110 AUSTRALIAN AVIATION
Fleet diversity
In order to service its varied client
base, CHC operates a diverse fleet
of helicopter types, from all four
major helicopter manufacturers. The
AW189s join a number of AW139s
already in the CHC Australia fleet,
while the company also operates
Airbus Helicopters EC135s, AS365 Ns
and AS332s, Sikorsky S-76s and
S-92s, and Bell 412s.
With the new 16-seat AW189
joining the fleet to supplement the
slightly larger S-92, a super medium
class has been introduced to CHC’s
inventory, D’Rozario explains.
“The S-92 has been the main
workhorse of the heavy fleet for the
past two years – by heavy I mean the
payload and range that the helicopter
has,” he says.
“The new AW189 falls into the
super medium category which
means it has comparable range and
a similar payload to the S-92 but
noticeably lower operating costs.
This is appealing for operators as it
is cheaper to run and in a passenger
configuration can carry 16 passengers,
which is only three less than the
S-92.”
Another benefit the AW189 brings
to CHC is fleet diversity, protecting
against over-reliance on a single type.
This is a particulary important
consideration for CHC following the
tragic 2016 crash of a CHC EC225
in Norway. With the subsequent
grounding of all EC225 aircraft, it was
the fact that CHC had more than one
aircraft type in its fleet that allowed it
to maintain services while the accident
was under investigation.
“The Eurocopter 225 had a design
fault which has been linked to a series
of accidents,” notes D’Rozario.
“This design defect led to a type
grounding from global regulators. If
there had been no fleet diversification,
the business would have ceased to
operate. However, by spreading the
types of equipment we operate it
reduces the risk associated by any
future type grounding.”
The EC225’s grounding meant
CHC was overly reliant on the S-92 to
perform long-range and heavy payload
operations, presenting a potential
business risk of being overly dependent
on a single aircraft type.
“The risk with a fleet of heavy
helicopters based on one type – the
S-92 – was ‘what if something went
wrong with the type?’ It was the only
helicopter we used to go offshore and
as a result it was important for us to
diversify the fleet,” D’Rozario explains.
Enter the AW189, which brings
diversity to the CHC fleet while also
introducing cost efficiencies and
a better customer and passenger
experience.The AW189
Leonardo – then known as
AgustaWestland – announced it was
developing the new 8.3 to 8.6 tonne
class twin-engine AW189 at the June
2011 Paris Airshow. Intended from
the outset as a long-range machine
suited for offshore missions and
search and rescue, the AW189 features
some common avionics and cockpit
features with the smaller AW139, but
otherwise is effectively an all-new
design.
The prototype AW189 first took
flight in December 2011. Over the
next two years a series of prototype
and pre-production aircraft were used
in the certification of the type across
both offshore and search and rescue
missions. By 2013 the aircraft was in
full scale production.
Powered by two GE CT7-2E1
engines, the AW189 features an
innovative gearbox design which
allows it to ‘run dry’ for an extended
period.
“The MSG-3 process has been
designed in such a way that the main
gearbox can run dry and still operate
properly,” D’Rozario explains.
“In fact, during testing it
successfully operated dry for up to 20
minutes. This is a great reassurance
for operators and reduces the risk to
gearboxes identified in the Eurocopter
225 design fault.”The AW189 seats 16 passengers.
CHC‘It was
important
for us to
diversify the
fleet.’
VINCE D’ROZARIO