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Helicopters make the ultimate yacht tenders, but the marine enviroment treats them harshly. Here are some innovative design solutions for garaging them on board large motor yachts.
by Marilyn Mower
photography by Courtesy of Amels
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10/01/2005
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The age of the air tender is upon us. Yacht owners appreciate
the ease and security that helicopters provide by letting them join their yachts
on short notice. Moreover, the helicopter-enabled yacht does not have to raise
anchor and steam into port just to disembark a guest or two.
On Ilona IV. Top: The
helicopter lands while the yacht is heading upwind. Bottom: The flame-retardant,
landing pad (shown empty) tilts at a 30-degree angle to slip in and out of
the helibay. Photography courtesy of Amels. (Click images to enlarge)
While the masses first glimpsed air tenders in the 1995 Bond
flick GoldenEye, Feadship began incorporating them into the yachting
lifestyle with the roll-out helideck aboard Lac II in 1975 and the
helipad/swimming pool on Al Riyadh in 1978. Amels countered with the
first below-deck helicopter garage on its expedition yacht Maupiti in
1993.
For most yachts, a helideck reinforced to absorb crash loading,
figured as 2.5 times the helicopter’s takeoff weight; removable railings;
modifications to deck drains; and an additional foam firefighting system are all
that is required for daylight touch-and-go helicopter service. Some owners,
however, want to carry their birds with them. Maintaining these $2.5-to
$5-million investments in a marine environment is difficult, according to
pilot and former yacht captain Nigel Watson, who now heads helicopter consulting
service HeliRiviera. Helicopters carried aboard yachts without a garage must be
rinsed with fresh water several times a day, the turbines rinsed after each
flight, and inhibiting agents sprayed on sensitive parts. Indoor helicopter
storage ensures adequate protection but will add roughly $1 million to the cost
of an appropriately sized yacht.
On Ilona IV. With rotor blades folded, the helicopter fits neatly into
its garage, which is sandwiched between the yacht’s port and starboard tender
bays. Photography courtesy of Amels. (Click images to enlarge)
Despite routine maintenance, the helicopter carried on deck by
Ilona III was unserviceable after a year’s worth of cruising.
Understandably, the design for Ilona IV began with a garage,
although the owner’s decision was based partly on aesthetics; he didn’t want his
view from the hot tub to include the helicopter.
The innovative heligarage designed for Amel’s 74-meter Ilona
IV was not without its challenges. Unlike Maupiti, she has an aft
deck that is shorter than her helicopter. Complicating matters, the British
Civil Aviation Authority insists that nothing extend higher than 250 millimeters
(10 inches) on three sides of the landing deck. Working with Dutch subcontractor
Winel, Amels created an 18-ram hydraulic helicopter platform that angles below
deck as a foot slides into a shoe.
On Ecstasea. Top: Doors that
are part of the superstructure slide apart, and railings are removed for
clearance. Bottom: The platform, which has uplights for night landing, rises even with
the doors. Photography courtesy of Feadship/Royal Van Lent. (Click images to enlarge)
As her owner’s Eurocopter Ecureuil AS 355 jet helicopter
approaches, Ilona IV’s helibay doors fold back onto the main deck. The
elevator emerges from the bay, moving backward so the helicopter will clear the
overhanging deck above. The bay doors lock into the elevator sides, creating a substantial, nonskid platform for aircraft and guests. To store, the helicopter’s blades fold back and the chopper is made fast to the platform
before it tilts 30 degrees and enters its storage bay.
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