The global fleet of fire fighting aircraft received another “member”, with the certification of the Sikorsky S-92 helicopter for these activities. The aircraft received approval from the US Federal Aviation istration (FAA), after being adapted by companies Milestone Aviation and Helitak.
Normally used in offshore activities, transporting employees and materials to oil and gas extraction platforms, the S-92 now receives another function, through the Supplementary Type Certificate.
Still in 2022, with the crisis in the offshore market, Milestone, a global leader in helicopter leasing, noted the possibility of using the S-92 to fight forest fires and even transport firefighters. To achieve this, the company partnered with the Australian company Helitak Firefighting Equipment.
Helitak installed an FT5000 tank in the belly of the S-92. A lightweight carbon fiber folding system, the FT5000 was designed specifically for Sikorsky's heavy-duty model. With a capacity of 5000 liters of water, the tank can be installed or removed in minutes and is equipped with a buoyancy pump that achieves a filling time of 48 seconds.
Utilizing the S-92A's advanced avionics and dynamic cabin layout, the aircraft will be capable of transporting teams of up to 19 firefighters to the front lines of wildfire events.
After obtaining certification from the American agency, the helicopter was delivered to the Canadian company VIH Aviation Group for further testing. In late July, the firefighting S-92 was tested on a fire in British Columbia in Western Canada. The expectation is that the helicopter will already be operating during the forest fire season this August.
“The S-92A presented some unique design challenges for the Helitak team, but after working with our design partner, Milestone, we believe we have delivered a world-class firefighting solution”, said Jason Schellaars, Founder and CEO of Helitak. “With older S-92As exiting the offshore market, the addition of the Helitak FT5000 system will allow S-92A operators to capitalize on the aircraft’s versatility by operating it as a standard category aircraft.”
