Thanks to Erickson Incorporated, a global provider of innovative aerial services, The Hill Group saved around $45,000 on several heavy lifts along the downtown lakefront of Chicago, IL, in one day. They also shortened their project timelines considerably.
Beginning at 9:30 a.m., Erickson crew safely and quickly carried two 18,600-pound chillers to the top of a building across the street from Maggie Daley Park using an S-64F Aircrane, a heavy-lift helicopter. After quickly refueling at Vertiport Chicago, the Aircrane lifted two more cooling towers, weighing 10,000 lb. each, to the top of another building in less than one-and-a-half hours. The total project was completed by 10:50 a.m.
The Erickson Aircrane has a lift capacity of 25,000 lb. and is used for a variety of infrastructure and construction needs. In addition to flying and installing heavyweight ventilation and air conditioning units onto rooftops, the Aircrane is capable of raising electrical transmission towers, transporting timber, and fighting substantial forest fires with a 2,600-gallon hydrotank. The versatile S-64 aircraft was chosen by The Hill Group for its lifting capacity, which shortened the project timeline by reducing the number of lifts and avoiding the need to assemble the sections of the units on the roof.
“The Hill Group would like to thank the entire Erickson team for their efforts on this project, especially Steve Reavis. Steve’s expertise was an invaluable asset through all stages of planning this helicopter lift,” said Owen Putman, Project Engineer at The Hill Group. “The lifting capacity of the helicopter allowed The Hill Group to avoid disassembly of the chillers and cooling towers, which led to increased profitability and an improved construction schedule.”
For more information, visit ericksoninc.com.
