DELIVERING GLOBAL COVERAGE OF THE HELICOPTER INDUSTRY

2010 I ISSUE 64
32 contents
2 0 1 0 I I S S UE 6 4

28
wes lematta: a gentleman with
a vision
It seems so simple to state that Wes Lematta had a vision and
created an industry; that he believed that helicopters could
A stretcher is about
be used for more than moving people, and so the birth of the
to be winched
down onto the Isle commercial heavy-lift helicopter industry was born.
of Lewis ferry from
a CHC S92 during
SAR training off the
coast of Stornoway. 32
cover feature: UK SAR – A Vital
Lifeline
Photo by
Ned Dawson The United Kingdom has a world class SAR operation, and for
years the S61 has been the mainstay of the operation, however
44 as we move into 2010 a new competition is underway for new
types and new technology.

44


Taking It To The Extreme
Antarctica is one of those places one must try and visit in a
lifetime. It’s a place where conditions can be in the extremes.
But as John Eacott found out, its also a place where
memories will last forever.

54 anti
submarine warfare –
it’s a helicopters pLAYgRound
54 Hunting the hunters has always been the role of the ASW
helicopter, whose main role is to support the battle fleet or ship
they are attached to. It’s a game of cat and mouse and the
outcome is always an unknown. Chris Smallhorn gives us
an overview.

68
the human factor
To hear the tragic news that another Emergency Medical Services
helicopter has crashed in the United States and fatally injured all
the occupants on board continues to be a headline we read too often.

Regular features 82 82
Life on The Ocean Waves
It’s a gypsy’s life, always away from home, living life on the
From the publisher 3 ocean waves and if you don’t like fish then there’s no point

Industry update 4 applying for the job. Philip Bell gives us an insight into the
life of a tuna boat pilot.
subscription Form 11

90
The opening shot 26
the cost of training (or not training)
One of the most daunting tasks of managing any flight
columns department is the creation and implementation of a comprehensive
training program. The path from nothing to a well-functioning
Inside EMS – Beyond Our Control 19
training system is a trail that not many are willing to travel.
law & order – FAA Supremacy
Success comes down to desire and budget. How important
and Pre-emption Take a Hit 23
it is to the individual in charge, and the costs incurred to create
eye on eastern europe –
and perform the training? Glen White examines some of the
News update 25
issues involved.
Firefighting
5,000 litre
capacity

www.heliharvest.co.nz
Ph: + 64 9 534 4803
 from the publisher

W
CEO ell it’s now 2010, and we have entered the next decade, so I thought it was about
Neville (Ned) Dawson
time I put pen to paper – or in this case fingers to keyboard again, and welcome
PUBLISHER
all our readers, advertisers and contributors into the new era. We start this
Cathy Horton decade off with a new look HeliOps, one that combines both civil and military helicopter
operations into the one magazine. With so much cross over between the two sides of the
EDITOR in chief helicopter industry we thought it was a natural progression to merge the two titles into
Mark Ogden
one, and by all the feedback we have had it’s been well received.
european editor Over the past decade we have seen HeliOps grow bigger and brighter than we could
Alexander Mladenov have hoped for, giving the helicopter industry some well deserved exposure. But we are
not alone in what we are trying to achieve. Other publications such as Vertical also help
sub editor showcase this amazingly diverse industry we are a part of. Our mandate is to make sure
Leigh Neil
that every issue of the magazine takes our readers to operators in various corners of
legal EDITOR the globe, both military and civil, and to ensure that the imagery that accompanies the
Robert Van de Vuurst features is second to none. After sitting down and looking through the last twenty back
issues of the magazine I am pretty sure we have achieved what we set out to do and we
african editor keep raising the bar issue by issue. The next year is going to see some exciting changes
Kevin Barker
and innovations, which we are looking forward to.
ems editor As Heli Expo looms just around the corner it is an event I personally look forward to as
Mike Biasatti it gives me the opportunity to catch up with those I haven’t seen for some time, whether
it be our advertisers, subscribers, contributors or operators from around the world. Over
technical EDITOR
the three days of the show there is never a dull moment and by the end of the show I
Chris Smallhorn
have caught up many old friends, as well as meeting many new ones. It reminds me why
I TALIAN CORRESPONDENT I got hooked on this industry in the first place, back when I was just a kid. In fact I can
Damiano Gualdoni still remember very vividly my first ever ride in a helicopter. It was with Flt Lt John Marrett,
in a Sioux of the Royal New Zealand Air Force and I was about ten years old but it had a
proofreader
lasting impression.
Barbara McIntosh
This passion is what drives people such as myself, and my team here at HeliOps.
PRINTING Publications are here as a resource for the helicopter industry, to help you showcase the
GEON various segments of the industry everyone operates in.
This issue of HeliOps is a classic example of the diversity I speak of. Our cover feature
is all about the vital lifeline the crews of the UK SAR community provide to residents of
the United Kingdom. With bases all over the coastline the SAR crews operate in some of
the harshest conditions I have ever seen. I got to experience their professionalism first-
hand, getting winched down onto the back of the Isle of Lewis ferry. Now that was an
eye-opening experience and one that left me with a grin from ear to ear for the rest of my
visit. At the other end of the globe John Eacott was spending some time flying an AS350
around Antarctica and he gives us an insight into what it was like flying around the ice
continent. It’s a place I have always longed to visit and this story from John just wets the
appetite even further, and we hope it does the same for you.
While the movie The Hunt for Red October might have pitted one sub against another,
Chris Smallhorn gives us a rare insight into the role of the helicopter in the ASW (Anti
Submarine Warfare) role. Having been hands-on in this role Chris is well credentialed
to tell us how the hunter becomes the hunted, and it makes for some great reading.
Every month or two we are hearing about yet another EMS helicopter crash in the United
States. Glen White spends some time looking at the human factors involved in these
accidents and the trends that have been occurring. The one common denominator
in the majority of these accidents is the human, and like it or not the EMS segment of
our industry has to start paying a lot closer attention to what is happening – or we will
EDITORIAL ADDRESS continue to lose pilots and crews. Glen’s other feature looks at training and its importance
Oceania Group Intl
to everyday operations. Before you make your next decision on whether your pilots need
PO Box 37 978, Parnell
Auckland, New Zealand
recurrency or additional training – read this story.
PHONE: + 64 21 757 747 In closing off my editorial I want to highlight the great piece Dan Sweet did on the life
FAX: + 64 9 528 3172 and times of Wes Lematta, who passed away a few weeks ago. Wes was a pioneer
of this industry and when you talk about Chinooks, Skycranes, Vertols or S61s, you
EMAIL
cant help but think about Wes as his name became synonymous with these types of
info@oceaniamediagroup.com
helicopters. Over the years HeliOps has worked closely with Columbia Helicopters and
on behalf of all of our team we extend our sincere condolences to Nancy and the whole
www.heliopsmag.com Lematta family as well as the staff of Columbia Helicopters.n

www.heliopsforum.com N ed D awson
CEO

3
industry update

Filter for Bell 430

Aerospace Filtration Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Donaldson Company,
has received a Supplemental Type Certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration
for an Inlet Barrier Filter (IBF) system for the Bell 430 helicopter. With this new
IBF solution, Bell 430 fleet operators will quickly realize a return on their investment
through reduced operating costs along with enhanced performance and expanded
operational capabilities.
The IBF system includes the following features:

• Sealed intake plenum on each engine intake with integral filter elements that replace
the inlet screens or internal particle separator;
• Unique intake bypass system not available with the certified 430 particle separator;
• Simple compact cockpit switch, common with all our certified systems, allows
indication and activation of the bypass system;
• Integral Filter Maintenance Aid allows for on-condition inspections between established cleaning intervals, eliminating unnecessary service--
filter service cycle is required at 300 flight hours or one year with each filter capable of 15 service cycles (4,500 flight hours) or possibly sooner
if operating in high sand/dust content adverse environment conditions; and
• Performance operation to the basic inlet charts providing operators additional capability while maintaining maximum engine protection.

To achieve the certification, AFS worked in partnership with a large offshore energy exploration operator who assisted in the flight test
development program. “We are eager to support customers’ needs. Operators worldwide have contacted us requesting assistance in improving
engine protection for their 430 helicopters,” said Robert Stenberg, Business Development Director for AFS. “Our Bell 430 system can help
offshore; corporate, helicopter emergency medical services and other operators reduce the likelihood of engine damage from foreign object
debris, salt-spray corrosion and other contaminants, offering a better solution than currently available.”
 safety matters

Total situational awareness is the key to optimum helicopter

performance, enhanced safety and your bottom line.

Honeywell provides helicopter operators and crews with a 360º Sphere

of Awareness with:

Zing® HUMS for internal aircraft monitoring and condition-based maintenance

Zing ® HUMS monitors, records Traffic Collision Avoidance Systems

and reports aircraft component
parameters and advises the The first HTAWS to be awarded a TSO by the FAA
appropriate maintenance actions.
Primus™ weather radars

Safety matters to your bottom line by: Increasing aircraft availability and
uptime; lowering maintenance costs; mid-air collision and CFIT avoidance;
and the ability to operate in changing weather conditions.

Honeywell – your partner in helicopter safety.

or more information, visit www.honeywell.com/MyAerospace

www.missionready.com/helicopter_safety
or call Doug Kult at 1-602-231-1238
industry update

KEEPING TRACK OF FIRE FIGHTERS

Tracking service provider TracPlus Global today announced that it
has been selected as the exclusive provider of tracking integration
services for national aerial firefighting operations in Australia for
the next four years. NAFC (National Aerial Firefighting Centre), the
Australian organization charged with the coordination of firefighting
aircraft across Australia issued a global request for proposals in
April 2008 to establish a national standard for aviation tracking in
real time.
Richard Alder, General Manager of NAFC said “We chose TracPlus
because it not only allows our contracted aircraft operators to
The originator of the
choose tracking equipment and service providers that meet their
carbon fibre boom concept
specific needs, but also provides the flexibility necessary for the
For Robinson R44
many different fire agencies involved to get the data when they
• Lightweight, 72kg with 4hp Honda
want it and in the form they need it. We know well the benefits of • Low mass oscillation absorbing
real-time tracking, having previously had various systems in place, carbon fibre booms • All stainless/
but the adoption of a fully integrated national approach represents carbon fibre construction means
a great leap forward. The improvements in communication and zero corrosion • Fast and simple
installation and removal • Single
coordination that will result will also greatly help sharing of aircraft
boom isolation option.
between Australian agencies to help deal with the sort of disastrous
fire events that we have faced in recent years.” For AS350 B2, B3 and Super C
Stuart Campbell, CEO of TracPlus Global said, “While it was a little • 1000 litre capacity with room for
daunting to know that we were competing against every tracking foaming • Belly tank incorporating
company in the world, we were always confident that NAFC would simple one person installation
and removal • Forward mounted
immediately see and understand the unique value of TracPlus
carbon fibre booms • Optional light
interoperable offer – and this announcement confirms that. It also weight carbon fibre tank • Single
means that NAFC has the opportunity to include ground assets such boom isolation option • Accurate,
as fire trucks and personnel should they so wish.” “The importance of pressure operated contents gauge
having been selected for a nationwide deployment in such a crucial in pilot’s console • Dump doors
open and close from pilot’s controls
emergency sector cannot be understated. To our knowledge, this
for fire fighting and partial load
is the first time that a commercial company has provided such a dumps • Designed by Operators
national undertaking in aerial firefighting anywhere in the world, and for Operators • Competitively priced
we are extremely confident in our ability to demonstrate that Australia
has made the right decision.” said Campbell.

Siberian helicopters have no fear of frost • 220 litres capacity per pod
Unprecedented frost spreading across Europe and the West of • Light weight – each pod only
Russia has reached Siberia as well. In Buryatia the thermometer weight 14 kg • 250lb structural
load per pod • Vented for animal
dropped to 40° below zero. However it’s an ordinary winter
carriage • Removable drain bung
temperature for Siberia. Therefore whatever is produced there – is for cleaning • Simple 30 second
produced allowing for frost. Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant is no exception. installation or removal • Elegant
Forty degrees below had no impact on the test flight program of design and excellent functionality.
the Mi-171E and Mi-171Sh. Amid the frosts all flights at the plant
were carried out in routine mode and in full scale, with delivery
acceptances continuing without interruption.
Battery Installation for Bell 206, AS350, MD369C, D, E, F, 530F, 600N
“In Ulan-Ude it’s not only cold
in winter but very hot in summer. • Maintenance free sealed lead acid batteries • Light weight –
15lb saving over conventional lead acid battery • 16 amp
Sometimes it goes up to +40…45ºC,”
hours (typical NICad is only 13 amp hours) • improved starting
said Nikolai Bakharev, the chief of • Initial installation $1800 NZD + gst • Replacement batteries
test flight. “We perform test flights $700 NZD +gst.
of the Mi-171 range of helicopters
in routine mode in hot conditions as well. Generally we believe Contact Roger to discuss all your helicopter requirements
that the geography of our plant is advantageous to our flight test
program. Due to the extreme temperatures, Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant
International: +64 27 498 2812
is able to check our helicopters at any temperature range, including Within New Zealand: 027 498 2812
temperatures close to maximum permissive values.” Email: heli.specs@hotmail.com
industry update

REBTECH Debuts New Website CH-53K Achieves

Successful Integration
Night vision equipment and technology leader, REBTECH has announced a new website to allow
Design Review
easier and more informative access to the features and capabilities of the company. Best known
for its helicopter and airplane night vision cockpits and lighting systems over the past 14 years, Sikorsky announced that an Integration
REBTECH is also on the forefront of the development and integration of new night vision lighting Design Review (IDR) of the CH-53K
systems for civil and military aircraft around the world. Heavy Lift Helicopter program has
charted a course for a successful Critical
The website, with a new URL, www.rebtechnvg.com has received a complete update and
Design Review in 2010. Sikorsky’s
upgrade to allow easier and more informative access to the company’s capabilities. Even in
CH-53K program team hosted a two-day
the wake of a challenging worldwide economy, REBTECH has enjoyed a very successful and
meeting in November to bring together
prosperous 2009, and this year holds even more promise according to company president Richard
the program’s key collaborators for an
Borkowski. “We are making capital investments in our company to continue what we expect will
in-depth discussion on system design
be yet another significant year of growth in 2010,” commented Borkowski. “We look forward to compliance and verification, design
strengthening our reputation for unparalleled service and support. As part of the ongoing growth integration and cross-discipline system
at REBTECH, the company has recently purchased the 16,000 square ft office building that it has design attributes. Participating in the
been leasing for the last three years. The purchase will allow expansion of much-needed space for meeting were members of the Office
research, development and support for REBTECH’s night vision customers around the world and of the Secretary of Defense, NAVAIR
as a regional office for their NVG Flight Training partner Night Flight Concepts. Technical Review Board, and the
NAVAIR/Sikorsky CH-53K team. Sikorsky
Aircraft received a $US3 billion System
Development and Demonstration contract
on April 5, 2006 to develop a replacement
for the US Marine Corps CH-53E heavy
lift helicopter. The new aircraft program
is planned to include production of more
than 200 new aircraft.
“This IDR meeting reinforced the joint
efforts that are keeping the CH-53K
helicopter on track to meet its objectives,
which include design compliance and
verification planning,” said Mark Cherry,
Sikorsky Vice President, Marine Corps
Systems. “We have identified our “next
steps” as the CH-53K helicopter program
moves with strength toward production.”
Mike Torok, Vice-President and Marine
Corps Systems Chief Engineer added,
“These reviews are key steps to ensure
the transition from design to build and test
this aircraft proceeds at minimum risk.
The CH-53K is no longer just on paper –
we’ve already started building the aircraft
that will fill a critical need for current
and future warfighters.” The CH-53K will
maintain virtually the same footprint as the
CH-53E, but will nearly triple the payload
to 27,000 lbs over 110 nautical miles
under “hot high” ambient conditions.
The CH-53K’s maximum gross weight
(MGW) with internal loads is 74,000 lbs
compared to 69,750 lbs for the CH-53E.
The CH-53K’s MGW with external loads
is 88,000 lbs as compared to 73,500 lbs
for the CH-53E helicopter. Features of
the CH-53 include – a joint interoperable
glass cockpit; fly-by-wire flight controls;
fourth generation rotor blades with
anhedral tips; a low-maintenance
elastomeric rotor head; upgraded
engines; a locking cargo rail system;
external cargo handling improvements;
survivability enhancements and reduced
operation and support costs.
industry update
HUMS FOR THE BLACKHAWK
Helicopter Support Inc (HSI) announced the signing of a memorandum of
understanding (MOU) with Goodrich Corporation to collaboratively promote an
advanced aircraft maintenance solution to the worldwide rotary aircraft market.
The Health and Usage Monitoring Systems (HUMS) developed by Goodrich’s
Sensors and Integrated Systems business is a series of networked diagnostic
sensors that continuously and comprehensively monitors the mechanical
performance of the entire aircraft. This powerful system provides real-time
data that enhances predictive maintenance. Integrating the HUMS data
with Sikorsky Aerospace Services’ OEM installation expertise and support
capabilities enables a breakthrough, proactive maintenance system that
lowers operating costs and increases fleet availability.
“Our global OEM expertise, diverse specialties and experience position SAS
as the premiere one-stop service provider in today’s demanding market,” said
David Adler, President of Sikorsky Aerospace Services. “We are able to sell,
support and maintain the Goodrich HUMS, and this full capacity exemplifies
the unparalleled value we offer our customers worldwide.” Jan Mathiesen,
Vice-President of Goodrich Sensors and Integrated Systems to the US military
continues, “We are the leading supplier of Vehicle Health Management Systems
to the US military. Our systems have been validated on multiple aircraft
including the Sikorsky BLACK HAWK helicopter, with documented reduction
in maintenance time and costs. It’s a natural progression to offer our HUMS
systems for international BLACK HAWK helicopter fleets, and we are pleased to
collaborate with Sikorsky Aerospace Services and HSI to enable international
customers to benefit from the total aircraft care package they can provide.”
ChopperlineHalfPageadd.pdf 1 10/16/2009 1:20:30 PM
DART and Flight Management
Systems Partner Up To Provide
Digital Moving Maps
DART Helicopter Services (DHS) today announced a new
distribution agreement with the Flight Management Systems
(FMS). The relationship will allow DHS customers access to
another useful helicopter accessory - digital moving maps.
“FMS is a leader in digital moving map technology,” said Jeff
Shapiro, DHS President. “The relationship is a valuable addition
for us. We are excited to be able to work with FMS to offer
their map system to our customers.” The moving map software
utilizes geographic information systems (GIS) to offer more
information than conventional scanned paper maps. In addition
to being current, the technology enables a user to add as many
layers of information as needed. Being able to view the location
of potential hazards like cell phone towers and electrical wires,
as well as helpful information like underground pipelines, and
reverse 911 information, the map can enable the team to
quickly and accurately identify a target address. Also, data
gathered during a mission can be transferred to another system
via USB, making information sharing simple. “The entire FMS
team is excited about the opportunities our relationship with
DHS will bring.” FMS president Greg Taylor added, “Although
we have a presence in several global locations, we will be able
to reach those in Europe, an area we haven’t serviced yet.”
DELIVERING GLOBAL COVERAGE OF THE HELICOPTER INDUSTRY

DELIVERING GLOBAL COVERAGE OF THE HELICOPTER INDUSTRY

2010 I ISSUE 64

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t h e m a g a z i n e f o r t h e h e l i c o p t e r i n d u s t r y
industry update

Certification of Sliding Door Hinge Kit for the AS 350 / AS 355

DART is pleased to announce that their affiliated partner, DART Aerospace Ltd., has received Transport Canada, FAA and EASA approvals for their
Sliding Door Hinge Kit for the AS 350 / AS 355 series of aircraft. The Sliding Door Hinge Kit modifies the OEM sliding door to a forward-opening
hinge door. These kits alleviate sliding door track and roller inspection requirements and costly repairs. This simple design provides a gas spring
assisted door that smoothly opens for easy passenger loading.
The DART Sliding Door Hinge Kit also makes that aircraft compatible with DART Spacepods™
and other baggage compartment extenders.
Product Benefits:
• Alleviates necessity for mandatory 100 hr track and roller inspections
• Uses existing OEM sliding door
• Components feature scratch resistant powder coat finish
• Gas spring assists in door opening and closing and keeps door in the open position.
“DART hinge kit for the sliding door is a solution that increases the aircraft’s compatibility options, thereby increasing the operational and
contractual possibilities. Add to this the fact that this kit removes components with high maintenance and replacement requirements and you’ve got
a kit that is both economical and functional.” Quote Bill Beckett, General Manager, DART Aerospace Ltd.

DART Announces
FAA-Approval
of Liferaft Kit
for the AW139
DART Helicopter Services announces
that their subsidiary partner Apical
Industries, Inc. has received FAA-
approval for their AB139 & AW139 High
Density Liferaft Kit. Transport Canada
and EASA approvals are still pending.
The Liferaft Kit consists of two externally
mounted Liferaft Pod Assemblies (LH
and RH),a Liferaft inflation reservoir with
a mechanical activation system, as well
as all of the plumbing, pull cables and
hardware required for installation. The
Liferaft Pod Assemblies are comprised
of an aluminum mounting structure, a
fabric top cover, a carbon fiber bottom
cover, a reversible Liferaft and an
integrated composite Passenger Step.
The High Density Liferaft Kit is a new
version of Apical’s previously approved
Liferaft Kit which is designed for use
with the AB139 & AW139 high density
aircraft seating configuration. The new
kit includes two 12-man reversible
Liferafts instead of the 10-man Liferafts
provided with the standard kit.
ISO 9001, AS 9100
industry update

VIH Cougar Takes Delivery Of An AW139

AgustaWestland is pleased to announce that VIH Cougar Helicopters have taken delivery of an
AW139 medium twin helicopter during a ceremony at Vergiate plant (Italy). This 12-seat configured
helicopter will be operated for offshore transport missions in the Gulf of Mexico. Emilio Dalmasso,
Senior Vice President Commercial Business Unit, AgustaWestland said, “We are delighted that such
a leading customer is taking delivery of this helicopter. This handover marks the addition of a fourth
offshore operator for the AW139 helicopter in the GOM, further strengthening the already impressive
success achieved by this model in the oil & gas support industry.”

First Four Lynx Mk9A

Helicopters Delivered
AgustaWestland announced that the
first four upgraded Lynx Mk.9A helicopters
for the British Army have been delivered,
with the fourth aircraft delivered just 12
months after contract award. Three of
these four aircraft will be used by the
Army Air Corps for conversion to type and
conversion to role training at its Dishforth
base in Yorkshire. In 2010 the Lynx Mk.9A
helicopters will deploy to Afghanistan to
support British and coalition forces, where
its exceptional hot and high performance
will enable the aircraft to operate year-round
in the demanding environmental conditions
experienced there. Nick Whitney, Senior
VP – UK Government Business Unit, said
at the handover of the fourth aircraft,
“Everybody involved at AgustaWestland,
our suppliers and the MoD Project Team
are to be congratulated for delivering the
first four aircraft in just 12 months against
an extremely tight program schedule. We
know the enhanced operational capabilities
these aircraft will deliver will be of great
benefit to our troops in Afghanistan and we
are now working around the clock to ensure
we deliver the remaining aircraft not just on
time – but ahead of schedule.” Following the
flight of the first aircraft in September 2009
the Lynx Mk.9A completed its qualification
test program successfully demonstrating
that the airframe was capable of maximizing
the improved performance provided by
the LHTEC CTS800 engines, thus meeting
or exceeding the customers’ Key User
Requirements.
In addition to upgrading the aircraft,
AgustaWestland has successfully completed
maintainer and aircrew training programs at
its Yeovil facility, delivered new Integrated
Electronic Technical Publications, spares
packages and lap-top based training
emulations. A further three aircraft will be
delivered by April 2010, followed by the
final batch of five aircraft by September
2010, giving the British Army 12 Lynx Mk.9A
helicopters three months ahead of the
contracted date. AgustaWestland is also
working with the MoD on a follow-on contract
to upgrade the remaining 10 Lynx Mk.9s to
Mk.9A standard, which would see the final
aircraft being upgraded by early 2012.
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 industry update

Air Comm Earns Top Honor

“Air Comm Corp. was recently honored to receive the Circle
of Safety Award from Pinnacol Assurance,” Company President
Keith Steiner said. Pinnacol is a workers’ compensation insurer
in Colorado. “Safety is paramount in aviation and it’s the No. 1
priority for Air Comm and our employees,” Steiner said. “This
award reflects the team’s commitment to safe operations.” The
Award recognizes companies that have demonstrated exceptional
performance in four areas of risk management – safety, claims
management, loss control and financial management. Air Comm
maintained its safe work
environment during an
exceptionally busy year
that included completion
of a 12,000 square foot
facility renovation, a
modernized production
area, and significant
new office space. Air Comm also certified a new heating and
air conditioning system for the Bell 429 helicopter and provided
ongoing support of the UH-72 Lakota, including delivery of more
than 40 air conditioning systems to date.
“2009 was a great year, and the safety award is one important
element of our overall success,” said Steiner.

Tel-Tail Floodlights
EC-145

Tail Floodlight / Clam Shell Door Floodlights

Tail Floodlight / FFRL / Main Rotor Floodlights

AW-139

www.devoreaviation.com
16
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By Mike Biasatti
Beyond Our
Control
There are many things
beyond our control in
the EMS world, but the
key is knowing how to
prepare yourself to best
handle them.
D
ecades ago when I was making the
choice to pursue aviation as a potential
career field (1989 to be exact) I flirted
with the idea of fixed wing over rotor wing.
At that time, while it was a long road to the
majors(this was long before the helicopter
field really opened up and there were
ZERO programs offering loans to train in
helicopters because the future was not so
bright) The potential rewards of the airlines
seemed very attractive.
Ultimately I wanted to end up with a flying
position that allowed me to come home and
sleep in my own bed at the end of the shift
and while I’ve taken many jobs along the
road to the one I have now that required a
7 or 14 day stay away from home ultimately
I got what I wanted. Even more than not
wanting to spend half of my year in hotels I
wanted the freedom that flying helicopters
provided. Freedom to hover, to depart
that busy class B present position direct
across the active, to land on a pinnacle, in
a valley on a busy intersection or blocked
off piece of highway to help transport a
critically injured person. I didn’t want to
hear Lifeguard Citation taxi to and hold
short of Runway 12R you are number 5 for
departure.
So it’s been a long road, but well worth
it. Like anything there are good days and
not so good, but at the end of the day I love
what I do.
Under the spot light that our industry is
now with so many groups made up of so
many acronyms creating and suggesting
policy, representing ‘us’ at many fancy
conferences and ultimately deciding that this
was the problem or that would of made a
difference.
First let me state that my opinions here
are mine alone and in NO WAY represent
the thoughts or feelings of my employer,
program or anyone I’ve ever met, talked
about or saw a picture of. I have thought a
lot about the fatal accidents our industry has
endured and in many instances it appears
that weather and darkness are number 1
and 2 in the contributing factors analogy. We
can’t control the darkness nor the weather
and often the weather changes during a
call, weather reporting stations are rare in
some areas we operate and we are delayed
beyond a reliable forecast period and any
number of other variables contribute to
marginal conditions affecting our ability to
operate safely. I think it here that one of
the disconnects first reveals itself. I would
argue that we are safer as an IFR program
because anytime the weather begins to
deteriorate we have the option to transition
to IFR and if the weather has deteriorated
behind us we can then transition to IFR
for the return. No pushing the minimums
because we don’t want to spend the night in
a field or some remote uncontrolled airport.
Of course there are calls that go to places
where you have no airport with an IAP and
IFR isn’t an option for that leg, but if your
VMC and the weather drops you do still have
the luxury of returning home IFR and at no
time are you tempted to drop down a little
more and scud run home. The problem with
this opinion and I repeat that this is just my
opinion, often someone flying an IFR aircraft
and current isn’t necessarily comfortable
and will at all costs avoid committing to the
transition so they slow down, they descend.
My experience has been that as you slow
a helicopter it gets to a point where absent
other visual references it gets a little bit less
stable. Now add to the reduced speed a
low speed turn to reverse course or divert
around scattered weather, at this point
should you inadvertently fly into IMC you
can already be far behind the power curve.
Now I hypothesize that for every second you
Inside EMS
remain IMC under circumstances like this
the risk of a negative outcome increases
exponentially. How tempting is to just push
down and descend out of the clouds, but
as a reflex you might have pulled slight
aft cyclic so your reduction of collective
initially results in a slight ballooning of the
aircraft so you’ve actually climbed further
into the obscuration and lost even more
airspeed so you notice the climb n the VSI
and push the nose over. All of these control
inputs create the sensation of any number
of deceptive movements as your inner ear
misinterprets your attitude and you fight to
believe the gages. Now I stay current IFR
and I use it regularly, in the winter months
it is not unusual to log 50+ hours IMC and I
say this from the experience of having had
a Flight Director put me into a 25 degree left
descending turn IMC at night from a straight
and level 5000’ cruise IMC, it takes a lot of
energy and effort and sometimes altitude to
get wings level, altitude corrected and on
course when you are hand flying night IMC.
I’ve been on those flights where you had to
make the transition and I would not want
to be in a VFR aircraft IIMC at all, but if it
happened I wouldn’t want to be in very long.
I think your life expectancy starts ringing
in your ears along with your crew who’s
freaking out and your last training for this
was 11 months ago during day VFR. All this
said to state that I am a huge proponent of
IFR helicopters in EMS, but I know that the
industry is going in the opposite direction
and that again an IFR aircraft is only a safety
enhancement if the pilot is comfortable and
willing to use that capability before he or she
really have to.
Now there are places that fly VFR EMS
and would never use an IFR aircraft because
of weather, terrain or some other function
of their environment would not benefit from
it and I get that. There is no one size fits all
solution to this situation and that seems to
be a fact that is missing in the plethora of
proposed solutions offered up the many,
many groups and organizations out there
that promote themselves as advocates of
the the air medical industry. VFR missions
probably make up to 85% (a total ballpark
guess on my part) of the revenue generating
flights, so for the 15% that they miss or
abort from a numbers standpoint these are
acceptable misses.
The problem lies with those instances
when you are already on the mission, the
patients on board and the crew is going
nuts, how does that affect your willingness
to accept added risk? How often have you
19
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pushed along a little further and things
improved? How does pride and ego affect
your willingness to push on in the spirit of
the greater good? Now I’m not pointing a
finger, because in my younger and much
dumber days I was the guy I was just
referencing. I’ve scarred myself on dark
nights and allowed my pride to jeopardize
my crew. I’ve tolerated more risk than I
should have because I flew around with my
ego as my co-pilot.
The freedom that flying helicopters
provides is one of the more attractive
features of it, but I think that the freedom is
also what allows the PIC moving the sticks
to end up pushing the aircraft or himself
beyond the limitations of either or both. In
looking at the statistics of the year 2008 it
would be hard to make an argument about a
central characteristic of the pilot, most were
experienced and had many years of EMS
behind them. Fly long enough in EMS and
play lose with the rules and if you haven’t
scarred yourself already you most certainly
will. Will you live to tell a ‘there I was’ story
about it at the FBO later remains to be seen.
My only hope is that first and foremost you
wont. If on any portion of a flight you have
to reduce your altitude to company mins
or your own personal min (assuming those
are higher, and that’s perfectly ok) then you
abort. If you have to slow the helicopter
down to maintain visibility and safe
maneuverability then you abort. There will be
other flights and you’ll live to fly another day.
For my first few years in EMS I was a
program pleaser: late flight, extra crew
member, marginal weather, scene call right
as you arrive to work so a modified pre-flight
was in order. I suppose I wanted to be the
guy that got the job done. Something about
that appealed to me internal desire to be
the hero of the day (not that I was, but it
appealed to me to think that on the rare
occasion). And that’s how it was for a while
and as with most things once I woke up
and realized the detrimental expectations
I had created it was very hard to change
them in myself, but even harder to have
those changes welcomed by those who
enjoyed the fruits of my previous efforts.
At past programs I’ve worked I can tell you
first hand that I’ve pointed out things that
weren’t safe and been told that “Oh so
what all of a sudden it’s not safe”, “If you’
aren’t comfortable with it, maybe you don’t
need to work here then”. The word ‘Culture’
seems to be the million dollar word now
Inside EMS
days as a reference to the way things have
always been done: good bad or otherwise.
I can tell you that to break these Cultural
Expectations takes * work*, just like hand
flying that aircraft IMC and ignoring every
sensation your body’s giving you that
you are turning or climbing or anything
contradicting what the flight instruments
indicate. But now the good news, no one
can make you start that aircraft until you are
ready. You are the PIC and your decision is
final. I fight the urge still to try and please
the customer. It feels uncomfortable to say
no I can’t do that or I don’t feel that it’s safe,
it tugs at my ego and bruises my pride.
You’ll lose more respect from others and
probably yourself for changing your decision
and going back and doing something you
said you couldn’t. Make informed, educated
decisions based on all of the available
information, update that information en
route, give alternatives if there are any safe
ones to give and let them know that you’ll
keep an eye on things. Every flight is an
opportunity to train the crew that day and
make them part of the best ems flight crew
in the air. Demand excellence of yourself
first, set the example and demand it of your
crew every time. n

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21
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FLIR. Out here, it’s a matter of life and death. www.FLIR.com/GS
© 2009 FLIR Systems. Inc.

By Rob Van de Vuurst
Voluntary
Disclosure
Programs
The matters discussed in this
month’s column are, for the
most part, well known, at
least should be well known
to most of you. But it never
hurts to recap things, so
let’s spend a little time to
go over voluntary disclosure
programs, because the
benefits of them can far
outweigh the burdens.
M
ore specifically, and in previous
columns, I’ve written about
emergency preparedness, or what
to do when things go wrong. When we talk
about emergency preparedness, it is usually
for an event that has gotten beyond the
operator’s control, and the goal is to minimize
the continuing negative effects. But what
about when you do something wrong and
no one knows about it? Obviously you fix the
issue and try to prevent it from happening
again, but do you disclose it to the FAA?
For most, if not all people, the knee-jerk
reaction is an emphatic “No!” The FAA of
course knows this as well as anyone, and
is also well aware that the violations they
discover only represent a small fraction of
the violations that actually occur. To enhance
its safety programs, the FAA decided to
try and move away from the reactive safety
programs typified by the enforcement “stick”
and instead try to use a “carrot” by shifting
its focus to proactive safety programs. Let’s
call it the “kinder, gentler” side of the FAA.
To encourage certificate holders to willingly
report violations, we have the concept of
voluntary disclosure programs. In essence,
and in exchange for providing potentially self-
incriminating information, the FAA offers you
“incentives.” Let’s take a look at them.
The first, and most widely used, program
is the Aviation Safety Reporting System
(“ASRS”). The program applies to all
individual certificate holders, including
airmen, mechanics and dispatchers. ASRS
has two critical elements, confidentiality and
immunity. For confidentiality, the program
is actually administered by NASA, and all
identifying information in a report is removed
upon receipt by NASA. You are provided
a receipt of the filing, which provides the
immunity portion of the program. If the FAA
later discovers, or makes an issue of, the
violation, this receipt means that you may be
found guilty of a violation, but will not receive
a civil penalty or certificate suspension. The
only required step is the timely filing of the
report, which is then entered into a massive
database containing all ASRS data. If you
have some free time on your hands, you
may want to check out this database,
which is searchable by the public at
http://asrs.arc.nasa.gov.
Another one is the Voluntary Disclosure
Reporting Program (“VDRP”), which came
into place in 1990. VDRP is primarily geared
towards part 121 and 135 air carriers, but
it will apply to a certificated employee if
the violation is related to a deficiency of
the employer. The incentive to the VDRP
program is that if all the steps are followed,
the operator/employee will receive a “Letter
of Correction” in lieu of a civil penalty. The
first step upon discovering a violation is
to file the initial report with your Principal
Operations Inspector (“POI”), usually within
24 hours of the discovery of the violation.
Within 10 business days, you must follow up
with a more comprehensive written report.
This must include not only more detailed
information about the violation, but a plan for
a comprehensive fix to avoid a repeat and
the name of an individual responsible for
handling the fix. The POI will then monitor the
implementation of the comprehensive fix, and
when satisfied that it has been implemented,
the FAA will issue a “Letter of Correction.”
One important note on the VDRP is that,
because it applies at the company level,
many circumstances require the submission
of both a VDRP to protect the company
and an ASAP (see below) or ASRS report to
protect individual employees.
The most recent of the programs is the
Aviation Safety Action Program (“ASAP”),
which came online in 1997. I could devote
multiple columns to this program, as it is
by far the most complex and demanding of
an operator’s resources, but it is currently
limited to part 121 carriers, which doesn’t
apply to most helicopter operators. Briefly,
the operator sets up an ASAP program for
each employee group (ie. mechanics, pilots,
flight attendants, or dispatchers). This is an
LAW & ORDER
extensive process, requiring cooperation
between the FAA, the operator, and
representatives from the employee group.
Once established, employees can file an
ASAP report, which will be de-identified by
a program administrator. The report is then
discussed at a monthly meeting between a
representative from the FAA, the operator,
and the employee group. The employee may
receive retraining, but may not receive a civil
penalty or certificate suspension.
With any of these programs, there are
significant exclusions. Generally, none of the
programs will apply to an intentional violation,
a violation that results in an accident,
criminal misconduct, drug or alcohol use, or
a violation that shows a lack of qualification
or competency. They are all subject to time
requirements, so a certificate holder must
act quickly after discovering a potential
violation. There is also the issue of repeated
violations. The VDRP applies to repeated
violations, but the FAA has discretion to
exclude reports of repeated violations. ASAP
is similar, in that the program’s administrators
can decide whether or not to accept a report
of a repeated violation. ASRS has a different
standard, allowing for repeat violations, but
disallowing immunity for anyone who has
been found guilty of violating any FAR in the
previous 5 years.
So, getting back to the initial question,
what do you do when you found you’ve
violated a FAR? Ideally you should contact an
aviation attorney familiar with the programs,
who can review any disclosures and advise
on potential risks. As an example, one
recent case found that ASAP reports, while
confidential from public disclosure, were not
protected by privilege in a court of law. The
result was that the operator had to release all
related ASAP reports in litigation over a very
bad accident, something no aviation litigator
wants to do.
At a minimum, before disclosing anything,
you should read the applicable Advisory
Circular, which I list below. These programs
can be very helpful if used properly, but a
certificate holder should always be careful to
make sure that the immunity incentives apply
and that they don’t disclose more than is
necessary.
The applicable Advisory Circulars for each
program are: • ASRS – AC 00-46D
• VDRP – AC 00-58B
• ASAP – AC 120-66B
So, with all this in mind, in the immortal
words of Hill Street Blues Sgt. Phil Esterhaus
(surely the best cop in the best cop show of
all time) – “Let’s be careful out there.” n
The matters set forth herein are the opinions of
the author only, and may not be relied upon as
legal advice without the express written approval
of the author in each instance.
23

By Alexander Mladenov
Russian Ministry of
Emergency Situations
improves SAR coverage
R
ussia’s underdeveloped civil search
and rescue system is poised for an
overhaul through the introduction of a
large number of newly-ordered helicopters
to join the fleet of the paramilitary Ministry
of Emergency Situations. The main types
expected to be ordered in 2010-2012
comprise the indigenous Kamov Ka-226 and
Ka-32A as no less than 60 helicopters are
slated for procurement in near-to-medium
term by the aviation service of the Ministry
of Emergency Situations.
In 2010 the Ministry is planning to improve
its rapid reaction capability for emergency
medical services. It will become possible
by the means of establishment of helipads
alongside the busy highway connecting the
two major Russian cities – Moscow and
St Petersburg, which has a bad car accident
record. At least five helipads are planed, to
be used for and also by police helicopters
fighting the crime.
Russia’s Ministry of Interior (MoI) is also
planning a more active use of its growing
helicopter fleet used by the regional police
departments. In 2010 an experiment is
staring in Moscow and Kazan for using
helicopters co-located with the rapid
Eye on Eastern Europe
reaction police detachments in order to have
a prompt reaction in case of emergencies
and criminal events. Currently, the Russian
MoI is procuring the Ka-226 as well as a
couple of Eurocopter AS355Ns. The police
departments with its own helicopters are
covering as many as 40% of the territory of
the huge country, and the fleet logged some
5,000 sorties in 2009. By 2015 it is planned
that new helicopters will be supplied to more
police departments with an eventual aim
these to be capable of covering the entire
Russian territory.
Industry body urges for
removal of the import dut y
R
ussia’s Helicopter Industry
Association, a trade organization of
country’s major helicopter operators,
maintainers and manufacturers insisted
in front of the Economy Development
Ministry to initiate actions for the removal
of the import duty on the helicopters for
commercial use as well as on parts and
equipment for these. The removal
is asked to encompass the helicopters
in the 3.5-tonne class, and these weighting
between 4 and 12 tonnes and between
16 and 30 tonnes. The justification of
the request is that there is no manufacture
of helicopters in these weight ranges
in Russia, while payment of the import
duty and VAT imposes a price increase
of some 40% which, in turn, makes the
operators ill-suited to compete on the
global markets.
Ka-226T ready for sale
R
ussia design house Kamov has
reported a particularly successful
2009, with one of the most important
events being the flight test completion
of the Ka-226T. It is a Ka-226 derivative
powered by Turbomeca Arrius 2G2 engines,
which is offered to the Indian Army and
Air Force’s combined tender for 316
helicopters. The certification of the Ka-
226T and commencement of its production
are expected for 2011, while certification
to EASA Part 29 airworthiness rules is
planned for 2012. The 4-tonne Ka-226T is a
utility helicopter endowed with remarkable
performance for operations from hot and
high locations. During the flight tests in
2009 it proved that the ka-226T can operate
safely from locations up to 19,700ft (6,000m)
above sea level while the practical ceiling is
24,600ft (7,500m).
Ka-52 slated for delivery
in 2010
T
his year the Russian Air Force is going
to take on strength its first Kamov
Ka-52 attack helicopter, which is
to complement the growing fleet of Mil
Mi-28Ns, as many as 14 examples of which
were taken on strength by the service in 2008
and 2009. In the same time, the service is
also considering to enlarge its fleet of the Mil
Mi-26 heavy lifters. As many as 12 Ka-52s
have been ordered and the production of the
batch is now in a full swing at the Progress
plant in Arseniev in Russia’s Far East.
News are bleak for the
Mi-38 programme
T
he Mi-38, known as the most
promising Russian heavyweight
design for both civil and military
applications, is going incur a significant
delay. Initially slated to enter production
in 2010, now it is postponed for 2013,
and it is likely that the delay will be even
bigger. So far there is only one flying
example with the second one nearing
completion of its final assembly. Despite
its advanced design features, the Mi-38’s
development and flight tests proved to be a
very complex and protracted undertaking,
and there are no yet customer commitments
for purchasing the helicopter. In the
same time, the managers of the Russian
Helicopters don’t see the necessity for a
rapid introduction into the market of the
Mi-38; instead they seem to be more willing
to invest money in the deep upgrade of the
best-selling Mi-8, which can do most of the
job of the Mi-38. n
25
The opening s hot

top photo by Carlos Ferreir a

Pesca 2 - Galicia Coastguard S-76C+
sits idle one evening at its home
base in Viveiro, a small village in the
northwest corner of Spain.

From lef t to right

photo by Oleg Shishkov

An R-44 Raven 1 of Heliaction sits
at the Magic Mushrooms helipad
(3250M) on the side of Mt Elbrus in
the Caucasus region of Russia.

photo by Se an Bau
Helitack 272, a Heli Aust Bell 205
takes a well-earned rest at the
end of a days fire-fighting in NSW,
Australia.

photo by Shawn Adams

Brim Aviation’s MD600N working the
helitorch on a prescribed burn in
Southern California.

photo by Andrew Shippin

On Patrol with Prince Georges
County’s MD520N along the banks of
the Potomac River.

photo by Martin Lust yk

Two members of the ASRD
(Alberta Sustainable Resource
Development) prepare to board a
Great Slave Helicopters Bell 212
during rappel training in the Wood
Buffalo National Park.
 It seems so simple to state that Wes
Lematta had a vision and created
an industry; that he believed that
helicopters could be used for more
than moving people, and so the
birth of the commercial heavy-lift
helicopter industry was born
story by dan sweet

H
owever, it took a great deal more than just Wes’
foresight to realize his dreams. It also took more
than the hard work of him and his family, and his
practice of finding exceptional people to support
him. Simply put, it took Wes’ personality and character to
create his industry and to build his then-tiny company into
the world-class organization that it is today.
Wes Lematta, founder and Chairman of the Board of
Columbia Helicopters, passed away on December 24, 2009
following a period of illness. A pioneer in the business of
helicopter operations, he was 83.
“There is no one I know who better embodied the spirit
of a pioneer in helicopter aviation than Wes,” said Columbia
Helicopters’ President, Mike Fahey. “Wes had a vision that
helicopters were capable of so much more than carrying
passengers, so he created the heavy-lift helicopter industry
through determination, skill and strength of character.”
Glenn Wesley Lematta was born on the family farm in
North Dakota on April 29, 1926. He and his family moved
west while he was still a child, settling within the Finnish
community that grew up around Brush Prairie, Washington.
Wes as the third of four boys, preceded by older brothers
Bill and Ed and followed by Jim. He also had two sisters,
Evelyn and Mabel.
Wes first realized he wanted to fly while sitting in a
foxhole in the Philippines during WWII, watching fighter
pilots fly overhead. Following the war, he drove a truck

28
29
 Former Columbia
President and HAI
Chairman Roy Simmons
presents Wes with HAI’s
Lifetime Achievement
Award in 2005.

top left: Wes and worked as a longshoreman until he heard there complete the project if he looked down at the load
sports a Chinook was a need for helicopter pilots. Using his GI Bill instead of relying on radio contact with the ground.
“tattoo” at the 1989 educational benefits, he learned to fly from Dean This was the first use of Direct Visual Operational
company picnic.
Johnson in McMinville, Oregon. Control (DVOC), which is used through the heavy-lift
OPPOSITE PAGE To say that Columbia Helicopters was a family industry to this day.
TOP: The
business is something of an understatement. Ed Always a gentleman who believed in a
dedication of “Wes assisted Wes in the founding of the company and professional appearance, Wes would often wear a suit
Lematta Field at Bill worked there also, both of whom Wes taught to and tie while flying on early construction projects.
the Aurora State fly. The youngest of the four Lematta brothers, Jim, His family says that he never owned a pair of jeans.
Airport” in June
also flew extensively with the company, served as In 1967, Wes was the first person to acquire a
2009. From left,
Nancy Lematta,
Columbia’s Vice President of Safety, and remains large helicopter – a Sikorsky S-61 – solely for use in
Dick Clark, active on Columbia Helicopters’ Board of Directors. construction projects, which resulted in the creation
Paulette Pyle, Wes Wes’s wife of 47 years, Nancy, also took her turn of the heavy-lift helicopter industry. Wes had also
Lematta, Oregon helping Wes build his company, often cleaning the long believed that helicopters could be used for
Representative Jim
offices during the early years. Nancy began taking logging operations, a vision he realized in 1969 using
Weidner, Oregon
Department of
a more active interest in the management of the a Sikorsky S-61 on a logging project for Jack Erickson.
Aviation Director company well before Wes’ health began to fail, and As a result, both Columbia Helicopters and Erickson
Dan Clem, Columbia she has assumed the role of Chairman of the Board. Aircrane both lay claim to the title of being the first
Helicopters Even Wes’ children have taken roles at the company. successful heli-loggers.
President Mike
Wes began Columbia Helicopters in 1957 with Soon, others began to follow quite literally in
Fahey.
a single, small helicopter that he purchased with Wes’ footsteps, and today other heavy-lift helicopter
CENTER LEFT: assistance from his brother Ed. The name of his companies like Erickson Aircrane, HTS, Evergreen
Wes Lematta and company was always a plural, even when he had Helicopters and Carson Helicopters all have their
Columbia President just the single helicopter. The brothers sold rides at headquarters or facilities in Oregon.
Mike Fahey sign
county fairs and from street corners on weekends. Also in 1969, Wes acquired the first of his
the agreement to
purchase the Type
tandem-rotor aircraft, helicopters that would become
Certificates for the A Gentleman and a Visionary virtually synonymous with Columbia Helicopters.
Boeing Vertol 107-II Knowing that success might always be just First purchased from Pan Am and New York Airways,
and Boeing Model the Boeing and Kawasaki-built Vertol 107-IIs became
around the corner, from the earliest days of the
234 Chinook in
company Wes continually promoted the versatility the backbone of the company’s fleet. Eventually,
2006.
of helicopters. Today, after over 50 years in the Columbia Helicopters became the world’s only
CENTER RIGHT: helicopter business, Wes’ accomplishments and commercial operator of the Vertol 107-II and Model
Wes and his wife contributions to the industry are still nothing short 234 Chinook helicopters. The company acquired the
of 47 years. Nancy Type Certificates for these aircraft in December 2006,
of amazing.
is taking over the
In September 1957, just six months after starting and Production Certificates in the autumn of 2009.
position of Columbia
Helicopters’ his company, Wes rescued 15 sailors from a sinking These aircraft are now designated as Columbia 107-
Chairman of the dredge in Coos Bay, Oregon – one of the largest IIs and Columbia Model 234 Chinooks.
Board of Directors. single-handed rescues ever to that point.
In 1959, during an external-load operation Pilot and Chemist
while flying a Hiller 12B with dual controls, Wes Over the years, as his company grew, Wes
recognized that he was better able to properly followed the practices of hundreds of others by doing

30
his best to hire the very best people. He then gave
them the autonomy to do the work they felt was
necessary to help build Columbia Helicopters, and
repeatedly made sure his employees got most of the
credit for the company’s success. Consequently, the
chemistry between Wes and his team of all-stars
was strong enough to build his company to where
Columbia Helicopters is today – the world-leader
in commercial heavy-lift helicopter operations.
While his company was initially run by him and
his brothers, it currently employs over 600 people
world-wide. Wes’ fleet of heavy-lift helicopters
remain active in construction projects, fighting
wild fires, and supporting petroleum exploration
operations in some of the most remote, rugged parts
of the world. Following his vision, his company Knowing that a professional
image was as important
remains a leader in helicopter logging operations,
as skill, Wes often wore a
one of the most environmentally sensitive forms of business suit while flying
timber harvesting. on early projects. Here he
“Even though he was a giant in the industry places a working basket
and had incredible vision, Wes always credited his onto a church steeple.

employees for the success of his company,” said

Fahey. “I know I speak for all of our employees when
I say that he was a deeply respected, honorable
gentleman. We will miss him.”
Over the years, many groups and organizations
recognized Wes’ achievements, and bestowed upon
him honors and recognitions for his contributions to
the helicopter industry. These included the Helicopter
Association International’s (HAI) Honorary Lifetime
Achievement award as well as their Lawrence D. Bell
Memorial award for Leadership. He also claimed the
HAI Operators Safety Award (multiple times), the
Pathfinder Award presented by the Boeing Museum
of Flight, the US Army Corps of Engineers Air Medal,
the American Helicopter Society William J. Kossler
US Coast Guard Award, and others. Wes and his wife
Nancy were also locally and regionally recognized
for their outstanding philanthropic work, based on
their contributions to many educational, civic and
charitable organizations, including Oregon State
University, Providence Portland Medical Center,
Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center, Doernbecher
Children’s Hospital, the arts - and they were sponsors
of two classes for the “I Have A Dream” organization
in Vancouver, Washington.
In June of 2009, Wes was honored by the Oregon
State Legislature, who voted to rename the Aurora
State Airport in his honor. The site of his company’s
headquarters, the airport now bears the additional
name of “Wes Lematta Field”.
The family suggests that interested parties make
donations in his memory to one of the following
options: Parkinson’s Research through Providence
Portland Medical Foundation, 4805 NE Glisan St.
Portland, OR 97213; the “I Have A Dream” scholarship
program at the Community Foundation for Southwest
Washington, 1053 Officers Row, Vancouver, WA
98661; or any other charity with which the donor The rescue that helped to launch a
chooses to honor Wes’ memory. n company. At right side of photo, Wes
flies his Hiller 12B to rescue sailors
from a sinking ship in September 1957.
c ove r f e atu r e

The Stornoway based S-92

comes into a hover as crews
prepare the winch to hoist up a
patient from the side of a hill.
The United Kingdom
has a world class
SAR operation, and
for years the S61 has
been the mainstay of
the operation, however
as we move into 2010
a new competition is
underway for new types
and new technology.

story by alan norris

photos by ned dawson

H
elicopter SAR support in the
United Kingdom (UK) was
historically dominated by the
use of helicopters supplied
by either the Royal Air Force (RAF)
or Royal Navy (RN). Both branches
of the service having a number of
military bases around the United
Kingdom (UK) dedicated to the
recovery of aircrew from downed
military aircraft with helicopter assets
always made themselves available to
civilian agencies if required. In 1983,
after nearly 40 years using military
helicopters for marine rescues, the
then Coastguard Agency received its
first dedicated civilian helicopters. Five
years later the Marine Safety Agency
was combined with the Coastguard
Agency to form the Maritime and
Coastguard Agency (MCA) which
manages four civilian-operated SAR
helicopter units in Scotland and
Southern England.
UK SAR helicopter operations are
carried out under the control of the
34
The S-92 maintains
speed with the Isle
of Lewis ferry as the
crewman is hoisted
down towards the
back deck.
Aeronautical Rescue Coordination
Center (ARCC) based at RAF Kinloss,
Scotland. The center covers an area
extending from the Faeroes in the
farthest North to the English Channel
in the South – plus approximately
halfway into the Atlantic Ocean.
Opened in 1966, the ARCC is equipped
with a rescue co-ordination system
providing controllers immediate access
to a database of emergency services
and assets across the UK.
The MCA’s response to emergencies
is undertaken by Her Majesty’s
Coastguard (HMCG), which is the
authority responsible for coordinating
civil maritime search and rescue
within the United Kingdom Search
and Rescue Region (UKSRR). Dealing
with around 18,000 incidents per
year SAR operations will frequently
involve more than one emergency
organization – including the Royal
National Lifeboat Institute together
with fire and police services, depending
on the circumstances of the emergency.
When helicopter assistance is essential
for an immediate lifesaving mission the
HMCG co-ordination centers will task
one of the four civilian bases directly
to scramble a helicopter, notifying the
ARCC as soon as possible afterwards.
HM Coast Guard Operations
The joint RAF, RN and MCA
provision is located across 12 bases
around the UK maintaining coverage
over 10,500 miles (16,900km) of
coastline and 1.25 million square
miles (2 million square km) of sea.
Despite the primary purpose of the
military element to assist military
aviation incidents the majority of its
tasks involve responding to civilian
rescues on both land and sea. The
RAF currently has two dedicated SAR
squadrons – No. 22 Squadron and
No. 202 Squadron, both with three SAR
flights each across the UK operating
the Westland Sea King HAR Mk 3/3A.
The Royal Navy operates a squadron
and a flight – 771 Naval Air Squadron
 The crewman unfastens
the stretcher during a
training mission onto the
back of the ferry.

Despite the primary purpose of the military

element to assist military aviation incidents
the majority of its tasks involve responding
to civilian rescues on both land and sea.

The Portland based

AW139 passes one
of the many boats
located on the south
coast of England.
 Aberdeen is conveniently
located between Shetland
and Sumburgh, with direct
commercial flights in and
out of both locations and so
works well as a logistics hub
for the two SAR bases.

from RNAS Culdrose in the South West

and a dedicated SAR flight located at
Prestwick Airport in Scotland flying the
Sea King HU Mk 5.
Four civilian-operated helicopter
units provide the HMCG with its
requirements as part of the UK-SAR
framework laid down by the British
Government, with operations originally
coming online in Scotland between
1983 and 1987, followed by England in
1988 and 1995. Bristow Helicopters won
the original contract to provide an all-
weather 24-hour service operating the
Sikorsky S-61N. However, in December
2005, as part of a major review of
all helicopter SAR operations in the
UK, the Canadian-based company
CHC Scotia were awarded an interim Crews love the
five-year contract, at the time worth stability of the
over £100 million ($US165 million), to S-92 for winching
operations.
provide commercial Search and Rescue
helicopter services from the four bases
until 2012.
CHC began the service in July 2007, islands it varied up to 50 percent. A off, two shifts on – compared to the
introducing two new types of helicopter number of pilots took the opportunity Scottish islands, where they tend to
to the UK SAR world with the Sikorsky to retire and some co-pilots, having work a roster that reflects the fact that
S-92A located at two north Scottish been in the position for a number some crewmembers live off the island.
bases and the AgustaWestland AW139 of years, moved into command
medium lift helicopter at two bases appointments elsewhere. The contract Scottish Operations
in southern England. Just a year later, itself is only a five-year interim contract The two Scottish operations are
a transition period was successfully while the British Government finalizes located on the northerly Outer Hebrides
completed having introduced the new the structure and tenders for the and Shetland Islands. The Outer
aircraft types into service, without proposed SAR-H project, which will Hebrides consist of 11 inhabited Islands
interruption to the existing SAR see the harmonization of all civil and in the archipelago, which is over 125
operations. military helicopter SAR assets in the UK. miles (200km) long and are situated
Under UK Government employment The Scottish operations are approximately 30 miles (48km) off the
laws and as part of the contract the contracted to maintain a 15-minute West Coast of Scotland.
Bristow crews had the opportunity readiness state from 0800 to 2200 local Lewis is the largest and most
of transferring to the new company. time, and are on a 45-minute standby populous of the Outer Hebridean
This ensured that CHC retained the outside of these hours throughout the islands and is the northwestern-most
experience and expertise of the year. Contracted hours are different in point in Europe experiencing the full
incumbent crews. Nearly all rear crew the south with the Lee-on-Solent base impact of the North Atlantic during
transferred across to the new aircraft, providing the same 24-hour coverage the winter months. The main town
but in the case of the aircrew the take- as in Scotland, but the Portland unit is Stornoway, which is on the isle of
up of this option depended upon the operates on a 12-hour day-time basis Lewis, and the local airport is where
base. For the southern bases, at Lee only from 0900 to 2100 local time. The CHC have two S-92A helicopters based.
on Solent and Portland, it was almost Southern bases also work a flexible Sumburgh airport is home to
the whole work force – on the Scottish roster – two shifts on, four shifts the second S-92A operation which

36
 A crewman and hoist
operator onboard the
Lee-On-Solent AW139
undertake a training
winch onto rocks
below a lighthouse.
The S-92 is equipped with
a great suite of equipment
which gives the crewmen
everything they need to
conduct an effective rescue.
is located on the Shetland Islands
lying to the northeast of Orkney more
than 100 miles (161km) north of the
Scottish mainland. The Shetland
Islands are the northern most point
of the UK forming part of the division
between the Atlantic Ocean to the
west and the North Sea to the east. It
is no surprise that the sea dominates
life in both regions with fishing vital
to the economy, although the largest
contribution to the economy today still
comes from oil, which was discovered
under the North Sea in the 1970s.
CHC also supports the oil and gas
industry in the area, and utilizes its
principal base in Aberdeen on the east
coast of Scotland, to service exploration
rigs and production platforms –
operating a large fleet of Eurocopter
EC225, Sikorsky S-92A and Super
Puma aircraft.
Aberdeen is conveniently located
between Shetland and Sumburgh, with
direct commercial flights in and out
of both locations and so works well as
a logistics hub for the two SAR bases.
In addition, the engineers on the two
SAR contracts have access to extensive
local support facilities, only hours
away if required. All maintenance is
carried out on the two bases as part
of a zonal maintenance scheme going
through zone one-to-five, which takes
the maintenance schedule up to a
1,250-hour inspection. This type of
maintenance is a complete mix of on-
time, on-inspection and is primarily
completed on a traditional time or
calendar cycle, but with components
38
often replaced on condition – and not
when life-expired.
Initially the drawback to this
type of maintenance schedule can
appear to be the increased number
of times the helicopter is in
engineering, but these periods are
shorter when compared to a traditional
full-depth maintenance cycle when an
aircraft can be off-call for up to four
weeks. Zonal maintenance generally
takes less time than progressive
servicing, so the SAR operation is
never without a second aircraft for
protracted periods.
Both of the island bases often
respond to requests for long range
assistance, such as medical evacuations
from ships and offshore installations,
and the S-92A, with a range of 289
nautical miles and a speed of 145
kts, was seen as the most suitable
helicopter for this type of tasking. Its
versatility in the SAR role has been
demonstrated on many occasions
over the last two-and-a-half years. In
September 2009, a Stornoway crew was
honored for the rescue of 14 fishermen
from the vessel, Spinningdale, which
had run aground on the remote island
of St. Kilda in February 2008. The
uninhabited and rarely visited volcanic
island lies 40 miles (65 kms) to the
west of the main islands in the
Hebridean chain, and has the most
dramatic and foreboding landscape
along with the highest sea cliffs,
anywhere in the UK.
The rescue was undertaken in
typical winter conditions for this
coastline with gusting 70-knot winds;
the Spinningdale sat stranded on
rocky, cliff-facing terrain lashed by the
high winds and heavy seas making
the rescue even more hazardous.
Scrambling the helicopter at 0530
helicopter pilot Captain Liz Forsyth
arrived on scene in total darkness and
the crew was forced to hold off until
the light improved before they could
establish visual reference points and
start winching off the fishermen – with
the sea state described as between
seven, rising to eight. The award was
presented to the rescue crew and the
base in recognition of the outstanding
bravery and performance in an
extraordinary rescue.
Earlier in 2009, a crew from the
Stornoway base put the long-range
capability of the new aircraft to use
when they undertook the longest
recorded operational flight since the
introduction of the helicopter type
to UK SAR operations. Utilizing a
single internal long-range fuel tank,
the aircraft flew 265 nautical miles
southwest of Stornoway on a four-hour
rescue mission to recover an injured
fisherman from a boat, returning
the casualty to a hospital on the
island of Lewis. This in itself was an
achievement, but the rescue came
during an eventful few days for the
Stornoway base, having taken part in a
ten-hour mountain search for a missing
walker and airlifting him to safety
– and on the same day airlifting an
injured seaman from a fishing vessel.
In the first full year of SAR
High in the mountains
on the Isle of Lewis a
crewman is “walked” up
the side of a steep ridge,
a method commonly
used to get to hard to
access places.
When winching onto
yachts the crews
have to be acutely
aware of the yacht
mast, especially
during strong gusts.
operations Stornoway undertook 171
missions and Sumburgh 109. For the
Stornoway base this was busiest year
since operations began in 1987. To
emphasize even further the success of
the new operation, in May 2009 one of
the two Stornoway aircraft, call-sign
G-SARB, surpassed 1,000 operational
flying hours. By the end of November
2009 Stornoway had again surpassed
their busiest year having completed 176
missions and Sumburgh 116.
Southern England Operations
Operations in the South are very
different geographically, mission- and
helicopter-wise, from those in the
north. In Scotland the operation is a
long-range SAR profile with missions
lasting up to two-and-a-half hours. On
the south coast it is more a grab-and-
run mission profile with calls typically
lasting no more than an hour. Hence
the reason CHC chose to operate the
AgustaWestland AW139 with two based
at Lee-on-Solent, in a new purpose-
built hangar facility, and a single
aircraft on a former Royal Navy airfield
at Portland. Both units cover one of the
busiest maritime areas in the world,
40
The view up the
cable to the hoist
operator during a
winching sortie.
During the summer months the
coastline is boosted with an in
flux of families on vacation and an
increase in leisure boating activity,
not surprisingly the mission
portfolio is very different compared
to the northern bases.
the English Channel, which separates
the southern coast of England from the
northern coast of France.
The English Channel covers an area
of 46,603 square miles (75,000 sq kms)
leading to the Atlantic Ocean in the
west, and in the east via the Strait of
Dover, to the North Sea. The English
Channel carries over 400 ships a day
with major ports on both sides and a
constant through-traffic to and from
ports in mainland Europe. During
the summer months the coastline is
boosted with an influx of families on
vacation and an increase in leisure
boating activity – so not surprisingly
the mission portfolio is very different
compared to the northern bases.
Ranging from beach and cliff-side
rescues to major shipping incidents,
the missions focus on a quick medium-
range response, and typically a lot of
the tasking involves small numbers
of causalities in locations that are
generally only a short distant out
from the shoreline. Therefore, the
AW139 has the speed and range for
this type of tasking. The AW139 is
substantially smaller than the S-61N,
the helicopter type it replaced, and the
decision to change the helicopter type
to a medium-sized aircraft initially
raised much debate over the range,
the casualty capacity, plus the working
space in the cabin area.
However, a number of factors have
laid these early doubts to rest. The
shorter range of the AW139, compared
to the S-61N, is outweighed by its
significantly faster 150-knot cruise
speed providing quicker response times
and reducing the time taken to get the
casualty to hospital. Working in the
smaller 18.7sq ft (5.7 sq m) cabin has
also proved no disadvantage either,
as by the nature of the role the rear-
crew would normally have worked
on casualties in the back of the S-61N
while kneeling.
Also, compared to the larger
S-61N everything is easily to hand
in the compact cabin of the AW139 –
allowing more efficient and quicker
treatment of the casualty. The pilot’s
view during winch operations has also
improved with the new aircraft, and
the larger cabin door has proved a hit
with the rear-crew, making life easier
when recovering the winch-man and
survivor.

In 2008, their transitional year,
Lee on Solent and Portland combined
carried out more than 400 missions,
and by the end of November 2009
Lee-on-Solent had again completed
well above 200 missions and Portland
called out to more than 220 missions
including 30 diver-related incidents,
22 medical evacuations from land,
11 cliff rescues and seven medical
evacuations from vessels. In December,
the Portland base passed the 3,000
missions milestone since the original
inauguration of the service in 1995.
Commonality of equipment
across the two aircraft types was
something CHC was keen to maintain,
and despite some differences in the
way the two aircraft manufacturers
configure their particular aircraft this
has been successfully achieved. An
example of this is the dual Goodrich
hoist. On the AW139, this is a DC
hoist laid out in tandem. The S-92A is
fitted with a side-by-side AC-powered
hoist. In performance and technical
specifications the hoists are identical.
Both aircraft are fitted with the
Honeywell Primus Epic fully integrated
avionics system, which can display
HeliOps Publisher
Ned Dawson is
winched down onto
the back of
the Isle of
Lewis ferry.
views from the gyro-stabilized Wescam
MX-15i Forward Looking Infra Red
(FLIR) camera on large flat panel
color displays. The camera can also
provide television-quality pictures
at high-magnification zoom and can
be slaved to the Spectrolab SX-16
Nightsun searchlight during low light
or night operations. A four-axis Digital
Automatic Flight Control System has a
number of pre-programmed SAR modes
and SAR search patterns that allow
for automatic hovering and approach
on to the scene of a rescue Integrated
with a Honeywell Primus 701 Search
and Rescue Weather radar giving the
aircraft their all-weather capability.
Although the cockpits and external
lights have NVG compatibility, none
of the existing operations fly with
NVG goggles – although they do carry
goggles in the rear of the aircraft for
navigational assistance.
Perhaps one of the most useful
pieces of new technology fitted to
both aircraft is the SkyTrac ISAT-100
Iridium-based SatCom system, which
provides an automatic real time flight-
following feature. The system also
has text messaging, data transfer
Lee-On-Solent crews got
to experience a unique
winch, down onto the
back of Earthrace.
and SatPhone capability all using
the Iridium satellite system, and has
provided a useful tool for analyzing
data associated with every call-out
since the start of operations. The
system combined with the Saab R4A
SAR automatic identification system
(AIS) enables controllers to see the
course, the speed and identity of the
helicopter and plot exactly where the
aircraft are positioned minute-by-
minute on displays at HM Coastguard
co-ordination centers and the ARCC
in Kinloss. This has resulted in an
increase in missions and improved
response times, as controllers can
identify the exact status of each
helicopter and in turn dispatch the
nearest helicopter they can see that
will be the quickest on the scene.
Although the S-92A is seen as a new
aircraft, its pedigree goes back to the
UH-60 family of helicopters, with the
transmission, gear-box and engines
having been developed from the UH-60
series. This design philosophy and use
of fundamental components from the
UH60 has resulted in a new aircraft
with a very established maintenance
and engineering background.
41
The crew of the
Stornoway based S-92
head up one of the Isle’s
rivers during the search
for a missing hiker.
The S-92As are fitted with the
Sikorsky Rotor Ice Protection System
(RIPS) which allows the aircraft to
operate in known icing conditions and
is certified by both North American and
European aviation authorities. Utilizing
the data from SkyTrac, CHC has been
able to look at the way the tasking has
changed in comparison to the previous
operations. Previously, if during certain
winter weather conditions a casualty
evacuation from the outer Scottish
islands was required, an S-61N would
have flown at low level and around
mountains, avoiding the bad weather
and staying out of icing conditions. By
analyzing the current flight profiling
it has now shown that the majority
of tasks carried out from the Scottish
islands are flown in straight lines,
often flying over the mountains – so
saving fuel and gaining valuable time
on the mission.
The all-weather capability provided
by RIPS means they are now able to
climb up to 8,000 feet and fly directly
into the major hospitals on the
mainland. The delivery of service is
now much quicker and allows them
to take casualties into the major cities
of Glasgow and Edinburgh more often
than previously. The MCA have seen
42
benefits from this with the number of
flying hours increasing in Scotland,
with the Stornoway unit flying over
176 missions by the end of 2009 – the
highest they have ever flown.
The AW139 is powered by two full
digital electronic engine-controlled
(FADEC) Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6-
67C 1679shp turbines that provide
Class 1 performance with single-engine
hover capability, a useful requirement
for a helicopter that spends much of its
time in the hover during SAR missions.
Able to carry 2,600lbs (1,300kg) of
fuel, the AW139 is normally configured
for SAR operations at about 1,000kg
and has an operational endurance
of nearly three hours. Ian McLuskie,
Search and Rescue Manager with CHC
said, “The introduction of the AW139s
on the south coast was all about taking
SAR services into a new era in terms
of matching capabilities to perceived
operational requirements.”
Traditionally, the radius of action
has always been a measure of a
SAR helicopter’s capability – current
thinking sees the rate of response as
an improved method of measurement.
The AB139 is quoted as having a fully
operational SAR radius of action of
about 150 nautical miles, but with a fast
cruise speed of 165kts the helicopters
on the South coast could comfortably
reach the east or west coast of the UK
within an hour, carry out the mission
before refueling and return to their
home base. This new thinking is now
moving towards the area you can cover
in a one-hour response time which
gives the MCA even greater flexibility of
its helicopter resources than previously.
In another very important change to
past practices, the rear crews have now
received training to national paramedic
standard as regulated by the UK Health
Professional Council from the previous
advanced life support standard, which
also means an increase in the type
of medical equipment carried and a
substantial improvement in the level of
medical care and capability delivered.
There is no doubt that the
introduction of the two new helicopter
types into the UK SAR environment
took the UK SAR services into a new
era. Innovative use of new technologies
will continue to provide an effective,
efficient service specifically designed
to give the UK Coastguard the ability
to deliver a high-quality search and
rescue service along the varying
coastline of the United Kingdom for
many years. n
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43
 Antarctica is one of
those places one
must try and visit in
a lifetime. It’s a place
where conditions can
be in the extremes.
But as John Eacott
found out, its also a
place where memories
will last forever.

story & photos by John Eacott

 H
top left: aving flown around the world with the The weather and substantial pack ice meant our
Seals and their Royal Navy and commercially in the North trip down to 66 South took a very long eight days,
pups alongside an
Sea, Africa, India and Australasia, one with plenty of pitching and rolling along the way –
iceberg.
aviation ambition had continued to elude friction burns from sliding across the bed sheets was
top right: me during my 40-year career as a helicopter pilot. a new and eminently forgettable experience!
John Eacott, GAPAN
I’d never flown in Antarctica. So when I was asked Once in the pack ice, most of the motion was
Liveryman, with the
current Guild News. by Heli Solutions of Melbourne to fly one of the two replaced by the crashing of the ice as we cut our way
helicopters aboard the icebreaker L’Astrolabe on a through. The ship’s mess began to fill for meals with
bottom left:
trip to the Antarctic, I jumped at the chance. people we didn’t even know were on board.
L’Astrolabe parked
in the ice for stability
And so it was that, last October, I found myself Passing through the ice was fascinating. The ship
during flying ops at Hobart Docks, Tasmania, with fellow pilot Marty created splits up to 500 meters ahead of its position,
Hanna and engineer Peter Hearne as the two AS350B2 the increasing numbers of penguins watched and
opposite page Squirrel helicopters were loaded into the hold of the debated whether we were a threat or not, and first-
top right: Marty research vessel with only inches of clearance – the timers like me spent ages looking at the deep, deep
Hanna departing start of our four-week voyage. I should have realized blue of the glacial ice as we passed thickening
Cap Prudhomme. that the small matter of the 65-meter ship rolling sections and icebergs. One of the Frenchmen who
center left: even while tied up alongside didn’t bode well for a spent nearly all day outside was dressed warmly
Iceberg in the comfortable trip, but we were to find out soon enough. in his parka, beanie, etc – but had only bedroom
melting ice pack,
The MV L’Astrolabe is used by L’Institute Paul slippers on his feet in -14°C.
near the Mertz
Glacier. Emil Victor to support the French base at Dumont Thicker-than-normal ice meant the closest we
D’Urville, and the first trip of the Southern could get to Dumont D’Urville (DDU) was 59 nautical
bottom left: miles, so we were committed to flying more
Hemisphere summer season carries two helicopters
Refuelling at Dumont
to transfer personnel and freight from the edge of the than double the expected 15 to 20 nautical miles
D’Urville helipad.
fast ice to the base – and to support the Glacial and and significantly more flying hours than originally
Geological research. scheduled.

46
Emperor and
Adelie penguins
alongside
L’Astrolabe.

Peter Hearne,
Marty Hanna, Brett
Rankin and John
Eacott at the end of
the day’s flying.

47
 top left: Marty The helicopters were craned out of the hold once
Hanna slinging the ship was parked against the ice, and when ready
equipment to Cap
to fly we found a significant problem – Freezing of
Prudhomme.
the cable from the fuel control lever to the engine
top middle: fuel control, which haunted us throughout the trip.
L’Astrolabe holding Both aircraft suffered fuel control lever failures, mine
in the ice with the
on the first day and the other (flown by Marty Hanna)
Mertz Glacier on
the right. on the very last flight on the last day. Engineer Peter
Hearne was an absolute gem and fixed both.
bottom: Shut My initial impressions flying over the fast ice
down at DDU for
to DDU were the vast distances and the variations
lunch; plenty of
penguins arriving for
of blue in the ice. It was quite easy to see a 200ft-high
the nesting season. iceberg near to the ship when climbing to 1,000 feet
on departure from DDU 50-plus miles away, and
also the Mertz Glacier another 50 nautical miles
beyond the ship.
Stuck fast in the ice, the icebergs come in all
shapes and sizes as they disappear off to the horizon
in the north. Some are frozen as they start to capsize
48
and show enormous scrapes of dirt and debris from
the ocean floor. Many are 200 to 300ft high and
hundreds of meters long. All have variations of blue
ranging from pale robin’s egg through to deep indigo.
Coming to terms with the scale of distance and
what you can see is challenging while flying, and
the lack of definition was accentuated by my flying
helmet visor, which made the blue more noticeable.
Quite how early aviators managed without modern
GPS units impressed me as I flew along watching
the magnetic compass steadily revolve all the way
around – no help whatsoever, and our local variation
was 165 degrees.
It took us some long flying days to offload all the
passengers and freight, much of the non-perishable
equipment being slung under the helicopter to DDU.
Marty often had such low groundspeeds that it took
over an hour to get a load to DDU, and we didn’t
carry perishables outside the cabin, as they would
Nothing but miles
of ice, and no
obstructions to
create noise from the
constant katabatic
wind: bliss, if it
weren’t for -20°C!
have frozen in the -20°C conditions. As the DDU
expeditioners had been there all winter, the flags
were flying gaily from the mast for our first day of
operations there, and we were made most welcome.
Our other tasks were to fly the geologists ashore
to check on areas and to set up a remote seismic
station – and to take the glaciologist to Mertz Glacier
and work with monitoring equipment on the glacier.
The French have been monitoring the Mertz for some
30 years, and the glacier has a crack along the coastal
area which is expected to break through very soon,
allowing 100 years of glacial ice more than 50 kms
long to come free and drift off into the ocean. It will
be a natural event, but one that hasn’t been seen and
monitored to such a degree.
A problem with the ship last year prevented
flying to the Mertz, so we had six locations to search
for GPS tracking stations that hadn’t been checked
for two years. They are about 2.3 meters above the
surface when new, and the only one we found had center right:
just 25cms remaining above the glacier. New snow Refuelling for Mertz
Glacier operations.
and ice accumulates at a rate of more than a meter a
year – so even the fuel drums we left overnight at our bottom:
refuel point had snow drift burying the netting and Inquisitive Orcas,
drums. looking for dinner!
We flew glaciologists and equipment to build
another four GPS stations, staged either side of the
crack so that both the drift of the glacier and the
movement of the crack can be monitored along with
weather conditions.
My fuel control cable was freezing below -16°C
so I couldn’t risk shutting down. But Marty and the
others were surrounded by intense silence whenever
I left them to go on another task. Nothing but miles
of ice, and no obstructions to create noise from
the constant katabatic wind – bliss, if it weren’t for
-20°C. We also carried out important research which
concluded that Tim Tam biscuits left on the ice are
49
 left: Craning HRD much nicer than Mint Slices, although they both
out of the hold on revert to soft chocolate after only 20 minutes in a
arrival in the ice.
heated helicopter cabin!
right: HRQ and The geologists needed to visit Penguin Point,
HRD with a bit of a location on the east side of the Mertz on the
surface ice. edge of the Antarctic mainland. On the first flight
we discovered an old igloo-shaped hut, recently
uncovered after being buried for what we thought
was 50 years or so. Only the frame remained – plus a
host of artefacts on the floor, including skins, poles, a
stove, a kettle and a bucket.
The geologists also were landed at Correl, a
solitary rock formation sticking out of the ice on the
west side of the Mertz which has been identified as
having identical rock types as are found in South
Australia. One of their previous finds is currently in
the Louvre Museum, so it is a significant area. Mind
you, landing there with the wind whipping around

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the rocks was fun, especially as there was only one
location that would just take a Squirrel helicopter.
Throughout the first week the ship was
constantly stuck in the ice with little sign of breaking
free, so our flight time to the Mertz was long enough
to affect the time available for the work to be done on
the ice. The ship finally broke free on the second day
that we were on the glacier, and when attempting
to move closer to the Mertz we had a day of high
drama with 68-knot winds, freezing ocean spray, and an left: Peter Heard
exciting few hours securing the helicopter blades, which removing the frozen
salt spray from
were doing their best to leave the aircraft and the ship.
HRD.
After the ship moved to a more sheltered spot we
had to remove frozen salt water from the helicopters right: The ships
with fresh warm water, then remove the fresh water bell with a few hours
worth of Salt ice.
ice. We finally got airborne that day at 8 pm, but the
long daylight gave us a few hours to get some work done.
After a last day of support flying to the Mertz

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 top left: Brett Glacier, L’Astrolabe was scheduled to depart for
Rankin helping
Hobart, but when Marty went to start to return from
assemble the GPS
DDU the frozen fuel control cable caught him and
tracking station on
the Metz Glacier. prevented a start. Fortunately Peter was along for
the ride, and spent most of the night working on the
top right:
Squirrel outside in temperatures down to -30°C. On
Refuelling for Mertz
Glacier ops. their way back to L’Astrolabe early the next morning
they passed over Mawson’s Hut, which is now buried
above: Sailing
to the roof having been cleared only a few years ago.
past an iceberg
with debris scraped With both helicopters on board and secure we
off the ocean bed started north, stopping in the lee of a large ‘berg to
before rolling over. remove the main rotor blades. Soon after we passed,
a massive iceberg that had broken away from the
Ross Shelf and was drifting north was our last
reminder of the sheer magnificence of the Antarctic.
Once through the ice pack, the helicopters were
52
again maneuvred into the hold, and off we set – into
a Force 10 storm! Discretion gave us a small respite
as we headed around the eye of the storm toward
New Zealand, but I must remember to avoid small
ships in future. Nothing less than 20,000 tons may
give the stability needed for a comfortable voyage.
The Antarctic is stunningly beautiful and
impressive – and full of unique sights. We were lucky
to see a lot of the native wildlife from the little Adelie
penguins, the large imposing Emperor penguins,
seals, sea birds and Orca whales – all quite fearless
in their inquisitive approach to the ship and to us
humans as we visited their environment. Seeing
the icebergs and glaciers was truly amazing, an
experience of a lifetime. I feel so lucky to have ticked
yet another box in my aviation “to-do” list! n
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Anti
Submarine
Warfare
It’s a Helicopter’s Playground

Hunting the hunters has always been the

role of the ASW helicopter, whose main role
is to support the battle fleet or ship they are
attached to. It’s a game of cat and mouse
and the outcome is always an unknown.
Chris Smallhorn gives us an overview.

photos by Agusta Westland, US Navy, NH Industries

 A Royal Navy EH101
hovers beside its
prey, a Royal Navy
submarine off the coast
of the United Kingdom.
 Inbound to its
helideck, a US Navy
SH60 Seahawk
returns from a
successful mission.
S
ilently slicing through the
depth of oceans in every
corner of the planet as you
read are the submarine forces
of the world. One of the most strategic
assets of any country and its military is
a submarine. Able to penetrate pretty
well anywhere the vessel has sea room
the submarine can gather intelligence
on shipping movements and
communications, gather imagery, carry
out offensive missions inclusive, in the
case of the most advanced countries,
the delivery of strategic and tactical
nuclear or non-nuclear weapons.
Submarines are used to deliver and
recover special operations divers or
mine a water way. Basically they are
the most flexible singular strategic
national military asset for peace time
and a lethal strategic and tactical
asset in war. So unsurprisingly, most
developed and developing countries
that boast a shoreline desire to field a
submarine force.
What on earth is that opening
paragraph doing in a helicopter
magazine I hear some observing,
possibly colored by a few expletives of
a kind that would make an alter boy
flinch! The reason is that amongst the
very few counter measures that can be
utilized against an enemy submarine
56
force is the helicopter – albeit rather
specialized helicopters. This is a
complex subject and there is no way we
can cover all the elements associated
with Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW)
and the helicopter. More so I seek to
highlight another critical mission
executed by the rotary wing machine,
and executed well.
Apart from some fixed underwater
systems such as the Fixed (acoustic)
Surveillance Systems (FSS), or Sound
Surveillance System (SOSUS), which
are listening devices placed in strategic
positions on the seabed, are only
owned and operated by the most
advanced of nations, the only three
real Anti-Submarine Warfare assets
are submarines themselves, purpose
designed Maritime Patrol Aircraft
(MPA) and ASW helicopters typically
operated from warships. Over this and
the next HeliOps we will explore some
background on the submarine and its’
effectiveness, an exploration of the
current ASW capabilities of helicopters
and the basic tactics utilized, then
finally a bit of blue sky discussion
on what are the capabilities we can
expect to see in helicopters in the
future. The key point in regards to the
effectiveness and employability of the
helicopter in the ASW role is that it
goes where the ship goes, and therefore
can be accessed by the Task Force
Commander at short notice where and
when needed. The MPA and submarine
may not be as easily accessed.
The Submarine Threat
A brief look at some pertinent
historical references and events in
submarine history highlight that
this is not just a later 20th and early
21st century passing interest – that’s
just when technology really made it
possible to exploit.
In 1653 the ‘Rotterdam Boat’ was
built by a Frenchman specifically for
the purpose of attacking British ships
in the English Channel. The designer
Messieur De Son boasted that it could
cross the channel and return sinking
100 ships along the way. High hopes
indeed for a vessel whose clockwork
style spring driven screw design proved
unable to sail the vessel. Although a
failure, the Frenchman was on the
right track. Some time later, in 1776 an
American MR Dave Bushnell develop
the first submarine that actually was
used to attack surface vessels. Known
as the ‘Turtle’, the submarine used a
foot treadle for the single crewman to
propel the vessel. Towed near to the
target and then released on foot power,
Today the submarine has become the
sharp end of the most advanced Navies on
the planet. Submarines are essentially in
two categories, nuclear and non-nuclear.

57
 the submariner (a term not then in use)
treadled his way under the target, drilled
a hole in the hull and placed a 150 lbs of
gunpowder with a clockwork detonator,
treadled out of there and surfaced to see
his handy work. On 7 Sep, 1776 the Turtle
attacked a British ship, the HMS EAGLE.
Unable to penetrate the hull with the drill
the attack was unsuccessful, but the idea
was good, well sort of!.
Things have of course moved along
since this time. Today the submarine
has become the sharp end of the
most advanced Navies on the planet.
Submarines are essentially in two
categories, nuclear and non-nuclear.

Try
Tha
se
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Non-nuclear are often referred to as

a

i
r

n
conventional submarines. Propulsion
nks to ITT’s F4949 VGs w
c

g
h and rescue pilot n find s

systems for submarines are key for two

to find a capsi
reasons – firstly and most obviously they
need it to move, but more importantly to
the ASW helicopter and indeed many of
the ASW systems, the noise these systems
make are how we often identify the
submarine underwater. Propulsion systems
for submarines are an article in itself – just
zed bo

not one for a aviation magazine. However

N
s ca

let’s look at the basics.

The most common of the non-nuclear
a t

systems around the world today use diesel

un d e

engines and rechargeable batteries to

i t h t h e a b i l i t y t o s e e t h ro u

run the submarine under water. In order

r the cover of night is lik

to charge the batteries the submarine

u r v i vo r s i n e ve n t h e w

must ‘snorkel’, meaning it must surface to

put a snorkel above the water level such
that the diesel engines can be engaged
to recharge the batteries. Fully charged
the submarines endurance underwater
varies enormously on the effectiveness
of the electric system installed and upon
the speed the submarine is operating. As
a generalization, electric boats on battery
would rarely move around under water
much faster that 10-12 knots. A more
orst o n d i t i o n s .

e th

typical speed would be well less than ten.

gh the blackest

Current systems employ Air independent

e prove
c

Propulsion (AIP) systems. As the name

suggests these systems can run their
engines without snorkeling enabling either
rbia

direct drive or battery recharge. As a general

rule, although this rule changes as systems
l needle in a hays

develop, the electric boat is the quietest,

of nights,

which makes it very difficult to be found

when it does not want to be found.
Nuclear submarines, utilizing a
nuclear reactor as the source of all power
generation for the boat, has the distinct
advantage of not needing to surface at
anytime with the main limitation to the
boats endurance being the warm oxygen
tack

breathing carbon units on board – humans.

.
 People need to be fed and long periods Australia has stated it will pursue capability and value to a country, but
of time underwater without the sight is as significant as it is enlightening also to the expected rise in numbers
of sun or the enjoyment of fresh air as to the threats and deterrents this and quality of submarines on the global
has certain undeniable psychological unique country, in terms of population stage in the years to come
effects on the well being, and therefore versus geographic footprint and area Post the Cold War large amounts
effectiveness, of the crew. However of influence, sees as emerging. The of military hardware became available
the ability to remain submerged for statement represents an increase on the global market, this including
literally weeks on end has clear tactical in submarine force by 100%, from 6 submarines, a very common one
benefit. The nuclear reactor produces to 12 boats. This, in an element of being the Kilo Class, a conventional
high temperatures which heat water the Australian Defense Force where submarine used widely by Russia.
creating superheated steam. The steam manpower challenges are well Many nations took this opportunity
may be used to turn generators in turn publicized, and major acquisition issues to upgrade their existing capabilities,
producing power for propulsion and have been faced, and dealt with, to or more importantly to set a strategic
electricity. The time period between realize the force currently in place. trajectory to purchase relatively
refueling for shipborne nuclear Australia’s choice to embark on such a cheaply into new capabilities
reactors varies, however as long as capability expansion speaks volumes previously not existing within their
four years is a reasonable figure for of that countries defense experts’ defense forces.
the purpose of general knowledge. opinion with respect to both submarine Presently there are numerous
Nuclear powered boats may be either
smaller attack boats or larger ballistic
missile submarines. In each case the
power provides amazing underwater
speeds of 30+ knots if it is needed.
However a boat doing this speed
underwater makes a lot of noise, a
consideration always in the forefront
of a submariners mind. The older
nuclear submarines can be quite noisy,
particularly if the boat choses to use
the speed and acceleration capability.
Modern nuclear submarines however
are extraordinarily quiet, perhaps still
slightly at a disadvantage noise wise
to the non-nuclear boat, but the noise
gap is has closed enormously. Bottom
line is, when a submarine coses to stay
quiet they are very hard to find based
on noise alone.

Global Proliferation
Recently the Australian
Government released the Defense
White Paper, Defending Australia in
the Asia Pacific Century Force 2030.
The strategic document included the
following statement
‘In the case of the submarine force,
the Government takes the view that
our strategic circumstance necessitate
a substantially expanded submarine
fleet of 12 boats....a larger force would
significantly increase the military
planning challenges faced by any
adversaries, and increase the size and
capabilities of the force they would
have to prepare to commit to attack
us directly, or coerce, intimidate or
otherwise employ military power
against us’.
The increase in submarine
commitment by the government of

60

A RN Lynx,
complete with
torpedo.
countries such as the Chinese
and Indian Navies who are modernizing
at a rapid pace. Both these countries,
like so many, recognize the value
of these extraordinary vessels in
terms of being a military deterrent,
a tool of diplomacy, and of course
being able to enforce a countries
international policy when required.
The incredible rate of modern
industrialization of these countries has
seen an ability to build home grown
modern submarines emerge. Over
the coming decades, as these boats
continue to enter service, old boats
enter the market pace, and perhaps in
the event the manufacturing nations
policy allows, their new boats will also
enter the market place. Again, we are
contemplating more submarines on
the market, and more in the water. It
is undeniable that global submarine
proliferation is a reality and in turn
nations must ensure their ASW
capabilities are both maintained and
modernized to suit.
Detection
An ASW helicopter uses two
methods of searching for and
identifying a submarine – passive
or active. Passive hunting is simply
described as using the sensors to listen
for the noises made by a submarine,
whilst active hunting is where a
noise is put in the water (the classic
submarine movie ping sound) and the
helicopter uses its sensors to listen for
any return echoes.
No matter which way you cut it,
passive hunting requires patience
and thought, one must know ones
enemy and their objective as the ASW
helicopter is limited in both endurance
and the number of passive sensors it
can employ. The typical sensors used
by helicopters for passive hunting is
specially designed sonobuoys which
are dropped from the helicopter, or a
dipping sonar which is lowered into the
water by a cable from the aircraft and
the sensor placed at varying depths to
The variety of ASW
equipment is easily
seen in this image of
a US Navy SH60.
The increase in submarine
commitment by the government
of Australia represents an
increase in submarine force by
100%, from 6 to 12 boats.
listen. The distance these sensors must
be away from a submarine to hear the
noises is considerably closer than one
may think, sometimes less than 1000
yards. Generally, if an aircraft is fitted
with a dipping sonar passive hunting
is not conducted due to the close
ranges and how long it takes to deploy,
the dipper is best utilized for active
hunting. The sonobuoys are much
quicker to deploy and therefore better
for passive hunting, but not necessarily
as sensitive as a dipper. Sonobuoys may
be designed to listen for either narrow
or broadband noise, which we will
describe in a moment. Accompanying
the sensor is a processor, or essentially
a computer that takes in the raw
noise made by the submarine and
transmitted by radio signal from
sonobuoys, or up the cable for a dipper,
to the acoustic processor. The processor
is designed to filter the noise and
present the sounds to the aircrew in a
visual frequency domain format. The
raw sound can be listened to through
61

your headset as well, and I would have
to say, when your ear gets tuned this
method works very well irrespective of
the processor.
Narrow band noise are those
sounds typically made by machinery
such as engines, pumps and generators.
The frequency band of the noise
is discrete, meaning it is a single
frequency with very little variance. A
power generator on a submarine, for
example, may produce power in the
400 Hz region, therefore this becomes
a discrete frequency to listen for. The
key to actually identifying a submarine
by type is to know what machinery
the submarine has and therefore be
able to determine what the discrete
frequencies are you need to listen for
– this is where military intelligence is
of real import, and rest assured such
information is closely guarded by all
submarine operators. On one occasion
whilst hunting a submarine during
a naval exercise, it was possible to
identify that the submarine, which
had two propellers and therefore two
drive shafts, had a slipping clutch on
one of the shafts due to a difference
in frequencies between the two. The
higher end of the passive acoustic
system processors can be quite capable.
Broadband noise is best described
as that noise made by the water being
displaced by the submarine as it
moves, effectively the sound of pushing
the water aside as the submarine
makes way. It is termed broadband as
the noises made cover a far broader
chunk of the frequency spectrum and
vary a fair bit between submarines. Not
surprisingly, the faster a boat moves
through the water the more broadband
sound it makes. Again the sensors
that can be used for broadband are
dippers or sonobouys. Again the dipper
62
The next generation,
a Norwegian
NH90 out on patrol.
is unsuited to passive hunting and
therefore typically not used. Sonobouys
must be especially designed to identify
broadband sound, with some deploying
mini arrays in the water to effectively
put out a spider web, or wheel spoke, of
receivers. Such a design enables better
fine tuning of the direction from which
the submarine noise is emitting.
A more recent development is the
use of energy mapping. This system,
not widely employed at this stage,
measures energy disturbances in the
water, processes the raw information
and then presents the operator with a
visual display. It is reputed to achieve
exceptional detection ranges and
stands to form the basis of future anti
submarine hunting technology.
Active hunting is fairly simple
in its theory, and very effective in
practice, both in terms of deterring
and prosecution. The concept is not at
all dissimilar to radar. A loud sound
is made in the water emitting from a
known position, and the reflections of
noise are received by a suitable sensor
and then analyzed via an on board
processor for display to the crew. The
most common methods of producing
the sound is either via a sonobouy or
a dipping sensor. The more effective
of the two is undeniably the dipping
sonar which can produce greater levels
of sound power in the water than
sonobuoys, and therefore significantly
greater ranges. The sonobuoy systems
have the advantage of being able to be
laid, or sown, rapidly throughout an
area and then pinged at the users wish
to cover a large area. There is nothing
quite as satisfying as listening through
your headset to the ping return of your
target, and yes it does sound pretty
similar to the movies!
These days the use of low
frequency, high power, dipping sonars
is the technology producing the best
detection ranges, and the one the
submariners like least The advantage
of using lower frequency is that such
frequencies travel much further
through the water medium however
it is noteworthy that a dipping sonar
sensor needs to spread an array of
antennae under the water in order to
produce the necessary wavelengths
associated with the low frequencies.
Those who recall the school boy physics
equation f=1/λ where f=frequency
and λ=wavelength will note that the
lower the frequency the longer the
wavelength. To produce such low
wavelengths requires a large antennae
array. As such the deployment and
recovery of such an array takes some
time, which is noteworthy in a game
where once detection is made, offensive
prosecution is usually the intent,
meaning you need to get a weapon in
the water as quick as possible after
achieving the necessary detection
criteria that will be detailed in the
Rules of Engagement. To this end
dippers are best deployed in a team,
a technique known as ‘gang dipping’.
In this manner the two helicopters
can maintain a sensor in the water
near continuously, with one helicopter
dipping, whilst another is repositioning
for the next dip within the search
area. Once detected an attack solution
can be executed by the helicopter
airborne. Using this method large areas
of ocean can be sanitized providing
the best assurance of a safe passage
of the friendly ships the helicopters
are attached to. The aircrew are pretty
highly motivated to ensure the job is
done right, as one of those friendly
ships is where your bunk is and there’s
nowhere else to land in the middle of
the oggon!
There has been significant work
over the years into bi-static technology
whereby the active element of the
equation – the large noise – is made
by a third party whilst pre-positioned
sensors, perhaps dipping sonars or
sonobuoys, listen. The technique can
be used with a single asset, however
the large amounts of ocean covered
make prosecution of identified targets a
challenge. This technique continues to
develop and relies heavily on advanced
processing capability, as one might
imagine the bigger your primary noise,
 t 5
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6
 or ping, the more contacts and return
the processor needs to analyze before
presentation to the crew. The challenge
is to reduce false targets, whilst not
filtering out the real thing. Bi-statics
continues to offer real promise.
Tactical Scenario
Let’s look at a simple tactical
scenario employing the ASW helicopter.
Consider the situation whereby a
task group of ships is required to
transit a relatively closed piece of
water, say between a mainland and
an island group. Almost anywhere
essentially filled with noise or pings to
prevent the submarine the opportunity
to transit the area. Submariners, like
any other military capability, is in the
business of executing the mission
and returning to fight another day. To
that end the submarine Commander
will have certain risk levels he/she
are allowed to accept. Noting that the
likelihood of detection is significantly
higher should the submarine seek to
penetrate an area with an active search
saturation, the reward for the mission
must outweigh the risk. In the scenario
discussed, and assuming sufficient
aircraft were available to keep a 24 hour
coverage during the transit, then the
decision to be made could well be ‘are
we willing to lose the submarine for the
mission objective’. Noting the overall
value of a submarine, this would be a
most rare situation.
There are of course limitless tactical
scenarios, however the key point here

Drop Off
your reading this article you are most
likely able to think of a such a spot.

Your Aircraft.
These are referred to as choke points
and can be areas of choice for the
silent submarine to sit and await the

We’ll Do The Rest.

transit. In such instances the first you
may become aware of a submarine
is when a flaming datum has been
set, this being a burning ship from a
successful submarine attack. It is of
real importance to recognize that in the
art of ASW deterring your opponent the
opportunity to employ his submarine
may be equally as effective as detecting
and destroying the submarine.
Similarly, Rules of Engagement are
often by design restrictive to avoid
unnecessary escalation of hostilities.
To that end the mission may simply be From component
deter-detect, vice detect-destroy.
overhauls and repairs
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the task force Commander. Passive
hunting may be employed by laying
sonobuoy barriers in positions where
it is expected the submarine will be
required to transit in order to position
itself for detection of the surface units.
A helicopter, overly restricted in terms
of speed and endurance and number
of sonobuoys, is not well suited for
such tactics, but can still be effective
in tight waters. The use of an active
search saturation policy on the other
hand can be achieved with very good
affect. This is where the water is

64

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is that rotary wing ASW assets, if
employed with care and in a manner
to capitalize on their strengths, are a
formidable and effective capability in
denying an enemy the opportunity to
effectively employ their submarine.
In the scenario described, deterring
the opponent the opportunity to
use the submarine would have been
sufficient, however if detected and
Rules of Engagement allow, then an
attack may ensue.
The attack weapon of choice is
the air launched torpedo. There are
numerous types of torpedoes around
the traps, Mk46 and Mk54 being US
produced weapons that have been in
use for many years, and the Stingray
one the UK have used for some time.
Nearing a level of confidence in the
European sector is the MU90. There
are many more. Each weapon has
overall similar functionality, launch
on a predetermined search pattern,
the torpedo enters an active search
in accord with the program, and once
detected executes a direct attack.
If successful the results can be
devastating. There was much said of
submarine hulls produced in particular
by the Russians, such as that of the
Akula Class of submarine, that were
of sufficient strength to withstand a
torpedo attack. I would not like to test
this theory!
Attack solutions require some
careful planning, quick thought, and
against the modern submarine, quick
action. Detection opportunities can be
brief. Maintaining detection throughout
the attack setup is of real importance
to a successful firing. Once the weapon
is in the water it makes a fair bit of
noise itself preventing any passive
systems being used effectively. Where a
sonobuoy system is being used a single
66
aircraft attack can be achieved as the
sonobuoys can be doing their detection
job all the while the aircraft is setting
up the attack. Dippers best work in
a team, one holding detection and
once executing the firing. In all cases,
and as for any weapon employment,
launching it within the sweet spot of
its launch parameters gives the best
chance of success. With a good fix of
the submarine position, achievement of
the relevant Rules of Engagement, it’s
weapon away.
The weapon drops away from the
aircraft, cables attached to the aircraft
pull free as the weapon drops deploy
a stabilization parachute and arms
the engine to engage. The stabilization
chute is designed to ensure the correct
entry angle to the water. Albeit once
launched the weapon is a fire and
forget, the submarine is unlikely to
sit on a straight course and await
impact! Employing counter measures
and rapid maneuvering is a certainty.
Countermeasures are designed to either
provide a more attractive target to the
torpedo, or at the very least sufficiently
disturb the weapons trajectory to
enable the submarine maneuver
time. In particular the nuclear attack
submarines are capable of extremely
rapid speed increases, and in the
case of some of the older torpedoes,
the submarine may be able to outrun
the weapon. Modern torpedoes are
designed to employ counter-counter
measures, these seek to be able to
identify the difference between a
submarine launched torpedo counter
measure and the submarine itself.
Things are happening quickly, and the
airborne ASW assets need to maintain
the situational awareness such that
they are ready to launch another
torpedo as soon as possible in the event
the submarine avoids the first. Keeping
track of the weapon and the submarine
is no easy feat. If successful its time
to rescue survivors, if not, well its
another weapon. Either way, once the
helicopter is in the offensive mode, one
can be reasonably assured the deter
mission has been achieved, it’s hard
for the submariner to mount an attack
of his/her own when a torpedo is on
trajectory!
Training for the ASW mission
requires great expense and access to
significant national assets. Neither
of these ingredients come easily in
today’s environment. The use of highly
developed simulators provides excellent
training and is used extensively. One
limitation here is that the simulator
instructors are a near always aviators,
and as much as I’m sure we like
to think we know our submariner
brethren thoughts and tactics, we
don’t have their detailed knowledge.
Nothing beats having a professional
submarine warfare officer providing
training advice. Again hard to come by
as these talented individuals are busy
in their own community. The future
hopes to see the adjoining of submarine
simulators with helicopter simulators
which will see the submariners
tactics being employed in a training
environment that can be set up when
needed, not reliant upon the expensive
ship, aircraft and submarine assets.
Closing
In the sea warfare environment
the submarine is a spectacular ally
and a formidable foe. The helicopter is
currently and will continue to be a very
effective submarine deterrent in an
environment where ASW is becoming
more prevalent and necessary. There
will continue to be a lot of research
work in this area in the years to come,
and we can be assured the helicopter
will remain central to any advanced
nations ASW capability map. It’s an
exciting mission, and like so many
military missions, there’s many hours
of relatively boring searching for
moments of sheer excitement. I look
forward, as one who is no longer in a
position to be able to fly the missions,
to watching this fascinating area of
sea borne aviation develop. Having
recently left an ASW community I miss
it already. n
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 To hear the tragic news that another
Emergency Medical Services
helicopter has crashed in the United
States and fatally injured all the
occupants on board continues to be
a headline we read too often.

story by glen white photos by ned dawson

68
 A First Flight EC135
lands on a suburban
street in Melbourne,
Florida during a
training mission.

69
 Air-Med’s Bell 430
picks up a patient
early in the morning
after a flight from Salt
Lake City, Utah.
D
espite study after study,
endless task force
recommendations, rules and
technology implementation,
we continue to lose people in an
industry whose purpose it is to save
rather than cost lives.
Between the mid-1990s and 2004,
EMS helicopter accidents have doubled,
with the main cause being controlled
flight into terrain after entering
instrument meteorological conditions.
Since 1998 there have been more then
an average 12 EMS helicopter crashes
per year. In 2006, the Congressional
Research Service determined that 80
percent of all helicopter ambulance
accidents were caused by the pilot
losing visual references at night or in
poor weather.
When looking at accident statistics
they show a more reliable trend over
a larger period of time. For example,
2008 was one of the most deadly years
for HEMS with 13 accidents and 29
fatalities. Then there wasn’t a fatal
HEMS accident for 49 weeks when on
September 25 2009, an AS350B2 crashed
in Georgetown, SC, killing all three
crewmembers. Without looking at
the long-term trend, it would be easy
for the uninformed to conclude the
problem had been remedied prior to
this accident.
70
There are currently more than 850
EMS helicopters operating in the United
States, performing more than 400,000
transports per year. This is an increase
from a little more than 200 helicopters
in the late 1980s. When viewing the
accident-rate per 100,000 hours today
as compared to the early 1980s, there
has been a staggering improvement.
In 1980 HEMS experienced almost
10 fatal accidents per 100,000 hours.
Today the HEMS fatal accident
rate is 1.18 per 100,000 hours. When
compared to other air taxi operations
the rate is 1.13 per 100,00 hours.
So there have been vast
improvements in safety and culture in
the HEMS community. Still, that doesn’t
help the crew that is part of that 1.18.
As a community we need to strive to
continue to reduce the potential of
increasing this trend.
Within the last quarter of 2009, we
continued to see how prone the EMS
industry is to these occurrences. On
22 September 2009, an EMS A109 was
being ferried from maintenance to
its base in Idaho when it experienced
a dual engine failure after fuel
starvation. September 24 saw an
AS350B3 experience a loss of tail rotor
authority and land hard on the hospital
pad at St Mary’s in Tucson, AZ. On
September 25, an AS350B2 crashed in
Georgetown, SC, at night in marginal
weather after dropping off a patient at
Medical University of South Carolina in
Charleston, SC, fatally injuring all three
crewmembers on board.
A month later on October 22,
an A119 in Blythe, CA, landed hard
after a partial loss of power. Then
on November 5, an AS350 hit a set of
powerlines with its tail rotor in Council
Bluffs, Iowa, after departing from a
scene landing at night, and just over
a week later, an AS350B crashed at
night in Doyle, CA, after dropping off
a patient at Reno hospital. All three
crewmembers were killed.
To have an honest discussion
of these accidents can be difficult.
To point fingers at our friends and
colleagues who have been involved in
a fatal crash can often be disrespectful
and at times hypocritical. We all want
to believe that, “It couldn’t happen
to me.” But all it takes is one chain
in a situation to take us from, “Wow,
that was close!” – to a devastating
news story. Often in an attempt not
only to honor the deceased but to
psychologically protect us from the fact
that it could have easily been us, we
search for every reason for the accident
except the decisions made before or
during the flight, or reactions made in a
difficult situation.
 A fireman acts as
a patient during a
training mission.

To have an honest
discussion of these
accidents can be a difficult
task. To point fingers at
our friends and colleagues
who have been involved in
a fatal crash can often be
disrespectful and at times
First Flight delivers its
hypocritical.
patient to the hospital.

Miami Dade Fire Department’s

Bell 412 is one of the busiest
EMS operations in Florida.
 Operating a fleet
of A109s, Dallas
based Careflite
provides a much
needed service
to the residents
of Texas.
Photo Courtesy of Agusta Westland
In addition to the personal
reasons why such discussions are
uncomfortable, litigation in the
United States almost always plays
a role after an accident. This forces
all even remotely involved to protect
themselves from blame. So instead
of companies, managers, pilots and
crewmembers looking at the problem
rationally and attempting to ensure
that it doesn’t happen again, everyone
is encouraged to shield themselves
from blame.
Since 2004 the FAA has been very
active in attempting to create solutions
that will reduce the number of EMS
helicopter accidents. In August of
that year, the FAA established a task
force to review and guide government
and industry efforts to reduce EMS
accidents. In January 2005 they
hosted a meeting with EMS industry
representatives and published a notice
for guidance on providing decision-
making skills. Later, in August of
that year the FAA issued guidance
72
to inspectors on promoting risk
assessment. This list of committees
and recommendations continues much
in the same manner through to today.
These actions look very good on
paper and give the appearance of
action. In reality, they are political “feel
good” measures that have proven to
have very little net worth in the reality
of flying HEMS.
The NTSB, in most cases, does a
very good job in investigating and
publishing all the facts of an accident.
The purpose of publishing these
reports is an attempt to ensure that
the same mistakes are not repeated.
In most accidents it is very clear why
the aircraft crashed. So why is it then
that we continue to have so many
fatal accidents?
Many in the EMS industry have
promoted various solutions as the
“magic bullet” to reducing the accident
rate. The majority of these ideas involve
the implementation of some form of
technology, including NVGs, collision
avoidance, two pilot operations or
IFR-equipped aircraft. All of these
tools can be extremely helpful in the
right situation, but we are all looking
everywhere but where we should.
The fact is that most EMS accidents
have a common root cause – how the
pilot reacted to a difficult situation
and how he got there in the first place.
I am not saying he messed up, let’s
move on. Rather, how do we as an
industry honestly address conditioning
pilots to react properly to unusual
circumstances and make sound
decisions before and during a flight?
The bottom line is that the human
factor is at the root cause of
all accidents.
No meeting, committee or
publication is going to infuse a pilot
with the ability to react in the most
beneficial manner to a less then ideal
situation. This behavior is practiced
and learned over time. There is a
reason why operators prefer to hire
experienced pilots. It is not because
 The fact is
that most EMS
accidents have
a common root
cause, how the
pilot reacted to a
difficult situation
and how he
Tri-State Careflight are
more than pleased with got there in the
the attributes of the
single-engine A119 Koala.
first place.
Photo by Glen White

Photo Courtesy of Agusta Westland Photo By Glen White

they have wiggled the cyclic for
thousands of hours. It is because during
many thousands of hours they have
seen many scenarios and made a great
many mistakes from which they have
learned. If these lessons have been
learned properly, the pilot is less likely
to make the same mistakes again. The
Danish physicist, Niels Bohr, put it well
when he said, “An expert is a person
who has made all the mistakes that can
be made in a very narrow field.”
Depending on a person’s
background, training and personal
experiences various individuals
react very differently to stressful
situations. When these situations
are compounded with additional
stresses the proper reaction becomes
more difficult. Flying EMS is the
epitome of this reality.
While teaching at FlightSafety in
Hurst, TX, an epiphany occurred to me
during a Bell 412 simulator session. The
two pilots that I had in the simulator
were from the same company, Roberto
Bouchard an Italian and Nicolas Van
Heurck from Belgium. Both were
and are currently US citizens, and
have spoken English as their primary
language for over 20 years, but both
spoke French from childhood.
During the session, I gave them
various emergencies and could see
how they preformed them easily and
without any great effort. I decided to
see how far I could take them before
their performance was degraded.
As one emergency appeared after
another, without any logical reason
for the mixture of the items, the pilots
continued to perform each one without
fail. But something strange occurred
during the events. Word by word the
English language started to disappear
from their sentences as they performed
and read the checklist. Not all at once,
but the verbal commands in the aircraft
slowly changed into French. A deeper
level of the thought process was being
used. When I commented to the pilots
after they landed the helicopter about
the change to the French language they
were unaware that they had done so.
This complex problem-solving level
of thought utilizes deep regions of our
brains. Studies have found that the
region of the brain that has been found
to govern our problem-solving skills is
the anterior cingulate cortex, a brain
region connected to emotion, decision-
making and the art of anticipating what
will happen next. These abilities can
be conditioned and improved through a
learned process.
To improve these problem-solving
abilities takes practice and time. To
take a stressful situation and make
it ordinary, so that stresses do not
impede a pilot’s problem-solving
abilities, takes exposure to the
occurrences. To simply tell a pilot, “If
you enter IMC conditions, climb, and
declare an emergency,” will not work
if the pilot has not been conditioned
to react properly. The natural reaction
for most pilots would be to either try to
descend to escape the situation

73
 Lee County EMS was one of
the first operators to put the
EC145 into service as an EMS
helo in the United States.
or to slow down in paralyzing fear.
The results of both of these
solutions are self-evident. Descent
can cause the aircraft to make impact
with surface objects, and slowing
down in IMC conditions will result
in the loss of attitude, resulting in
spatial disorientation followed by an
uncontrolled descent to the ground.
Keeping these simple truths in
mind, our industry has two choices
in regard to solving the problem of
losing aircraft due to the loss of visual
references for VFR programs. Either
the weather minimums need to be
increased to such a level that there
is almost no chance of a pilot
entering IMC conditions, or pilots
need conditioning on, and
enhancement of, the skill sets needed
when entering IMC.
The vast majority of EMS pilots in
the United States hold an instrument
rating to their certificate. This rating is
good for the life of the pilot. To utilize
the rating though, the pilot must have
performed six approaches, holding
procedures and intercepted and tracked
courses through the use of navigation
systems in the previous six months.
Most EMS pilots holding an
instrument rating will fly one or two
approaches per year during their 135
check-ride. Very rarely is any IMC
training given prior to the check-ride.
74
So the pilot is only expected to be able
to fly the approach in a very broad
proficiency level.
One or two approaches per year by
no means prepare a pilot for entering
IMC conditions. This entry usually
occurs at low attitude due to the fact
that the pilot has been descending in
order to stay out of the IMC conditions.
The pilot is not prepared to climb,
find the proper frequency for ATC
and navigate to an appropriate
landing facility.
The majority of HEMS accidents
due to marginal weather happen
almost immediately after entering
IMC conditions. Since this narrow
time-frame is where the majority of
the inadvertent IMC accidents occur,
this is the area in which training and
conditioning needs to be focused.
The conditioning of a pilot to
make proper decisions on whether
to take a flight, to react properly to
a systems failure, to prioritize
decisions, to work as a crewmember
or fly in a manner which will not cause
damage to the aircraft or crew, requires
vigilance to training and exposure.
To tell a pilot, “We do not want you
to fly if you think the weather is not
acceptable,” but then require that same
pilot to prove that the weather was not
sufficient enough to take the mission
is a contradiction in attitudes. It
gives the appearance to the pilot that
the organization is protecting itself
while still saying, “Get out there and
make us money.”
When you add that the reason
for the flight is to potentially save
someone’s life, unnecessary risks are
encouraged. The HEMS community
needs to adopt a “zero pressure to fly
philosophy.” Of course, in meetings and
on paper this attitude is widespread.
In reality there is still a mindset in the
HEMS community, whether valid or not,
that every possible mission should be
accepted.
On June 8 2008, a Bell 407 crashed
in Huntsville, TX, in marginal weather.
This helicopter had been dispatched
after another operator had aborted the
same requested mission flight. The
operator who had aborted the flight
reported low clouds in the vicinity
of where the accident would occur.
Weather reporting stations in the area
recorded visual flight rules when the
407 accident occurred. The station
with the lowest reported weather
was Huntsville, with greater then a
2,000-foot ceiling and more than 10
miles visibility.
This weather scenario is very
common in the United States. The
reason for this is that weather
reporting stations are typically located
at airports. An airport generally needs
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 Houston, TX is home to
Hermann Life Flight, who
operate a number of brand
new EC145s.
Photo Courtesy of Eurocopter
to be located on a more elevated area
of land, and most vegetation is cleared
around the runways for a very large
distance. This produces somewhat of a
localized area of better weather.
It is very common for lower cloud
levels and/or ground fog to exist
between weather reporting points. The
pilot of the 407 was a very high- time
aviator with more than 20,000 hours,
so he had to be more then aware of
this. What would have prompted him
to disregard this potential weather
phenomenon?
The pilot of the accident helicopter
was informed of the aborted flight and
after looking at the weather decided
to take the mission. What would
have prompted the pilot of the 407 to
take this flight after receiving a poor
en-route weather brief from another
pilot? Was there pressure for him to
take the flight? Did he not believe the
en-route weather report?
A risk assessment matrix is a
recommendation that the FAA and
CAMTS have promoted heavily for the
last few years. It is a form where points
are added up to determine whether a
flight should be conducted or whether
the flight poses too much of a risk to
76
conduct. The operator of the 407’s risk
matrix produced a score from 0 to 16
points with 0 being clear to fly and 16
being a no-fly situation. The accident
flight risk matrix had a score of 1. This
example highlights the fact that pilot
decision-making cannot be quantified
on a piece of paper with any great
accuracy. Because of this risk matrix
score, did the pilot believe that the
flight was safe to take?
The helicopter departed Huntsville
Memorial Hospital at 2:46am, enroute
to Herman Hospital in Houston, TX.
The last recorded altitude and speed by
the Outerlink GPS tracking system at
2:47am was 600 AGL and 106 kts. The
accident scene was 2.5 miles from this
last reported GPS position.
The time between departure and
the accident was short. It is evident
that the 407 had to start encountering
weather almost immediately. What
would have prompted him to continue?
It is a natural human behavior to want
to continue with a set choice. This pilot
had decided to fly from point A to point
B, not take off from point A and return
to point A. This change in thought is a
difficult mindset to alter.
Humans also do not like to be
“wrong.” This pilot had made a choice
to take this mission even though
another pilot had to abort it because
of bad weather. To return this patient
to the same hospital that he/she had
come out of would have reflected
poorly on the pilot.
The 407 was equipped with night-
vision goggles. Night-vision goggles
provide a 40-degree field of vision
and can be extremely beneficial when
operating in mountainous terrain or
terrain with little ground illumination.
Not only do the goggles provide for
safe navigation, but if a failure occurs
en route they provide for better visual
ground reference for landing.
But with every tool there are
limitations. One of the most prominent
is that the onset of IMC weather
conditions can be very abrupt under
night-vision goggles. The wispy clouds
that can be seen by the naked eye
are not visible to the under night-
vision goggles. These wispy clouds are
generally a first indication that the
pilot is about to enter IMC conditions.
With night-vision goggles, the pilot
views everything outside the cockpit
through the goggles themselves. But
to see the gauges, he has to look under
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 The EC135 has proven to
be one of the most popular
helicopter types in use with
EMS providers worldwide.
the goggles. If the gauges are viewed
through the goggles they simple show
up as very blurry images. Why? Night-
vision goggles are focused to a distance
and this distance is for the terrain
outside the helicopter.
It was determined that the pilot
did not have his under night-vision
goggles down at the time of the
accident. This would be congruent
with the operations of under night-
vision goggles. The most likely scenario
is that the pilot entered IMC and
flipped the goggles up to their upper
locked position in order to better
see the cockpit gauges for instrument
flight.
Even though under night-vision
goggles are an extremely valuable tool,
they do not solve all of the problems.
In this particular instance, they may
have even enhanced the likelihood of
entering inadvertent IMC conditions.
The initial impact was identified
as contact with several trees, 80 to 100
feet in height. Much of the wreckage
was spread over a wide area indicating
a high rate of speed at impact. The
transmission of the helicopter was
located 511 ft south of the initial impact
area while the fuselage came to rest
within 578 ft of the initial impact area.
This accident highlights that even
a well-equipped helicopter, with an
operator complying with FAA/CAMTS
78
recommendations of a risk matrix and
a high-time pilot at the controls will not
eliminate the possibility of an accident
unless the pilot is well prepared for the
situation.
Dealing with a systems failure
during a normal everyday Part 135
flight can be extremely challenging.
Include the additional stresses of the
EMS environment, night operations,
lack of rest and weather conditions,
and the situation can become
overwhelming. An EMS pilot, more
then a pilot flying any other mission
profile needs to be well versed in the
execution of system failures. The
simple fact is that, sooner or later
something will break on almost every
helicopter. In fact, 17 percent of HEMS
accidents involve a mechanical failure.
In June of 2009, I encountered a
Depending on a persons
background, training and
personal experiences
various individuals
react very differently to
stressful situations.
low side governor failure in an Agusta
119 in a mountainous area between
Durango and Cortez Colorado. This
flight occurred on the first night of
a seven-night hitch. When arriving
for my shift I was briefed by the off-
going pilot that there had been some
vibrations in the helicopter. The
suspected problem was a pitch change
link. Maintenance had inspected
and measured the pitch change link
and found it to be within tolerances.
Immediately after this statement, a call
came in for a flight to pick up a patient
in Cortez. I quickly did a weather check,
preflight and launched for the mission.
Approximately 10 minutes into
the flight the aircraft slowly started
to vibrate violently. My obvious initial
thought, having just been told that
there may be a problem with a pitch
change link was of course – there is a
problem with one of my pitch change
links. All of the gauges indicated
correctly with the exception of the
NR gauge. It was slightly low. Like
the scenarios played out in the 412
simulator, different failures started to
appear that seemed to have nothing in
common with one another.
I immediately decided that we
were going to land the helicopter. I
lowered the collective and started to
make a left-hand turn to an open field.
As I lowered the collective the NR

Photo by Glen White
Photo Courtesy of Sikorsky
dropped as if the helicopter’s throttle
had been retarded. I continued to lower
the collective to enter an autorotative
state, which returned the NR to the
green range. But my engine was still
operating. Reintroducing the collective
again produced a decrease in rotor rpm.
The analysis of the malfunction was
that I was having a low side governor
failure. But what do vibrations, a
possible problem with a pitch change
link, low rotor rpm followed by a low
side governor failure have in common?
As mentioned earlier, the ability to
successfully problem- solve through a
situation is the result of conditioning.
This conditioning has been instilled
into my subconscious through years of
training at FlightSafety, Bell, Eurocopter
and EuroSafety, and teaching at
FlightSafety, Eurocopter and EuroSafety.
The reactions that occurred were not
so much a conscious address of the
problem, but rather a subconscious
muscle memory of the proper reaction.
Winters in Colorado are a
challenging environment for
the TriState Careflight crews.
To address a governor failure in
an A119, a large slider on the throttle
needs to be moved down and forward.
At that point the pilot has control of
the fuel flow into the engine with the
throttle. All collective movements at
that point need to be compensated with
the throttle.
As I controlled the NR with the
throttle I made a slight run on landing
to the open field. Two day later a new
fuel-control unit was installed on
the helicopter and it was flown back
to the base in Durango where is still
operates today.
But the question is, what do
vibrations, a possible problem with a
pitch change link, low rotor rpm and
a governor failure have in common?
The answer is if the NR of the A119
becomes slightly low in cruise flight,
the rotor system produces a strong
vibration. The NR was low because the
governor was starting to fail, when the
collective was lowered, the governor
Either the weather minimums
need to be increased to such
a level that there is almost
no chance of a pilot entering
IMC conditions, or pilots
need conditioning on, and
enhancement of, the skill sets
needed when entering IMC.
A handful of programs
across the United States
operate the S76. Palm
Beach Health Care District
is one of these, with two
S76s at its service.
failed. And the suspected vibration due
to a possible bad pitch change link? The
pitch change link was fine, the aircraft
just needed tracking.
Getting the aircraft safely to
the ground was not the result of
my piloting skills, it was not luck,
and it wasn’t a regulation – it was
conditioning.
As we continue to look for a rule
to make, a publication to write or a
piece of technology to implement, the
HEMS community will continue to
lose aircraft and crew. Though many
of these items may be beneficial to
a certain extent, the area that needs
focus is the driver in the pilot seat.
The perception that a pilot has on
the necessity to take a flight and the
training to deal with a deteriorating
situation should be our number one
job. In the mean time, I really hope that
another crew has not found the flaw in
the human factor prior to this article
being published. n
79
It’s a gypsy’s life, always away
from home, living life on the
ocean waves and if you don’t
like fish then there’s no point
applying for the job. Philip
Bell gives us an insight into
the life of a tuna boat pilot.

story by Philip Bell

photos by Philip Bell, Newman Subritzky,

Wayne Sutherland & Tim Gray
 The sun sets on another
productive day, great flying
and a hold full of fish.
 L
above: ife on the tuna boats is an awesome
Had this 500C not experience, especially as a helicopter pilot
been tied down it
or engineer. You live on the high seas, in
would have slid right
over the side of the different countries and meet people from
boat. all over the world – all on your way to becoming a
professional commercial helicopter pilot and gaining
opposite page
offshore experience around the South Pacific and
top left: Micronesia areas in the pursuit of tuna.
As the helicopter
Working as a helicopter pilot on a tuna was the
helps push the fish,
the boats start to experience of a lifetime, and one I highly recommend
encircle them with if you get the chance. What follows are some of the
the nets. things I’ve learned in this specialized profession, and
bottom: my perspective on what it takes to thrive in what can
Once the tuna are be a challenging working environment.
rounded up they are
hauled aboard the Why Helicopters?
mother ship with
Helicopters are used primarily to spot tuna
large scoops.
from the air, as they can cover a much wider area
than the tuna boats themselves. The boats have six
large binoculars – situated nearly at the top of the
tower – that can see approximately 6 to 8 nm in a
nearly 270° view. Helicopters, on the other hand,
can head out anywhere up to 60 to 80 nm –
depending on the boat and the pilot, and from
1,000 ft on a good day and can see as far as 20 to
30 nm in any direction.
In general, I go no further from my boat than
65 nm, and I don’t deviate from that. I’ve given
myself that distance rule because wind directions,
weather, cloud base and so on change constantly.
Plus, if the boat needs me in the event of an
emergency I’m not far away – and I’m never too far
82
away if I need the boat in the event of emergency
with my aircraft.
With me is a spotter who continually looks for fish
with binoculars. Once we have spotted fish or other
boats with their nets out, we track to that location.
That can make us deviate from our given track quite
some distance, and we usually radio the boat telling
them about the deviation if that’s the case.
The vessel master usually gives me a track to
follow and generally I follow this anywhere for up
to 50 minutes. If we don’t spot any fish, he’ll give
us another track to follow. We notify him of our
position and carry on this new track for maybe 35
minutes, or until I reach 65 nm from the vessel. For
safety, I continually calculate my time over distance,
wind direction and speed, fuel remaining and
consumption, and boat direction.
When we spot tuna, I’ll make a right-hand
reconnaissance at about 500 ft – the spotter’s
preferred altitude – so that he can identify the
species, as well as the size of the fish to estimate
how many tons of fish are in the school. If it’s
50 tons or more, we usually will relay the position of
the school back to the vessel and then carry on the
last track that was given by the master. That also lets
the captain know our exact position in the case of an
emergency or mechanical malfunction.
Our helicopters have radio buoys attached to
their right-hand skids, so if there are any logs, debris
or Fish Attracting Devices (FADS) – nets 3-4 meters
wide by maybe 50 meters deep and attached to a row
of buoys – we can mark them. We may hover and
Helicopters are used
primarily to spot tuna
from the air, as they
can cover a much
wider area than the
tuna boats themselves.

83
 The helicopter is descend down while my spotter readies a spear gun
used extensively attached to the radio buoy. He’ll kneel on the float
during netting in order to shoot a log or other piece of debris, and if
operations and is a
the spear is secure he’ll give me the thumbs-up. As
valuable tool for the
captains to utilise. he lets the radio buoy go I will simultaneously hover
higher and go a bit backwards in order to keep a safe
distance between the radio buoy’s antenna and the
rotor blades. I also want to make sure my skids are
clear of any rope between the log and the radio buoy.
Once the radio buoy is in place the vessel can lock
onto it and steam straight toward the fish, or carry
on and come back to it another day.
Radio buoys also are used to help when they set
the net and try to contain the fish within it, while the
boat pulls the net together and closes the purse. This
works extremely well, especially on skipjack tuna,
whereas yellowfin tuna are much harder to turn. Fish
are like sheep in that if one finds a hole in the net
or a way out, the whole school will follow. Generally,
the fish are on the surface feeding on small baitfish.
If you manage to turn the baitfish, the skipjack and
yellowfin tuna usually will follow.
Helicopters on the high seas are also used for
84
any medical emergencies – and search and rescue
if necessary. They can also be used to retrieve
anything that the masters and captains need such
as goods, parts and supplies between different tuna
boats, including helicopter parts between different
helicopter crews.
Challenges Abound
There are many challenges that the pilots and
engineers face on the tuna boats, such as arriving at
their destination where they will board their fishing
vessel – if they’re lucky enough to jump straight on
the vessel. Otherwise, they’ll board one of the sister
ships of their vessel and can be in transit for as long
as up to three or four weeks.
In my case, I boarded a tuna boat in Majuro
(Marshall Islands) and arrived on my fishing vessel
five days later on the high seas. My first job consisted
of meeting all the crew on board which mostly
consisted of men from Taiwan, Vietnam, Papua
New Guinea, Korea and Japan. As you can guess,
communication was as much of a challenge on board
as it was with the outside world.

My next challenge was understanding what my
fish master wanted from me and my helicopter,
especially when it came to setting the net. Did he
want me to stand by on deck, or fly and orbit around
the net? Did he want me to fly straight away and
push fish? Where on the net did he want me, in
front of the ship? Toward the skiff boat? Inside the
net? Outside the net? The possibilities were nearly
endless, and they led to the helicopter constantly
changing positions.
When you’re taking off or landing on a moving
ship, you need to watch your pad beneath you rather
than watching out in front of the machine, as your
heli pad can be rolling from side-to-side, as well as
moving up-and-down two to three meters in big seas.
Every take-off and landing is very much a “slope
take-off and landing,” and it is much easier if the ship
is moving forward. This vessel cruises at 15-17kts, so
if there is no wind I will be taking off or landing with
a 17-kt crosswind from the right. But the variables,
from sea conditions to wind direction change all the
time, and you have to assess the situation as you
approach the vessel for a landing. Conversely, before
The masters are
more worried about
setting nets than
positioning you for
a safe and easy
take-off, so the
decisions are in
your hands.
take-off you need to get on the helicopter deck and
make some decisions based on all the variables for
a safe departure. That’s when I determine when to
remove my blade socks and tie-downs. The masters
are more worried about setting nets than positioning
you for a safe and easy take-off, so the decisions are
in your hands.
Now when you’re landing, a lot of the masters
only want you to approach from the starboard side,
regardless of wind direction. They may turn into the
wind for you, but more often than not they won’t.
That means you’ll have a crosswind from the right
(and maybe aft) or you’ll be landing downwind
with the possibility of getting LTE (loss of tail rotor
effectiveness). That’s why you want to have a slow
shallow-powered approach with an escape route.
On a couple of occasions, my master wanted me
to drop a few things off for him on different vessels.
I decided to approach from the port side, as the
conditions were not suitable for an approach from
the starboard side. The masters were hanging out
their window waving their hands to try to stop me.
So I gave them a wave back and a smile, and landed
85
 top left: Boats with a lot more power, dropped the cargo off and
tied together for a carried on my way.
fish transfer. Other challenges include understanding the
top right: weather that we get on the high seas. Out there, it’s
Deckhand refuelling all strictly visual flight rules, and you only have one
in between flights. place to land that could be many miles away.
bottom: This Generally the boats stay away from severe
sorry looking 500C weather, as they cannot set their nets in high winds,
is hauled back
big seas and strong currents. In the years I have
aboard after an
flown helicopters for tuna boats there have been
engine failure.
seven days where I could not fly because of bad
weather. There have been a few times when the
weather has deteriorated while I was in flight, and I
have had to track many miles around some systems
to get back to the boat.
That’s no problem if you recognize the situation
early and have plenty of fuel. At the end of the day,
you are the pilot in command and if you don’t feel
comfortable – you don’t fly. You might get an ear-
full from some masters, but that’s just the way it is.
You need to understand your fish master’s role on
the boat, and he needs to understand your role in
the helicopter. Every fish master is different, just as
every helicopter crew is different.
Job Benefits
The advantages of flying helicopters for tuna
boats are, first and foremost, the experience that you
gain in the commercial world as a helicopter pilot/
86
engineer. You log lots of turbine hour and earn a
good salary in the process. You’ll meet people from
all over the world who’ll be happy to share their
knowledge and experience when you need it. You’ll
also live and breath helicopters 24 hours a day, seven
days a week.
And you’ll see marine life you could not see
anywhere else but on the open ocean. In my tenure
as a tuna boat helicopter pilot, I’ve seen a pod of at
least 500 dolphins, 50 swordfish jumping and feeding
on one school of fish, giant 1,000-kilo turtles the size
of a Mini, and many, many whale sharks – the world’s
largest fish.
Job Drawbacks
For me, the primary main disadvantage of the
job is not being able to see family and loved ones for
a very long period of time. I think most pilots and
engineers would agree with that, but it’s just part of
the job. Not being able to see land for six weeks after
you leave port is another drawback, but that too is
part of the job.
Given the international nature of tuna boat crews,
communication on board, at least in English, can also
be challenging.
Opportunities
Employment prospects are pretty good for
helicopter pilots in the tuna boat world. Companies
generally prefer you to have roughly 800 to
1,000 hours of flight time and a 500-hour turbine
rating, but that doesn’t mean you won’t get a job
with far fewer hours.
New pilots start all the time, some of whom have
just earned their commercial license, and some with
more than 1,000 hours. Because of the extended
periods away from home, the turnover rate is pretty
high. If you really want a job on a tuna boat, set a
goal, and stay focused and positive. It will only be a
matter of time before the opportunity presents
itself to you.
Most often you’ll get a one-year contract, so pilots
best suited to the boats are those willing to be away
from home for one year. You also shouldn’t have a
problem with being on the high seas for up to three
months. You can’t mind flying over water all day, every
day. Communication with the outside world is usually
limited, and bunk-style accommodations are the norm.
For food, expect Taiwanese and Korean cuisine – the
Taiwanese food is pretty good, I must say.
Among the biggest payoffs? You’ll get a lot of
turbine hours and experience.
Crews and Aircraft
The pilots generally come from New Zealand, the
Philippines, the United States and Australia, while
the majority of engineers are from the Philippines.
There also are a few Kiwis and Americans who are
both pilots and engineers and all are fully qualified top left: As
to pilot and maintain their aircraft. soon as the helo
The helicopters being used are all MD 500 models. hits the deck, the
deckhands secure
Most have Allison 250-C18 engines. Considering their
it with tie-downs.
working environment they are very well suited to the
boats, and their short tail booms help decrease the top right:
Nearly all tuna
risk of a possible tail rotor strike during take-off and
boat based
landing on a moving boat. That’s also a plus given helicopters
that many heli decks are small. On the purse seiner operated with
vessel I call home, for example, there is a life raft fixed floats.
three meters from my tail rotor and an aerial three
meters from my rotor blades.
The short tail boom is also well suited to
mustering/pushing, especially when in big swells
when a lot of things are happening at once. It’s quite
possible for a wave or big swell to get very close to
you from behind if you’re not careful, and an aircraft
with a larger rotor span and/or a longer tail boom
would very much increase the chances of having a
rotor strike. A smaller aircraft than the 500 would be
thrown around in some of the high winds that are
common in the open ocean. Plus, a smaller helicopter
also with the floats and gear/radio buoys attached,
two POB and full fuel, would be reasonably close to
maximum all-up weight (MAUW).
Every helicopter and crewmember has their
own on-board spare parts room, which is stocked
with just about everything you need other than
some major components. Usually if you don’t have a
87
 top left: The certain part another helicopter crew does, and they everything you hear. Your experience depends on
forward deck of the are only too happy to share and get it to you. If you who you are in terms of personality and temperament,
tuna boats are usually need something and no one else has it, a quick fax or the vessel you end up on and its crew, and even
kept obstruction
e-mail to your company explaining what you need is the company you work for. A few guys have bad
free so helicopters
can come and go as usually all it takes to have it sent, often via another experiences and last only one or two trips, but
needed. tuna boat, to your location. If your problem is serious most have great experiences. I count myself in that
enough, your engineer will ground your aircraft until group, and I feel very fortunate. Being a tuna
top right: One
of the most enjoyable the part arrives and is installed. Safety first. boat helicopter pilot is what you make of it and if
parts of being at you’ve got the passion for flying, arrive prepared
sea, watching The Big Picture and focus on doing your job, your experience might
some truly amazing Before I arrived on a tuna boat, I heard a lot of well mirror mine.
sunsets at the end
things about the helicopters and the vessels. But Without question, it’s an experience you’ll
of a long day.
until you experience it for yourself, don’t believe never forget. n

88
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89
Photo by Aaron Fitzgerald
Standards and Regulation
Anyone who thinks that simply
meeting the regulations achieves
a coherent operating standard is
mistaken. Aviation regulations
often require operators to provide
initial and periodic training for their
crewmembers, but this guidance can be
vague in wording and usually lacks any
significant oversight by the regulators.
Such weaknesses in the regulatory
system can encourage smaller
operators to do little or no training in
the aircraft that they operate.
At best this approach engenders
a less-than-professional attitude in
the pilot staff – or worse, can have
devastating consequences through
accidents and associated injuries and
fatalities. A lack of understanding
of the airframe, for example, can
have expensive consequences such
90
as hot-starting an engine, or fatal
consequences such as not recognizing
a hydraulic failure on approach.
Large operators and government
agencies have learned the lessons (and
the NTSB database is full of them) of
having less-than-proficient or highly
trained pilots behind the controls of
aircraft during emergencies. Because
of this, these larger operators put a
high priority on the implementation of
training programs.
Maintaining Skill
Large operators learned long ago
that flying an aircraft daily does not
guarantee pilots will have the skills
they need to address malfunctions and
emergencies. Not only does a pilot need
an initial comprehensive knowledge
and skill-base to deal with in-flight
emergencies, but these skill sets need
periodic review to maintain proficiency
– at least every six months.
Unfortunately, there is a lack of
proper recurrent helicopter training
in many parts of the world and many
pilots are deficient in the handling
of malfunctions and/or emergencies.
Many companies operate jets and
helicopters and while sending their
fixed-wing pilots to training every
year they often fail to understand
the need of continued education
for their helicopter pilots. Many of
these companies’ regulators now
recognize this failing and are starting
to implement the required continued
training for helicopter pilots.
The costs associated with the
implementation of these programs
can be substantial, but the cost of an
accident, either in lives, equipment
or reputation, can devastate any
 One of the most daunting tasks of managing
any flight department is the creation and
implementation of a comprehensive training
program. The path from nothing to a well-
functioning training system is a trail that not
many are willing to travel. Success comes down
to desire and budget. How important it is to the
individual in charge, and the costs incurred to
create and perform the training? Glen White
examines some of the issues involved.

operation. Yet the benefits of a
comprehensive training program
are often unrealized since nothing
devastating occurs. The realization
that a thorough knowledge base of
airframes systems or operations is not
present in the company pilots can come
too late. This is a classic case of being
unable to measure things when they
work – compared to measuring them
when they do not.
When things work
There are many examples of pilots
performing exceptionally in difficult
situations. On 15 January 2009, US
Airways Flight 1549 landed successfully
in the Hudson River after a dual–engine
failure – with no fatalities.
The list of training skills and
experience that the captain of that
aircraft Chesley B Sullenberger III
holds, could fill a book. To mention a
few of his achievements – he has been
a pilot since he was 14 years old, served
nearly seven years as an Air Force
fighter pilot, runs a safety-consulting
firm (Safety Reliability Methods Inc),
is a flight instructor, served as the
Air Line Pilots Association safety
chairman, is an accident investigator,
helped developed new protocols for
airline safety, has more then 19,000
hours of flight experience and has
earned numerous psychology degrees.
In March 2001, an East Bay Regional
Park Police AS350B2 helicopter in
Hayward, CA, successfully autorotated
to a neighborhood street during a
night-time surveillance after an engine
failure, with no injuries. The pilot of
that helicopter joined the East Bay
Park Police department with a
significant aviation background and
at the time of the engine failure had
more than 5, 000 hours of flight time,
of which more than 2,000 hours were
instruction time.
The pilot held an ATP rating for
helicopters and airplanes, an instructor
rating for airplane multi-engine,
airplane single-engine, helicopter
instrument and airplane instrument.
He underwent his initial training at
American Eurocopter and attends
yearly recurrent training in the AS350
at another center. He now conducts
seminars for other pilots where he
outlines the 17 seconds from engine
failure to landing.
These are great examples of
highly trained and knowledgeable
crewmembers performing emergency
procedures in extreme situations.
These performances were the result
of knowledge, practice and training.
91
 Unfortunately accident databases are
also full of not-so-successful outcomes,
many of which could have been averted
with proper training.
When things don’t work
In 2004, a newsgathering AS350BA
helicopter encountered a hydraulic
failure over the Brooklyn borough of
New York City. Since the operation
was under Part 91, the pilot was not
required to have any airframe training.
In 1982 the pilot attended a Eurocopter
factory-training course for the AS355 –
a similar aircraft but one that utilizes
a dual hydraulic system. The AS350BA
has a single hydraulic system. Two
weeks prior to the accident the pilot
was scheduled to attend an AS350
factory-training course, but he did
not attend.
Prior to the failure the helicopter
was in a 1,000-1,200-ft hover, covering
a news story. The helicopter’s red
hydraulic light illuminated and the
cockpit horn sounded – the pilot
however has no memory of this portion
of the sequence.
As discussed in a prior HeliOps
issue, the human body reacts to danger
and stress in a very profound manner
depending on conditioning (or training).
Due to the fight or flight defense
mechanisms we as humans possess,
some observable symptoms include
elevated heart rate, tunnel vision,
tensing of muscles, loss of hearing,
memory loss, pain threshold lowering
and increased sweating. The pilot’s
first memory of the accident sequence
was the helicopter in an extreme nose-
down position. He had no memory of
the hydraulic light illuminating, the
horn sounding, the aircraft spinning
92
left, the lowering of the collective or
pushing the cyclic forward.
The pilot was communicating
with the John F Kennedy International
Airport (JFK) air traffic control tower
at the time of the failure. The pilot
did not recall reporting any specific
problems over the radio; however, a
review of communication recordings
revealed that the pilot stated he
experienced a “tail rotor failure”. This is
a combination of muscle memory and
again memory loss.
One could conclude that since
the pilot had previous Bell helicopter
experience, that the illumination of a
red light and an aural warning in a Bell
product is associated with an engine
failure. The lowering of the collective
and pushing the cyclic forward to gain
speed would support the theory of
muscle memory reaction to an engine
failure. Since the aircraft rotated to the
left the subconscious thought process
may have been a tail rotor failure,
hence the radio announcement of a tail
rotor problem.
Now the reason the helicopter
rotated to the left was simply that the
pilot did not push hard enough on the
right pedal. The AS350BA does not
have tail rotor control assist following
a hydraulic failure. This makes the
pedals stiff and they have a tendency to
re-center which causes the helicopter
to rotate to the left.
When the pilot nosed the helicopter
over, speed was increased causing the
vertical fin to off-load the anti-torque
of the main rotor and the helicopter
“straightened”. At this point the
cyclic and collective reacted normally
because the hydraulic system contains
accumulators to allow a pilot to adjust
the airspeed between 40 and 60 kts
or land the helicopter from a hover.
Probably due to the lack of knowledge
and training on the airframe, the pilot
did not identify the emergency to be a
hydraulic problem.
The AS350 accumulators have a
finite time of operation depending on
the control movements, usually lasting
approximately 15 seconds. Because
of the initial extreme maneuvering
in this case, that time was dramatically
reduced.
As the helicopter reached
approximately 200 ft above the ground
the pilot leveled the helicopter. At
this point the collective and cyclic
felt normal (due to the accumulators),
the aural warning was sounding, the
red hydraulic light illuminated and if
depressed the pilot would have found
the pedals to be stiff, although the nose
of the helicopter would be straight due
to the effectiveness of the vertical fin.
At this point the accumulators
started to deplete. Because the system
has 1xpitch and 2xroll accumulators,
the recovery from the initial extreme
nose over attitude meant that the pitch
accumulator first depleted. This caused
the cyclic to become very stiff in the
fore and aft direction, but roll was
still boosted. Since the cyclic wants
to neutralize, the cyclic attempts to
travel rearward.
Without the proper pressure to
the cyclic, the nose of the helicopter
pitched upward. This caused the
helicopter to slow down and lose
the effects of the vertical fin. As the
helicopter slowed, it started to spin to
the left due to the fact that the pilot
was not pressing hard enough on
the non-boosted right pedal. The roll

Photo by Sarah Bowen
accumulators then depleted, causing a
stiffening of all controls. With training,
the controls are not difficult to manage,
but once behind the power-curve,
the helicopter can be very difficult to
manage.
The helicopter entered a violent,
out-of-control spin to the left and
contacted an apartment building. After
the initial impact the helicopter rolled
into the neighboring building and
landed on its roof.
This emergency response when
preformed correctly is normally a
very mild maneuver – but without
any training it can be a very difficult.
To establish this pilot’s airframe
knowledge base, the pilot was asked
after the accident if he performed the
required hydraulic checks after start.
The pilot initially stated that he did not
perform the required hydraulic system
checks prior to flight, because he did
not want to “fool around” with the
hydraulic system.
Photo by Sarah Bowen
The argument for maintaining well-
trained pilots is not a hard one to make.
The question is how to achieve it.
There are two choices for any operation
– do it internally, or hire a vendor
such as Eurocopter, Bell, FlightSafety,
Simuflight, Night Flight Concepts or
EuroSafety. The choice will depend
mainly on the aircraft the operator
operates and the size of the company.
Training Standard
For larger aircraft, a simulator is
the most cost-effective and productive
manner in which to provide airframe
training. Generally a simulator is
in the neighborhood of $US1,000 to
$2,000-plus per hour, where the actual
direct operating cost of a large aircraft
is much higher. Since dealing with
emergencies in larger aircraft can
involve analyzing complex systems, a
simulator provides a platform to not
only induce these failures, but also
provides a safe environment to analyze,
There is a lack of proper
recurrent helicopter
training in many parts
of the world and many
pilots are deficient in the
handling of malfunctions
and/or emergencies.
understand and deal with them.
A corporate jet flight department
will use a company such as Simuflight
every six months to provide their pilot
training. Commercial carriers such as
American Airlines also use simulators,
but because of the number of pilots it
is more beneficial for them to purchase
their own simulators, each at more
than $US20 million.
In the helicopter industry, there
is a wider variety of company and
aircraft sizes – each of which requires
a different approach. For larger
helicopters, e.g. Bell 412 or a Sikorsky
S76, the majority of the training
revolves around systems emergency
training and IFR flight. For these
aircraft a simulator is the most cost-
effective and productive form of
training, again for the reasons given
above. For larger helicopters, pilot
training usually occurs every six to
twelve months.
For helicopters below 10,000 lbs,
93
 or approximately 4,500 kms, the
choices become more difficult and
varied. For aircraft such as the EC135
there are simulator options available
in North America through American
Eurocopter and FlightSafety, although
many operators choose to perform the
training in the airframe.
For companies that operate aircraft
below the size category of the EC135 the
choice between a vendor and in-house
training is primarily based on the
number of pilots in that company. For
larger operators such as PHI, ERA and
Temsco the most cost-effective manner
in which to perform training is to have
an in-house training department. These
training departments have a team of
pilots whose only job it is to perform
pilot training. They are, or become the
experts on the airframes they teach.
Their job is to not only have a thorough
knowledge of the airframes on which
they teach, but to stay up-to-date on
changes to documentation and recent
occurrences.
Small companies
For smaller companies operating
aircraft such as 1/21/10
emsflightcrewadv.pdf the AS350 or Bell
1:10:47 PM 407,
94
the choices become more difficult.
The choice is generally based on cost
and personnel. Is it less expensive to
conduct the training in-house and is
there an in-house pilot who can provide
the training? If a company decides it
is more beneficial to provide training
in-house, a pilot (or pilots) is designated
as a training officer. Depending on the
size of the company, these pilots can
be assigned other flying duties, but
generally spend most of their time in a
training environment.
Training Program
For training officers in companies
that want to create comprehensive
training programs, time is essential.
A large amount of courseware needs
to be compiled to provide the aircraft
training and often the pilot needs to
expand his/her knowledge.
The creation of courseware can
be an overwhelming task for a new
training pilot. Determining whether the
class is an initial or a recurrent class
drives the depth to which the instructor
will provide training. Generally, for
smaller airframes (e.g. AS355 or EC120)
a recurrent airframe ground school
should last a full day, while an initial
should last a full three days.
For recurrent and initial classes all
the airframe components are reviewed,
but the initial class goes into more
depth. For example, the first portion
of either the recurrent or initial class
would normally be a review of the
aircraft flight manual – and the second
segment could be a review of the main
transmission. The initial class may
take three hours to complete the flight
manual segment. In the recurrent
course it may take an hour.
Limitations are a great example
of what needs to be covered in the
classroom presentation. All aviation
regulations throughout the world have
some wording to the effect that all
manufacturers’ limitations require
compliance. This may be a red line
on a gauge, a maximum weight or
temperature limitation.
A good discussion for a classroom
presentation, for example, is
temperature limitation. Most
Eurocopter helicopters have the
same temperature limitation. For the
Eurocopter operators reading this,
can you name it? If you said ISA +
Faram Aviation Group
has over 25 years experience
in commercial helicopter
operations & sales with the
following Helicopters currently
available for sale: Specialist in Helicopter
Operations & Sales
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NEW AS 350 B3 s/n 4595
AS 350 B3, basic configuration:
• Delivered new in New Zealand late May 2009, ex Factory
• Factory Warranty, Manuals & new a/c accessories
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Mission Items:
• Dual controls (with twist grip)
• Long DART footsteps (standard)
• Heating and demisting system (standard)
• Left hand sliding door
• Right hand sliding door
• Comfort lay-out NEW AS 350 B3 s/n 4876
• Cargo hook (1,400 kg) – fixed parts
AS 350 B3, basic configuration:
Avionics: • With 3 colour paint scheme of choice – if required
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• Gyro Directional AIM 205-1 BL Mission Items:
• GPS / COM1 Garmin GNS 430 • Dual controls
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• Comfort lay-out with sound-proofing
Modifications: • Boot extender
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• External load mirrors • Rear boot door equipped with DART mod hinge
• Tait 2000 II VHF Radio • Pilot’s windscreen wiper
Avionics (installed from Eurocopter factory):
• Gyro Horizon Thales H321 EHM
• Gyro Directional AIM 205-1 BL
• GPS / COM1 Garmin GNS 430
• VHS / AM Com 2 Honeywell KX 165 A
• Course Deviation Indicator Honeywell GI106A
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Also available: X2 Hughes 500D’s F o r F u r t h e r d e ta i l s C o n ta C t

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X1MD520N New Zealand
Ph: +64 6 650 5000
Mb: +64 274 444 414
95
Email: joefaram@xtra.co.nz
Photo by mark Bowen
35°C (Limited to 50°C at sea level),
you are correct. But what does that
mean? Every summer, I get phone calls
requesting to clarify this limitation. I
see photos on the internet of VEMDs,
while the engine is running, with a
displayed temperature of 54°C. To
exceed the temperature limit is the
same as exceeding any other limit, and
can have fatal consequences.
But what does ISA + 35°C mean? ISA
is the abbreviation for International
Standard Atmosphere, which is
15°C at sea level. As an average,
the International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO) defines an
international standard atmosphere
(ISA) with a temperature lapse rate of
3.56°F or 1.98°C/1,000ft from sea level
to 11km (36,090ft). 1.98 is close enough
to 2°C/1,000ft for calculative purposes.
So at 3,000ft, the lapse rate would add
up to 6°C (3 x 2°). Take 15° and minus
the 6° lapse and you have a standard
temperature of 9°. Then the formula
becomes 9° + 35° = 44°. So the maximum
operating temperature at 3,000ft is 44°.
When the limitation states “Limited to
50°C”, it is clarifying that the operator
cannot go above 50°C at any elevation,
even if you were to go below sea-level,
for instance in Death Valley, CA.
The discussion can be further
expanded. What temperature do you
use? Is it the temperature that the
tower reports, or is it the air mass
in which the helicopter is sitting?
Obviously the temperature limitation is
based on the temperature of the air in
which the helicopter is operating, not a
96
shaded area two miles away from the
helicopter.
Every helicopter system offers the
opportunity to discuss its operation
along with useful examples of why it
is important to know. Again, accident
databases are full of examples of
successful, and not so successful
demonstrations.
Face-to-face
One of the biggest mistakes
instructors make is to try to teach a
class in an office on a desktop computer.
This is not only uncomfortable for the
participants, but the screen is difficult
to see and provides an atmosphere
of non-importance for the class. It is
worthwhile to find a room within the
facility that can act as a classroom.
This greatly enhances the learning
environment for the participants –
and gives a sense of importance for
the event.
A recipe for mediocre training
is utilizing a training manual as a
substitute for courseware. As the
class reads out of the manual every
participant rightly thinks, “I could do
this at home.” Some sort of projected
presentation needs to be created in
order to facilitate the training event
and make it productive.
For the flight training portion of
the course there needs to be a goal of
improving performance in the pilot’s
skill-set. Too often, a training flight is
nothing more then flying around. This
is a skill set that should have been
mastered way before that flight. A
training flight is an opportunity for a
pilot to practice non-standard events.
For a pilot of a single-engine
helicopter there is no more important
maneuver to master then the full-
down autorotation. Unfortunately most
companies perform power recovery
autorotations. This maneuver can teach
airspeed and rotor rpm control, but
teaches the incorrect muscle memory
at the bottom of the maneuver.
Generally a pilot who performs all
autorotations to a power recovery
will either not pull the collective
sufficiently at the bottom and hit the
ground hard, or pull too early and
end up in a 40 ft out-of-ground-effect
hover when a full-down is performed.
With proper training a company
instructor can safely perform full-
down autorotations within the safety
parameters of a power recovery.
The other training option for a
company is to contract a vender to
provide airframe, external load, or
NVG training for its pilots. Within
this option the vender comes with
all courseware and the company is
relieved of the burden of implementing
a training program. This is particularly
cost-effective for companies with fewer
then 10 pilots.
But how do you change a culture in
which no training, or training no more
then checking boxes off on a form to
make the FAA happy – is too often the
norm? It starts with us.
The question isn’t what training
costs. The question is – What is the cost
of not training? n
 Towards a safer world

AW139. NO OPERATIONAL LIMITS

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