Status of NYC Helicopters scheduled ops "restart"

[MHG]

Is anyone out there in the knowing what is the status of the proposed restart of scheduled helicopter ops in NYC ?

I wonder whether it´s likely they will restart scheduled ops - or not.
NYC Helicopters´s website promises that they will but i can´t judge the situation.

Only one thing made me wonder as long as they did run these flights: why did they seat max 8 passengers in a S-76 when other operators seat 12 pax ...
E.g. Helijet in YVR or Heli Express in HKG (who recently switched to AW-139 anyway...)
Maybe they are looking into more "modern" equipment like the AB-139 to make it economically more viable ??? I hope so !

So, what is the status right now ? Any reports ?

[emshighway]

I haven't heard anything and they won't be doing anything until I get the screening equipment re-certified.

[hiss srq]

They had some problems with their choppers, most if not all of them were second and third hand birds that came from all over the place.

[MHG]

They had some problems with their choppers, most if not all of them were second and third hand birds that came from all over the place.

So, maybe they had "issues" similar to Copterline in Helsinki who (afaik) still have a case with Sikorski after loosing one S-76 ! They stopped all services and restarted after switching to brand new AW-139.
That their scheduled ops were finally not viable in the end (in particular due to reduced demand in the actual economic crisis) is another story , though ...

@emshighway
What do you mean regarding screening equipment.
Do/did they screen passengers by themselves and used non-certified devices for that ???

[hiss srq]

The S76 is certainly a very expensive helicpter to operate, I dont have the direct operating costs off hand but I do know they are pretty high up there. And with the economy in the Frank Tank right now it is probably much easier for most to spend the 70 dollars for a private car into JFK. It could be a littany of things that caused them to close doors but I do recall a S76 getting a once twice and thrise over at D&K in FRG and it had tons of bugs in it. I never saw them fly it out so I dont know what happened to it but I heard that the bird was a total mechanical nightmare. I am a HUGE Sikorsky supporter but the Turbomeca's it has in particular tend to have problems I have been told a few times.

[MHG]

The S76 is certainly a very expensive helicpter to operate, I dont have the direct operating costs off hand but I do know they are pretty high up there. And with the economy in the Frank Tank right now it is probably much easier for most to spend the 70 dollars for a private car into JFK. It could be a littany of things that caused them to close doors but I do recall a S76 getting a once twice and thrise over at D&K in FRG and it had tons of bugs in it. I never saw them fly it out so I dont know what happened to it but I heard that the bird was a total mechanical nightmare. I am a HUGE Sikorsky supporter but the Turbomeca's it has in particular tend to have problems I have been told a few times.

That´s why i was wondering why they put only 8 pax seats instead of 12 on it .
That is 1/3 less seat availlability which dramatically increases the seatmile costs !

Regarding the Turbomeca engines; your comment is in line with what i have been told by a german helicopter operator/maintenance shop:
The manager said the Turbomeca´s are leaking oil already on the day of delivery ... "That´s crap"!
He´d prefer any Bell helicopter with P&W or RR/Allison over any Eurocopter with Turbomeca but sometimes "you don´t have a choice"!
The manager/owner still flies with a Sikorski S-58C (pax config.!!! /one of the ex Chicago Helicopter/SABENA/Belgian Air Force ones !!!) It´s not an ex military H-34 but a real pax version !!!

[Derf]

.............but I do recall a S76 getting a once twice and thrise over at D&K in FRG and it had tons of bugs in it. I never saw them fly it out so I dont know what happened to it but I heard that the bird was a total mechanical nightmare. I am a HUGE Sikorsky supporter but the Turbomeca's it has in particular tend to have problems I have been told a few times.

It did finally leave, it was used as a parts aircraft after departure. :(











Do you know how many times I took pictures of that bird before I realized that was a Eagle graphic on the side of the aircraft?

[emshighway]

I know one got repossessed and the other had major mechanical problems

[diegodangers]

as of last week, one was still sitting in Signatures hangar at EWR

[emshighway]

Well Friday FirstFlight moved Liberty into their spot in the terminal so they aren't planning for them to come back. They asked when we are getting our equipment out of there. We can't until it is official.