Helicopter Industry #103

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HELICOPTER INDUSTRY I OPERATOR I H istorically a specialist in heliborne electrical work, Airtelis, a subsidiary of RTE (Ré-seau de Transport d’Electricité), is the only user in Europe of two H225s fully equipped for aerial work. Illustration with a power line reconstruction site in the Ariège valley. A valley located in the heart of the French Pyrenees. The national road number 20 traces its path towards Andorra and Spain, sharing the little free space between the railway line and the Ariège River. A few kilometers before arriving at Savignac les Ormeaux, turn right, then take a small road that climbs up to the foothills of the mountain, progress a few hundred meters to reach the Airtelis caravan and its technical assistance trucks that have settled on a flat stretch of land. This is the ideal spot to set up the base camp for the current construction site: the renovation of a few kilometers of a high-voltage power line, the dismantling and removal of the old cables and pylons, and the installation of new equipment. It took two weeks of work, a job site like no other for the Airtelis team and its H225, which accumulates up to six hours of flight time every day. HI I 52
SUPERTRAMP TOUR The H225 is the heavyweight model of the operator specialized in interventions of electrical networks. The aircraft stands out at first glance by its blue and white paint scheme, but also and above all, by the attributes of the solid aerial worker: solid hook under the fuselage allowing 4.75 tons to be slung, «bubble doors» and wide mirrors that encase its entire forward tip. At the rear of the fuselage, the additional 1000-liter tank used by the military on the H225M has been replaced by a glass installation used during unrolling activities: an observer lying on his belly, with his back to the step, has an unobstructed view of what is happening under and behind the helicopter. The two H225s, which have been in use by Airtelis for eight years, have each logged just over 2,000 flight hours and are constantly on the move. This week in Ariège, next month in Toulouse or Lyon, and at the end of the year in the French Basque country... The dates follow one another like a Supertramp tour. The construction site of Savignac les Ormeaux began with the dismantling of the old pylons, which now lie on the ground, harmless as a defeated army. The new pylons were then assembled by the giant mechanic 4-ton pieces. A spectacular scene, familiar to both pilots who control the installation of the pylons, as they fly very high above the ground, as the crew work with a 30-50m sling, which is added to the height of the pylon. The helicopter is essential but it could not work alone; on the ground, a guide can be found, in order to provide the third pair of eyes for the crew, constantly announcing the heights to the pilots. The pilots fight to position themselves precisely at the vertical of the installation site. Other technicians on the ground grab the ropes that hang under the pylon to control its rotation for assembly. With parts weighing several tons, the ground assistants’ make room for manoeuvring in the limited space, where the placement of the helicopter must be perfect. «A job of patience and precision,» sums up Frédéric Grandmougin, former ALAT and Special Forces pilot. At his side, Jean- Claude Partiot, is a former Air Force pilot. RTE and Airtelis are ecumenical... Both men have accumulated 22,000 hours of flying experience and an intimate knowledge of the Super Puma family of aircraft and aerial work. The three other RTE pilots qualified on the H225 have equivalent experience. THE CLASS C PARTICULARITIES After the removal of the old pylons, and the installation of the new ones, the time has come to lay the new cables. The work is first done with a de-coiler, carrying the reel that is taken away by passing under the sling. The operation is common but no less spectacular, requiring a very high degree of control and precision. Each time the rope passes from one tower to another, it is slid over a pulley, which allows the rope to move from one tower to another. « In the unwinding process, the cable is reeled in from another reel on a sling measuring 16 to 21m below the helicopter,» explains Frédéric Grandmougin. « The unwinder becomes lighter as we progress, and we have to be very careful with this progressive loss of weight so that we don’t see the load exceed an angle of 30° in relation to the vertical result, without being corrected based on the helicopter’s attitude. The danger, by exceeding this angle, would be to no longer be able to release the device in case of emergency, because the sling would remain blocked at the bottom of the hook». HI I 53
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Helicopter Industry #103

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