96 AUSTRALIAN AVIATION
Anyone who does this for the first time
in trying to a get a machine out of a
country, it’s a learning curve.”
Rogers’ Alaskan adventure sourcing
a 412SP proved an interesting
challenge.
“We were hoping they could drive
the helicopter down from Anchorage
in Alaska via road freight to Seattle
and then ship it back to Australia
because you can’t ship it direct from
Alaska. Of course, the roads were
frozen so we had to get another
smaller ship to take it from Anchorage
down to Seattle,” he said.
“There’s all of these little logistic
nightmares but you’ve just got to take
your time and work through it. There’s
lots of traps.”
A helpful seller is another factor
in ensuring a smooth export back to
Australia.
“That has a big bearing on how
things flow,” Rogers said.
“What becomes hard is when you
first have to send the aircraft via
somewhere else to get it onto a ship
back to Sydney.
“As part of the deal, we’ll dismantle
the aircraft, pack it into boxes and put
the hull and tail boom in protective
wrap to get it ready for export back to
Australia. We’ll assist as much as we
can.”
Just like new
Once an aircraft arrives at the hangar
for refurbishment, the next challenge
begins for Rogers and his team of
engineers, painters and avionics
technicians.
Oz Choppers’ hangar includes an
overhaul workshop, avionics hub,
spare parts room, quarantine room
and temperature-controlled paint
shop custom-built to fit the 212 and
412.
“We strip these machines out and
make them as light as possible. Utility-
wise we make them as good as they
can be for that role,” Rogers said.
“We like to take six months to do
a machine, so we try and do a couple
a year. We don’t want to oversupplythe market and that way we put out a
good product.”
About 15 modifications and
upgrades are made to each heli that
goes through a refurbishment at Oz
Choppers, on top of a five yearly/3,000
hourly inspection.
The aircraft is first stripped backed
to a bare bone cabin with anything
no longer required that adds weight
removed, such as old wiring, radio
systems and brackets for support
equipment.
Internally, new, lighter avionics,
including some glass cockpit upgrades,
are installed in-house by Rogers’ other
Mudgee-based company, Airborne
Avionics.
Externally, Oz Choppers installs
a 12-piece inspection panel kit that
improves access for engineers, DART
Aerospace high skids, a vertical
reference bubble window, FastFin
Tail Rotor enhancement and stability
system, wire strike protection and
door gauges for long-lining (sling)
operations.
The aircraft’s paint is also stripped
and replaced with a generic white
scheme ready for sale.
Rogers said the weight savings
can be as much as 300kg depending
on the machine and what further
modifications a buyer may need,Oz Choppers has sold three Bell
412 PT6T engine units in 2018
alone.MARK JESSOPRefurbishing a Bell twin
takes around six months.
MARK JESSOP‘We strip
these
machines
out and make
them as light
as possible.’
MARK ROGERS