immediately place ALL S-61 platforms into Restricted Use category

Re: Should we still be flying large groups of folks (firefighters) in late 50's and 1960's vintage rotor wing aircraft?

Ab, I apologize in advance. Probably only Hugh or others in the Air world will understand my venting. My bad, but the underlying simple message is outright.... immediately place ALL S-61 platforms into Restricted Use category and don't allow my friends to fly on them.

An immediate end to the use of the S-61 platform as a "troop" (firefighter) transport should happen regardless of the WO memo and an immediate change into Restricted Use Category at the very minimum is required. You "air folks" should speak up.

I understand, it will piss a few folks off, but it is the right thing to do and I might get censored or redacted from some. So sorry that the contracting officers did hear the Lessons Learned when they put 3 ea. S-61's back on contract for Exclusive Use/Standard Category missions. I spoke up on the Heavy Lift Helitanker mess and got them grounded regardless of snipes and attacks they initiated in defense. It was the right thing to do, regardless of their influence. A half fix is still an Absolute Risk to those on the pointy end.

The military stopped the use of the S-61 for a REASON years ago and replaced it... and Marine 1 was changed from the S-61 platform for a REASON in transporting the President of the U.S... Hello.. It isn't rocket science.

Each and every firefighter fighting FIRE deserves the same protections afforded to our President and Military members. If they were still safe and serviceable... they wouldn't have been surplussed out.

Certain Civilian S-61 Examples of Falure -

• On 22 May 1968, Los Angeles Airways Flight 841 crashed near Paramount, California, resulting in the loss of 23 lives. The accident aircraft, N303Y, serial number 61060, was a Sikorsky 61L en route to Los Angeles International Airport from the Disneyland Heliport in Anaheim, California.
• On 14 August 1968, Los Angeles Airways Flight 417 crashed in Compton, California, while en route to the Disneyland Heliport in Anaheim, California from Los Angeles International Airport, resulting in the loss of 21 lives. The accident aircraft, N300Y, serial number 61031, was the prototype of the Sikorsky S-61L.^[5]
• On 16 May 1977, New York Airways' commercial S-61-L, N619PA, suffered a static rollover onto its starboard side at the heliport on top of the Pan Am Building, in Mid-town Manhattan while boarding passengers. The accident killed four people, and seriously injured one person on the ground. 17 additional passengers and the three flight crew members were uninjured. The accident was a result of metal fatigue in the helicopter's main landing gear shock-absorbing strut assembly, which caused the helicopter to tip over without warning. The accident caused the permanent closure of the Pan Am Building heliport.^{[citation needed]}
• On 16 July 1983, British Airways Helicopters' commercial S-61 G-BEON crashed in the southern Celtic Sea, in the Atlantic Ocean, while en route from Penzance to St Mary's, Isles of Scilly in thick fog. Only six of the 26 on board survived. It sparked a review of helicopter safety and was the worst civilian helicopter disaster in the UK until 1986.^{[citation needed]}
• 12 July 1988 a British International Helicopters S-61N ditched into the North Sea, no injuries.
• On 5 August 2008, two pilots and seven firefighters assigned to the Iron Complex fire in California's Shasta-Trinity National Forest, were killed when Carson Helicopters Sikorsky S-61N helicopter N612AZ crashed on take-off. Of the 13 people reported to be on-board, one other pilot and three firefighters survived the crash with serious or critical injuries. Both FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.^[6][7]

There are countless other Military examples of S-61 ( SH-3 Sea King) failures I will not even begin to address or take the time.

It isn't rocket science..... Move all S-61 platforms immediately into Restricted Use Category.... and have the ground crews temporarily drive to the incidents until a safer and more efficient platform is obtained.

Be a LEADER. Exercise your Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities......... STOP the next accident before it can happen.

/s/ Noname Semi-Leader that Anyone Can Call or Knows