SE-JUZ

Information

This helicopter was constructed in 1985. It came to Sweden in 1998, purchased by Norrlandsflyg. The helicopter served as a EMS helicopter and later a SAR aircraft. It was exported to Germany in 2010.

Background
Norrlandsflyg had recently imported the first two Swedish S-76s when it won the prestigious intensive care contract with Uppsala University Hospital in 1996. Osterman Helicopter had operated a Bell 412 (SE-HVL) on a trial/interim basis at the hospital from 1993, but by contracting Norrlandsflyg and a state-of-the-art Sikorsky S-76 the hospital intended to establish a permanent operation. Norrlandsflyg put one of its recently acquired S-76A (SE-JES) in business in Uppsala in 1996. The aircraft was stationed at the Fyrislund Rescue Station, moments southeast of Uppsala.

After three years the hospital prolonged the contract, but required a more powerful helicopter as a majority of the flights were inter-hospital transports and often went from one rooftop to another. A pre-owned ex-VIP 1985 S-76A++ was acquired from the US. It was overhauled and prepared for EMS operations at the American company Keystone Helicopter Corporation.

Arriving in Sweden
The aircraft was transported to Sweden in late-1998 and it entered service as Lifeguard 993 in Uppsala on 7 of January 1999. Lifeguard 993 became a very popular helicopter among the hospital staff and the pilots. Its spacious cabin, fast cruise speed and great engine power made it a versatile Lifeguard.

Leaving Uppsala
As the contract period was getting close to its end the hospital opened a tender for the next period in mid 2003. The new tender resulted in a set-back for Norrlandsflyg, which lost the Uppsala contract in favor for the competitor Lufttransport Svenska. SE-JUZ was moved to the main base in Gällivare in October 2003, and Norrlandsflyg’s backup helicopter SE-JEZ stayed in Uppsala until Christmas 2003 when Lufttransport's AS365N2 Dauphin (LN-OLL) entered service. Norrlandsflyg carried out 5 222 missions with its Sikorsky S-76A and A++ helicopters from the Uppsala base between the years 1996-2003.

Gällivare and Africa
SE-JUZ replaced the regular EMS helicopter in Gällivare (SE-JUS) for a short while as SE-JUS was in for maintenance. It stayed in Gällivare as a backup aircraft until mid August of 2004, when it was leased to the French company Héli-Union for off-shore activities in Africa for 4 months. It later returned to Gällivare.

Search and Rescue service
As Norrlandsflyg won a new Search and Rescue (SAR) contract for two new bases in mid-2005 the company realized that a backup SAR helicopter was needed in addition to the four SAR helicopters in service throughout Sweden. When the new contract was initiated in the spring of 2006 Norrlandsflyg held SAR bases in Sundsvall, Stockholm Visby and Gothenburg. SE-JUZ was modified for winch operations in the autumn of 2005. It was repainted in Norway in February 2006 and entered backup service in late February of 2006.

The aircraft was used as a backup SAR helicopter between 2006 and late-2009, when it was replaced by SE-HAV and SE-JUY (both as backups). SE-HAV and -JUY had earlier served at the SAR bases in Visby and Sundsvall but those had recently been replaced by two new S-76C++ (SE-JOB and SE-JOJ).

Exported to Germany
SE-JUZ was sold to the German trading company SILAG Handel AG and its subsidiary HeliJet Charter GmbH of Düsseldorf in early-2010. The helicopter was kept in its SAR condition, including the rescue hoist and the red-white livery.

Guinness World Record
On 1 May 2011 this aircraft made history by breaking the Guinness World Record for the largest banner flown by a helicopter measures. The underslung sky banner measured 4,957.43 m² and it was flown over the Nürburgring race track, Nürburg, Germany. The helicopter was operated by Matthias Schlösser (Germany) of Helijet Charter GmbH, and the banner advertised the Württembergische Versicherung insurance company.