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Eagle recently celebrated its 10th conversion of a 407HP for Heli Niugini in March. With nine conversions completed in Canada, this recent conversion was the first for the Australasia arm of the company.
The successful conversion in Coffs Harbour, Australia, finished within the allotted timeframe, and on budget as previously announced by Eagle Australasia’s CEO Grant Boyter.
A team of three maintenance engineers from Eagle Canada was flown into the country to train and assist the Australasia team with the conversion. The process mainly involves replacing a standard 407 engine with a 1,021shp (751kW) Honeywell HTS-900 engine.
According to Eagle Canada vice president of technical sales David “Spyke” Whiting, the demand for Eagle 407HP conversions continues to grow.
The re-engine program is fast becoming a success due to the converted aircraft reduces fuel consumption and increases shaft horsepower by 22 percent compared to the original factory fitted Rolls-Royce 250-C47B.
Furthermore, the re-engined 407HP is capable of lifting an additional 227 kilograms of payload at certain altitude. The safety feature of the dual channel full authority digital engine control (FADEC) is also touted as important to the program.
The conversion was proven during a trial in Papua New Guinea in January this year, when a variety of internal and external loads were carried out at 6,500 feet, with a density altitude of 8,000 feet.
“With initial results coming in as anticipated, the aircraft was then taken up over 10,000 feet to prove its performance at ‘hot and high,’ and after multiple lifts at 11,300 feet (density altitude 13,000 feet) the words ‘Awesome’ and ‘What a beast’ were heard reverberating around the mountains,” said Boyter after the trial.
The converted 407HP will give Heli Niugini more capacity to outperform anything in its class above 5,000 feet and can outlift a Bell 212 above 8,000 feet, giving the company a distinct advantage over the competition.
In Australasia, a second 407HP conversion is scheduled for July for a general utility and charter provider based in Indonesia. This was made possible in part by the successful validation of the supplemental type certificate by the Indonesian Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
Based in Calgary, Alta., Eagle has been providing complete fleet management support to operators since 1975.
