This coast guard pilot is amazing

really not a big deal. I used to have this toy helicopter, I forget what it was called but Mattel made it. It was on a metal rod attached to a gimbal on a base and the control levers were on a seperate base connected with a wire you could make it fly in a circle and stop and pick stuff up with a little plastic hook on the bottom. I'm sure it was just like that.:rolleyes:
 
Surrrrree... Counselor! :)

Those guys really earn their money. They are dang sure underpaid for the risk they undertake. I'm sure Richard could attest to the rescues he's seen at times up in the "hills."
 
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AdamZ said:
really not a big deal. I used to have this toy helicopter, I forget what it was called but Mattel made it. It was on a metal rod attached to a gimbal on a base and the control levers were on a seperate base connected with a wire you could make it fly in a circle and stop and pick stuff up with a little plastic hook on the bottom. I'm sure it was just like that.:rolleyes:
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Vertibird! Now available for hundreds of bucks on E-bay. I LOVED that toy.

And when I was in the CG, it was never as easy as it was in Vertibird, whether I was in the helo operating the hoist or on the water waiting for the hook/basket.
 
Funny that they still call the guy going down the hoist "the swimmer". Tree swimming?! :)
 
Well, we normally train for water rescues. It was a rare thing to do land SAR when I was in the CG, there were usually local public safety departments or the Air Farce assets available.
 
Tim thats it the verti bird I LOVED that thing. Do they still have static problems when the do hoists over land. I have heard they can have electrial discharge issues at sea when hoisting over a boat.

And Yea is sure is impressive stuff they do.
 
AdamZ said:
Tim thats it the verti bird I LOVED that thing. Do they still have static problems when the do hoists over land. I have heard they can have electrial discharge issues at sea when hoisting over a boat.

And Yea is sure is impressive stuff they do.
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Yes, there is still a static charge built up. The folks on the small boat have a device that they use to discharge the basket, it's basically a big pole with a neon light and a grounding cable. It gets touched to the basket before the basket touches the deck.

When lowering a basket to the water, the charge dissipates through the water very quickly. A swimmer will normally drop off the hook a few feet above the water, and only swims back to the hoist collar (if used) after the cable has grounded.

So the electrical build up is something to be aware of, but it's a routine thing.
 
NEVER touch the basket or penetrator befoe it touches the ground!! You will be "shocked" at the outcome if you do!!
 
Semper Paratus!!!!

Seeing one of these rescues and hoists at sea, in less than calm seas, is ever more impressive!!!

Makes me proud!!

USCG, Retired
 
JaxOli said:
Semper Paratus!!!!

Seeing one of these rescues and hoists at sea, in less than calm seas, is ever more impressive!!!

Makes me proud!!

USCG, Retired
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The night ones, in high seas, with large amount of structures on the boats have got to be the most amazing flying to see!! The helo guys I know who fly under those conditions are really amazing.
 
smigaldi said:
The night ones, in high seas, with large amount of structures on the boats have got to be the most amazing flying to see!! The helo guys I know who fly under those conditions are really amazing.
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You're absolutely right!! I was stationed on a 180' seagoing buoy tender out of Atlantic Beach, NC ('79-'82) and unfortunately one of our crew members got hurt and had to be medevac'd. The good news is that we were off the coast from Cape Hatteras and a helo from CG Airsta Elizabeth City, NC got there in short order and even w/ 10'+ seas and at dusk, dropped the stokes liter and hoisted our guy up in no time. I'd like to think they worked harder because it was one of our own, but know that's the kind of job they do all the time!!! Our guy ended up with a concussion, but recovered just fine!
 
AWACSEng said:
NEVER touch the basket or penetrator befoe it touches the ground!! You will be "shocked" at the outcome if you do!!
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We were trained about that at ROTC summer camp many, many years ago. My brother, on the other hand, learned about it the hard way. He was doing mineral search geology in Alaska a number of years ago and they were using a helo to move stuff out to the camp. As the new guy he was told to grab the hook when the helo came in and hook it up. Got knocked on his butt. Next day there was another new guy. Paul told him to grab the hook... :D
 
I think the reason the safety wands we had on the small boats had the neon lights in the handle was that when you grabbed the hook, and the neon went off (it was red), you got a reinforcement on why you always used the tool. Nobody who ever did helo ops and saw that ever thought of grabbing the hook or basket directly again.
 
Why didn't the "swimmer" go down with the litter and come up with the litter? Would have saved a lot of time. That's the way they did it when I got plucked out of the Canadian Rockies after an ice climbing accident. But then, they had no hoist. They flew with us as a sling load using about a 100' nylon rope to attach us directly to the hardpoint on the helicopter bottom, then put us down on a frozen lake. It was the local park wardens using a civilian helicopter. They use the same technique for high angle rescue as well.

Chris
 
cwyckham said:
Why didn't the "swimmer" go down with the litter and come up with the litter? Would have saved a lot of time. That's the way they did it when I got plucked out of the Canadian Rockies after an ice climbing accident. But then, they had no hoist. They flew with us as a sling load using about a 100' nylon rope to attach us directly to the hardpoint on the helicopter bottom, then put us down on a frozen lake. It was the local park wardens using a civilian helicopter. They use the same technique for high angle rescue as well.

Chris
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Might have been a weight limit on the hoist.
 
smigaldi said:
Might have been a weight limit on the hoist.
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True. Surely you could just buy a bigger hoist. The other thing I thought of is weight and balance since the hoist is out to one side (I and my rescuer were attached to the center). But then couldn't you move somebody or something out to the other side to counter-balance?
 
cwyckham said:
True. Surely you could just buy a bigger hoist. The other thing I thought of is weight and balance since the hoist is out to one side (I and my rescuer were attached to the center). But then couldn't you move somebody or something out to the other side to counter-balance?
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Depends. The crew is a pilot, copilot, flight mechanic, and rescue swimmer. If the swimmer is out that would only leave the flight mechanic in a position to move but he can't as he is the hoist operator.
 
smigaldi said:
Depends. The crew is a pilot, copilot, flight mechanic, and rescue swimmer. If the swimmer is out that would only leave the flight mechanic in a position to move but he can't as he is the hoist operator.
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Good point. And this counterballance would have to be able to suddenly move back to the center of the helicopter the instant the swimmer disconnects as well. Assuming the issue is one of weight and ballance (which seems likely to me) and not budget for a beefier hoist, there's no easy way around it.

The only easy option I can see is using a helicopter with a back door like a BK117. Then you can stay on centerline. Of course, then you have to start thinking about aft CG. Perhaps we need to cut a big old hole in the floor!
 
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