Sikorsky Delivered The First Production Aircraft In 2004
The S-92 fleet of medium-lift helicopters has surpassed 250,000
flight hours since the first aircraft entered service six years
ago, establishing a record pace for a commercial fleet of Sikorsky
helicopters. The first production S-92 entered service in
September, 2004. Transport companies flying work crews to offshore
oil and gas platforms account for 90 percent of those airtime
hours.
Sikorsky S-92, File Photo
"Operators have achieved a quarter of a million flight hours at
an unprecedented rate," said Carey Bond, president of Sikorsky
Global Helicopters. "During the first six months of 2010, the
worldwide fleet added 50,000 flight hours, which speaks volumes to
the efficiency of our customers' operations, Sikorsky's fleet
management specialists, and the S-92 aircraft's design and
productivity during high operational tempos in challenging
environmental conditions."
Eight offshore oil and gas transport companies fly 75 of the 117
in-service S-92 aircraft, serving platforms in the Gulf of Mexico,
the North Sea, and the waters around Newfoundland, Brazil,
Australia, Malaysia and China. Current mission availability across
the fleet in 21 countries today stands at 94 percent and
climbing.
Sikorsky S-92, File Photo
One of the heaviest users, Bristow Norway AS, flies nine S-92
aircraft to North Sea platforms operated by Shell, BP, Statoil,
ConocoPhillips and Talisman Energy. In the seven months from
January 2010 to July 31, each Bristow S-92 aircraft averaged 124.5
flight hours per month (1120 flight hours for the fleet). Bristow's
highest airtime S-92 helicopter - operational since February, 2005
- has flown 9,000 hours. The company's second highest airtime S-92
aircraft is expected to reach 9,000 hours in the fourth quarter of
2010. Total airtime for the Bristow fleet is 74,000 hours.
Sikorsky monitors operational S-92 aircraft from its Fleet
Management Operations Center (FMOC) in Trumbull, CT. Data analysis
enables the FMOC to identify trends, predict material requirements,
and recommend cost savings and maintenance reductions - ensuring
that every S-92 helicopter benefits from the experience of the
entire fleet.
The S-92 helicopter was the first in its class certified to the
latest and most stringent FAA/JAA standards, and remains the only
aircraft in its class to meet those standards without exception or
waiver.
Sikorsky S-92, File Photo
Outside the offshore oil and gas industry, the S-92 helicopter
performs search and rescue off the coast of Scotland, utility
missions in the Middle East, and VIP and head of state transport
for the leaders of several nations. Additionally, Sikorsky and
Lockheed Martin have proposed to the U.S. Government a militarized
version to transport the president of the United States.