Need help choosing the right Helicopter for a job

[Ross_Cristiano]

I need some advice on choosing the right Helicopter. I have a job coming up and we need to install a 100lb piece of equipment that is roughly 30W"x 30L"x 20H" inside the aircraft. The helicopter will need some sort of viewing port for the equipment to look to the ground. The port only needs to be about 8" in diameter. It is top priority that this equipment stays inside the cabin. It cant really be exposed. But if we have to are there any ideas of possibly installing a weather proof box on the outside and bottom of the aircraft for the piece of equipment to be in?

 

Thanks in advanced I really appreciate it !

[brettjeepski]

I have seen a helipod attached to the side of a R44 that already had a STC. Then they cut a hole in the bottom for a SLR camera and a second hole for a laser. Then flew mapping missions of canals for a university.

 

Check out simplex website http://www.simplex.aero/helipod/

[500F]

You are going to have a tough time putting it inside the helicopter. In most aircraft its not possible in the others it would take years and 10s of thousands of dollars getting an STC to do it. Hauling it as a class A external load is the way to go. That could be done much more easily. The 20H inside an enclosure rules out alot of helicopters that would not have the ground clearnace for say 24 inches. Dependin on what you plan to do with it, a 500 D or E with high skid gear would seem to fit the bill. If you need endurance an A-Star may work better But I'm not sure there is sufficient clearance.

[Flying Pig]

Sounds more like you need Cessna 206!

[rjl2001]

If you're located in Bend, OR you may want to visit Leading Edge Aviation at BND. Even if they don't have an aircraft that will work (R44,B206) they may be able to point you in the right direction.

 

Just to give an idea maybe, there's a company called Aerotec LLC who uses an A-Star to carry a LIDAR in a pod underneath it.

Edited January 9, 2013 by rjl2001