HELISAV

HELISAV, whose full name is Helicopteros y Servicios Aereos Vina del Mar Limitada, is a helicopter operator based at Concon Airport in the Valparaiso region of Chile. It began operations in 2002 because Bosques Arauco and Forestal CELCO needed a helicopter service to fight forest fires. The company says it has flown more than 35,262 hours.

Services

• Agriculture: spraying, sowing and fertilising of hillside pasture, frost control, drying of fruit trees after rain, and snow sweeping
• Fire fighting: moving brigades to forest and agricultural fires
• Civil works, engineering and mining: external and internal cargo, erecting structures and towers, high voltage line construction, cell antenna work, glacier monitoring and mining exploration
• Energy: insulator washing, wind turbine blade washing (10 to 15 blades in a day, depending on size and wind) and inspection of medium and high voltage lines with 4K video, LIDAR and thermography
• Medical evacuation of stabilised patients accompanied by a nurse or doctor
• Tourism and adventure: passenger transport, heli-ski, heli-fishing and photography

Fleet

The fleet page shows the Airbus AS350 B3, Bell UH-1H, Bell 407 and Bell 206 L3 helicopters and a Cessna 210M Centurion II aeroplane used for photography and aerial mapping. Capabilities listed there include external load of 1,500 kg, transport of 12 passengers, a thermal optical system and aerial photography. The company also lists a ground fleet of three 5,000 litre Jet A-1 fuel trucks, four all-terrain pickups and two closed utility vehicles.

Company facts

• Operating since 2002
• More than 35,262 flight hours stated
• Base: Concon Airport, Valparaiso region