Experiment in Information Retrieval

Why didn't I think of doing this as Marty Schwimmer did ?

After CNN reported today that helicopters were diverted from plugging the levee breach on Tuesday, in order to rescue individuals on rooftops, I wondered what is involved in securing sufficient helicopters in a national emergency. It took me two minutes of Googling to identify the Erickson Air Crane Company and obtain their email address and phone number. The Air Crane is one of the most powerful helicopters in the world (used for lifting trucks and putting out fires, for example).

Via Brad DeLong

Two minutes, that's fast. Still he may have started knowing he was interested in the "Air Crane." I happen to have known that the Air Crane is a very powerful helicopter for more than 32 years (that is I read about it during the Vietnam war) but you can't really expect a guy who served (most of) his time in the Texas Air National Guard to know that.

To be fair (and compete in googling) I tried to google powerful helicopters. It took me a full ten minutes to get to useful information. Partly I can't spelll and wrote helicoptors (cost 10 seconds till google corrected me). Mostly "powerful" is used for destructive power and google told me about those damn Apaches TM (the helicoptors not the Native American Nation). Also I got science fiction and video games and a lot of sites on debates about what new helicopters to buy for the armed forces. Finally I kept being told about the most powerful hilicopter the MI (I forget the number) Hind. They were made in the Soviet Union and are mostly in Russia and wouldn't have made it to New Orleans by Monday.

I found here that "There are very few "Sikorsky S-64 Skycranes" in existence. Since Erickson purchased the type certificate for the Skycrane in 1992, they have built 12 "E" models (20,000# lift cap) and 6 "F" models (25,000# lift cap) and have renamed the helicopter the "Erickson S-64 Aircrane". Erickson is the only company in the world that owns and operates the "F" models, having manufactured the first FAA certified models in existence." This means that the Skycrane/Aircrane might be in too short supply to have saved New Orleans (take that Marty).

Of course most people would have thought of the Chinook. I would guess the Defence Department has plenty for any eventuality but I guess Bush could have called the CEO of Boeing and demanded a few dozen along with ariel tankers so they wouldn't burn all the gasoline in Louisiana (or he could have called the former chief of procurement for the Airforce who went to work for Boeing).