Air-Crane in Denver

Air show at Cherry Creek Mall in Denver.

An Erickson Air-Crane (Arnie?) is removing and installing air handling units on the roof of the mall.

The units are about the size of a shipping container. Big.

They're using a smaller copter (6-8 seat size) to install the new curbs/bases since they're smaller and lighter than the big units.

Cars and people everywhere watching the show. The Mall is closed... obviously.

Sorry, camera on my old phone didn't get good pic.

Am I correct, these are the Sikorsky Sky Crane, now made by Erickson?

 

Yes, a Sikorsky design. Erricson bought the type cert for the aircraft.

 

Thanks...

Got a closer look... it's Annie, not Arnie.


They were refueling every half hour or so Wonder why? (There was a tanker truck parked next to the LZ).

Was really hovering 90 percent of the time; hover to pick up a unit, fly 300 yards up to the roof, hover while they lined it up on the curb. Repeat. Repeat, etc.

Is the fuel capacity that small, or were they maybe carrying little fuel weight so it could pick up a heavier load?

70 degrees, 5,500 feet ASL.



Dam, those 6 blades just beat the h... out of the air. Very, very windy just 100 yards away. The guy carrying the fuel line was leaning 45 degrees into the wind to refuel.

 

Huh??? Collective should be a neutral pitch..

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCEV6_AJh7c]Sikorsky S-64F Erickson Sky Crane Firefighter Refueling on-the-go at KVNY Van Nuys - Thu 08/27/09 - YouTube[/ame]

 

I imagine density altitude was a factor. Those guys know what they are doing... I once had the chance to watch them dumping water on a fire... Drop the bucket in the lake, fly up, swing the bucket up, hit the dump, and do it again. It's like ballet, only better.

 

Love these things...

 

Could the refueling maybe have been a safety measure? Less gas = Smaller boom if worst happens.......

 

You're right... it was when the crane was landing and the guy with the hose from the tanker (like your video) was walking out before it was actually touched down.

 

You may be correct. There were hundreds of people watching, fairly close-by, plus, in a very urban environment.

 

I saw that thing sitting on the ramp at Centennial on Saturday evening. Wondered what it was doing there.

 

Less weight on board for picking up heavy items? Also helps with weight and balance.

 

That's what I was thinking... it was also fairly windy on Sunday.

They had removed all the parking lot lighting poles in the area. For obvious reasons.

 

Yeah, if there was even a remote chance of a "boom", the operation would never have happened.

 

But what is a helicopter?

1/ A loose collection of parts flying in close formation, or

1a/ A helicopter is a collection of rotating parts going around and around and reciprocating parts going up and down -- all of them trying to become random in motion. Right now

2/ The helicopter is a machine trying to commit suicide, our job is convincing her to fly

3/ A helicopter is a machine, that when running, is literally trying to tear itself apart

4/ A Chinook - Two palm trees flying around in a dumpster trying to copulate

5/ Helicopters don't fly; they vibrate so much and make so much noise that the earth rejects them

6/ Never get into a helicopter that isnt leaking hydrolic fluid

7/ a heap of spinning metal fatigue surrounded by an oil leak on the way to a crash site

 

What are the oval windows on the side of the Chinook for?









Hydraulic sight gauges.

tishhhhh-bang..

 

Our fbo filled them while they were fighting fires, I heard capacity is around 1100gallons and they burn around 400 an hour. Might have had a reduced fuel load for the extra payload, especially in that da.