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Aviation News Item: 02529
12th Jul 2009
Celebrating a Pioneering Effort
Source: verticalmag.com
On June 26, the Ontario utility company Hydro One marked 60 years of helicopter operations with a fly-in at Lake Simcoe Regional Airport near Barrie, Ont.
According to John Bosomworth, chief pilot for Hydro One helicopter operations, around 250 people and 14 visiting helicopters attended the event. Hydro One's fleet of eight helicopters - two Bell LongRangers and six Eurocopter AStars - was also represented, with Hydro One giving a live demonstration of the helicopter-aided construction of an H-frame transmission structure.
Hydro One has operated helicopters on a continuous basis longer than any other operator in Canada. The company began helicopter operations on June 15, 1949, with its first helicopter, a Bell 47D-1. It was the first North American utility to operate helicopters, and was also the first utility company to use a turbine helicopter, an Aérospatiale Alouette II.
"From the early days, we've had real pioneers," said Bosomworth. "They had to be innovative."
Over the years, Hydro One has operated a total of 41 different helicopters, including models from Bell, Eurocopter, Sikorsky and Hughes. The utility is responsible for 30,000 kilometers (18,640 miles) of transmission lines and 120,000 kilometers (74,565 miles) of distribution lines around Ontario.
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