EDMONTON – It swallowed a steel building sitting on a large semi-trailer like a whale inhaling a minnow, so three helicopters were just a light dessert.
The Antonov 225, the world’s largest aircraft, will transport the building, the Canadian Helicopters choppers and a variety of smaller cargo to Kabul for the U.S. armed forces just as easily.
At 84 metres long, with an 88-metre wingspan and a belly that looks like an LRT tunnel, the An-225 is perfect for keeping people and equipment off the dangerous Afghan roads, Canadian Helicopters CEO Dan Wall said Wednesday.
“Shipping three helicopters takes a lot of foresight, but it’s not that difficult if you break it down into small pieces.
“There are not a lot of aircraft available these days, so you have to get ready quickly when a window is available.”
It’s the first time Edmonton-based CHC has used the only An-225 in operation, although the smaller-but-still-impressive An-125 has taken a load to Afghanistan.
CHC has a long relationship with the Canadian and U.S. military and is in the first of four option years of providing training and maintenance support in Afghanistan.
“We are a business of course, but we are also supporting a great cause, which is gratifying,” Wall said.
CHC started in Edmonton in 1957 and is now the largest helicopter company in Canada and one of the largest in the world, with 600 employees across the country and 50 in Afghanistan.
The Sikorsky S-61N and the two smaller Bell 212s loaded Wednesday, and a second Sikorsky en route to Afghanistan from Australia, will back up their counterparts already there and allow CHC to move 500 people and 14 tonnes of equipment a day, Wall said.
“We’ve developed a strong reputation in Afghanistan, because we’re able to mobilize quickly while maintaining our role as an industry leader in establishing standards for safety and operating procedures.”
Glen Vanstone, Edmonton International Airport’s cargo director, said the airport’s 24-hour unrestricted access, infrastructure and location have made it a popular choice for heavy cargo traffic.
And expanding the airside apron by 50 football fields during the current airport expansion will draw even more cargo business, he said.
“We’ll have enough apron space and facilities that we can continue to manage events like this and all the commercial traffic as well.”
“We have extensive experience with heavy-lift aircraft such as the Antonov, and we are continuing to develop that expertise.”
The air cargo business is still having a rough time as the global recession recedes, Vanstone said.
“We lost about three years of growth as an industry in a very short time, and there were some casualties.”
Japan Airlines contracted its cargo service, and Northwest no longer does any, he said.
“We are seeing growth coming back, but the yield is still low. But it’s important we stay committed so we can facilitate the growth that will come.”
The steel building was loaded by Red Carpet Freight Systems, while Braden Burry Expediting looked after the chippers and the smaller cargo, which included tractors, trailers and crates of parts and equipment.
“BBE has a lot of experience in the north, which really helps in this kind of event, Vanstone said.
dfinlayson@thejournal.canwest.com
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