March 19 - Volga-Dnepr Airlines has flown four helicopters from Italy's Milano Malpensa Airport to Los Angeles Airport for the Heli Expo in Los Angeles on board one of its AN-124-100 freighters.
The helicopters were loaded for the manufacturer AgustaWestland, and Volga-Dnepr also organised road transportation from Los Angeles airport to the exhibition site.
"We adopt special procedures for the movement of helicopters because big helicopters require a special load plan," explained Alexey Stepanov, duty load planner at Volga-Dnepr. "This usually includes removing and packing the blades so that they can be transported on the flight with the helicopter along with other equipment and spare parts.
"Sometimes horizontal stabiliser blocks or strap-on tanks have to be uninstalled, and the loading and unloading is usually assisted by the use of a special ramp extension or tow bar."
In the last ten years, Volga-Dnepr has operated 739 flights delivering helicopters.
