SE-JEZ

Information

SE-JEZ was constructed by Sikorsky back in 1982. It was imported to Sweden in mid 1993, and thereby became the first S-76 in the country (soon followed by SE-JES).

Background
On 1 January 1992 new regulations from the Swedish Civil Aviation Administration prohibited single engined helicopters in EMS operations during the dark hours of the day. At that time the helicopter operator Norrlandsflyg AB was currently responsible for the ambulance helicopter activity in Norrbottens County. A few months earlier the Gällivare based company had purchased a twin-engine AS 355 F2 (SE-JET), just to be able to continue with their EMS activity despite the new regulations. The AS 355 was a temporary solution while searching for a larger and more suitable helicopter to put in service. Norrlandsflyg also operated a single-engined SA.360C Dauphin (SE-HLS) in the area, so they were used to having quite a lot of space in the aircraft.

The company went to the US to take a closer look at the EMS helicopters available on the market. They decided on the largest and most advanced helicopter type they could find, the Sikorsky S-76. It was the "Rolls Royce" among the EMS helicopters and they agreed that this helicopter type was to become the future EMS platform for Norrlandsflyg.

Arriving in Sweden
Norrlandsflyg found N5423V, a pre-owned American helicopter that had operated in the US for roughly 11 years. The company hired Keystone Helicopter Corporation to do the EMS conversion and to provide it with a new livery. SE-JEZ was painted red, and her sister (SE-JES) was painted blue. Keystone registered the helicopter N72WW for its flight tests prior to sending it to Sweden. The helicopter was registered SE-JEZ on 19 July 1993. It was followed by her sister SE-JES one year later.

Entering service
SE-JEZ soon replaced the AS 355 as EMS helicopter in Norrbottens County. It was in service as ordinary EMS helicopter in Norrbotten between 1993 and 1999, when it got replaced by SE-JES. The “retired” SE-JEZ became a backup helicopter for Norrlandsflygs EMS activities in Norrbotten and Uppsala.

On 3 April 1999 the blue SE-JES was badly damaged in an accident during an EMS mission close to Torneträsk (resulting in only minor injuries to the persons onboard). SE-JEZ entered service as EMS helicopter in Norrbotten once again.

A new S-76A (SE-JUS) was purchased, and it entered service in Norrbotten in December 1999. SE-JEZ was then put in the permanent position as backup helicopter for Norrlandsflygs activities. Each time one of Norrlandsflygs EMS helicopters needed to go to the main base in Gällivare for the annual maintenance SE-JEZ went to the location to make sure that the activity remained operational. SE-JEZ (also known as "Bettan") served as Norrlandsflygs “spider in the web”.

Starting and closing HEMS stations
SE-JEZ came to start Norrlandsflyg's HEMS base in Gothenburg on 14 January 2002. It was replaced by the permanent Gothenburg EMS helicopter SE-JUC in March 2002.
SE-JEZ was also the helicopter to close Norrlandsflyg's HEMS base in Uppsala after the contract had been lost to Lufttransport Svenska in 2003. SE-JEZ replaced the station's permanent S-76 SE-JUZ in September, while waiting for the new operator's interim AS365N2 (LN-OLL) to arrive. SE-JEZ left Uppsala near Christmas of 2003.

Moving to Gothenburg
Norrlandsflyg was acquired by Scandinavian Helicopter Invest (SHI) in 2008. The company moved its maintenance base to Gothenburg, and JEZ came to follow. The aircraft continued its backup duty, but was eventually replaced by the retired Gothenburg EMS helicopter SE-JUC (which had been replaced by SE-JUX) and the retired Gällivare helicopter SE-JUS in the backup service.

SMA Helicopter Rescue
On 1 November 2011 the Swedish Maritime Administration acquired all the stocks in Norrlandsflyg's parent company Scandinavian Helicopter Invest (SHI). The new helicopter department was named SMA Helicopter Rescue, which became a
subsidiary to Sjöfartsverket Holding (administered by the Swedish Maritime Administration). All the SAR helicopters were included in the deal. The purchase also involved SE-JUC and SE-JEZ, which were both stored at Säve Airport in Gothenburg. At this time JEZ had been grounded for a long period of time.

Retirement
Within a couple of years the Swedish Maritime Administration donated the airframe of SE-JEZ to the Nordic Aviation Technology Centre (technical school) in Luleå. It was transported to Kallax Airport from Gothenburg in 2013. The school came to use the helicopter as a technical trainer together with the S-76 SE-JUC.