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The Sikorsky S-92A is a twin free power turbine engine medium utility
helicopter with four main and four tail rotor blades, aluminium fuselage
construction with composite components and a flight essential APU. The
S-92 can accommodate a basic crew of two and up to 19 passengers in
offshore configuration. The fuselage has a length of 5.89m and provision
for an optional rear loading ramp. The undercarriage is retractable,
with aft-retracting twin nosewheels and with twin mainwheels, retracting
into huge sponsons, which also accommodate crash-resistant fuel tanks.
The helicopter is fitted with two General Electric CT7-8 or CT7-8A
turboshaft engines. In March 1992, Sikorsky Aircraft began showing
potential customers a mock-up of a 19-passenger civilian helicopter, the
S-92, that the manufacturer hoped to market for ferrying oil workers to
offshore rigs and other uses. But although the S-92 mock-up was on
display at the Helicopter Association International trade show in Las
Vegas, Sikorsky would not proceed with the program until a marketing
study was completed. The official launch of the S-92 programm was at the
Paris Air Show in June 1995. The programm included the civil S-92A
Helibus and military S-92IU (international utility) based on proven
dynamic system design concepts from the Sikorsky S-70 / UH-60 Black
Hawk. Five prototypes, including four flying prototypes, were built for
ground and flight tests to be conducted at Sikorsky's Development Fight
Center in Florida. On 23 December 1998, the first flight of the S-92 was
completed by the second prototype (c/n 920002) as N292SA. In July 2000,
design changes were announced in response to customer requests including
a 0.41m increase in cabin length to permit installation of a 1.27m wide
cabin door to improve hoisting capability and to accommodate a Stokes
litter during SAR operations; reduction in height of tail rotor pylon by
about 1.02m to offset additional weight of cabin extension; and
relocation of the horizontal stabiliser. The secon prototype was
subsequently modified to the revised configuration and the revised
configuration was incorporated from the third prototype and on the
production aircraft. FAA FAR part 29 certification was received on 17
December 2002. EASA/JAA certification was received on 8 June 2004. First
delivery made in March 2004. Programme rationalisation resulted in
discontinuation of S-92IU and adoption of standard civil/military
configuration with new designations S-92 and H-92 Superhawk adopted in
2003 for civilian and military variants respectively. Sikorsky has
performed retrofit the gearbox oil bowl in all the S-92 helicopter fleet
with steel mounting studs in March 2009 as a precautionary safety
measure when it found broken titanium studs during a fatal helicopter
crash in Canada. The S-92 search and rescue variant provides space for seats, litters, auxiliary fuel and SAR emergency equipment.
The S-92 helicopter is manufactured by the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation in Stratford, CT. The
ICAO Aircraft Type Designator for the Sikorsky S-92 helicopters is S92. Over 200 Sikorsky S-92 are built. |
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The 2006-built Sikorsky S-92A s/n 920046 was registered N8052Z with Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, Stratford, CN, USA, in July 2006.
On 30 April 2007, registration N8052Z was cancelled as exported to Denmark.
On 2 May 2007, the Sikorsky S-92A was temp. registered OY-HKA in Denmark
with CHC Denmark Aps, Esbjerg, as operator and National Australia Bank,
London, UK, as owner, and registered OY-HKA on 29 June 2007. On 28 July 2011,
registered ownership of S-92A OY-HKA changed to Wilmington Trust SP
Services (Dublin), Ireland, with CHC Denmark as operator. On 14 December 2012, registration OY-HKA was cancelled.
The same day, the helicopter was registered G-WNSF in the UK as chartered by CHC Scotia Ltd., Aberdeen.
On 19 December 2013, registration G-WNSF was cancelled as exported to the Netherlands. The same day,
the Sikorsky S-92A was registered PH-EUI with CHC Helicopters Netherlands B.V., Den Helder, as operator and Wilmington Trust SP
Services (Dublin), Ireland, as owner. On 14 November 2016, registration PH-EUI was cancelled as exported to the UK, and the same day,
the helicopter was restored in the UK register as G-WNSF with CHC Scotia Ltd, Aberdeeen. The CHC Helicopters Netherlands'
Sikorsky S-92A PH-EUI was seen at Den Helder Airport on 5 March 2014. |
Luchtvaart déjà vu
