Accepting an aircraft into the fleet
Specialist Bristow teams have been busy at the Leonardo facility in Italy, working through the process of accepting the first of four new AW189 helicopters that will support a next-generation passenger service for the UK’s North Sea.
The agreement that Bristow would purchase new AW189 aircraft was announced a little while back. And, as Search and Rescue helicopters, they are already proving their worth.
But now, with the multi-week process of flight tests, aircraft inspections, paperwork reviews and loading the aircraft records onto Bristow systems well underway, the first AW189 destined for North Sea passenger operations is getting closer to joining the UK fleet.
Bristow Pilots Chris Buusmann, Kris Evans and Jim Lynch are supporting the flight acceptance requirement: “All the relevant systems are tested during flight, with a Leonardo pilot at the controls and a Bristow pilot observing,” said Buusmann.
“In the back a Leonardo technical crew member follows a detailed checklist to ensure everything is covered. The test process includes autopilot modes, instrument approaches, making sure the aircraft is within acceptable vibration parameters, control feel and much more. It's a truly exhaustive process.”
After the flight test the technical inspection began, with Business Support Team members Thomas Tapping and Matthew Knight ensuring the technical, contractual and paintwork elements are all correct.
Over several days the team inspected everything from rivets and cable runs to cabin trim and paint work. Every element must be carefully scrutinised to exacting specifications, ensuring it meets Bristow's expectations and conforms to the regulators' requirements before it can be accepted.
Once the acceptance process is complete and any issues resolved by Leonardo, the aircraft ownership will move to Bristow, before it departs Italy, destined for the Aberdeen hangars and, eventually, operational duties with the UK OES team.
UK OES Accountable Manager, Theo Adams, said: “This is a positive chapter in the introduction of a mixed fleet into our North Sea operations and it's encouraging to see an expert Bristow team on-hand and in-location delivering this process.
"Once the acceptance is complete and this aircraft finally joins our fleet it will play a key role in delivering a safe, modern and efficient passenger service for many years to come.
"I'm grateful to everyone in the team for getting us to this stage, and looking forward to seeing this first aircraft arrive in the UK soon.”
As one AW189 leaves the production line, work continues on the next aircraft in what will be a total of four new helicopters to join the UK Offshore Energy Services fleet.
