Old Bell Mediums

[helimat 33]

Obviously not a Bell Medium, but Helifor/Columbia operate the highest time helicopter in the world, a Boeing Vertol 107 flying since 1962 and now at over 50,000 hours! Of course, those are not easy hours, cycle after cycle, pulling wood out of the forest for years upon years now. My point being is that any well maintained helicopter will run for a long time, even under grueling conditions, including Bell Mediums.

Helimat

[Guest jacdor]

Old single hydraulic FHC (Frontier) had 32,000 hrs on it whent they lost it if I recall properly. That was the oldest 205 they had.

 

And jetbox is right about that Pilot

[splitpin 2]

Obviously not a Bell Medium, but Helifor/Columbia operate the highest time helicopter in the world, a Boeing Vertol 107 flying since 1962 and now at over 50,000 hours! Of course, those are not easy hours, cycle after cycle, pulling wood out of the forest for years upon years now. My point being is that any well maintained helicopter will run for a long time, even under grueling conditions, including Bell Mediums.Helimat

 

Except Military helicopters!! All we hear is moaning about worn out helicopters. There are lots of civil operators that would kill to get their hands on them. Especially the Labs. Run them through an civilian overhaul, fire it into the bush hauling logs 10-12 hours a day, couple Engineers looking after it instead of a crew of 20. She would tick along for another 25 years!!

[helimat 33]

Except Military helicopters!! All we hear is moaning about worn out helicopters. There are lots of civil operators that would kill to get their hands on them. Especially the Labs. Run them through an civilian overhaul, fire it into the bush hauling logs 10-12 hours a day, couple Engineers looking after it instead of a crew of 20. She would tick along for another 25 years!!

 

Exactly! My point being that well maintained helicopters will last a long time, not sure if military helicopters qualify in that area... Columbia bought all the old Labs, other than a couple that were saved for museums. They were no longer good enough for the Armed Forces, however I'm sure they will be pulling stumps for 10 to 12 hours a day down the road and we be just fine doing so. Even the brand new Cormorants can't seem to stay in the air, recently I heard they only had one of five running in Comox for a stretch due to maintenance issues. Then there were the Griffons, pretty new at the time, that had dramatic failures of T/R's with cracks that had been there long enough to have corrosion within, yet had missed several inspections.

I guess it is easy to point the finger at others, but as you say, these machines in the civilian world would run just fine with a much better maintenance-man-hours to flight-hours-flown ratio.

Helimat

[splitpin 2]

Exactly! My point being that well maintained helicopters will last a long time, not sure if military helicopters qualify in that area... Columbia bought all the old Labs, other than a couple that were saved for museums. They were no longer good enough for the Armed Forces, however I'm sure they will be pulling stumps for 10 to 12 hours a day down the road and we be just fine doing so. Even the brand new Cormorants can't seem to stay in the air, recently I heard they only had one of five running in Comox for a stretch due to maintenance issues. Then there were the Griffons, pretty new at the time, that had dramatic failures of T/R's with cracks that had been there long enough to have corrosion within, yet had missed several inspections.

I guess it is easy to point the finger at others, but as you say, these machines in the civilian world would run just fine with a much better maintenance-man-hours to flight-hours-flown ratio.

Helimat

 

Got a tour of the hanger in Edmonton a few years ago. Full of 15 or so Griffons. First thing I noticed is that every machine was filthy. Highest hobbs time I noticed was 450 hours or so. Brand new machines!! Ground support equipment I never even knew existed and lots of it, all in various states of decay. Pretty sad tax dollar spending.

[Elvis 212]

MQN slinging trailers 1970's something in SEBJ country

 

[47B3 3]

BV107 - N6675D with New York airways 1963

 

 

 

 

 

 

N6675D on Galore Ck project Sep 2007

 

 

[helimat 33]

BV107 - N6675D with New York airways 1963

 

 

N6675D on Galore Ck project Sep 2007

 

 

44 years between pics and still goin' strong! I wonder what Snowormud's pilot buddy would think of that old girl?

Helimat

[Bell Hell 0]

Great Slave operated 204's GVVI and GVEL (s/n 2095 and 2096 if I remember right), which were manufactured in May of 1965, until last summer. Great old girls and still capable of earning a living right up 'til the engines (-11's) needed parts and overhauls.

 

They started their lives working for Air America in Vietnam and spent may years working in the arctic for GSHL. Reliable, tough and simple to maintain and operate.

 

Anybody who'd reject any aircraft sight unseen, based only on the hours, is judging the book by the cover. Seems like poor judgment to me.

[helipinch 5]

This is a cool thread ! :punk:

 

I have posted a few pics of AYB recently, she is the first 205 I did a full toure with, ( since getting endorsed last year ) and she is also the first 205 I ever worked on !!!!! ( as an apprentice in 1989!!!)

She will hit 20K this summer.