External Loads

Ideally, helicopters fly between heliports where lift-offs and landings are as safe as possible. In practice, helicopters do land at places where conditions are not always ideal--parking lots, farm fields, and other types of unprepared landing surfaces. And there is pressure to land at places that are really unsafe; especially, when time is "of the essence" and the sites are otherwise inaccessible.

External loads extend the range of locations where supplies, equipment, and emergency personnel* can be transported because the helicopter can deliver the load without landing. Cargo nets are the time-honored way of carrying items that are not easily damaged. The Heli-Basket, manufactured by Precision Lift, Inc., permits delicate equipment and other cargo, emergency and military personnel* and disaster victims* to also be transported as an underslung load.

Emergency Rescue and Difficult Destinations

Fighting forest fires, fires in high-rise buildings, floods, or other disasters, the Heli-Basket can quickly deliver and extract loads. The Heli-Basket System permits the pilot to release the Heli-Basket after it has been placed on the ground. Loads can be delivered while the helicopter remains airborne, even where no personnel are on the ground to manually unhook the Heli-Basket from the long line.

Precision Lift's Underslung Transport System

The Heli-Basket is part of a total system, designed by Precision Lift, Inc., for transporting underslung loads. Other components include the long line, a remote hook controlled by the pilot, and redundant systems for human safety.

Aerodynamic Performance

Our patented aerodynamic design for the Heli-Basket features stable flight behavior. Sling a utility vehicle, like the one shown on the right, under the helicopter, and it tends to twist and spin. Put the same utility vehicle in our HB3000 Heli-Basket, and it can be carried at the helicopter's external load cruise speed.

Cargo Handling

Heli-Basket's end gates open for easy loading. A utility vehicle can be driven into the basket. (A 4-wheeled utility vehicle is shown in our HB2000 Heli-Basket on the left.) Heavy cargo on a pallet is loaded with a forklift.

* - Civil Aviation Rules apply.

Precision Lift, Inc.

P.O. Box 22

Monarch, MT 59463

Telephone: (406) 236-5361

Fax: (406) 236-5462

E-Mail: info@precisionliftinc.com

Web Site: http://www.precisionliftinc.com