Juliet being loaded on the back of a truck and trailer unit yesterday, bound for Motat in Auckland.
Photo / Michael Cunningham
Juliet being loaded on the back of a truck and trailer unit yesterday, bound for Motat in Auckland.
Photo / Michael Cunningham
After 22 years and more than 22,000 flights, one of Northland’s longest-serving helicopters has found a new home at the Museum of Transport and Technology (Motat) in Auckland.
The Northland Emergency Services Trust (Nest) bid farewell to Juliet at Whangarei Airport after a blessing by kaumātua Fred Tito yesterday morning.
To mark Juliet’s legacy and retirement, the trust also invited former and current pilots, who flew the helicopter, to the blessing, before its departure to Auckland by road.
Tito was glad the aircraft was being sent to a place where its history will remain alive. ”All the lives it saved during its service will now be remembered and told. It was one of those machines that helped save my nephew’s life quite a few years ago.
”I just like to acknowledge this aircraft’s service and also salute the pilots and engineers who worked on this wonderful rescue helicopter.”
Kaumātua Fred Tito blesses Juliet before its departure for Motat in Auckland.
Photo / Michael Cunningham
Trust chair Paul Ahlers called Juliet a “real workhorse”. ”It’s time to say goodbye to an old friend and thank her for service which spans more than two decades. During that time, she flew around 10,000 hours, travelling thousands of kilometres, carrying out daring rescues and saving many lives.
”Juliet holds a special place in our hearts as she was the first iconic Sikorsky S-76A used by the trust and later paved the way for four others of the same make.”
Juliet was manufactured in 1979. It was originally owned by the Jordanian Air Force and primarily used to fly the Jordanian king.
After eight years, the aircraft saw a change of hands and spent the next few years flying in the United States and Mexico. In 1991, it was bought by Australian businessman Dick Smith, who renamed it the World Explorer and used it to attempt the first east-to-west circumnavigation of the world with his wife and photographer Pip.
Two years later, then-Nest chief pilot Reg Ellwood flew Juliet to New Zealand from Sydney. With a flight range of three hours and overall reliability, the aircraft was ideal to meet the increasing demand for emergency services. Juliet officially retired from service in 2019.
Ex-chief pilot and former Nest chief executive Pete Turnbull, who spent the longest among his crew flying the helicopter, described Juliet as the “calmest and most comfortable machine to fly on”.
Initially, he said, some raised doubts about its performance to carry out certain rescues, but over time the aircraft proved to be a “very capable machine”.
He recalled a few rescue missions, soon after its deployment, when the aircraft played a crucial role in rescuing three passengers on a sinking boat and another rescue 180 miles off Kaitāia. ”It’s sad to see it go but, as pilots, we have really enjoyed flying it for missions.”
Transport curator Chelsea Renshaw said she was delighted the trust was donating the helicopter to Motat’s aviation collection.
”The Sikorsky complements our existing collection really well because it adds to the growing collection of first-response objects that have had an impact on New Zealanders’ lives.”
