Helicopter Lift
On Tuesday, March 30, 2010, scientists from the Royal Tyrrell Museum coordinated the removal of two scientifically significant dinosaur specimens, a Gorgosaurus (meat-eating dinosaur), and the skull of a Styracosaurus (horned dinosaur), from Dinosaur Provincial Park. Due to the size, weight, and location of both fossil specimens, the use of a helicopter from Alpine Helicopters was the only safe option for their removal from the Park. The two-day project was led by Dr. Donald Henderson, Curator of Dinosaurs at the Royal Tyrrell Museum, and funded by Bill Spencer, a long term supporter of palaeontological research and programs, and The Dinosaur Research Institute, a Calgary-based organization dedicated to funding palaeontological research across Canada. Phase one required a Museum field team to prepare both specimens for the helicopter lift. Each specimen, encased in its own field jacket, (a combination of burlap strips and plaster designed to protect the fossil during transportation) weighed approximately 1000 lbs and needed to be hoisted off the ground with pry bars, set on blocks, and then lowered onto the helicopter cargo netting. To make matters more complicated, the specimens were located several kilometres apart from each other, requiring the team to hike into the badlands of Dinosaur Provincial Park, gear in hand, to complete their task. The following morning, the team arrived on site at 10:00 a.m. and soon heard the roar of the helicopter engine operated by Dan Sheppard of Alpine Helicopters. After a brief safety meeting, the team positioned themselves for the lift. Each specimen required a person on the ground to hook up the cargo net to the helicopters long line, while the helicopter hovered above, a process that took only about three minutes each time thanks to Dan Sheppards precision flying. Both field jackets were then successfully removed from the Park and loaded onto the deck of the Museums trailer for transportation. Later that afternoon, the Royal Tyrrell Museum added the two new specimens to its collection. Each specimen will now be prepared in the Museums Preparation Lab and studied to further the knowledge of Albertas rich fossil history.
Originally published April 12, 2010.