|
|
|
|
|
Construction and Installation Operations |
|
 |
The pride of UTair Aviation is its exclusive experience in all manner of construction and installation operations involving heavy air transport and aerial crane work with the Mi-26, Mi-8MBV, Mi-6 and Mi-10K helicopters. Numerous projects have been the object of intense media attention for their unique characteristics and daunting scale. Images of the company’s helicopters in action have become a staple of print media and film.
A recent example of the specialized operations UTair is supremely qualified to carry out was the lifting and transport of an 18 ton prehistoric mammoth carcass, encased in ice, discovered deep in frozen wastes of the frigid Russian North. This project captured global media the headlines.
UTair helicopters see regularly service mounting towers, drilling platforms, trestles and other large-size objects using both rapid-motion loading techniques with grappling gear and slower, precision erection techniques. Hundreds of such operations have been performed for the construction and installation of infrastructure in the Sverdlovsk, Perm and Tyumen regions and other regions of Russia, the CIS and other foreign countries.
Typical operations for UTair include laying pipelines and positioning cement blocks, installing and replacing large-size air conditioners and frame-support systems for mounting billboards, a wide range of rooftop equipment and infrastructure installation on tall buildings, changing filtration systems at chemical enterprises, and mounting towers for relay and mobile communications throughout Russia and abroad.
The majority of these operations were successfully completed with Mi-10K helicopters, also known as "flying cranes". These aircraft are equipped with cropped landing gear and a special, separate external car for a pilot in the lower part of the fuselage allowing for precise positioning of loads in the external load sling system. The company also frequently uses Mi-6 helicopters in heavy transport and crane operations because of its cargo capacity is among the largest in the world, second only to the Mi-26 helicopter.
A recent example of such operations includes the successful mounting of a rotating metal logo on the roof of a tall administrative building belonging to the Tolyatti Avto VAZ car plant. The installation was accomplished by a series of lifting operations for the eight components of their rotating logo.
The company also successfully installed a special elevator in the upper part of a 100-m long pipe at the Norilsk Nickel and Cadmium Works when the inner lining began to collapse. The elevator was needed to enable workers to access the damaged area from above as access to the point of repairs from below would have resulted in injuries to workers from falling parts. The operation required precision positioning and timing and the UTair helicopter crew was able to handle this job in a matter of minutes.
Cargo lifting operations can be conducted from any open area and does not require special ground infrastructure. Moreover, UTair undertakes all logistic and lift preparation work. UTair Aviation offers specialized training for client personnel at its center in Tyumen to facilitate independent loading and unloading operations. Trained rigging and strapping specialists then work under the supervision of UTair engineers, creating fast, efficient working relationships between UTair and long term partner companies. UTair has cooperative agreements with Surgutneftegas oil and gas company, the largest consumer of Mi-26 helicopter transport services in Russia and in the world. These cargo transport operations came about as a result of adapting technology for transporting geological survey equipment. Because building all year road infrastructures to transport drilling rigs is prohibitively expensive in the region, Surgutneftegas innovated the transportation of oversize equipment and personnel with the support of UTair’s Mi-26 helicopters. The launch of this type of operation, it was required to break down individual drilling rig structures to no more than 18 to 19 tons. This was accomplished primarily by removing the diesel electric power plants and transporting them separately.
Today, an entire drilling rig and team of engineers can be lifted and transported to any place within 100 km in a day and a half. In addition to reducing road infrastructure costs, it reduces the costs for maintaining a large number of drilling rigs as transport and removal are cost effective alternatives. This transport technology also provides for a significant reduction in expenditure for conducting geological surveys and for initiating drilling operations quickly and efficiently.
In addition, the use of high cargo capacity helicopters like the Mi-26 for the rapid and efficient transfer of drilling rigs reduces the environmental impact on the region, as it avoids the need for road infrastructure and vehicles which have significant erosive effects on the soil.
|
|
|
