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{{Short description|Helicopter airline of Colombia}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2007}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline          = Helicol <br>(Helicópteros Nacionales de Colombia)
| logo             = Logo Helicol.svg
| logo_size        = 140
| fleet_size       = [[#Current fleet|See below]]
| destinations     = [[Avianca#Destinations|See ''Avianca'']]
| IATA             =
| ICAO             = HEL
| callsign         = HELICOL
| parent           = [[Avianca]]
| founded          = {{start date and age|1955|07|03}}
| headquarters     = [[Bogotá]], [[Colombia]]
| key_people       =
| bases            = [[El Dorado International Airport]]
| hubs             =
| secondary_hubs   =
| focus_cities     =
| frequent_flyer   = LifeMiles
| alliance         =
| subsidiaries     =
| website          = {{URL|www.helicol.com.co}}
}}
'''Helicol S.A.''' ([[Spanish language|Spanish]] [[acronym]]: ''Helicopteros Nacionales de Colombia'') is a helicopter operator based at [[El Dorado International Airport]] in [[Bogotá]], [[Colombia]]. It is a subsidiary [[airline]] of [[Avianca]].
==History==
Helicol was founded on July 3, 1955, as a response to the needs of the oil exploration activities in [[Colombia]]. Initially it was a joint venture between [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]] based Keystone Helicopters Corporation, and [[Avianca]]; as Keystone had signed a contract with [[Shell Oil Company]] to run oil exploration activities in the north side of the Country. In order to fulfill the air laws in force back then, Keystone searched for a Colombian partner who could take control of 51% of the stakes of the company, a role taken by Avianca. It was the creation of the first non-regular air services supplier in Colombia.
Three [[Bell 47G]] helicopters leased from Keystone became the initial fleet of Helicol, and Mr. Alberto Farías Mendoza, and important [[Avianca]]'s executive was appointed as the first general manager. Similar contracts were signed shortly afterwards and by 1957, the fleet grow up to 6 helicopters. Between 1961 and 1963, crop-dusting activities in helicopters were also performed, and in 1964, Helicol was hired by the Texas Petroleum and [[Gulf Oil]] Company to build the trans-Andean pipeline between the town of [[Orito]] in [[Putumayo Department]] and [[Tumaco]], on the [[Pacific Ocean]] in Colombia, a job in which the [[Bell 204]]s were used. The tasks required to lift heavy metallic tubes and locate them in the trace of the pipeline, through irregular terrains. Similar works were performed in [[Ecuador]] in 1969, in the construction of the Trans-Ecuadorean pipeline and similar activities were performed in [[Peru]] in 1970. It is important to mention that even former Vietnam pilots did not succeed in flying the Bell 204 machines, the way Colombians did. Additional services were also conducted in [[El Salvador]], [[Guatemala]] and [[Nicaragua]], in Central America. By this time, the company was fully owned by Avianca.
Helicol served well other activities in Colombia such as mining, power lines and hydroelectric dams construction; In 1980, Helicol was the largest helicopter operator in [[Latin America]]. In 1978, business jet service was introduced with the use of [[IAI 1124 Westwind]]s, becoming the first type of such to operate in Colombia. At that time, the company had established a maintenance center in [[Barranquilla]] where piston engines repair/overhaul was carried out, as well as maintenance support to Bell helicopters, dully authorized by the manufacturer for the air Forces of [[Argentina]] and [[Panama]].
In 1979, 4 [[de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter]]s were put in service, mainly for the coal mining activities conducted at [[La Guajira]], as well as to the oil industry. Helicol also supplied the ground and flight crews for the operation of 2 [[de Havilland Canada Dash 7]], owned by [[Drummond Company]], winner of the rights to exploit the biggest open sky coal mines in the world. Other operations conducted by Helicol on behalf of third parties included the Health Services of the [[Antioquia Department]] [[Bell 206]], as well as the [[Caracol Televisión|Caracol]] news helicopter. In 1981, Helicol leased 2 [[Grumman Gulfstream I]] aircraft from North American Air Service, which were later purchased to cover contracts signed with the [[Bank of the Republic (Colombia)|Colombian Central Bank]] for transport needs. 2 additional G-1s were also leased to complement the first two of the type.
Besides, the 47G model, other Bell Helicopters were also flown by Helicol until around 1984. Between August 1982 and May 1985, an [[IAI Arava|Arava 201]] aircraft was leased from IAI to provide support to the different oil and mining activities performed by U.S., Canadian and British companies in the Country. A [[Bell 214ST]] helicopter was also introduced in the mid-80s.
The advent of at least 12 Russian-built [[Mil Mi-8]] and [[Mil Mi-17]], and French [[Aerospatiale]] (current [[EADS|Eurocopter]]) [[Eurocopter AS350|AS350B]] and [[Eurocopter AS355|AS355F1]], allowed Helicol to expand its activities and by 1994, it offered a helicopter link service between the downtown [[Medellin]] and the [[José María Córdova International Airport|airport]], located in the top of an 8.000-ft. mountain, until one of the Bell 212s used was hijacked.
By 1996, the main shareholder, Avianca, decided that it was required to reorganize the company, and the MI-8 and AS350B were all sold. The Twin Otters were transferred to the sister company [[SAM Colombia|SAM]], and since the Westwind fleet was already sold a few years earlier, a [[Cessna Citation III]] activities of Helicol.
After the purchase of Avianca in 2004 by the [[Synergy Group]], Helicol's acquisition followed in 2007. By 2008, the [[Beechcraft 1900D]] were also added to its downsized fleet, these last to be operated by the recently founded sister company ''Petroleum Aviation Services''.
==Operations==
95% of Helicol operations are onshore.
*Support facilities and supervision of electrical networks
*Air Ambulance and Search and Rescue.
*Off-Shore Operations
*Fire Fighting
*([[Bambi bucket]]) Support for rescue operations
*Seismographic study with long and short line.
*Executive Transportation
*Cargo Transport
*Pipeline Construction and Maintenance
*Oil Exploration and Drilling<ref>http://www.helicol.com.co/contenido.php?Servicio{{dead link|date=February 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
==Fleet==
===Current fleet===
Helicol operates a fleet of both [[helicopter]]s and fixed-wing aircraft.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://helicol.com.co/flota/|title=Flota}}</ref>
*[[AgustaWestland AW139]]
*[[Beechcraft 1900D]]
*[[Bell 212]]
*[[Bell 412]]
*[[Bell_412#Specifications_(412EP)|Bell 412EP]]
===Former fleet===
*[[AgustaWestland AW119 Koala]]
*[[Beechcraft King Air]]
*[[Bell 205]]
*[[Bell 206B]]
*[[Bell H-13 Sioux]]
*[[Cessna Citation III]]
*[[Cessna Citation Bravo]]
*[[de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter]]
*[[de Havilland Canada DHC-7]]
*[[Grumman Gulfstream I]]
*[[IAI 1124 Westwind]]
*[[Mil Mi-8]]
*[[Mil Mi-17]]
==See also==
*[[List of airlines of Colombia]]
*''[[Helicopteros Nacionales de Colombia, S. A. v. Hall]]'', a [[United States Supreme Court]] decision in which Helicol was a party.
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*{{in lang|es}} [http://www.helicol.com.co Helicol official website]
{{Avianca}}
{{Airlines of Colombia}}
[[Category:Airlines of Colombia]]
[[Category:Airlines established in 1955]]
[[Category:Helicopter airlines]]
[[Category:Avianca]]
[[Category:1955 establishments in Colombia]]