HeliOps Magazine visits Avincis Denmark in Esbjerg, where crews fly technicians and cargo to North Sea wind turbines in an Airbus H145.
What the video covers
Written in our own words. It only describes what the video shows and says.Why wind farms use helicopters
HeliOps Magazine visits Avincis Denmark on the Danish west coast, where crews fly technicians and cargo to offshore wind turbines from Esbjerg. Martin Knudsen, pilot and head of crew training, explains the main reason for using a helicopter: when waves are too high for vessels to board a turbine or transfer technicians safely, the helicopter can still make the trip. The crew describe hoisting in winds of up to 45 or 50 knots at the turbines and in snow. Wind is not their biggest problem, because it is very laminar out at sea. The real limit is low visibility and low cloud. They can fly to and from the turbines under IFR, but if they cannot see the turbine, they cannot hoist.
A day of hoisting
Alex Dunn, hoist operator and instructor, starts a normal day by checking flight plans and weather and making sure personnel and cargo are ready. The aircraft is then brought out, refuelled and set up for hoisting. With up to four passengers on board, he drops three onto the platform while the fourth stays in the back to help move cargo out of the helicopter and hoist it down. He then hoists down the last person. Most of the wind farms lie west, southwest and northwest of Esbjerg in the North Sea, 20 to 45 minutes away. Dunn says he has had days with up to 100 hoist cycles. Crews can also stay out all day at a platform with a helipad, living quarters and a kitchen, where the helicopter can refuel and park between hoists. Loads include large bags of up to 200 kilograms, along with tools, fluids and equipment, and technicians are moved from one turbine to another as the customer requires.
Lasse Guldager Pedersen, head of flight operations and a pilot on the H135 and H145, says the company flies technicians for companies such as Ørsted, Vattenfall, Siemens and Vestas during scheduled maintenance on turbines and platforms. Denmark has about five to seven big wind parks that the crews visit regularly. The new aircraft, an H145 D3 in the Avincis paint scheme, had flown only 50 hours at the time of filming. Pedersen likes it for this work because it is agile, steady and not too big, with Garmin and Helionix avionics. Plans change often, sometimes with the weather but mostly with customer demands, so the crews need to stay flexible.
Hoist equipment and static electricity
Dunn then shows the equipment. The Goodrich hoist is fitted with a 50 metre cable, with a 90 metre cable as an option, and a hook takes both people and cargo. A quick release harness secures him in the cabin and still allows him to get out in an emergency. One of the biggest hazards is static electricity building up on the helicopter. A three metre static cable discharges it to the platform or the ground before anyone touches the hoist cable. The shock is painful and can damage sensitive electronics such as phones. Crew resource management matters here: Dunn runs the hoist from the back and helps the pilot with references to reach a safe hover. The film closes with the crew on the friendly team, the dynamic work and being part of renewable energy.
