Dear Editor,
Over the past few months there has been much ado over the purchase of the Guyana Defence Force Bell 206B III Helicopters, ado which I believe is certainly justified.
The purchase of these helicopters, it seems, was a knee jerk reaction to the explosion of crime and loss of life at the time. The prevailing circumstances therefore led to a virtual bypass of the foundation for the acquisition of an aviation asset, a clear understanding of the role of the asset with the major considerations of the geography to be operated in and finances available.
So here we are today, US$ 1.5M later with two aged Bell 206BIII JetRanger helicopters which are touted as the ultimate surveillance and crime-fighting machines of the world, and the answer to our crime problems.
Since the general public are not experts on aviation matters, I therefore feel obligated to add my two cents to the court of public opinion.
What is the national importance of having helicopters?
Helicopters are particularly important in countries with hostile terrain such as ours.
They perform multiple missions including:
Search & Rescue which requires a medium lift helicopter capable of stable hovering in hot and high, and mountainous conditions, and capable of being launched 24 hours a day in any weather. Helicopter should be able to winch up injured persons from confined areas including the jungle floor.
Medical Evacuations which requires a medium lift helicopter capable of stable hovering in hot and high, and mountainous conditions, and capable of being launched 24 hours a day in any weather. Helicopter should be able to winch up injured persons from confined areas including the jungle floor.
Troop Transport which requires a medium lift helicopter capable of stable hovering in hot and high, and mountainous conditions, and capable of being launched 24 hours a day in any weather. Troops must be able to rappel from helicopter into confined areas.
Crime Fighting Response which requires a medium lift helicopter capable of stable hovering in hot and high, and mountainous conditions, and capable of being launched 24 hours a day in any weather. Police must be able to rappel from helicopter into confined areas.
Surveillance/ Reconnaissance which requires a light helicopter capable of being launched 24 hours a day in any weather.
What is our crime?
Bands of approximately 15 to 20 men who are armed at the very least with AK47 and M16 Rifles (based on the 7.62x39mm and 5.56mm spent shells that keeps showing up on crime scenes). Their Modus Operandi is Night Operations, Multiple Killings, and retreat into Canefields / Rivers/ Jungle.
Why do we need helicopters to fight crime in Guyana?
Because Guyana is a sizeable country with vast jungles and an undeveloped transport network. The flat coast on which most of the population live is bordered to the south by cane cultivation, fields which are used by criminals in their escape from activities.
Therefore we need to be able to see where criminals are from the air, track movements, and in the case where the crime is committed in a remote area with no airstrip close by, insert a credible force to counteract criminal activities.
In our local case, the will, resources available, and terrain make it difficult for our forces to navigate to respond to criminals even in the urban environment, so a suitable helicopter would reduce response times drastically by inserting forces at appropriate points to counter/ interdict a threat.
What represents a credible force to deal with the main threat?
Approximately 8 to 12 Special Forces Troops
What is our national budget for these assets?
The government announced GYD $900M or USD $4.3M.
How does the Bell 206BIII JetRanger match up to this reality?
The Bell 206B JetRanger is a light utility helicopter produced by Bell helicopters of the USA. This is the oldest, least capable and smallest model of the Bell 206 family of helicopters and is now out of production.
The Bell 206 is a successful helicopter of its kind and has a history of use as a surveillance platform in urban areas of developed countries in support of ground troops who have the resources, will, and road networks to respond and operate in the terrain below.
The 206BIII may resemble, but is not to be confused with the OH58 which has a different airframe, engine, transmission, rotor system and heli-stabilisation systems. These improvements were in response to the shortcomings of the 206B JetRanger.
Let’s talk capacity
The helicopter has a maximum takeoff weight of 3200 pounds.
GDF-1, the green and white one, has an empty weight of 1954 pounds, GDF-2 the blue and silver one being slightly heavier because of the night sun spotlight and the winch.
So 3200 minus 1954 equals 1246 pounds.
We need fuel; the helicopter carries 92 gallons at 6.7 pounds per gallon equalling 616 pounds.
1246 minus 616 equals 630 pounds.
We need a pilot; lets say he exercises regularly and keeps his weight down and weighs 170 pounds.
630 minus 170 equals 460 pounds.
We can therefore carry 460 pounds of what we refer to in aviation as payload.
So lets see; the average soldier/ policeman weighs about 170 pounds too and carries in light configuration, about 15 pounds of gear.
We can therefore carry 460 divided 185 equals 2.5 men. Since we cannot yet dissect a man and still make him work we will have 90 pounds left over.
But let’s be honest and stop kidding ourselves, no one is going to weigh that little so we will have maybe 30 to 45 pounds left back to carry bags, ammunition, etc.
However it’s not that simple; Aircraft maximum takeoff weights are governed by the current temperature, and Guyana is a hot country.
So the hotter it is, the lower horsepower the engine will produce, so the pilot has to consult his performance charts to decrease his maximum takeoff weight accordingly.
Another complication; if he is coming out of a confined area, (let me use Camp Ayanganna as a fairly lenient example) and has to clear electrical wires or trees, he has to further decrease the takeoff weight or the helicopter just will not fly.
Every helicopter pilot you talk to will give you one story or more of a “hairy” takeoff at gross weight.
My point is that the Bell 206B JetRanger is allergic to weight, so will never carry 4 passengers as its proponents so eloquently suggest. It simply cannot carry a credible force. It can only operate in one single role; reconnaissance.
Is it able to fly 24 hours a day?
Helicopters because of their instability are usually equipped with a stabilising system to decrease pilot workload. The better the stabilisation system, the better the certification and versatility of the machine.
The 206BIII is equipped with a very basic stabilisation system, making it unsuitable for night operations over terrain with no ground references (concentration of lights on the ground), and operations in bad weather.
About 5 percent of Guyana has what can be referred to as ground references, so the helicopter is useless in 95% of Guyana at night.
It has been said that if the helicopters are required to fly at night then they will. Aviation does not work like that. If something is forbidden or not advised then it is not done, period.
Are they cheap to operate?
The 206BIII costs about US$ 600 an hour to operate. There have been figures such as US $135 bandied about but those are definitely not realistic. Since the aged machines we bought are 10000 and 8000 flying hours old, we can expect those costs to be significantly higher. Already we have had to replace a costly fuel control unit on GDF-2. This Fuel Control Unit had been repaired once before.
So what can the Bell 206BIII do?
The Bell 206BIII is not very versatile due to its limited capacity, power, and inability to operate 24 hours a day in all types of weather. The helicopter also suffers from range limitations (distance it could fly) as it is very slow (100 knots cruise speed) and can only fly for just over two hours. The helicopter will have severe difficulty operating in a mountainous environment and hovering at high altitude due to its limited power.
They will be able to conduct surveillance operations with the pilot and two passengers in daytime with good weather, and very limited night operations over urban areas in good weather.
It can also be a good backup helicopter for supporting a larger primary helicopter.
GDF-1 is equipped to carry one stretcher, so can therefore do limited Medical Evacuations in daytime.
GDF-2 is equipped with a rescue winch capable of lifting 300 pounds. This presents a complication in that this may be the only 206BIII in the world so equipped, and dubious weight and balance information exists for its use. The current Centre of Gravity (loading arrangement) for the 206BIII suggests that the use of this piece of equipment on a helicopter of its size, power and in Guyana’s temperatures may not exactly be prudent or safe.
How does the Bell 412 match up
to this reality?
The Bell 412 is a medium lift helicopter produced by Bell helicopters of the USA. The Bell 412 is hugely successful, being the mainstay of offshore operations because of its massive power, reliability, versatility, and safety. The helicopter has a history of successful use as a crime fighter, military airlifter, gunship, medevac ship, VIP transport and many other roles too numerous to mention. The helicopter is in use by both the police and militaries of most of the countries around the world.
The 412 has been produced in military form as the CH-46 with which it shares identical systems, airframe and engine.
Let’s talk capacity
The helicopter carries 5000 pounds when fueled.
This translates to 2 pilots, 13 passengers, and lots of gear
Is it able to fly 24 hours a day?
The 412 is equipped with a very advanced stabilisation system, making it perfect for night operations, and operations in bad weather.
Are they cheap to operate?
The 412 costs about US$ 1400 an hour to operate. The reason that the aircraft has been costing the Government so much to operate is that we have been purchasing aftermarket parts out of middlemen for a higher price for an inferior part. This artificially inflates the operating cost of the aircraft and decreases its dispatch reliability. The reason for this practise is very unclear to me.
The practice of renting this machine for commercial operations at a price way below market cost also virtually ensures that when it goes down for maintenance the revenues are not there to pay for the parts.
So what can the Bell 412 do?
The Bell 412 is a great primary ship, capable of all of the roles that a national helicopter should be capable of including taking a credible force to any location in Guyana, conducting search and rescue, medevacs, troop transport and resupply, and just about anything it is called to do, at any time of day and in any weather. It needs to be equipped with a rescue winch to increase its versatility.
What is the way forward?
Guyana needs to carefully examine the role of its aviation assets.
No country with our budget could afford to use a helicopter to do reconnaissance when we have a Cessna 206 aircraft sitting idly in our hangar. The Cessna 206 is a fixed wing, single engine aircraft which can execute our surveillance tasks at a fraction of the cost of a helicopter. There is one which was confiscated and handed over to the Guyana Defence Force sitting in the hangar. The operating cost of this airplane is approximately US $200 an hour.
In a country where we have limited financial resources we have to be extremely prudent in the purchase of expensive items which we seldom buy.
It therefore makes little or no sense to purchase not one, but two helicopters which have limited capabilities in our environment and cannot meet our needs.
Sure the old Bell 206BIII is cheap. But cheap sometimes does not make sense where the item purchased cannot do more than one thing, or even the primary role for which it is purchased.
Should we have a major problem in the interior at night or in bad weather, the 206BIII cannot respond.
Should it be day, the 206BIII can provide little or no help other than to observe the problem. That does not help the crash survivor, or person under criminal attack on the ground in an area where troops/ responders will take many hours to get in by boat or trudging through jungle.
Would you, living in Mahaicony, and working in Georgetown, and unable to buy a car, buy two bicycles instead of a motor bike because they were cheaper?
Any idea of selling the Bell 412 should not be tolerated. The ship should be repaired and equipped with a rescue winch. The Bell 412 is the capable medium lift helicopter which should be the primary ship supported by the two Bell 206BIII’s.
There will be those who will dispute the facts I have included herein, including the specifics about each ship. We pride ourselves on being transparent, so I am confident that the authorities will open the records to public scrutiny while doing so. That would be the only way to rest the case.
Yours faithfully,
Learie Barclay
