iscover
The diminutive Robinson R22 is just what the helicopter industry required - a small, cheap to own and-operate two-place helo. The Robinson has proved very popular in Australia and there are presently more than three dozen on the local register.
1985 Helicopter Operators Directory
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This is the second of our annual reviews of Australian helicopter operations and, although much has happened in the industry in the past twelve months, not a great number of changes have occurred, the principal changes being the enlargement of fleets, and some updating to newer and larger equipment.
One change that may occur in the industry in the next year or two may involve the police/observation type role when the Australian distributor of Edgley Optica commences to take delivery of aircraft. This machine, with a large bubble-type cockpit, and fitted with a piston engine driving a five-blade fixed-pitch fan, is designed to perform a number of the tasks performed by the helicopter, such as observation, power line inspection, traffic surveillance, forestry patrol etc. at a reported one-third of the helicopters operating costs. In these roles the aircraft may well make some inroads into what has previously been a helicopter-only market, and only time will tell as to its success.
In other areas, the NSW and Victorian police services have been using helicopters (three Bell 206 and an Aerospatiale Dauphin respectively) for some time and the former service has been interested for some time in obtaining a larger type but has been restricted by the necessary finance. However, with the number of rescues increasing, as is the workload on the Jetrangers, it can only be in the very near future that an order is placed for a larger type in NSW, and perhaps additional aircraft for the Victorian service.
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