Helicopter EC130-B4 ------------------- Registration: N11QC C/N: 3358 (2001) Operator: Blue Hawaiian Helicopters Locations: Big Island: Hilo (PHTO), Waikoloa (HI07) Maui: Kahului (PHOG) Kauai: Lihue (PHLI) Oahu: Honolulu Intl. (PHNL) Hawaii, USA N11QC was the first EC130-B4 in service at Blue Hawaiian Helicopters. Blue Hawaiian is one of the world's largest aerial tour operators and is the premier helicopter tour company in the State of Hawaii, offering a diverse portfolio of twelve scheduled tours on five of Hawaii's six tourist islands. Blue Hawaiian operates a fleet of 24 Eurocopter helicopters of which about 10-14 are EC130. (Source: http://www.airmethods.com, http://www.bluehawaiian.com) Company History: Blue Hawaiian was founded in 1985 by David and Patti Chevalier with one used Bell 206. Today, it is the largest helicopter tour operator in Hawai and flies from five bases on the Big Island (Hilo, Waikoloa), Maui (Kahului), Kauai (Lihue), and Oahu (Honolulu). David Chevalier worked with Eurocopter to develop the EC130 EcoStar, which is increasingly becoming the mainstay for helicopter tour operators flying in environmentally sensitive areas. Blue Hawaiian was the launch customer for the EC130 in 2001 and is currently transitioning to an updated version, the EC130T2. The company has ordered 10 and taken options on 10 more. (Source: http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/) Accidents: On a somber note, five people aboard a Blue Hawaiian Helicopter were killed when the craft crashed into a mountain ridge in Puko'o on the east end of Molokai on Nov. 10, 2011. According to a preliminary report filed by the National Transportation Safety Board, "several witnesses reported that the accident occurred between rain squalls and one reported that it occurred during a heavy rain squall." A final report has yet to be filed by the agency. (Source: http://mauinow.com/2013/12/16/) WEB-Links: Homepage: http://www.bluehawaiian.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlueHawaiianHelicopters Twitter: https://twitter.com/BluHawaiianHeli Personal Notes of the Livery Editor (mhab): ------------------------------------------ The livery was not very hard to do. The reason to do it was because it is frequently used in sightseeing trips and Hawaii is a recommended scenery in FlightGear. last update: 2014-03-02