Brown & Firehawk

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These three aircraft were originally purchased to meet the needs of the Government flying Service of Hong Kong for search and rescue, Patrol, and Law enforcement activities. As the department’s needs changed the aircraft became surplus to their operation and were acquired by Brown Helicopter of Pensacola, Florida. Brown Helicopter was founded over 27 years ago by Tom Brown. His business primarily provides parts to the helicopter market. After Acquisition of these aircraft they were initially offered for sale on the world market but the decision was made to see the aircraft operated rather than sold. That’s where we come in. As the longest running operator of commercial Black Hawks in the World, Brown Helicopter studied our company and what benefits our over 10 years of experience with the Black Hawk could provide.

After negotiations were complete it was decided that we would provide maintenance, modification, and operational support. The first aircraft is currently undergoing refurbishment, heavy maintenance and modification. It will be ready to be added to our fire fighting fleet by mid to late summer. It will be equipped with the same state of the art avionics and systems that fly in our other Firehawks. This process will be repeated until by spring of 2006 a fleet of five Firehawks will be fielded for Fire Fighting duties.

These aircraft are Sikorsky S-70A models which are analogous to the UH-60L operated by the US Army. They have more powerful engines and upgraded drive train. They are able to lift loads of up to 9,000 lbs on the cargo hook and carry those loads to higher altitudes. This makes them well suited for the rigors of wild land fire fighting especially in the mountainous regions of the West. These aircraft can be equipped with up to a 20 seat interior and each aircraft has a rescue winch and Wire Strike Protection System fitted. The three sister aircraft will receive new paint schemes, Garmin Avionics packages, and all the necessary equipment to perform the wild land fire fighting mission. With this new Partnership with Brown Helicopter, Firehawk Helicopters will be able to offer the largest Black Hawk fleet of dedicated Fire Fighting Aircraft available in the US or internationally.

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