Coast mega-chopper flying into Tropical Cyclone Owen

Far north Queenslanders have called out for some heavy-duty help in the shape of Coast-based helicopter operators McDermott Aviation Group.

HELP: A McDermott Aviation Group's Bell 214B "Big Lifter" helicopter was tasked up to Far North Queensland in preparation to assist areas potentially affected by Tropical Cyclone Owen. Picture: Contributed

FAR north Queenslanders have called out for some heavy-duty help in the shape of Coast-based helicopter operators McDermott Aviation Group.

One of their Bell 214B 'Big Lifter' helicopters was tasked to far north Queensland in preparation to help areas set to be affected by Tropical Cyclone Owen.

The Sunshine Coast aviation outfit operates 14 of the 'Big Lifter' choppers around the globe.

The single-engine helicopter had a lifting capacity of three tonnes, double that of any other aircraft in the region.

The 214B was recently used for water bombing around Gladstone and Bundaberg to help firefighters battle enormous bushfires which destroyed homes.

The helicopter was quickly reconfigured and sent north to help with the cyclone clean-up.

The McDermott chopper and crew will help energy workers restore power to the areas affected.

The helicopter can lift entire power poles into place and carry up to 12 passengers in one load.

A grapple hook enabled the pilot to pick up and remove debris without having people on the ground and had been used previously on overseas flooding events.

Five other aircraft have been placed on standby for emergency services over the next five days, including fixed-wing and twin-engine helicopters.

TC Owen was now a Category Three system and its impacts were set to be felt in the tropics as far down as Mackay.

The cyclone could become a low pressure system around Mackay, or track back out to sea.

Heavy rain has been forecast to fall across the Sunshine Coast for the next four days.