Types of Civilian Helicopter

1. Police Helicopters

Members of the Thin Blue Line go off into the Wild Blue Yonder in the cockpit of helicopters that are capable of tracking suspects from the air. These helicopters are often adapted from or designed in the same fashion as military scout helicopters, such as the Bell series.

For example, the Los Angeles Police Department has used a Bell 412, which is also used by the Royal Air Force. Police departments such as the LAPD can use these helicopters to track suspects as they flee on the massive Los Angeles freeway system, giving squad cars vital aerial information.

2. Firefighting Helicopters

These helicopters are on the front lines of firefighting efforts across the world. That said, terms such as “air tanker” (used by US firefighting agencies) or “waterbomber” (used in Canada) are typically reserved for the fixed-wing craft. By contrast, helicopters engaged in firefighting missions are often classified as helitack models.

These are further subdivided into four categories by US agencies according to how much they can carry. Buckets and tanks on the craft are filled by submerging them in nearby lakes, rivers, or other sources of water. Some models are outfitted with front-mounted foam cannons.

3. First Aid Helicopters

Larger helicopters sometimes have helicopters of their own, and sometimes they are run by other medical teams, such as Boston Med Flight. Either way, these helicopters obviously have a tough task, needing to be fast while housing lots of medical equipment.

Some earlier civilian medical helicopters were adaptations of military ones – again, think of the MASH-style Bell series. Modern examples include the Airbus H145 and EC145, both of which are used by Boston Med Flight.

The EC145 measures 42 ft 9 in., has a main rotor diameter of 36 ft 1 in., a range of 420 mi, and features 2 ×  Turbomeca Arriel 1E2 turboshaft engines that enable it to reach speeds of up to 167 mph.

4. Search And Rescue Helicopters

These helicopters have an especially tricky balance to strike. On the one hand, they need to be speedy and nimble enough to get to the scene of an accident as fast as possible. On the other hand, they need to be able to carry a full payload of emergency equipment.

As a result, search and rescue helicopters are often modified versions of other models that have been outfitted with things such as sliding doors or more powerful engines. The S-76C variant of the Sikorsky S-76 is a perfect example of this and is used in this role today.

5. Coast Guard Helicopters

Today, the Coast Guard uses the Airbus MH-65, which they have employed in rescue missions ranging from Hurricane Katrina and Rita in 2005 to Maria and Harvey in 2017. These helicopters are specially designed to work well at all elevations, from high altitudes in mountainous areas to sea level.

6. Stunt Helicopters

The movie industry employs a ton of helicopters and pilots to help bring all manner of action film scenes to life. The helicopters that are used for this purpose are typically on the fast and lightweight side, and

7. Transport Helicopters

These helicopters are the heavy lifters on this list. They require a ton of storage capacity and, for that reason, are typically among the heaviest helicopters employed for civilian use. That said, given their heavy-duty nature, they often have military backgrounds.

The Chinook CH-47 is a perfect example of this. Despite its Vietnam-era origins, it has enjoyed an afterlife as a heavy transport helicopter, carrying massive amounts of supplies on relief missions to Singapore in 2004 following a tsunami as well as after the 2005 Kashmir Earthquake in Northern Pakistan.

8. Agricultural Helicopters

While we typically think of crop dusters when we think of agricultural aircraft, helicopters can serve that purpose as well. In fact, recent years have seen helicopters be used more for hydroseeding and other fast-planting purposes.

For example, the Mi-8ATS, a variant of the Soviet-made Mi-8 series, is used for agricultural purposes. However, there is some controversy surrounding agricultural helicopters and other crop dusters due to concern over pesticides drifting over a broader area.

9. Oil Rig Helicopters

Flying from platforms to rigs to land and back again is no easy task, but oil rig helicopters are up to the challenge. They are designed to help with everything from scouting out locations to pipeline patrol duty to cargo lifts.

Turnaround time between missions can be short, so operators of these helicopters have to work quickly to get them ready. Once again, Airbus provides some of the most popular models for this industry, with the H135 being among the most used today.

The H135 measures 33 ft 6 in., can carry up to seven passengers (or four for an ambulance variant), has a maximum takeoff weight of 6,415 lbs, a range of 395 mi, and is powered by 2 × Turbomeca Arrius 2B2 or 2 x Pratt & Whitney Canada PW206B turboshaft engines capable of 178 mph.

10. TV News Helicopters

One of the first TV news helicopters was a Bell 47 leased to Los Angeles TV mainstay KTLA in 1958. Few helicopters in American history are more iconic than the Bell 47, with it appearing in the iconic opening of M*A*S*H. Since the Korean War, it’s been used as a TV news chopper.

11. Party Helicopters

The lifestyles of the rich and famous take to the skies in these models. They are typically outfitted to be especially spacious, offering expanded cabin space so as to fit more people for bigger airborne parties.

The interiors are typically given extra attention, with leather seating and opulent designs. They can also feature extra features for added comfort, such as cabin heaters and defoggers. Models such as the Robinson R-22 are also quite easy to transport.

12. Multipurpose Helicopters

Some helicopter designs are versatile enough to be used for a variety of purposes. These offer a mixture of speed and power and are often among the most “balanced” civilian helicopters in terms of their overall capabilities.

For example, the AStar Eurocopter has been used in several of the jobs listed above, from transport to firefighting to TV crew work. In fact, it was an AStar, piloted by Zoey Tur, which was used to capture the O.J. Simpson police chase with the LAPD in LA in 1994.

13. Utility Helicopter

These are the Swiss Army Knives of the helicopter industry. They are typically light in build and can fulfill a wide range of roles, from search and rescue and medical assistance.

In addition, these often tend to rank among the more experimental copters. Take, for example, the HAL Light Utility Helicopter, which has been in development for years, and finally saw prototype demonstrations on September 9, 2020, around the Siachen Glacier. A Final Operational Clearance Test is scheduled for 2021.

14. Site-To-Site Transport Helicopters

These are something of a combination of private/party helicopters and utility options. While they are often quite comfortable, they aren’t designed with the eye toward opulence as party copters. Instead, they are more for getting to areas that might be otherwise inaccessible (for example, traveling between island archipelagos).

Even so, these copters are often quite comfortable. These helicopters are often employed for everything from transport systems to regional tours. The McDonnell Douglas MD 900 is an example of a helicopter that has been employed in this fashion.