| Type | Helicopter manufacturer and operator |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aviation |
| Headquarters | Central Point, Oregon, USA |
| Website | http://www.ericksonaircrane.com/ |
Erickson Air-Crane Incorporated is an aircraft manufacturing and operating company based in Central Point, Oregon, United States. They are known for producing the S-64 Aircrane helicopter, which is used in wildland fire suppression and other heavy-lift operations.
Originally the Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane, the type certification and manufacturing rights for the S-64 were purchased from Sikorsky Aircraft by Erickson Air-Crane in 1992.
Since that time, Erickson Air-Crane has become the manufacturer and world's largest operator of S-64 Aircranes and has made over 1,350 changes to the airframe, instrumentation, and payload capabilities of the helicopter. The Aircrane can be fitted with a 2,650-gallon (~10,000 liter) fixed retardant tank to assist in the control of bushfires.
So far, S-64 Aircranes have been sold to the Italian, and Korean Forest Services for fire suppression and emergency response duties. Those in the Erickson Air-Crane fleet are leased worldwide to organizations, companies, municipalities and Federal Agencies for either short-term or longer term use in fire suppression, civil protection, heavy lift construction, and timber harvesting.
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Wes Lematta of Columbia Helicopters and Jack Erickson were able to demonstrate the first financially successful run of helicopter logging in 1971. This was done with Lematta's recently acquired Boeing Vertol 107 and timber provided by the Erickson Lumber Company.[1]
The company owns Erickson Air-Crane Admin Offices Heliport (FAA LID: OG58), a private, 130 x 130 ft. (40 x 40 m) heliport.
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