HELI ELECTRICS

Mt Hutt Helicopters established a joint venture agreement with Aeropower Pty Ltd, an international airborne transmission and distribution contractor based in Brisbane, Australia. They are dedicated to serving the electrical industry in airborne maintenance and providing safer and more cost effective methods of powerline patrol.

Aeropower have developed innovative technical solutions to allow them to perform the work, which is based on linemen operating from a platform. Aeropower have conducted work throughout Australia, Papua New Guinea, South Africa, Hong Kong and Israel since its formation in 1991.

The joint venture allows Mt Hutt Helicopters to bring these services to the New Zealand power industry providing a much more efficient alternative to ground based inspections and maintenance operations. Although the concept of using helicopters for line maintenance is in its infancy in this country, research supports the value of, and need for, this type of service in New Zealand.

Electricity suppliers need to make sure that repairs are completed rapidly to minimise outage times. Overseas suppliers have long seen the benefits of aerial-based survey, inspection and maintenance.

Core Line Industry Services provided by Mt Hutt Helicopters

• Bare hands maintenance
• Live line maintenance
• Insulator washing
• Insulator string replacement
• Insulator testing
• Marker ball instillation
• Spacer repairs and replacements
• Detailed line inspection and patrol
• ACSR corrosion inspection
• Full tension joint inspection
• Cable and conductor stringing
• Construction - long line
• Asset mapping
• Corona Camera for detecting electrical discharge

Developing technology

Our primary concern is safety and we strive to develop our services and provide equipment to ensure all jobs are carried out to the highest standard. All projects can be first simulated on our certified computer programme 3D CAD. This calculates the Critical Minimum Approach distances needed, ensuring precision flying.

Mt Hutt Helicopters and Aeropower have also developed a unique and specialised laser scanner called Aeroscan. Aeroscan is able to clearly show all mechanical and electrical clearances to the millimetre. This in turn is communicated in the job package provided all crews on the job. We are the only two companies in Australia and New Zealand to operate with this system. This is in support of procedures put in place, specific to each job to carry out the work safely.

The MD500 Helicopter

The MD500 helicopter is chosen for its compact size and small diameter multi bladed main rotor system which allows for safer, more precise access to power lines and is a more efficient rotor system than the two or three bladed systems found on other comparative helicopters. This lighter, more manoeuvrable, stable helicopter is powered by the most widely used and proven Rolls Royce Allison C20 Series Turbine engine which enables us to perform power line maintenance tasks more safely and efficiently carrying more useable pay load than larger, heavier helicopters.

• Washing of 315 insulator strings
• Patrolling and inspection of the main transmission lines
• Developed and using laser measurement of the tree/conductor clearness
• Mapping
• Carona Inspection
• Cross arm / pole replacement

We have conducted line work for the following organisations;

• Transfield Services
• Electrix
• Ashburton electricity
• United Group
• Network South

From here...

We are focused on training and are looking to build our market in NZ to set up a solid base of operations. There are opportunities to offer extra services to the electricity sector using infrared technology to locate power line faults and the installation of marker-balls. We can also offer real time electronic of line survey inspection operations using GPS and GIS systems, allowing our customers to access data and transfer it to others, in the simplest most efficient fashion.