Downed Civilian Helicopter In Iraq

[204B Driver]

Has anyone heard anything about this helicopter?

[skyward]

It was a Russian buit helicopter crewed by Bulgarian's. It was contracted by a U.S. firm to carry foreign security employees.

[vortex]

The Global news this morning said that it was an Mil-8 and was operated by Skylink in Toronto. They didn't mention anything about Canadians being onboard.

Skylink is the same guys that have been supplying the U.N. for quite a few years now I think. In 1993 they had every 212 they could find in the world heading to all the countries that you wanted to be leaving.

[204B Driver]

Thanks for the information.

The Global news this morning said that it was an Mil-8 and was operated by Skylink in Toronto. They didn't mention anything about Canadians being onboard.

Skylink is the same guys that have been supplying the U.N. for quite a few years now I think. In 1993 they had every 212 they could find in the world heading to all the countries that you wanted to be leaving.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[DGP]

lets see....skylink you say....hey rob...have you seen marty and rollie lately...the last job they were on .....seem to remember gunfire in the background of that phone conversation

[treetopflyer]

http://www.skylink-usa.net

 

SkyLink Air and Logistic Support (USA), Inc.

 

If anybody is looking to log some combat time they do have a careers page. I wonder what kind of retirement program they offer.

[treetopflyer]

Now CNN is saying it was a Canadian based company????

 

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Eleven civilians were killed when a commercial helicopter went down north of the Iraqi capital Thursday, a spokesman for an air charter company said.

 

Six American security workers, three Bulgarian crew members and two Fijian security guards died, said Paul Greenaway, a spokesman for SkyLink, a Canadian-based company that had chartered the craft for work.

 

The chopper was shot down by missile fire, the Bulgarian Defense Ministry said. The ministry identified the Bulgarian crew as commanders Lubomir Kostov and Georgi Naieeno and board engineer Stoyan Anchev.

 

The six Americans were employees of Blackwater USA, a private security contractor working in Iraq, a U.S. Embassy spokesman in Baghdad said.

 

On Thursday afternoon, the helicopter was flying from Baghdad to the northern city of Tikrit, the SkyLink spokesman said. SkyLink was using a commercial design of an MI-8 helicopter owned and operated by Heli Air, a Bulgarian firm.

 

The Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority has launched an investigation into the crash.

 

If enemy fire were responsible, the downing would be the first of a commercial helicopter since the war began in Iraq, U.S. military sources said.

[justfly]

treetopflyer,

according to this site: http://www.publicintegrity.org/wow/bio.aspx?act=pro&ddlC=53

"Washington, D.C.-based SkyLink Air and Logistic Support (USA) Inc. is affiliated with SkyLink Aviation Inc., a Canadian company headquartered in Toronto."

 

note the canadian reg (currently Campbell Helicopters - previously Skylink) on that picture from the U.S. site

[treetopflyer]

Hey justfly,

 

That's interesting. I did notice the C reg but didn't know how current the picture was or what may have happened in the past with them.

 

After completing an Air Operator search on the TC site I didn't find any listing for Skylink Aviation only one for Skylink Express which doesn't appear from the type listings to be related.

 

It appears they used to have an OC in Canada under the following.

Skylink Aviation Inc.

1027 Yonge Street

Toronto

 

Has anyone on here worked for these guys?? What kind of rates were you charging??

 

Later,

ttf

[cap]

C-FQN (single hydraulics) started her life in Canada with Haida Helcopters, then served with Okanagan for some years, then Quasar and ended up with Campbell. Last I heard she had "totalled" and now I see her registration again. I have a lot of that registration in my personal log, so I looked twice at that photo. I see that it's on a 212 and speaking of "single hydraulics", I'm wondering if that 212 is one of those "strange, non-Bell ones" with single hydraulics?

 

Skylink did in fact exist on Yonge St in Toronto and I knew their long-time Ops Manager very well. He'd spent most of his career with Associated and then retired from the business while with Skylink. The vast majority of that "flying around civilians and security personnel" in Iraq is carried out by a British company and they were advertising internationally for pilots not that long ago. At that time they were wanting pilots for Intermediate type a/c, but nothing in the Medium or Heavy categories. They got tons of a/c over there flying their ***** off and I wouldn't get "hung-up" on one being blown out of the sky.

 

Treetopflyer.......Skylink's wages a number of years ago where what you'd call "good", but not outstanding. They always did work internationally and their "upper level management" in Canada were folks with names like you'd find a lot of on the Lower Mainland around Clearbrooke and Abbotsford....without the "Singh" in the middle. I think folks like 204B Driver, Downwash and me will let all you "younger-bucks" grab those jobs because they wouldn't want "old meat" over in a place like that......besides, I think serving "old meat" is is probably against some Islamic religious rule anyway.