West Coast Heli Logging 2004

Nami shows a fraction of what a day is like heli logging.

[@CaptainKoozmack]

I worked heli logging for Columbia in the early days, mid 1970s. Packwood WA, northern Idaho and finished up in northern California. a little more than a year under the hook. In the early days you could ride with them for a cycle I had 4 rides, 2 hauling runs and 2 test rides after repairs. The pilots were great guys. lots of stories to tell , I crashed a motorcycle one Sunday afternoon and went home and never went back. Another fork in the road on the great journey of life. I've never found a place to reconnect with all the former loggers and flight crews I've always wondered what became of the early pioneers.

[@curtyuiop]

omg, you are part of the group of the first heli loggers! I started in '95 until '05 only ten years. Good to hear from a fellow heli logger! cheers!

[@CaptainKoozmack]

In those early days all Columbia had was the Vertol 107s' and Hiller 12-Es' for logging. I chased landing a lot and ran 966 cat loader in northern California for abit when our loader operator quit. I got a nice hard cover book for Christmas last year, "The First Fifty Years" Its a great read, if you haven't seen it check it out! it should be on every ones book shelf that had a piece of Columbias' history. www.amazon.com/Flying-Columbia-Helicopters-Petersen-Skinner/dp/0979281709/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1545281307&sr=8-3&keywords=flying+finnsI sometimes wish I would have stayed with them for a few more years, "Quite The Adventure!"

[@curtyuiop]

@@CaptainKoozmackThanks for that info!

[@allgood6760]

Awesome.. thanks from NZ 👍🇳🇿

[@pcdubya]

Damn, what a day! About one of the only decent "reality" TV shows was "heli loggers " several years ago showing this technique, but it didn't last long. I thought it was fascinating.

[@curtyuiop]

I really liked that "heli loggers" show as well, it was about the single stem picking that is different from these "hooking" methods. Thanks for watching and have a great one. cheers.

[@edwardjohnson3570]

I think someone got hurt.

[@tobyvance893]

That bird was a fallen logger.

[@ThomasOlsenJr76333]

I was a landing chaser under both the Vertol and Chinook in Trinity County Northern California and up in Petersburg Alaska. Our turns were much larger, so was a bit more of a hustle especially the closer the turns are to the landing. Definitely one of my most memorable jobs I ever did!

[@curtyuiop]

yes, the reason this was filmed was because it was easy. normally it is as hard as you say.

[@nobodythatyouknow241]

Worked some heli shows on Haida Gwaii. Running loader in the landing under an S64 sky crane. And in Surf Inlet on the water drop running a side winder.

[@curtyuiop]

I also worked in the Queen Charlottes with CAC, I probably worked with you, I am caveman.

[@nobodythatyouknow241]

@@curtyuiop I was there in 06/07. Worked for Olympic.

[@That._countrykid]

That’s so cool man

[@daltonhorton3366]

Cool video. Was you guys logging with Columbia Heil Logging? They done some logging for my uncle here in Va. I ran a grapple skidder on the jobs. They would land it and id pull it to the loader and shovel we had set up. They used to come out here when we couldn't get roads into the jobs, really steep and rocky here.

[@curtyuiop]

Sort of, it is Helifor in Canada. Cool that you worked in the landing for the heli-show, 95% of the terrain is steep for helilogging, cheers.

[@thricecrazy33]

omg respect

[@Agislife1960]

I wonder if those guys have had the opportunity to work one of the Kamov KA-32 helicopters. One of the BC operators are flying a couple of them and say they're just as reliable and a lot cheaper to fly than the Sikorsky's

[@curtyuiop]

Yes, the ground crew (and some pilots) have a few years working with the KA-32. It lifted 11,000 lbs out of the gate!

[@ericlakota6512]

Right off the bat one nice log and some shit i sopose its cost afective i would think they would buck better and go for the good coast eveciant logs

[@peterhessels2903]

Hooked under that thing for a year. Think it's helifor. Kept in shape. 12 hr days more than enough. Was about 1995 when I was at it.

[@curtyuiop]

Yup, it's helifor, right on that you did heli logging!

[@WillHahn-nm2uv]

After a long way to fly 6700 lb on a nine and a half 10-lb weighted hook 85 to be just right

[@ExploringCabinsandMines]

Really cool but seems slow and expensive 2-3 logs at a time. That's a whole hillside !

[@curtyuiop]

Yes, it is expensive, for the Boeing Vertol 107 it was around $6000 per hour to hire it. But was definitely worth it for any customers as this method dwarfs conventional logging methods, producing around 3 million pounds of wood per day and "plucking" the wood from the land rather than dragging the mother fucking shit out of it.Conventional methods (old) produce 1/3 the amount that heli-logging does.P.S. Conventional logging is about 3 times slower. If you think this is slow, it is because it was an exceptionally long fly and the boys had time to video it. Think about YOU getting ready to go logging under this helicopter... then you just might shit your pants. no hard feelings, had a few drinks, lols.

[@ryanmckinnon8528]

I dont think so. Who was your camp manager

[@curtyuiop]

Bill Clarke, lol. and Cowie (Howie). I logged for Heli For through Sea to sky heli rigging, Tantalaus Timber, the sinnes crew.

[@antiyouthie]

I remember working under bill Clarke in 05-06 I was with Pete also. Last I heard that Truck loggers strike made everything terrible. He works in Wood fuels now? I remember working with a chaser named Al Rae. fucking loved that dude. wonder where he ended up.

[@curtyuiop]

@@antiyouthie ya pete is doing firewood in squamish last i heard.

[@WillHahn-nm2uv]

Skycrane the only login aircraft there is

[@curtyuiop]

Ya bud, I started with Canadian Air Crane in 1995 to 1998 with some of the guys in this video! I also worked with Hayes, Transwest, Heli Quest and here, helifor. The 64 Sikorsky F Model awww yeah. I worked under Elvis, Mariah, Olga, Hulk and more! Cheers!

[@vanhuuo6542]

Máy bay cẩu gỗ như này thì bao giờ mới hết được gỗ ....When will a wooden crane like this plane run out of wood

[@curtyuiop]

1 or 2 weeks for this block.

[@TimberTramp]

Sad when fellers don’t take more pride in their strips! Would have made your life easier and flippin’ turns quicker....good video though!

[@tobyvance893]

Thats a mess. Even for yarder logging. Makes take way longer if its not fell right

[@ryanmckinnon8528]

Where was this? I chased under 107 for 6 and a half years.

[@curtyuiop]

Ummm, lol I don't know, it is obviously one of the inlets between Vancouver and Rupert. I'll have to ask Nami and get back to you! When did you log under the 107, and was it in Canada?

[@ryanmckinnon8528]

97 -03 vertol west coast

[@curtyuiop]

@@ryanmckinnon8528 i'm pretty sure it's the squamish or elahoe valley, sorry for late reply lol.

[@vonmuller6577]

They lost all the good cutters after 2000! Columbia got cheap!

[@ryanmckinnon8528]

97-03 helifor horizon camp

[@curtyuiop]

well this is cavebitch, do I know you?

[@MikeSiemens88]

'Round about this time frame, late '90s, in support of our CAF SAR fleet of CH113/113A Labrador helos (Canadian military designation for the 107). We flew one of our birds to the Bella Coola area to have a look at a COLHELI 107 leased to Helifor. COLHELI had installed a new fangled Engine Condition Control system designed by an Italian company. Who knew Italians designed anything aside from shoes, haute couture fashion, Ferraris & Ducatis ? In any case it was quite an eye opener to watch a full blown heli logging operation and the extent to which the COLHELI 107 aircraft are stripped down to save weight compared to our heavily loaded SAR birds. Watching the 107 early in the morning with the hydraulic grapple pretty much dive bombing logs into the water without slowing down was nothing short of amazing. A humbling sight for our Air Force pilots who's SAR mission typically involves hours of level cruising in a heavy aircraft hundreds of knots out at sea, knowing if they lost an engine they were going for a swim.

[@happyjjlli]

you wonder why they have landslides out there. even for powder wires they don't need it that wide......

[@cuttheknot4781]

This method is probably not financially feasible for new growth lumber.

[@curtyuiop]

It depends on the site, but the ground crew will produce 6000 to 10000 lb turns for the helicopter ALL DAY LONG.

[@scotabot7826]

Love flying being a fixed wing pilot, but there is not enough money in the world for me to fly rotorcraft . Way to many spinning parts trying to tear themselves up, and in those conditions, Wow. I have total respect for these pilots, but in my opinion, to do this you have to be a little out there, or i'm just a complete wuss.

[@curtyuiop]

I think I would agree with you. lol