Tag Archives: s-76

Helijet Operations in Vancouver Harbour

Our long weekend in Vancouver did include some slightly gloomy weather.  When the conditions were not enticing for wandering around the city, I hopped in the car to head down to the heliport on the waterfront. Despite having been to Vancouver many times, I had never actually got down to the heliport itself.  It was really easy to get to from our hotel and the car was welcome in the crummy conditions.

Weekend traffic levels are lower than during the week but there is traffic to Nanaimo and Victoria so that helps a little.  I was happy to sit around for a while and get some shots.  I’m sure a busy weekday would be better and having some slightly nicer weather wouldn’t hurt.  I did figure that, since I had got some shots, a little video might be worth a shot.  I was able to get some arrival and departure video so edited that together in the piece below.  Helijet’s S-76s are nice looking airframes.  I would love to take a trip with them some time – I just assume the luggage allowances are not great!

Is This The End For The S-76?

I was rather sad to read that Sikorsky is shuttering production of the S-76 helicopter.  The design first flew over 40 years ago but it has gone through a number of upgrades over the years.  It is a sleek looking machine and quite a bit larger than it might initially appear.  My first encounter with one was on the school fields of my high school when it was parked after bringing some people in for Cowes Week.  I got to chat with the pilot for a while.  No camera in those days, though.

When I worked in London, they had replaced the Queens Flight Wessex airframes with a pair of S-76s in a maroon color and they would often fly past our building as they landed at the palace.  I have had various other times when I have seen them since but not a huge number.  The most recent version is the S-76D which replaced the S-76C++ (catchy name, huh?).  It has not sold particularly well and the development program was rather protracted.  Without many customers, Sikorsky has called time for now.  Whether it gets resurrected in the future – perhaps with production at their facility in Poland – we shall see.

Helijet Sunday Ops

The weather in Victoria over the Thanksgiving weekend was not great for aviation photography with a fair bit of rain and definitely only one day when the sun showed up.  That day was not going to be one on which I would suggest to Nancy I go photographing helicopters.  That might not have been the smartest suggestion.  However, when the morning was rainy and cloudy and we were planning on a relaxing day, things could be different.

I hopped in the car and drove around to the heliport which is used by Helijet for their shuttle service to Vancouver.  The Sunday schedule is not the busiest so I had to plan accordingly so I got there in time for an arrival and they were scheduled to head back out again not long afterwards.  I could fit all of this in before heading back for a spot of lunch.

The S-76 is a pretty elegant looking helicopter.  The design has been around for a long time and has gone through a number of iterations but the basic airframe shape is good in my opinion.  It is a lot larger than you might imagine with plenty of seating capacity which makes it good for this shuttle service.  One of the airframes was parked at the heliport when I got there so I got some shots of that.  Then it was a question of waiting for the inbound flight to arrive.

The problem with the heliport is the fencing.  It has quite a tight mesh and it is possible to shoot through it but it requires some care in aligning the end of the lens with the holes.  Sometimes I do better with this than other times.  When the helicopter is coming in, I have to try hard to get it right.  Stepping back away from the fence does provide a little elevation but not much so shooting through the fence is going to be required.

The sky was grey and dreary so approach shots were not going to be too good but I was going to try them anyway.  Once it was close to touchdown, it was a sprint to the fence.  They taxi off the pad to the space in front of the terminal (generous description, I know) and then shut down.  It was too long before they were firing up again.  Given that the wind was not too strong, they were able to lift and head straight out.  As they got on to the pad, it was noticeable just how far aft the rotor was pitched.  Once airborne, this resulting in a nose high altitude and then they were off.

Old Children’s Hospital S-76

Quite a few years back, I was at Van Nuys when the Children’s Hospital Sikorsky S-76 flew over on final approach.  I found out a little while later that this helicopter had been donated by Helinet.  I found this while talking to Alan Purwin who ran the company prior to his death.  It was a nice looking helicopter which isn’t hard since the S-76, while an old design, is a sleek looking machine.

I made a detour recently to Anacortes airport, purely because I had never been there before.  Nothing much was going on but, stored at one end of the airfield was this S-76.  It looked exactly the same.  The registration had been changed but zooming in on the airframe, I could just make out the outline of the old numbers.  Sure enough, it is the same airframe.  Clearly, it isn’t looking like it is going anywhere soon but it did provide years of good service.

Nanaimo Heliport

Our journey home from Tofino involved a ferry crossing from Nanaimo.  We left plenty of time to get across the island as a result of some construction activity and, of course, we made it across easily.  We were to early to check in for the ferry so waited in Nanaimo for a while.  As we sat in the car, I saw an S-76 from HeliJet coming in to land.  I had forgotten that HeliJet flew to Nanaimo as well as Victoria.  Missing the arrival was annoying as they aren’t too frequent and there wouldn’t be another until after we had gone to the ferry.

However, departure on the return leg was not for a while so we headed around to the heliport.  I assume it is a recent construction because it is a very modern looking building.  The S-76 was parked on the pad right by the parking lot and with only a low fence unlike Victoria.  It was a bit rainy so I stayed in the car until they loaded up.  After start up and letting everything stabilize, they pulled up and headed out over the water en route to Vancouver.  This might be a good spot on a sunny day!

Getting a Little Closer to Helijet S-76s

The Helinet S-76s are something I am always looking out for.  I have seen them many times although the shots have sometimes left me wanting something better.  While I was last in Stanley Park, I got to see a lot of their movements.  The best bit was that, on some occasions, they flew pretty close overhead me.  I was able to get some shots I was pretty happy with.

I could watch them descend to the heliport on the other side of the harbor but that was a long way off.  The climb outs sometimes came close but the arrivals were the best.  I was quite surprised by the gear lowering sequence with the mains seeming to pop out like they were on springs.  No slow and steady deployment for these guys.

HeliJet S-76s in Two Locations

The Sikorsky S-76 is not a new design any more although it does continue to be upgraded.  When I first saw the type in the 80s, I was taken with the elegance of the airframe and also the size of it.  It can carry a substantial number of people.  This is the reason the HeliJet chose it to operate their service from the waterfront in Vancouver to Victoria I imagine.  I have seen them in service a number of times but I have never gone down to their heliport by the water to try and shoot them.

While I was at Brockton Point, a couple of their departures and arrivals came by.  These were a bit far away but still worthy of a shot.  This wasn’t my only chance though.  When we were at Vancouver International, one of the S-76s arrived at the HeliJet facility there.  It flew low and slow past where I was standing so I was able to grab a few extra shots of these sleek type.  I would love to take a ride in one sometime to see whether it is as smooth as it looks.

Helijet S-76s

AE7I0209.jpgOur trip to Vancouver was not one for me to spend time photographing aviation.  However, I did manage to sneak some shots in while I was there.  Watching the floatplane operations was a lot of fun but it meant I didn’t get to go to the heliport further along the shoreline.  This was fine by me but I did still see some of the Helijet S-76s as they departed and arrived since they came across the harbor albeit at a distance.  I grabbed a few images for now.  I guess I have multiple reasons for making a return trip to Vancouver before too long.  I know Nancy won’t object to returning!  Better not mention the helicopters just yet though.

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