallion is a heavy lift helicopter operated by the United States military. As the Sikorsky S-80, it was developed from the CH-53 Sea Stallion, mainly by adding a third engine, adding a seventh blade to the main rotor, and canting the tail rotor 20°. It was built by Sikorsky Aircraft for the United States Marine Corps. Developed in the 1970s, it entered service in 1981, and is planned to be in service into the 2030s. It is one of the largest helicopters, and military helicopters in service, and is operated from U.S. Navy ships or from land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion</span> 1964 transport helicopter family by Sikorsky

The CH-53 Sea Stallion is an American family of heavy-lift transport helicopters designed and built by the American manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft. The Sea Stallion was originally developed in response to a request from the United States Navy's Bureau of Naval Weapons made in March 1962 for a replacement for the Sikorsky CH-37 Mojave helicopters flown by the United States Marine Corps (USMC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikorsky S-76</span> American medium-size commercial utility helicopter

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone</span> Canadian multi-role naval helicopter

The Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone is a twin-engine, multi-role shipborne helicopter developed by the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation for the Canadian Armed Forces. A military variant of the Sikorsky S-92, the CH-148 is designed for shipboard operations and replaced the CH-124 Sea King, which was in Canadian Armed Forces operation from 1963 to 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikorsky S-92</span> Transport helicopter family by Sikorsky

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schweizer S300</span> Helicopter model

The Schweizer S300 series family of light utility helicopters was originally produced by Hughes Helicopters, as a development of the Hughes 269. Later manufactured by Schweizer Aircraft, and currently produced by Schweizer RSG, the basic design has been in production for over 50 years. The single, three-bladed main rotor and piston-powered S300 is mostly used as a cost-effective platform for training and agriculture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coaxial-rotor aircraft</span> Helicopter with two sets of rotor blades placed on top of each other

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikorsky H-53</span> Military helicopter family

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles Airways Flight 417</span> 1968 helicopter accident

Los Angeles Airways Flight 417 was a Sikorsky S-61 helicopter that crashed on August 14, 1968 in the city of Compton, California. All eighteen passengers and three crew members were killed. The aircraft was destroyed by impact and fire. According to the National Transportation Safety Board the probable cause of the accident was fatigue failure. The accident happened when the yellow blade, one of five main rotor blades, separated from the spindle that attached the blade to the rotor head. Following failure, the helicopter was uncontrollable and it fell to the ground. The fatigue crack originated in an area of substandard hardness and inadequate shot peening.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles Airways Flight 841</span> 1968 helicopter accident

Los Angeles Airways Flight 841 was a Sikorsky S-61 helicopter that crashed at 5:50 p.m. on Wednesday, May 22, 1968, in the city of Paramount, California. All twenty passengers and three crew members were killed. The aircraft was destroyed by impact and fire. The probable cause of the accident was a mechanical failure in the blade rotor system, which then allowed one blade to strike the side of the fuselage. As a result, the other four blades were thrown out of balance. All five rotor blades then broke and the rear fuselage and tail separated from the rest of the airframe. The cause of the mechanical failure is undetermined. At the time, it was the worst helicopter-related accident in U.S. aviation history, not to be surpassed until the 1986 Grand Canyon mid-air collision which killed 25.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bell 525 Relentless</span> American medium-lift helicopter

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The Sikorsky S-73 was a proposed aircraft design to meet the United States Army requirement in 1970 for a Heavy Lift Helicopter (HLH) capable of carrying 45,000 lb, a lifting capacity more than twice that of Sikorsky's most powerful helicopter at that time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Bell 525 Relentless prototype crash</span>

The 2016 Bell 525 Relentless prototype crash occurred during a test flight on July 6, 2016, near Italy, Texas, destroying the prototype Bell 525 Relentless helicopter and killing the two occupants. The helicopter broke up in flight while traveling about 229 mph (199 kn) at an altitude of about 2,000 feet (610 m); the main rotor contacted and severed the tail boom due to severe vertical oscillations. The crew were performing one engine inoperative (OEI) recovery testing; the test induced a scissors-mode vibration in the main rotor, which resulted in involuntary collective control input. The unintended biomechanical feedback loop exacerbated the vibration, until the rotor contacted the tail-boom.

References

  1. "About Carson Helicopters - CarsonHelicopters". Archived from the original on 2017-10-04. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
  2. Croft, John (2010-02-21). "HELI-EXPO: Sikorsky S-61T gains new life in State Department program". Flightglobal.com. Retrieved 2019-09-28.
  3. 1 2 3 Gabbert, Bill (2015-06-16). "Former VP of Carson Helicopters sentenced to 12 years in prison". Wildfire Today. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  4. 1 2 Gabbert, Bill (2012-03-27). "Jury awards $70 million for helicopter crash on Iron Complex fire". Wildfire Today. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
  5. "Heavy Lift: U.K. Heavy Lift Program". Rotor & Wing International. 2009-03-01. Archived from the original on 2019-10-10. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  6. 1 2 "U.S. State Dept Order for 110 S-61Ts is Boon for Sikorsky". Rotor & Wing International. 2010-05-01. Archived from the original on 2019-10-10. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  7. "U.S. State Department to Purchase Sikorsky S-61T Helicopters for Use in Afghanistan". www.defense-aerospace.com. Archived from the original on 2019-10-10. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  8. "Fire sets back tree revival project in Great Dismal Swamp". 12 June 2008.
  9. "Inquiry begins to pinpoint cause of fire at Dismal Swamp | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com". Archived from the original on 2008-06-19.
  10. Atlantic white cedar hurricane Isabel new trees Daily Press June 20, 2006
  11. Invasive plants Daily Press October 26, 2011
  12. "FAA Registry (N612AZ)". Federal Aviation Administration.
  13. Crash During Takeoff of Carson Helicopters August 5, 2008 NTSB/AAR-10/06
  14. "Firefighter Fatalities in the United States in 2008" (see Appendix A) Archived 2022-10-06 at the Wayback Machine , September 2009, FEMA
  15. Sanne Specht. "Official admits fraud in copter crash case". MailTribune.com. Archived from the original on 2017-12-19. Retrieved 2013-09-24.