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Afghanistan Helicopters


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So just out of curiosity. Have any of CHL's 212's been involved in any altercations with the insurgents? Any unservicability issues due to a brass up with the Taliban? Anybody been hurt yet?

I don't think that it really matters if any helicopters have been shot down yet. All that matters is if it happens to you. There seems to be a very casual attitude here about working in the Afganistan war zone. I sincerely hope that anyone thinking of going there does so with eyes WIDE open. No amount of money is worth dying for, or WORSE. Believe me, it could be very much worse. Learn about the country, and in particular, about the many wars that have rolled across Afganistan for thousands of years. Understand that being shot down and captured could be infinitely worse than being killed. A casual look at the Russian experience should be food for thought about what could happen to a captured pilot. There are no adherents to the Geneva convention on either side as the Americans temselves have used as their pretext for Guantanamo. Don't be a Pollyanna! Investigate, and decide if the gains outweigh the risks.

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For anyone thinking about going to Afghanistan here is an interesting article " Why Flying Choppers in Afghanistan Is So Deadly". An Air Force Cpt. mentions why he and other pilots think Afghanistan is more dangerous than Iraq.

 

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,...1932386,00.html

Interesting... So, more casualties from accidents than from enemy fire... Reminds me of the 1990 Gulf War, they had over one hundred casualties during force build-up, before the beginning of actual offensive ops, just from road accidents!

 

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Just read this latest news online: http://www.aviation.ca/content/view/8516/11

 

MONTREAL – Canadian Helicopters Income Fund (TSX: CHL.UN) (the “Fund”), the largest helicopter transportation services company operating in Canada, is pleased to announce that it has been awarded additional work in Afghanistan by the the United States Transportation Command (“USTRANSCOM”). This amendment to the support contract previously announced on December 22, 2008, entails the movement of supplies and passengers to military forward operating locations, and involves the provision of two fully crewed and supported Sikorsky S61 heavy category helicopters. One of the aircraft will be provided from the existing fleet of Canadian Helicopters, and one will be leased. being required by applicable lawsi The Fund’s initial operations in Afghanistan, which similarly entail the movement of supplies and passengers, commenced in the first quarter of 2009 and involve the provision of three Bell 212 medium category aircraft.

 

The prime contractor is the Canadian Commercial Corporation, Canada's international contracting agency, which focuses on government-to-government contracting and procurement. The additional services, scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2010, will be for an approximate seven-month base period with a one-year renewal option, to November 30th 2011, exercisable at the discretion of USTRANSCOM . The contract is denominated in U.S. dollars and is comprised primarily of a fixed monthly rate and variable hourly revenue components.

 

Total revenue to the Fund is expected to be in excess of US$35 million, assuming the option period is exercised and expected hours are flown. Revenue for this contract reflects the significantly higher level of effort required to accomplish the work in Afghanistan.

 

"This additional work in Afghanistan represents both a recognition of the professionalism of our operations there and a still further broadening of our long term relationship with the U.S. military,” said Don Wall, President and Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Helicopters. “The contract also affords the Fund a timely business opportunity, in that it will assist Canadian Helicopters to offset any continuing recessionary pressures in our domestic market.”

 

 

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Recent (~last 4-5 yrs) hull loss ratio is approximately 3(ish) to 1 - environment to enemy, amongst aggregate AUS-CAN-GBR-NLD-USA fleets.

 

AFG is not a particularly forgiving rotary-wing environment -- the South-West Asian talcum-like dust/sand is noticeably different (read persistent and obscuring) than the coarse-grained sand seen in the Middle East.

 

Robust personal and organizational risk assessment/mitigation is an important element in the op.

 

Regards

AV8

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Interesting... So, more casualties from accidents than from enemy fire... Reminds me of the 1990 Gulf War, they had over one hundred casualties during force build-up, before the beginning of actual offensive ops, just from road accidents!

 

FWIW Vietnam was no differant. I recall that in 66 or 67 the the US Govt had annual losses around 1600+ which I think were both FW & RW, to non-combat issues such as accidents, maintenance etc. Don't know if they counted the seemingly nightly mortar attacks that some locations experienced. Of course as someone mentioned it was a war zone.

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