Helicopter Safety

[Zeppo 0]

I just found out earlier today that there's going to be helicopter jumps in florida this christmas. I've always wanted to jump from a helicopter.

That said, I do have some questions regarding helicopters.

Is there a minimum (or recommended) number of jumps required before jumping a heli?

What would you do in case of an aircraft emergency? If something goes wrong in a heli, the thing is gonna fall straight down, and if you exit, you may end up having a spinning prop coming down at you (since it'll have a higher terminal that any human)

Will the pilot/other organizers go over standard procedures and such regarding the aircraft, or will they expect you to know.

Any advice is appreciated.

What goes up, must come DOWN!!!

[cocheese 0]

1)Sign the waiver
2)Take emergency commands from the pilot if necessary
3)Enjoy

[Zeppo 0]

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3)Enjoy

OMG...I'm so glad you reminded me, I would have totally forgotten that!

What goes up, must come DOWN!!!

[cocheese 0]

I'm sorry. Really there is nothing to it.. just do the normal emergency stuff you do for a plane ride. Rig tight, handles ready, seat belt etc. It will feel like a base jump or one of those cartoon jumps where there is no "air" to fly in. Empty. Like a ballon jump.
Do the Nestea plunge (fall backward facing the heli.)
roll over and track .. pull.. grin ...flare!!! grin.

It's good shit. The ride to alti is good too.

[pilotdave 0]

Helicopter safety is actually what I do for a living...

Helicopters don't (normally) just fall out of the sky if the engine fails (if the main rotor shaft fails on the other hand...). Normally the pilot won't come to a complete hover. He'll have a little bit of airspeed (could be zero ground speed though). That will let him autorotate if the engine fails, which is like the helicopter equivalent of gliding. Chances are if the engine fails the pilot is not going to want you getting out, so you'll probably want to get your seatbelt on and enjoy the ride, but that's up to the pilot.

If you really are falling from the sky, get out!

Most helicopters should be approached from the front to stay away from the tail rotor. The main rotor may be lowest in the front, but that's not usually a problem on the kinds of helicopters you'd be jumping from.

I've done a few helicopter jumps... the first time the pilot gave a briefing beforehand on what to touch and how to exit and all that. The other times we really didn't get a briefing.

Just climb out carefully and step off... don't jump.

Dave

[billvon 2,395]

>If something goes wrong in a heli, the thing is gonna fall straight down . . .

If the helicopter really is "coming straight down" the rotor won't necessarily be above you; that indicates complete loss of control. If the pilot still has some measure of control, he will be doing a steep glide to build energy in the rotor so he can make an autorotation landing. Typically that's 60kts or so; similar to a cessna.

Generally it's like any other aircraft. Exit, one thousand one (to clear the tail) and deploy.

>(since it'll have a higher terminal that any human)

Again, if the thing is really going down vertically at 200mph, the rotor is going to be the least of your worries, and will probably have gone its own way by that point.

Make sure you have clear signals arranged. I was once in a helicopter "incident" (not quite a crash since the damage was minor) but all we could see were the pilot's feet. We didn't know what to do so we stayed put. (Turned out to be a good decision.)

[NWFlyer 2]

Some boogies might require a minimum number of jumps to do the helicopter - you may want to check with the organizers of the jump before you get too excited.

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[mark 102]

I made my first sport jump from a helicopter. It's just another way to get to altitude.

Most helicopters cannot hover much above the surface; they require some forward speed to maintain altitude. So when you jump, the helicopter will be moving forward at 40-50 miles an hour or more. If you have to bail out in an emergency, it would be like bailing out of a very slow fixed-wing aircraft.

The pilot and/or organizers will go over safety issues with you. Listen closely, especially to the part about how to approach the helicopter (usually from the front, in view of the pilot), and how to exit (since the CG range is usually smaller on a helicopter).

Mark

[Zeppo 0]

I appreciate all the advice and infomation. It certainly releives my tensions on the heli ride (which will be my first)

Here's hoping all goes well.
Maybe I'll see some of you on the heli down at Z-Hills

What goes up, must come DOWN!!!

[cocheese 0]

I just spent my Florida money on a heli.

It's taking up the whole coffee table right now.

[DrewEckhardt 0]

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What would you do in case of an aircraft emergency?

If something goes wrong you do what the pilot tells you, which probably means staying inside.

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If something goes wrong in a heli, the thing is gonna fall straight down, and if you exit, you may end up having a spinning prop coming down at you (since it'll have a higher terminal that any human)

Helicopters don't fall out of the sky unless they've lost the main rotor. The spinning blades have a lot of drag. As long as the pilot is over smooth ground and stays out of the shaded areas on his height-velocity diagrams he can land the helicopter without power, trading potential energy (from either height or rotational inertia in the rotor system) for deceleration on landing.

[councilman24 36]

You do need to be careful of opening separation. Depending on the number of jumpers and the altitude you may not have much "flying" time when you have enough airspeed. You may have jumpers exiting both sides of the helicopter. In experienced jumper may be in a hurry to deploy. Friends of mine collided on deployment resulting in one reserve ride and one bust femur (from collision). Plan separation first, and exit playing or points second.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[ZigZagMarquis 8]

Oh for Cryin'-Out-Loud, Zeppo!!!

Do you get out of the shower to take a piss!!!???

A Helicopter is just another form of "elevator" to do a skydive. Listen to what the pilot/DZO has to say about jumping a helicopter... if they don't have anything to say, ask, after that, jump! A few seconds off of the bird, its another skydive... heck... I've known folks that when through the traditional sataic line program where they jumped UH-1s for most of their student program!!!






What everyone has said up-post... PLUS... don't forget to buy BEER for your FIRST helicopter jump!!!!

[relyon 0]

If you don't get a briefing, ask for one. Questions? Ask them! Approach from the front or side as directed and stay away from the rotor systems. Do a thorough pin check, especially if the doors will be off. An open container could rapidly become disasterous for everyone onboard. As always, following the pilot's instructions.

A helicopter doesn't fall out of the sky following a power failure, as it can be autorotated (ie glided). Autorotations can be entered and maintained with forward, zero (hover), or reverse airspeed. The descent rate is usually 1500 - 2500 feet per minute depending on the model and load, and far less than a skydiver's terminal. The approach to the flare and touchdown is done with some forward speed (50 - 60 knots). The touchdown can be done with little to no airspeed in a very small space.

Helicopter performance (notably out of ground effect hover performance) is very weight sensitive. For this reason most skydiving operations don't come to a full hover, but rather slow down to the 5 - 20 knot range. This allows for the "no air" sensation while maximizing available performance (altitude, load, power required, etc). It is entirely possible to perform a full OGE hover at freefall altitudes (12000+) given the right machine, load, and pilot, but it's usually not done for skydiving operations.

Bob

PS trivia - the highest helicopter takeoff was done in May 2005 on Mt Everest

[riggerrob 558]

Definitely request a safety briefing before engine start.
The briefing will cover boarding, seating and exit techniques.
The safest way to board small helicopters (A Star, Alouette, Lama, Jet Ranger, etc.) is from the front. Wait until the pilot gives you permission, then stay low as you walk towards the door. Sit down, strap in a shut up. The most important issue is staying away fromt eh tail rotor, the same as you would avoid the propeller on a Cessna.
Large helicopters - with tail ramps (Chinook, Stallion, Jolly Green Giant, Merlin, Cormorant, and most Russian-built helicopters, etc.) - are usually approached from the rear, but only after the flight engineer/loadmaster/jump-master waves you in.

As for exits, wait until the pilot approves, then dive out. Definitely wait two or three seconds before tossing your pilot chute. Otherwise, helicopter jumps feel pretty much like jumps from slow airplanes (i.e. Dornier 27).

Finally, only the general public believes that helicopter pilots enjoy hovering. Truth is, helicopters require 60 percent more power to hover than they need to maintain altitude while moving forward at 40 knots. Ergo, helicopter pilots spend the bare minimum of time hovering (i.e. take off and landing).
Another way of looking at it is that a Jet Ranger struggles to hover at 5,000 feet, but can climb to 10,000 feet as long as it is moving forward.

[Zeppo 0]

So much information...so interesting...this is going to be so much fun!

I hope I can make it on a load, but I have no idea what kind of heli, so I don't know how many jumpers they'll be able to turn around.

It's nice to know that the heli does have some forward movement, that'll at least calm my nerves regarding separation. (i'm still working on my tracking skills)

What goes up, must come DOWN!!!

[kkeenan 13]

The main thing that impressed me from my first helo jump was the low airspeed. Don't even try to get stable or do any "freefall" flying right after exit, because nothing will work. On a slow exit, your jumpsuit won't even flutter. What ever motion you leave with will continue ballistically as you fall. If you go off in a roll, you will continue to roll, etc. The point is, just relax and enjoy the view for at least 5 sec., then start trying to control yourself. After that, it's a normal jump.

Kevin

_____________________________________
Dude, you are so awesome...
Can I be on your ash jump ?

[NickDG 23]

I had the opposite concern. I did all my S/L student jumps (and many others) from helicopters while a member of a military sport parachuting club. After I left the service I climbed into a DC-3 at Lake Elsinore (my first airplane jumps) and rolling down the runway I remember thinking how weird it all was . . .

NickD BASE 194

[jraf 0]

Dude, don't do it!!! Them things fly through the sky and you might fall out. Stay on the ground, stay safe!

jraf

Me Jungleman! Me have large Babalui.
Muff #3275

[relyon 0]

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... Ergo, helicopter pilots spend the bare minimum of time hovering (i.e. take off and landing).

True for most operations, but there are plenty of exceptions, notably in construction, utility, and logging. Plenty of days those jobs rarely get out of a hover. I've spoken to Columbia's BV-234LR (civilian Chinook) pilots and seen their logging work in the Sierras. Repetitive max gross 150' OGE hovers over 45 degree slopes at 12000'+ DAs for 9 hours/day. Not for me. Same ship putting out a load of jumpers? Sign me up. Think of the autos!

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Another way of looking at it is that a Jet Ranger struggles to hover at 5,000 feet, but can climb to 10,000 feet as long as it is moving forward.

It really depends on the load and conditions. What a 206 runs out of at 10000' is tail rotor authority, not power.

Bob