Emergency & Disaster Response Helicopter Lifting in Queensland
When the road is gone, the corridor is still open. Rapid aerial crane tasking in about 20 minutes of flight time per load for flood, cyclone and infrastructure emergencies statewide.
The problem
Why this lift is hard the conventional way
In the days after a flood or cyclone, the ground network is the casualty: roads cut, bridges out, communities isolated and networks down.
- Road access can be weeks away while restoration cannot wait.
- Heavy plant cannot be mobilised across cut highways.
- Isolated communities need generation, fuel, water and materials immediately.
- Every hour of network outage compounds the economic loss.
How we do it
Aircraft, rigging, crew and duration
- Aircraft
- AS350, working maximum 800 kg on the hook
- Rigging method
- Standing rigging package held ready for immediate tasking
- Crew
- On-call pilot and loadmaster, riggers mobilised with the aircraft
- Typical duration
- Mobilisation targeted within 24 hours, subject to weather; about 20 minutes flight time per load once on task
- Task accepted with a scope call: what, where, how heavy, how urgent.
- Airspace deconfliction with emergency services and other operators.
- Forward staging established at the nearest trafficable point.
- Continuous tasking until the priority list is cleared.
Typical loads
What we lift, what it weighs, what it takes
| Item | Weight range | Aircraft | Typical time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emergency generator (compact) | 400–750 kg | AS350 | 12 min |
| Water and fuel package | 300–700 kg | AS350 | 6 min/cycle |
| Replacement pole hardware | 300–650 kg | AS350 | 12 min |
| Bridge or culvert hardware pack | 400–780 kg | AS350 | 14 min |
| Relief supplies pallet | 300–650 kg | AS350 | 5 min/cycle |
Indicative only. Working payload reduces with radius, temperature and density altitude; every load is confirmed against the day's conditions.
Get your price range in a minute
Tell us the load and the site. You see an indicative range before we ask for your details. From $14,000 plus GST.
Request a liftRelated work
Lifts we have flown
650 kg
Post-flood network restoration, staged loads
Pole hardware flown along a corridor that stayed impassable for six weeks, each cycle about 12 minutes.
Wide Bay · AS350
700 kg
Isolated community resupply
Fuel, water and generation delivered over four days of continuous tasking.
Cairns & Far North · AS350
620 kg
Emergency plant replacement
Failed hospital chiller replaced within 36 hours of the call, on-site flight time about 20 minutes.
Townsville · AS350
Site requirements
What you need ready on the day
- A single point of contact with authority to approve scope.
- Forward staging area with vehicle access and fuel where possible.
- Load list with weights, priorities and destination coordinates.
- Ground receiving parties at each drop point.
- Airspace coordination details for the affected area.
Cost factors
What moves the number
Response urgency
Out-of-cycle mobilisation carries a callout component.
Days of tasking
Sustained response is priced by the day, including crew accommodation.
Forward staging
Fuel and staging logistics dominate cost in cut-off regions.
Load packaging
Loads are split to stay within the AS350's 800 kg working maximum, keeping cycle times short and predictable.
Questions
Emergency & disaster response, frequently asked
Coverage
Where we fly this work
We provide emergency & disaster response across Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba & Darling Downs, Wide Bay, Rockhampton & Capricorn Coast, Mackay & Whitsundays, Townsville, Cairns & Far North Queensland, Mount Isa & North West Queensland, Moreton Bay & Islands and everywhere else in Queensland, mobilising from 18 min in Brisbane to 5.8 hours in the North West.
Related services
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