In heavy-lift operations, when you find a helicopter model that works, you tend to stick with it. That’s certainly the case for Siller Helicopters Inc. of Yuba City, Calif. Siller has been flying basically only two models — the Sikorsky S-61 and S-64 Skycrane — for several decades now, and that has made all the difference in the world.
The Company and the People
Originally founded as Siller Bros. Inc. in the 1950s as a farming and logging business, the company moved into helicopter operations in 1975 when it acquired a Skycrane as what was ostensibly just another piece of logging equipment. Today, that formerly internal service is now Siller Helicopters, and provides firefighting, hydro-seeding, HVAC placement, logging, ski-lift construction, transmission-line construction and general heavy-lift services to a host of clients across the United States.
At the core of Siller’s operations is of course its fleet of S-61s and S-64s. But, while the iconic helicopters may steal the limelight, it would be a mistake to overlook other company strengths, such as the quality of its people or infrastructure.
The most noticeable parts of the company’s personnel are of course its pilots. Siller has 14 full-time pilots and normally brings on six co-pilots during the fire season. For firefighting, both the S-64s and S-61s are crewed by a pilot and co-pilot. During construction jobs, a third pilot is added to Skycrane crews to operate the rear-seat flight controls for precision load placement.
Not surprisingly, Siller’s pilots are amongst the most talented, experienced and hardworking in the business. But, the company is having trouble finding their successors.
“We employ extremely talented pilots,” said chief pilot Roger Douglass, adding, “Our crews routinely do construction jobs in high-density downtown areas with all the logistical and safety concerns they entail. Because of this, we need pilots with long-line and precision placement experience, and above all, excellent judgment. On the firefighting side, our pilots need plenty of high-altitude experience, and, again, excellent judgment.
“When we look for new pilots, they need at least 2,000 hours pilot-in-command time, with long-line and mountain work [experience]. A new pilot also needs [an] adaptable personality, with a willingness to travel on short notice. During fire season, they can be [expected] to work a 12-day-on and 12-day-off schedule and relocate to anywhere fires are.
“All new pilots fly as co-pilots with our regular pilots until we are comfortable with their abilities. If they stay on . . . we will type [rate] them on the S-61 and S-64 . . . . Right now, our goal is to hire younger pilots and train them in the way we do things, but finding these pilots is a challenge as most of [the] older guys learned by logging, a business and flying skill that seems to be fading away.
Maintaining these hard-working, iconic ships can of course be just as difficult as flying them: it requires talent and a fair amount of innovation and forward planning. That’s why Siller opened its own overhaul shops for the engines, transmissions and hydraulic systems of the S-64E and CH-54A Tarhe (a military version of the S-64).
Said director of maintenance Rod Glassford, “Our overhaul shops give us great flexibility in getting parts repaired, but more so in maintaining the quality that is so important in this industry.” He said the company also has a quality assurance program to help further reduce downtime and keep aircraft availability at the highest levels possible (which are already said to be some of the best in the industry). Further, Glassford said Siller keeps an extensive parts inventory for each of its S-61 and S-64 helicopters, and his personnel “stay on-top of what we will need in the future.” Plus, the company maintains, “a very good working relationship with parts manufacturers.”
Of course, for all the vital hard work behind the scenes, the stars of the show are still the big helicopters.
The S-64
The legendary S-64 Skycrane has the power and versatility to tackle virtually any lift task, but operating it doesn’t come without challenges.
First flown in 1962, the Skycrane was the direct successor to the experimental S-60 (the last helicopter Igor Sikorsky was directly involved in, see p.124, Vertical, Oct-Nov 2013). Siller purchased its first S-64 (ironically, the last one Sikorsky ever built) in 1975, and its second in 1977. It currently operates two Sikorsky S-64Es, plus a single CH-54A.
Siller actually has seven CH-54s, buying them from the U.S. Army in the 1990s after they were retired from service. Three of the original seven were kept flyable, while the other four were used as spare parts. In the early 2000s, two of the flying CH-54As were put in storage, leaving only one Tarhe in active service. That aircraft went through a major refurbishing in 2013 that saw it obtain mechanical and cockpit upgrades, new wiring and a new paint scheme.
Both the S-64E and CH-54A models are powered by two Pratt & Whitney JFTD12A-4A engines rated at 4,500 horsepower each. And, both models also have a 20,000-pound payload capacity, although Siller normally keeps loads in the 15,000- to 17,000-pound range.
These powerful aircraft allow Siller to handle some of the larger lift jobs in the industry, which naturally form the core of Siller’s business. As Jim Anderson, director of sales and operations, explained, “We have done all kinds of jobs with the S-64E, but our bread and butter is firefighting, construction and powerline structure placement.”
On the construction side, placing air conditioning units on buildings and large warehouses are routine jobs. But, when performed in downtown cores to the top of 500- to 1,000-foot high-rises, lifting a 15,000-pound piece of equipment straight up and into position takes a Skycrane’s power and flight crew coordination to the limit.
For firefighting, the Skycrane uses Erickson’s 2,650-US gallon (10,031-liter) firefighting tanks with hover-fill snorkels that allow filling from almost any water source, including shallow ponds or even swimming pools.
Even with all its strengths, the S-64 does have some drawbacks, including the fact that it’s expensive to operate, and, although it’s relatively easy to fly, it’s not as smooth as the S-61. For instance, on approach to landing, the S-64 suffers from a large amount of airframe vibration.
Then there’s its high fuel burn, in the range of 500 gallons an hour. Said Douglass, “It really doesn’t matter how you fly it, it burns a lot of fuel; but that’s the cost of the power it provides.”
Still, no drawback can take away from the fact that the Skycrane is just plain fun to fly. “It’s a helicopter you never get bored of flying, nor will it let you get bored,” said Douglass, adding, “The Skycrane will never give less than an awesome performance and even today has some advanced features.”
One of those features is the rear-facing pilot seat station, which has its own set of flight controls for precision load placement. On a construction job, normally the front right-seat pilot will fly the load to the final placement site and hand over flying duties to the rear pilot, who will take over for the final precision placement; although, at any time, the front command pilot can override the rear pilot’s controls.
The S-61
With well over 50 years of continuous civil and military operations, the Sikorsky S-61/H-3 Sea King series pretty much needs no introduction.
Siller has been flying S-61s since 1980, when it bought the last S-61N built by Sikorsky. After some 30 years of service, Siller traded it to Carson Helicopters in 2011 for an S-61A. That particular S-61A had been a Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. S-61T demonstration aircraft. (The S-61T is Sikorsky’s new, modernized version of the iconic model.) Now used for firefighting and construction, Siller’s S-61A flies with a FAST Bucket or Bambi Bucket in the 1,000-gallon range for all firefighting operations.
The second of Siller’s two S-61s is actually a VH-3A, the VIP transport version of the S-61 that was created for the U.S. presidential fleet — although this aircraft, nicknamed “The Pres,” was never flown as part of that fleet (see p.96, Vertical, Apr-May 2013). For firefighting missions, this VH-3A (a.k.a., S-61V) utilizes a Carson 960-gallon belly mounted tank, but can also use a 900-gallon Bambi Bucket.
To ensure maximum lift, both S-61s have been stripped down to reduce excess weight. Plus, the aircraft have both been retrofitted with high-performance Carson composite rotor blades.
Both S-61s are powered by General Electric CT58-140-1 engines and their empty weights are within 30 pounds of each other, allowing for very similar performance. Actually, the main difference between the two ships is that the S-61V has a slightly larger fuel capacity, giving it a bit more endurance.
Siller’s S-61s are used primarily for firefighting, but in the off-season will do construction jobs and a bit of logging. And no matter what the mission, the helicopters are always very popular with the company’s pilots. Said long-time Siller pilot Doug Farfel: “It is a pleasure to fly, smooth and comfortable . . . a gentleman’s aircraft compared to the S-64. It’s a stable and forgiving platform and because of its fuel capacity and endurance, the best airframe when flying long distances from a water source to the fire line.”
Moving Forward
Over the last decade, firefighting has become the main focus of Siller’s operations, and the company has tailored both the helicopters and parts of its infrastructure to handle that.
Said director of sales and operations Anderson, “During 2013, we had all five of our S-64/CH-54As and S-61s working fires. They were everywhere from Montana and Colorado, to Oregon and into California. . . .” And that called for a lot of on-site support. “Once we are on a fire, the fire agencies expect us to stay in the air, so we send a fuel truck and maintenance/support trailer to follow the helicopter to its base. The trailer brings consumable parts, oils, maintenance manuals and other paperwork and other material known-to-be-needed in the field. It will also carry larger parts so the aircraft can be repaired immediately . . . . [It] also supports and provides a shelter for the crew . . . and of course carries what many of the crew feels is essential — a coffee machine!”
In addition to being a vital part of its business, firefighting is also a satisfying mission. Said chief pilot Douglass: “I really enjoy the fire mission, the flying is interesting and challenging and we are helping communities with people who really need us. On a personal level, I enjoy traveling and operating in parts of the country very few get to see.”
While firefighting has been strong, another vital part of Siller’s business — construction — has been in question due to ongoing economic uncertainties; but, things are beginning to look up. Said Anderson: “We are starting to see a steady increase in projects and opportunities in the replacement of equipment on structures and general construction, although it’s still nothing like it was before 2007. That said, because of the years of delays replacing and upgrading consumable equipment like air conditioning units, electrical towers and other pieces of construction material, we see more work coming in the next decade and are preparing for such.”
As for what the future holds aircraft-wise, Anderson replied, “The S-64 and S-61 very much complement each other and we simply haven’t found a better pairing of aircraft. Many times we put them on the same job to better meet our customers’ needs and save them money. This efficiency makes Siller a somewhat unique company.”
So, for the foreseeable future, as it has been doing for nearly 40 years, Siller Helicopters will continue operating its aerial workhorses. With the proven versatility of the S-64 Skycrane and the well-known dependability of the S-61, the company sees no reason to change what has always been a good thing.