Ducking under helicopter blades - why?
Discussion
Safety is paramount around helicopters, with main and tail rotors often almost invisible, even at idle.
Normally the pilot will want to be able to see anyone departing/approaching the helicopter and he can ensure the disc is correctly loaded. Generally, the disc is higher than most people could even reach - witness 'running re-fuelling', but the noise and downdraft does encourage px to cower down.
In any safety briefing, px are normally told to remove/secure hats and scarves as they can blow off and it's a natural reaction to reach up or chase after them.
The other risk area is when the helicopter is parked near rising ground - always ensure px movements are towards the descending slope.
Fortunately, accidents are very rare.
Normally the pilot will want to be able to see anyone departing/approaching the helicopter and he can ensure the disc is correctly loaded. Generally, the disc is higher than most people could even reach - witness 'running re-fuelling', but the noise and downdraft does encourage px to cower down.
In any safety briefing, px are normally told to remove/secure hats and scarves as they can blow off and it's a natural reaction to reach up or chase after them.
The other risk area is when the helicopter is parked near rising ground - always ensure px movements are towards the descending slope.
Fortunately, accidents are very rare.
illmonkey said:
So why not start it when everyone is on board. I'm sure there is a reasonable explanation!
Takes (relatively) ages to spool up. Also, for some scenarios of landing just to collect someone waiting, you'd have to shut down and then go through the start up procedure for the 5 seconds it takes for someone to bend over a bit.HD Adam said:
I remember an accident in the SNS in 1992 on the Viking Platform where the HLO got his head chopped off
This was a Dauphin 365n and like the S76 mentioned by King Herald, you'd better duck if you approach from the "wrong" direction.
Similar to the one on the Mayo, as the boat was pitching, the disc stay in the same place, result, distance from disc to deck is reduced, took the top of the HLO's off. This was a Dauphin 365n and like the S76 mentioned by King Herald, you'd better duck if you approach from the "wrong" direction.
Asterix said:
illmonkey said:
So why not start it when everyone is on board. I'm sure there is a reasonable explanation!
Takes (relatively) ages to spool up. Also, for some scenarios of landing just to collect someone waiting, you'd have to shut down and then go through the start up procedure for the 5 seconds it takes for someone to bend over a bit.illmonkey said:
Asterix said:
illmonkey said:
So why not start it when everyone is on board. I'm sure there is a reasonable explanation!
Takes (relatively) ages to spool up. Also, for some scenarios of landing just to collect someone waiting, you'd have to shut down and then go through the start up procedure for the 5 seconds it takes for someone to bend over a bit.You are right, I can't deny the logic. So logically let's ban everything.
Asterix said:
illmonkey said:
Asterix said:
illmonkey said:
So why not start it when everyone is on board. I'm sure there is a reasonable explanation!
Takes (relatively) ages to spool up. Also, for some scenarios of landing just to collect someone waiting, you'd have to shut down and then go through the start up procedure for the 5 seconds it takes for someone to bend over a bit.You are right, I can't deny the logic. So logically let's ban everything.
illmonkey said:
Asterix said:
illmonkey said:
Asterix said:
illmonkey said:
So why not start it when everyone is on board. I'm sure there is a reasonable explanation!
Takes (relatively) ages to spool up. Also, for some scenarios of landing just to collect someone waiting, you'd have to shut down and then go through the start up procedure for the 5 seconds it takes for someone to bend over a bit.You are right, I can't deny the logic. So logically let's ban everything.
; eating kills people, DIY kills people, driving kills lots of people, etc... and probably a lot more than the number of beheadings by rotor deflection.Where do we stop, logically?
Asterix said:
illmonkey said:
Asterix said:
illmonkey said:
Asterix said:
illmonkey said:
So why not start it when everyone is on board. I'm sure there is a reasonable explanation!
Takes (relatively) ages to spool up. Also, for some scenarios of landing just to collect someone waiting, you'd have to shut down and then go through the start up procedure for the 5 seconds it takes for someone to bend over a bit.You are right, I can't deny the logic. So logically let's ban everything.
; eating kills people, DIY kills people, driving kills lots of people, etc... and probably a lot more than the number of beheadings by rotor deflection.Where do we stop, logically?
Yes yes, lots of things do. It can't be nice for any involved, and to save 30 seconds it seemed a fair option.
Ground resonance. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_resonance
Not a good situation to find yourself in.
You'd not shut down when collecting people for many reasons, not least the prospect of a incident when you restart. Imagine landing on a rig, shutting down to load then it fails to start!
I duck down because it's harder to stay on your feet when stood upright with large kit bags etc. much easier to keep,yourself lower to the ground.
Not a good situation to find yourself in.
You'd not shut down when collecting people for many reasons, not least the prospect of a incident when you restart. Imagine landing on a rig, shutting down to load then it fails to start!
I duck down because it's harder to stay on your feet when stood upright with large kit bags etc. much easier to keep,yourself lower to the ground.
Foliage said:
What's that wobble resonance thing that can happen when on the deck that can cause the pilot to have to take off?
Ground resonance?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sACBKBeykZg
Foliage said:
What's that wobble resonance thing that can happen when on the deck that can cause the pilot to have to take off?
That's ground resonance, and yes, lift off will stop it. Dynamic rollover is another issue, which was the cause of the fatal fishing trip in Russia.Agree, px should be on board and secure before start up and not depart the heli until shut down, but many heli movements involve a brief touch down and lift where a shut down/start up cycle isn't practical. Also, certain components have cycle lives and each start is recorded.
As stated above, if safe procedures are adopted the risks should be minimal.
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