Industry | Helicopter Services |
---|---|
Founded | 2008 |
Headquarters | Isle of Portland, United Kingdom |
Key people | Stephen Gladston (CEO) |
Website | https://helioperations.co |
HeliOperations is a British helicopter company [lower-alpha 1] based on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, England, at the old Naval Air Station of RNAS Portland (HMS Osprey) [1] providing training and services.
From 2017 HeliOperations primarily operated three former Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm Westland Sea King helicopters. [2] [3] Operations took place at the former RNAS Portland (HMS Osprey). The aircraft were owned by the Ministry of Defence, but were leased to the company to provide training services to the German Navy Marineflieger and other private customers. [4] Following the retirement of the helicopters from the Fleet Air Arm, HeliOperations is the last operator of Westland Sea King helicopters in the United Kingdom.
In May 2022, the company acquired an AgustaWestland AW139 SAR helicopter. [5]
In late 2022, two of the companies Sea King helicopters were transferred to the Ukrainian Air Force. [6] [7]
The Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King is an American twin-engined anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopter designed and built by Sikorsky Aircraft. A landmark design, it was one of the first ASW rotorcraft to use turboshaft engines.
The Westland WS-61 Sea King is a British licence-built version of the American Sikorsky S-61 helicopter of the same name, built by Westland Helicopters. The aircraft differs considerably from the American version, with Rolls-Royce Gnome engines, British-made anti-submarine warfare systems and a fully computerised flight control system. The Sea King was primarily designed for performing anti-submarine warfare (ASW) missions. A Sea King variant known as the Commando was developed by Westland to serve as a troop transport.
The AgustaWestland AW101 is a medium-lift helicopter in military and civil use. First flown in 1987, it was developed by a joint venture between Westland Helicopters in the United Kingdom and Agusta in Italy in response to national requirements for a modern naval utility helicopter. Several operators, including the armed forces of Britain, Denmark, and Portugal, use the name Merlin for their AW101 aircraft. It is manufactured at factories in Yeovil, England, and Vergiate, Italy. Licensed assembly work has also taken place in Japan and the United States.
The AgustaWestland CH-149 Cormorant is the Canadian Forces designation for the AgustaWestland AW101, a helicopter used for air-sea rescue in Canada. Developed from AgustaWestland in Italy, the CH-149 is a medium-lift helicopter for military applications.
AgustaWestland was an Anglo-Italian helicopter design and manufacturing company, which was a wholly owned subsidiary of Finmeccanica. It was formed in July 2000 as an Anglo-Italian multinational company, when Finmeccanica and GKN merged their respective helicopter subsidiaries to form AgustaWestland, with each holding a 50% share. Finmeccanica acquired GKN's stake in AgustaWestland in 2004.
The AgustaWestland AW109, originally the Agusta A109, is a lightweight, twin-engine, eight-seat multi-purpose helicopter designed and initially produced by the Italian rotorcraft manufacturer Agusta. It was the first all-Italian helicopter to be mass-produced. Its production has been continued by Agusta's successor companies, presently Leonardo.
The NHIndustries NH90 is a European medium-sized, twin-engine, multirole military helicopter. It was the first production helicopter to feature entirely fly-by-wire flight controls. There is extensive use of composite materials and electronic sensors. The helicopter has two main versions, the TTH oriented towards land applications and the NFH, oriented towards naval use and focused on such tasks as ASW and marine SAR. Over 500 have been produced for a dozen users, and it remains in production.
No. 202 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is the maritime and mountains training element of the No.1 Flying Training School, operating the Airbus Helicopters H145 Jupiter.
Abu Dhabi Aviation Co. is an airline based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It serves oil-fields and economic facilities in the United Arab Emirates and other Arab states. Its main base is Zayed International Airport. Abu Dhabi Aviation is the largest commercial helicopter operator in the Middle East, operating and owning 58 aircraft in total comprising 51 helicopters., and 7 fixed-wing aircraft (DHC-8). The company employs over 1000 personnel, including 130 pilots and 250 engineers. The bulk of the company's business activity is in support of Abu Dhabi offshore oil and engineering and construction companies. Other business activities include medical evacuation, aerial construction, survey, photography, charter, and providing VVIP passenger transportation services. All aerial spraying of crops in the UAE and the majority of aerial spraying in Oman is carried out by ADA.
No. 330 Squadron RNoAF is a helicopter unit of the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) and is Norway's military search and rescue service. The squadron operates ten Westland Sea King helicopters based at six airbases along the coast. Headquartered at Sola Air Station, the squadron has detachments at Rygge, Florø, Ørland, Bodø and Banak. The unit's primary duty is search and rescue (SAR), with secondary duties consisting of air ambulance and disaster relief.
The AgustaWestland AW139, now known as the Leonardo AW139, is a 15-seat medium-sized twin-engined helicopter developed and produced by the Italian helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland, now part of Leonardo. It is marketed at several different roles, including VIP/corporate transport, military use, offshore transport, firefighting, law enforcement, search and rescue, emergency medical service, disaster relief, and maritime patrol.
The Sikorsky S-61R is a twin-engine helicopter used in transport or search and rescue roles. A developed version of the S-61/SH-3 Sea King, the S-61R was also built under license by Agusta as the AS-61R. The S-61R served in the United States Air Force as the CH-3C/E Sea King and the HH-3E Jolly Green Giant, and with the United States Coast Guard as the HH-3F, nicknamed "Pelican". This article covers several different variants of this type in different roles, one major difference compared to the S-61 was a rear ramp.
The Airbus Helicopters H225 is a long-range passenger transport helicopter developed by Eurocopter as the next generation of the civilian Super Puma family. It is a twin-engined aircraft and can carry up to 24 passengers along with two crew and a cabin attendant, dependent on customer configuration. The helicopter is marketed for offshore support and VIP passenger transport duties, as well as public service missions.
The Royal Air Force Search and Rescue Force was an official unit of the Royal Air Force (RAF) which provided around-the-clock aeronautical search and rescue cover in the United Kingdom, Cyprus, and the Falkland Islands, from 1986 until 2016.
The AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat is a military helicopter, developed by the British-Italian helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland, and later marketed by the Italian aerospace company Leonardo. It is an improved version of the Westland Super Lynx designed to serve in the battlefield utility, search and rescue, aerial reconnaissance, anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASuW), utility, command and control, and troop transport duties.
Anduki Airfield is a domestic airfield which now primarily operates as a heliport, located in Seria, a town in the Belait District of Brunei Darussalam. Although Anduki Airfield is owned by the Government of Brunei, it is operated and managed by Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP), who currently fly Sikorsky S-92 and AgustaWestland AW139 helicopters in support of servicing offshore oil platforms. Brunei Shell Petroleum replaced the original grass airstrip with a sealed instrument runway in 2008. Future upgrades include the addition of runway lighting, and an enhanced instrument approach procedure. Operations at Anduki Airfield are carried out in accordance with regulations from the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) standards.
The Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard (DCCG) is the coast guard of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Dutch Caribbean. The unit is a joint effort of all constituent countries within the Kingdom. Prior to the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles in 2010, it was known as the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba Coast Guard and was a division of the Royal Netherlands Navy.
The AgustaWestland AW189 is a twin-engined, super-medium-lift helicopter manufactured by Leonardo S.p.A. It is derived from the AW149, and shares similarities with the AW139 and AW169.
The AgustaWestland AW169 is a twin-engine, 10-seat, 4.8t helicopter developed and manufactured by the helicopter division of Leonardo. It was designed to share similarities with the larger AgustaWestland AW139 and AgustaWestland AW189.
The NHIndustries MRH-90 Taipan was a version of the NH90 multirole helicopter in service with the Australian Army and the Royal Australian Navy in the early 21st century. It entered service in December 2007, and was withdrawn from service in 2022 by the Navy and in 2023 by the Army. Most of the aircraft were assembled in Australia. The fleet was originally scheduled for retirement in 2037. After the aircraft's withdrawal, they were offered for sale then disassembled for parts which is ongoing as of 2024.