One of the specialised lifting capabilities of the Helicopter Logistics team is to recover crashed aircraft with a helicopter.
This typically occurs when a pilot of a fixed wing aircraft has made an emergency forced landing in a remote location which results in damage to the aircraft which prevents it from being flown again.
In these situations, specialised equipment may be needed to diagnose and resolve the issue. Returning the aeroplane to the workshop is the only answer. However, this isn’t a matter of calling the RAC and arranging a tow. The terrain is such that accessing the aircraft is just not possible without the use of a helicopter.
Matt Corbett states, “It is a very specialised skill and technical capability to retrieve an aircraft and airlift it safely to another location. There are the prevailing weather conditions to consider, as well as the key challenges of rigging the aircraft securely and ensuring the aeroplane does not do exactly as it ordinarily would do—fly.”
“We have to land and make physical modifications to the aircraft to be able to retrieve it from the location. Some of the locations that we have had to retrieve aircraft from include the Abrolhos Islands and remote parts of the Kimberley and Pilbara.”
“These types of projects are challenging – and we enjoy the careful planning involved to help businesses retrieve their investment so they can get their aircraft back into the air.”
