Black Hawk “The Puppy” update Dec 2017

Black Hawk “The Puppy” update Dec 2017

Progress update on the 1st BlackHawk helicopter (ex US Army) in South Africa
To read our 1st article on this beautiful bird “The Puppy” Click here

They are almost finished the refurbishment and will install the main rotor blades next week and are busy with the assembly/import certificate of airworthiness inspection.
The Blackhawk ZT-RGA  has been named “The Puppy” by The Owner, Mark and the crew working on her.

Information on The Puppy

  • Aircraft Type: Rotorcraft
  • Manufacturer: SIKORSKY
  • Model: UH-60A
  • Serial:80-23446
  • Year of Manufacture: 1980
  • No. Engines: 2
  • Manufacturer: GE
  • Type: Turbo-shaft
  • Model: T700-GE-700
  • Horsepower: 01561
  • SA Reg: ZT-RGA*

* ZT-xxx is now used in SA for rotor-craft

Below are some Puppy photos taken today. (2017-12-06)

ZT-RGA

ZT-RGA

ZT-RGA

ZT-RGA

ZT-RGA

ZT-RGA

ZT-RGA

ZT-RGA

ZT-RGA

ZT-RGA

ZT-RGA

Some older photos. (2017-10-30)

Our 1st article on this beautiful bird “The Puppy” Click here

 


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2 Responses to Black Hawk “The Puppy” update Dec 2017

  1. […] November 12, 2017   General News and Airshow Reviews, Pilots and Aircraft   1 Comment var quads_screen_width = document.body.clientWidth; if ( quads_screen_width >= 1140 ) { /* desktop monitors */ document.write(''); (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); }if ( quads_screen_width >= 1024 && quads_screen_width < 1140 ) { /* tablet landscape */ document.write(''); (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); }if ( quads_screen_width >= 768 && quads_screen_width < 1024 ) { /* tablet portrait */ document.write(''); (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); }if ( quads_screen_width < 768 ) { /* phone */ document.write(''); (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); } History was made for Africa when the first ever Black Hawk arrived in South Africa, Mbombela last week, making it only the second one in history to enter civilian service outside the United States. Mark Jackson, owner of locally based company, @Leading Edge Aviation at Nelspruit Airfield, took delivery of a Sikorsky UH-60A or “Black Hawk” after it was safely delivered by Van Wettens Breakdowns Services. Mark, who flies for Kishugu Aviation, was beaming with excitement as his new helicopter was safely set down on South African soil from the truck. The process of acquiring this US Army Special Forces aircraft began in August 2016 when Mark bought the Black Hawk and started the long process of importing it to South Africa. Jackson’s son, Pieter, and fellow pilot Tosh Ross underwent specialised flight training in Montana, USA last year to learn to fly this machine. Their instructor will now be visiting Nelspruit Airfield in December to continue their training with Mark this time. Kishugu Aviation will make use of these specialized skilled pilots and aircraft to ensure aerial firefighting is done even more effectively in South Africa. The Black Hawk finally arrived at Durban Port on Sunday, 01 October 2017, where it was carefully loaded by Van Wettens. Then started the long journey through rain and mist, when it finally arrived safely at its new home on Friday, 06 October 2017. The Black Hawk has a very modern design to it, with many few safety features and it is still being built in the USA. This 1980 Black Hawk will now be assembled and painted at Leading Edge Aviation, with the end result in mind of using it in the Working on Fire aerial firefighting fleet. Mark says he will be painting the Black Hawk in the colours of Working on Fire to tie in with the rest of the aerial fleet. “The Black Hawk will complement our firefighting fleet, such as the Huey’s, that we are currently using in firefighting operations. The Black Hawk can reach speeds of up to 300km/h and lift three tons of water per drop, where the Huey’s are currently doing one ton,” says Mark Jackson, one of the most skilled Huey and aerial firefighting pilots in the country. Read progress update, click here […]

  2. […] Also see Black Hawk arrived in South Africa and Black Hawk “The Puppy” update Dec 2017 […]

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