Heli Ops Flashcards
Which aircraft are available to CAMRA to use?
DPS Ranger (Bell 429), MCSO’s Fox 1 (Bell 429) and Fox 2 (Bell 407), and Doug Fulton’s Mustang (Bell 407)
What situations are helos used in?
Search for or attraction of a search subject
■ Evacuation of injured parties
■ Transportation or extrication of field members
■ Insertion - Heli-rappel/short haul to subject
■ Aerial survey of area for mission leadership
■ Transportation of supplies to support mission
■ Communications relay
What are the types of insertions/extractions?
● One skid - one skid on land. Helo still in hover.
● Toe in - Front portion of skids on land rear of helo in hover.
● Hover - skids not in contact with ground.
● Short haul - rescuer and subject suspend underneath helicopter with 150’ rope.
● Landing aka flat-pitch landing.
-rappel
What are some limitations of helos?
Visibility Minimums – VFR - Visual Flight Rules
■ Weather Conditions – wind, rain, snow, fog
■ Fuel – limited supply
■ Weight
■ Useful load does not include crew or equipment
■ Terrain
What is Fox 1’s Useful Load with a full load of fuel?
1080 pounds
Ground Effect
Ground Effect is the name given to the positive influence on the lifting characteristics of the horizontal surfaces of an aircraft wing when it is close to the ground.
Define In Ground Effect
(IGE) The situation in which a helicopter is hovering sufficiently close to the ground to achieve added lift due to the effects of “ground cushion.”
Define out of ground effect
(OGE) there are no hard surfaces for the downwash to react against. For example a helicopter hovering 150ft above the ocean surface will be in an OGE condition and will require more power to maintain a constant altitude than if it was hovering at 15ft.
Define translational lift
Improved rotor efficiency resulting from directional flight in a helicopter is called translational lift. The efficiency of the hovering rotor system is greatly improved with each knot of incoming wind gained by horizontal movement of the aircraft or surface wind.
Define Maximum Takeoff
A maximum performance takeoff is used to climb at a steep angle to clear barriers in the flight path. It can be used when taking off from small areas surrounded by high obstacles.
Define Autorotation
Autorotation is a condition of helicopter flight during which the main rotor of a helicopter is driven only by aerodynamic forces with no power from the engine.
Define Flat Pitch
neutral blade pitch.
Define Dynamic Rollover
A helicopter is susceptible to a rolling tendency, called dynamic rollover, when close to the ground, especially when taking off or landing. For dynamic rollover to occur, some factor has to first cause the helicopter to roll or pivot around a skid, or landing gear wheel, until its critical rollover angle is reached. Then, beyond this point, main rotor thrust continues the roll and recovery is impossible.
Define Dead Man’s Curve:
Insufficient altitude / speed to safely auto-rotate in case of engine failure
Heli’s are _____ , not ______
Heli’s are tools, not toys
What GPS unit does the Heli’s normally operate in?
Degree - Decimal Minutes
Helis are generally a high risk operation. What factors will favor using a heli?
Factors in favor of high risk operations
■ Life threatening injury
■ Injured elderly or infant subject
■ Serious hypo/hyperthermia
■ Long exposure to multi-hazard terrain
■ Impending sunset w/ bad weather
■ Highly trained air crew / SAR personnel
Helis are generally a high risk operation. What factors will be used against using a heli?
Factors against high-risk operations
■ Uninjured subject
■ Non-viable/deceased
■ Non-human cargo
■ Non-critical injuries
■ Non-critical patient declines
■ Untrained or undertrained crew
Name some heli PPE
Personal PPE
■ Mission oriented
■ Non-synthetic
■ Leather boots / gloves
■ Long sleeves / pants
■ Helmet
■ Eye / ear protection
■ Know the weight of you and your gear
How should you approach and board a Heli
Request permission prior and wait for signal
Wait for signal to board
Fasten seatbelt and give OK
Wait for signal to unbuckle
Always approach from downhill
Packs should be carried, not worn
Stay in pilots line of sight
If egressing uphill stay low and close to the skids
Name some basic emergency crash procedures
■ Assume correct position (depends which seat you are in)
■ Stay in ship until ALL MOVING PARTS STOP, or crew advises otherwise
■ Battery switch OFF
■ Fuel Switch OFF
■ Exit to the front of aircraft
■ ELT (Emergency locator transmitte) self-activates, can be removed and taken to shelter
■ Do a head count
■ Triage, assess, treat
■ Make radio contact and give report
How many people can be on the end of a short haul rope?
Two
who is required at ingress/egress sites
HERT or crew chief is required at the ingress/egress site on the ground for coordination and safety of the operation
People don’t get hurt around helicopters, they get __________
Killed
Saftey is whos business?
Everyones
