VAI Member Spotlight: Leading Edge Helicopters, Australia Helicopter support services operator uses a fleet of one Airbus AS350 B3 and three AS350 B2s. By Jen Boyer Across the entire country of Australia, including the remote Northern Territories and Tasmania and around its base in Brisbane, Queensland, Leading Edge Helicopters has become a trusted helicopter operator for construction and utility services. Founded in 2005 in direct response to increased demand for power-line aerial support services across Australia, Leading Edge began operations with one Airbus AS350 B2 helicopter. Today, the company has achieved more than 15,000 accident-free hours, 10,000 of which are in power-line operations. Leading Edge has strung more than 28,000 km (17,398 miles) of draw wire, conductor, overhead earth wire, and optical ground wire, and installed more than 80,000 twin conductor spacers through early 2025. Fleet Expansion Leading Edge Helicopters has expanded over the years from one to three AS350 B2s plus one AS350 B3. The company considers the AS350 B2 the most suitable helicopter model for its specialized operations. The aircraft’s maneuverability, high power, and endurance help complete jobs effectively, efficiently, and safely. Over the past 15 years, Leading Edge has expanded to provide services for almost any support role needed in power-line construction, maintenance, and repair. The company’s list of construction and power-line services includes line stringing, tower erection and dismantling, insulator and pully lifting, concrete pouring, inspections and patrols, bare-hand maintenance, and spacer, damper, and marker-ball installation and replacement. Hauling Specialists Leading Edge has developed and certified equipment for its utility operations, including its boom hook system. This apparatus is attached to the helicopter so that wire can be pulled from the side of the aircraft, allowing crews to pull twice the amount of cable in half the time compared with traditional methods. The boom hook is rated for pulling up to 1,350 kg (2,976 lb.) SWL (safe working load), the largest weight capacity for any utility operator in Australia. Pilots monitor weight closely at all times through an onboard weighing system. Leading Edge also has a line-access platform for line workers and riggers to sit outside the helicopter and perform power-line work, as well as a Boost-brand human external cargo hook system for maneuvering workers directly to the job. In addition to power-line support, Leading Edge provides aerial filming with exterior-mounted cameras; firefighting; aerial survey and mapping; animal control; charter; and other operations, including humanitarian relief missions. Jen Boyer is a journalist and marketing communicator specializing in aviation. She holds commercial, instrument, flight instructor, and instrument instructor ratings in helicopters and a private rating in airplanes.
