Are you looking at shipping a helicopter? A helicopter is a lot different than car shipping, after all, and thus transporting a helicopter is going to be a lot different than moving a regular vehicle. But really, aren’t helicopters supposed to fly, not be trucked? The answer is yes, of course, but there are lots of different reasons to ship a helicopter as opposed to fly it to its destination.
Reasons for shipping a helicopter
For one, whenever you fly your helicopter, you need to be making money. Most helicopters that are shipped are used to move people, so they’re often sightseeing helicopters or personal transport helicopters.
This means that they need to be making money when they’re in the air, and you can’t make money if you’re not moving people. Not only that, but you’d have to do maintenance both before and after the flight and jump through a whole bunch of hoops that comes with flying anything.
So, ship it instead! Most helicopters that are shipped are done so either through the air or over the ocean, mostly because international helicopter shipping is pretty big. But for domestic transportation services, shipping on a flatbed truck is usually the way to go.
Why shipping a helicopter is done via a flatbed
Most every company that can provide helicopter shipping services will haul them overland via a flatbed vehicle shipping carrier. Even smaller helicopters can’t fit on a standard auto hauler or even an enclosed transportation truck (unless it’s really small). This means that a flatbed will be required, often a lowboy which are longer and ride lower than a typical flatbed truck.
Now, shipping a helicopter is often going to cost an arm and a leg more than even a large, oversize automobile. This is for several reasons. One, they’re a lot bigger and heavier, as noted. But two, they have a lot more things to check off and account for.
One is the blades – they’ll likely have to be removed prior to transport, so if you don’t know how to do that you’ll need to find a shipper who can. Protecting vital equipment is important too, such as sensitive instruments that can get damaged during loading or unloading.
Flatbed transportation isn’t perfect which is why many helicopter shippers – or companies that can ship a helicopter, anyway – only use them to ship to ports. Roll-on/roll-off containers are much more protective of a helicopter than a flatbed truck. But again, that’s only if you’re headed overseas.
There aren’t many other options for shipping a helicopter domestically other than trucking it unless you’re willing to shell out an arm and a leg to ship it through the air (viable, but for many people not cost-effective).
Get a free quote for shipping a helicopter with American Auto Shipping
If you are interested in shipping a helicopter, make sure to fill out our free quote request form. It won’t take more than a minute and will get you a free quote immediately. We understand what it takes to get a helicopter shipped, and will help you with your needs as well. If you have questions or concerns, you can always contact one of our own agents any time, toll-free, at 800-930-7417. They can answer questions, give advice, and make sure your shipment is priced to move when you need it moved.
Since 2007 Dave has written all the content and blogs for American Auto Shipping and during this time added the duties of customer support and transport logistics.
He currently resides in Washington with his three kids and their mom and cat. A fan of Marvel movies and good stories, when not shipping cars Dave can be found working on his novel, enjoying a good book or playing some tournament HALO.
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