Description: Erickson Air-Crane Incorporated is an aircraft manufacturing and operating company based in Central Point, Oregon, United States. They are known for producing the S-64 Aircrane helicopter, which is used in wildland fire suppression and other heavy-lift operations.
Originally the Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane, the type certification and manufacturing rights for the S-64 were purchased from Sikorsky Aircraft by Erickson Air-Crane in 1992.
Since that time, Erickson Air-Crane has become the manufacturer and world's largest operator of S-64 Aircranes and has made over 1,350 changes to the airframe, instrumentation, and payload capabilities of the helicopter. The Aircrane can be fitted with a 2,650-gallon (~10,000 liter) fixed retardant tank to assist in the control of bushfires, and it has acquitted itself admirably in this role.
So far, S-64 Aircranes have been sold to the Italian, and Korean Forest Services for fire suppression and emergency response duties. Those in the Erickson Air-Crane fleet are leased worldwide to organizations, companies, municipalities and Federal Agencies for either short-term or longer term use in fire suppression, civil protection, heavy lift construction, and timber harvesting. |