Page 28 - World Airnews Magazine November 2020

HELICOPTERS AIRCRAFT

THE TALE OF THE TIGER AND THE UPWARD SLOPING REAR

GORILLA WINDOW

In the pilot seat on this mission was general safety procedures and emergency
Arturo Cruz, who is also the chief strategic response actions.

n a Sunday morning in mid-Sep- officer at AeroGulf and has more than 9000 The Dubai Marina cargo lift performed by
Otember, residents of Dubai hours in Bell Helicopters. Cruz was carried out using the experience

Marina awoke to the sight of larger-than- Talking about the specific challenges for of many past jobs with the Bell 212.

than-life statues of a tiger and gorilla being the airlift, Cruz said, “The job involved close “AeroGulf has been involved in high expo-

flight areas around the Marina such as high-

transported by helicopter through the rise buildings and we also had the X-Dubai sure events in Dubai before - the lifting of

urban canyon of the world-famous district. zip line to contend with, but this was all con- equipment to skyscrapers, lifting of promo-

tional products, banner and flag towing, and
Many took to their smartphones to cap- sidered during the risk assessment process. even using a 70-metre sling to carry fireworks

ture the unusual spectacle, posting videos We also needed to bear in mind the value - always relying on the Bell 212 helicopter.

to Instagram and other social platforms. and delicate handling of the statues.” “Bell 212 has a long legacy of proven reli-
Before long, their social media posts were In terms of planning for such a job, ability in the most demanding missions and
featuring across many regional news sites ordinarily the team needs to liaise closely environments, particularly in the external

as people wondered why the giant statues with the client on what type of equipment/ loads operations. Other aircraft excel in

were flying past apartment windows at material is being lifted, including material, terms of speed, but the most important

near-touching distance. weight, shape, dimensions and rigging feature provided by the Bell 212 is the sta-
It transpired that these enormous beasts requirements. bility of its power management, its unique

- the tiger being five metres in length - were An onsite survey is conducted prior to the main rotor system matches perfectly with

destined for a pool bar at a five-star hotel lift event for a full risk assessment, noting the requirements demanded by these types

but, from a logistical perspective, questions any particular hazards, landing areas that of operations.”

remained about how this daring and atten- need to be cleared, the space available for Echoing Cruz’s sentiments, Sameer

tion-grabbing project was made possible. the load to be placed and escape routes and Rehman, managing director for Africa and

Behind the operation was UAE-based altitudes in/out of the drop-off location, as Middle East at Bell, said, “Having a versatile

AeroGulf Services, Dubai’s first commercial well as in/out routes from the pick-up area. aircraft means one day it can be used to

helicopter operator. Their choice of aircraft Different federal and local authorities are support the oil and gas industry, and the The modified BLADE test aircraft Airbus A340 outer wing

for the job was the medium-sized, versatile involved in the approval process, review- next day to fight fires, thrill adventure section show cased at the ILA Berlin Air show in 2018

Bell 212. ing the risk assessments, intended routes, seekers, film a movie or conduct external

Briefed to airlift the tiger (named Diego) execution procedures and emergency re- loads operations like the one done in the By Jake Hardiman

and gorilla (Mojo), each weighing 900 kg sponse procedures, involving entities such Dubai Marina.

and 750 kg respectively, to The Address Ho- as municipalities, police, civil defence, local “It is this level of capability that is pres- Particularly in the current aviation

tel in Dubai Marina, the team at AeroGulf civil aviation authorities and the general ent across our entire product portfolio. also saw the topic discussed in greater

set about ensuring a safe and successful civil aviation authority (GCAA). Even our lightest aircraft, the Bell 505, is detail on Quora. climate, where more and more passenger

completion of the complex mission. Aircraft performance planning is con- able to handle an external load of 1,041 he Airbus A340 has several features NOT EXCLUSIVE TO THE A340 aircraft are being used as ‘preighters,’ this

is a handy feature. Maaz added that the
Such precision air-lifting not only requires ducted based on the mission requirements, kg. This gives operators high performance Tthat make it an instantly recogniz- feature also “[reduced] design cost, and

detailed planning but also an experienced always taking into consideration the most when it comes to long line precision lifts able aircraft. For example, it is a rarity in The sloped rear windows are, in fact, most importantly it gave the aircraft an

pilot. So-called ‘long line’ work needs restrictive scenarios. All lifting equipment yet can be done at a fraction of the cost of being a four-engine widebody airliner with a feature that can be found on more increased cabin space.”

someone with at least around 5,000 hours is tested and certified for operational use, a larger helicopter.” only one passenger deck. Airbus aircraft than just the A340. Indeed,

of flight time under their belt in addition which may include the slings, nets, straps, With the gorilla and tiger statues now This places it in contrast to the dou- Airliners.net user ‘bohica’ states that it is This was because the slope meant that

to 1,000 hours of experience with ‘vertical rings and quick release systems. sitting proudly and prominently in Dubai’s ble-decker Boeing 747 and Airbus A380 an aspect commonly found among Airbus “the entire passenger cabin floor did not

reference’ flying where the pilot’s mission A briefing including all parties involved latest nightlife hotspot, AeroGulf has again ‘superjumbo.’ widebodies. Furthermore, the Quora have to be raised.”

requires them to be focused on looking is conducted few days prior to the lift, shown itself to be a leading helicopter Furthermore, the A340-600 variant is thread title discussing the topic acknowl- The Airbus A340 is also well known

out and down from the aircraft rather than and again on the day, re-affirming duties, operator and proved why Bell provides the strikingly long and thin in its design, to an edges that this curious slope is present on among avgeeks for its long and shallow

using the natural horizon. responsibilities, road closures, personal and aircraft of choice, whatever the mission. Q almost disproportionate extent. the A300, A310, A330, and A340. take-off runs.

However, there is another feature that REASONS FOR THE SLOPE As such, Quora user and commercial pilot
sets it apart, namely its upwards-sloping There are practical reasons why the A340’s Eric Larsen states that this is also a factor in

rear windows. However, what is the reason rear windows and fuselage floor slope the type’s sloped rear fuselage design.

for this design quirk? As such, “the aircraft shape is made to
upwards towards its tail. Airliners.net user reduce the possibility of an expensive tail
A LONG-DISCUSSED DESIGN ASPECT ‘bohica,’ for example, states that the slope scrape.” Larsen also adds that there are

The Airbus A340 was launched commer- is “only one degree, but it is noticeable.” aerodynamic advantages to the design.

cially by Lufthansa in March 1993, and 2021 It apparently reflects Airbus’s desire “to This is because it produces less drag than a

will mark the 30th anniversary of the type’s maintain cargo space” below the cabin. conventionally-shaped fuselage.

first test flight. User ‘United1’ backs this point up. They All in all, the Airbus A340’s numerous

Admittedly, the discussion concerning its state that the design quirk results from design quirks render it to be a particularly

upwards-sloping rear windows hasn’t been “the positioning of the cargo/baggage iconic airliner. However, its future is uncer-

raging on for quite so long. Nonetheless, containers in the hold.” tain. Production ceased in 2011, and the

this aspect has still been a topic of online On Quora, Airbus A320/321 pilot Anas drop in passenger demand caused by the
discussion forums for several years. Maaz details further the fact that the raised ongoing coronavirus pandemic has caused

A quick search reveals that users on cabin floor functions like a ramp. This, in increasing retirements among the type.

Airliners.net, for example, were pondering turn, “[accommodates] for more ULDs (Unit Here’s to hoping we can continue to see
the reason for the sloped windows as early Load Devices), which [increases] the cargo its sloped rear fuselage in the skies for

Bell 212 precision airlifting Mojo, the gorilla statue Aerogulf team uses the Bell 212 to drop the gorilla statue in place as 2009. More recently, September 2020 capacity of the aircraft.” many years to come. Q

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