Helicopter to Oz

How do you get a helicopter from Northern Ireland to Australia?

So, What do you do when a partner asks you to arrange the movement of a helicopter from Northern Ireland to Australia.

First thoughts were, can it be flown there and these are quickly dismissed as impossible.

We appointed a project manager, Joe Delahunty, and he started working on the solution.

Initial task, he had to consider the size of the aircraft.

Because its needed relatively quickly it has to move by airfreight so which airlines can accommodate it.

When you know the airline you need to start thinking about size limitations, even on the largest aircraft, you will not fit a helicopter.

It needs to be broken down into its main parts, body, rotor blades, tail, tail rotors etc…..

Then you need to consider how it will be protected during transit. Crates need to be built, cradles need to be constructed to hold the individual parts.

These all need precision planning to ensure that the craft arrives in Oz in the same condition it left NI.

Weeks of planning, multiple suppliers co-ordinated, disassemblers, packers, craters, truckers and dangerous goods experts.

The crates need to be built with timber that complies with air freight and Australian import regulations.

As there are no airlines operating out of the Island of Ireland that could accommodate this movement we had to truck it to the UK which required significant route planning ensuring a safe and hazard free journey to London Heathrow.

Once you have the plan in place you need to execute flawlessly.

This is exactly how we approached and carried out the task of moving the chopper in the below photos.

You can clearly see the component parts moving from origin.

Its on its way to the other side of the world to begin a new working life.

We were very pleased to help and even more pleased to execute flawlessly.

Thanks Joe for all your work and dedication in arranging this from start to finish.

Simple Solution to a complex problem