04451

Information

This aircraft was delivered in 1963 as the first Vertol 107 in a batch of 10 helicopters ordered by the Swedish Air Force as regional rescue helicopters. The Air Force was currently using two Vertol 44Bs (HKP 1B), 01471 and 01472, as temporary rescue helicopters while waiting for the Vertol 107s to be delivered.

The helicopter got the tail number 91 and the military registration 04451.

The aircraft was involved in an accident on 21st of January 1969, but was soon repaired and returned to service. The aircraft was finally retired in late-1991 - after 5 806 hours in the air. The helicopter type was replaced by a new generation of Super Pumas (first one being 10401) in the Air Force.

Retirement and afterlife
The fleet of Air Force Vertol 107s were gradually retired between 1988 to 1991, as the replacement helicopter (HKP 10 Super Puma) was being delivered from Aérospatiale and FFV Aerotech. The Air Force's HKP 4As gained a total flight time of nearly 62,000 hours.

Following the retirement, four helicopters (04453, 04455, 04458 and 04459) were transferred to the Swedish Navy in order to supply the newly established 13 Helicopter Division in Ronneby with a fleet of HKP 4s. The book "Marinhelikoptern" by Ingemar Norberg and Peter Liander (ISBM 91-630-6078-7) says that the helicopters were converted to navy HKP 4B standards between 1985-1986 and that they were accepted by the navy between January 1988 and December 1991. The four converted helicopters were initially designated HKP 4D (reg. 04073, 04074, 04075 and 04076).

Four other ex-Air Force helicopters were sold to the large American helicopter operator Columbia Helicopters Inc (CHI) in 1991. The deal included 04452, 04454, 04456 and 04457. The company used Chinooks and Vertol 107s for logging, firefighting and sling load operations in various parts of the world, including Canada, Alaska, Papua New Guinea and Peru.

Museum
This specific helicopter, 04451, was stored at the Air Force Museum in Linköping and was hidden from the public for 16 years before it was decided that the helicopter should be displayed at the F21 Kallax Air Force Base Museum in Luleå. The aircraft was transported on the helideck of the icebreaker Ymer from Norrköping to Luleå in July of 2008 - a journey which took 15 days (including a number of PR stops along the way).