The Salt River Project was established in 1903, before Arizona became a state, and is one of Arizona’s three major utility companies. It is the only company to provide both electricity and water services, and the only one to operate its own aviation department, facilitating a broad range of operations over a 2,900-square-mile service area.

Farmers with Foresight

Salt River Project (SRP) is a not-for-profit organization and therefore invests its income back into its infrastructure and operations. Unlike publicly traded companies that need to maximize profitability for their investors, SRP concentrates on providing reliable, affordable power and water to more than 2.5 million people. Whatever money comes in over and above is invested back into the grid, so it is very proactive in maintaining and upgrading its infrastructure. Aircraft are major assets in that aim.

Outlining the company’s history, Mark Wegele, director of air operations, explained, “It started with a bunch of farmers putting up their land as collateral for the government to build dams to mitigate flooding and have reliable water supplies. Then, later on, they branched into power generation, too. Remarkably, some of the descendants of the original farmers who put their land up for collateral serve on the board. Some might not know it, but more than half of the drinking water in the Phoenix metro area comes from SRP.”

Continuing Growth

Growth is continuing and major data centers, with their associated high-power demands, are on the increase, so it is crucial for the company to maintain the grid to the highest standards and constantly work to increase capacity. Nowadays, SRP’s power generation portfolio is diverse, and they either solely operate or have a stake in solar, hydro, nuclear, wind, coal and natural gas-powered generation facilities. The company also participates in trading on the open power market to balance supply and demand by buying and selling energy.

 

Originally, SRP’s aviation operations were outsourced to chartered fixed-wing and helicopter operators until 1978, at which time it was recognised that establishing its own aviation department made more sense. A Bell JetRanger was purchased to commence air operations and served reliably for almost 40 years before being sold in 2017. This was followed by a Beech King Air fixed-wing, which was sold in 2003 and replaced by a Cessna Citation. Today the department operates a Bell 212 that was acquired in the early 1990s along with much newer models such as the Bell 429 and Bell 412EPX. “We also had a 427 and got rid of that at the same time as the Jet Ranger when we acquired the 429,” advised Wegele. “We started working on getting the EPX in 2022 and at the moment we still have the 212 as well.”

For Whom Bell Tolls

The company’s long-standing record as a Bell customer is due to very practical reasons. “We’ve looked at other makes but when it comes to the 212 and 412, we took into consideration how many people they carry, lifting capacity, performance, maintenance, operating cost, and comparing them to what other aircraft that can compete in those categories. At the time there was nothing competing that could handle the high temperatures, density altitude, and capacity. Additionally, having a streamlined fleet aids in some of the parts interchangeability instead of having a various mix of makes and models. SRP now has a requirement that its aircraft be all twin-engine, based on the perceived safety benefits of redundancy and enhanced performance.”

 

“We operate in some remote areas and canyons where there are not a lot of options to land if you had an emergency, and we do a lot of HEC (human external cargo) work, flying around the lines and towers.” Wegele added that while a B3E (AS350/H125) might have worked in terms of performance needs, it is single-engine design ruled it out of consideration against the Bell 429.

Wes Carter, a senior SRP helicopter pilot, reported that since entering service, the 429 had been very maintenance- and pilot-friendly, and the only real issue is that the air conditioner performance is not up to the demands of Arizona’s extreme summer temperatures, which can be a hard ask of any aircraft. With daytime temperatures occasionally hitting 120oF (49oC), the aircraft can get extremely heat-soaked when parked on the ramp, and sometimes it is necessary to pull it inside to cool it down. Overall, it has been a great aircraft.

 

EPX Decision

The decision to acquire a new 412EPX was based on its superior lift capability compared to other versions of the 412, its new FADEC engines, and a glass cockpit that shares significant avionics commonality with the 429. Some operational procedures are very similar, there are many interchangeable parts, and the similarities between the three models which reduce the number of differences pilots experience when swapping between airframes. “When we do crew changes out to the remote power plants, and when we used the 212, we’d get numerous noise complaints despite our mitigation efforts. Although the 212 is a proven reliable machine, it’s slower than the 412 and has less fuel capacity, requiring more frequent refuelling stops. The 412 has proven to be much quicker and quieter,” explained Mark Wegele. He added, despite SRP’s decades of accident-free hoisting, that the FAA’s new stance on external hoist operations in a 212 could no longer be performed without significant costly upgrades. This was one driving factor to purchase the 412EPX. “We were pretty much pushed to buy another aircraft if we wanted to continue using an external hoist in our operation. Plus we have enough work to justify the additional aircraft with all the growth in the Phoenix area- so much growth that we couldn’t meet internal demands at times.”

Crewing

SRP’s flight operations are usually all flown single pilot. However, for long line-patrol days, specific NVG operations, and hoist work, dual pilots are employed to reduce fatigue and enhance safety. Initially, after the new 412EPX finally arrived, it couldn’t be flown single pilot PIC from the left seat due to the unavailability of the left-seat command kit and a suitable left composite door with a vertical reference window. “To be able to perform vertical reference work from the left seat, we initially had to operate with two pilots until the necessary kits became available, which was not particularly efficient.” Once the kits became available, they were installed at Hangar-1. Additionally, as part of this endeavor, a new composite door was purchased from Bell, and a DART vertical reference window was fitted as an engineering-certified modification.

 

Jose Navarro, another senior helicopter pilot, described the 412 as awesome for repetitive external load work. “It’s much easier than the 212 once you get used to it, and it lifts more,” he commented. Carter reported that the heaviest he had lifted under the 212 was 3,100 lbs. on a good day, but the usual limit was around 2,800-2,900 lbs. The 412 lifts about 1,000 lbs. more, which, along with its greater endurance, makes for a much more productive day’s flying. It has yet to be set up for short-haul HEC work but does perform external hoist HEC. SRP is waiting to determine the best dual hook HEC system supplier that won’t require major structural aircraft modifications and minimal replacement of related HEC as equipment as lined out in the STC. Because the company already has all the harnesses, lines and related gear for around sixty linemen, full replacement of this equipment would be an exorbitant and unnecessary extra cost.

Flight Operations

Apart from urgent repairs or outages, minimal flying occurs except during early mornings, as the extreme temperatures in summer limit operations. Consequently, the busiest time for aerial work is from autumn through to spring. Wegele explained, “We usually have a no-touch policy over summer because the temperatures are so hot, and we need every kW of power with customers’ air conditioners going non-stop, so we can’t afford for lines to be de-energized at that time. During the summertime is also when the pilots do a lot of their annual training, and the aircraft get their heavy maintenance. With the growth and increasing high temps in Phoenix, we are setting new records every year for the daily amount of power demanded and provided, hence why we wait until it’s cooler when we can get a power outage if we need to, plus the aircraft can lift more in the cooler temps.”

Flight operations typically run five days a week, with pilots and mechanics on permanent, individually staggered four-day shifts, usually with weekends off. If there is a call-out for an air asset on the weekend or other day off, they will respond and be airborne long before any outsourced asset can be contacted and mobilized. “If there’s an outage, we are in the air pretty much right away. We don’t have to be available on our days off, but one of the four pilots and some of the maintenance team is almost always going to be willing to cover these callouts,” commented Carter. SRP employs six maintenance personnel who, in addition to maintaining SRP’s aircraft, wear multiple hats, such as serving as crew members in the rear as hoist operators, driving the SRP’s fuel trucks in the field, and rigging external loads.

 

The majority of SRP’s service territory spans from the Phoenix metro area to the north and east of Phoenix. Flight time via helicopter to reach some of these areas can take hours, and the flight department’s workload is highly varied. The work involves a significant amount of HEC, ranging from external hoist operations to working with a 75-foot short-haul line. The helicopters are also called upon to perform other external loads, crew hauls, river and economic development tours for government officials and special-interest groups, snow and water surveys, eagle surveys, line patrols, transfers of personnel and equipment to inaccessible communications sites, LiDAR mapping or hydrological surveys for USGS. The crew hauls to remote plants save around 300,000 miles of driving every year and enable the crews to work an 11- or 12-hour shift and still be home every night without the need to drive for almost two hours one way. They also eliminate costs such as hotel stays, if there are hotels nearby, and daily per diem. “The crew’s morale is higher, the powerplant and dam maintenance crews are more productive with less time spent on the road, the repairs are made faster and above all it’s safer reducing the chances of vehicular accidents,” Wegele remarked.

Lineman Support

Typically, due to weather, linemen start work very early and finish in the afternoon, and because the aviation unit is essentially a tool to support their efforts, the pilots, and maintainers’ workday must dovetail neatly with that schedule. Some jobs might entail dropping off personnel or materiel and then waiting for several hours, while other tasks require almost non-stop flying for the entire shift. Navarro estimated that he flies an average of from three to five hours each day. Flying days supporting the linemen typically start with showing up at around 4 a.m. and the linemen finish work at about 1:30 p.m., so the temperatures are not at their peak. The pilots attempt to schedule flights to minimize shutdowns, as extra start cycles incur additional costs and increase wear and tear on the aircraft systems. Carter advised that the linemen have learned to be aware of this and make efforts to arrange their work to maximize the efficiency of the air operation. NVGs are used at night, and the winter crew haul flights are usually during darkness for both morning and evening legs, so they are typically carried out under the white-phosphorous ANVIS-9s.

 

Awareness of the surrounding hazards is crucial to safety, especially in the low-level wire environment and Navarro acknowledged that when weather conditions necessitated placing the helicopter with a tower on his blind side, he is constantly reminding himself of its proximity and the associated lines. He added that when crossing a line, flying directly over a tower is the safest option as it ensures the lines are always well below the aircraft. The wind can get very gusty in the mountainous areas, and dust can be problematic, but there is never any pressure applied to ‘press on’, as Navarro and Carter both stressed. With linemen under the machine on the HEC line, extra vigilance goes without saying, and pilots always try to keep an option open for a way out in the event of some failure or mishap. “That’s where the twin-engines help out,” commented Navarro. “Worst case, we would rather burn an engine out to save the life of someone under the aircraft if we have to.”

Coming Home

 

Safety is obviously a key focus of the operation, and any measures to increase and ensure safety are completely supported by the company. Pilots and mechanics get yearly factory training for each of the aircraft types. If a pilot feels he is not fully current or comfortable, there is no resistance to them taking an aircraft out for a brief re-familiarization flight before engaging in any duty that might place any other person at risk. If a pilot feels that there is too much risk for any flight operation, whether it be due to weather, mechanical issues or any other factor, they have complete authority to call it off, with no question or criticism from the company. Wegele advised that in recent times, the company engaged an outside organization to audit its flight department, and after a thorough and complete analysis, the auditors found no issues with any aspect of its operation. An example of this culture is the maintainers’ regular daily post-flight check of the helicopters, even though it is not a requirement for the 429. As part of their safety culture, air operations are tracked using TracPlus’ flight tracking system, and if a pilot returns to base after everyone else has left for the day, once the aircraft is put away, they message Wegele to confirm that they are back safely.

 

With modern, capable helicopters, experienced pilots and maintainers, a completely supportive company hierarchy, no profit-driven stresses, a robust safety culture, a wide variety of challenging work, varied natural environments and user-friendly duty hours and shifts, working in SRP’s flight department would have to be one of the most satisfying jobs in rotary-wing aviation.

The SRP pilots certainly think so.