Charter firm claims record with half dozen choppers on one flight
19 / 10 / 2023
Silkway West Airllines 747-800F. Photo: Chapman Freeborn
Air charter firm Chapman Freeborn said it has set a record by transporting six helicopters on a single Boeing 747-800 freighter.
The McDermott Aviation Bell machines moved on a Silkway West Airlines flight from Greece to Australia, arriving on the morning of October 18 at Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport.
Chapman Freeborn vice president Australia, Michael Amson, declared: “If you said to a regular commercial airline that you need to load even just one unit, eight meters in length, onto a PMC pallet with overhang on all sides, the answer would be a straight ‘no’. Yet, here we are showing that it can be done, by having six helicopter fuselages loaded consecutively onto the world’s longest widebody freighter aircraft.
“It’s a testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff. We take great pride in being able to offer our customers an unparalleled level of service, and this record is just another example of that.”
Chapman Freeborn, part of Avia Solutions Group, has been involved with the mobilisation and demobilisation of charters for McDermott Aviation for over three years.
The latest charter was carried out in partnership with ground handling agent, Menzies Aviation, and freight forwarder, Cargo Connect Global Logistics.
The helicopters were originally transported to Greece in 2021 by Chapman Freeborn using Antonov AN124 aircraft. The aircraft were used to tackle wildfires.
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