Bond Helicopters take delivery of two Airbus Helicopters EC225LP helicopters at Jandakot – VH-NWC & VH-NWG
David Eyre 22 February 2014 Copyright David Eyre
Bond Helicopters recently established a headquarters in Perth. VH-NWC and VH-NWG are seen being delivered brand new to Jandakot for modifications prior to entering service. They were shipped from Merignane, France aboard the ship Morning Champion and trucked to Jandakot. Each helicopter (weighing 6 Tonnes empty) was lifted off the flatbed truck by crane, so that the truck could drive out from underneath, before the helicopter was lowered onto the ground. Bond Helicopters Australia just won its first major contract in the region – a multi-million dollar, five-year contract with the PTTEP Australasia Group of Companies for offshore oil support in the Timor Sea. The EC225s will be based at Darwin, NT and Truscott, in the far north of WA. Built in 2013.
Photo © David Eyre
In 2013, Bond Helicopters Australia won a multi-million dollar, five-year contract with the PTTEP Australasia Group of Companies, part of Thailand’s national petroleum exploration and production company for offshore oil and gas operations in the Timor Sea. This was Bond’s first major contract in the region, and they have established a headquarters in Perth.
To service the contract they ordered three new Airbus Helicopters (formerly Eurocopter) EC225LP helicopters, which will be based at Darwin, NT and Truscott, in the far north of WA.
The first two EC225s, VH-NWC (MSN 2826) and VH-NWG (MSN 2879) were shipped from Merignane, France aboard the ship Morning Champion, and trucked from Fremantle Port to Jandakot.
Each helicopter (weighing 6 Tonnes empty) was lifted off the flatbed truck by crane using a special rig connected to the rotor head. Once lifted, the truck drove out from underneath, before the helicopter was lowered onto the ground. The helicopters will be at Jandakot for some time whilst modifications are made prior to entering service.
