bucket, as the connector plug for therelease is difficult to see and mightgo under water where it shorts out.Longlining would be used where thetrees are very tall and there is nowater for the hoses nearby—theteam will have a small relay tank foryou to fill. In fact, this is increasinglybecoming popular, as grounddirected water is more effective thanthat from the air.When actually bombing, there isabout a second's delay betweenpressing the button and the liquidreaching its target, and pulling upbefore doing so will help stop thebucket swinging and making youmiss in high winds, aside frompunching it into the target. Althoughthere is a risk of fanning the flames,you do need to get low over the fire,and preferably slow (below 50 kts),as a good dousing will do most tokill them – otherwise, evaporationwill take its toll on whatever isdropped, ensuring that only so muchof it is actually effective, and raisingthe humidity. Hovering is notrecommended, as your downwashmay not only fan the fire (even up totwice tree height), but also blow upash and produce a similar effect towhiteout (the ash will also stick toyour windscreen, which will likely bewet from the water pickup). Youshould really be in a balancedstraight line during and after thedrop, as it requires a little followthrough. Dropping at some speedover an area is mostly used forcooling purposes after the flames areout, as a fire can stay undergroundfor days. IR is used to detecthotspots afterwards.In valleys, be aware of the extrapower required to get you out of the“hole” with a load on—buckets202 Operational Flyingdon't always release their load,especially if the connectors get wetwhen picking up.Checks for your bucket include thecargo arming switch, bucket openand close switch and electrical andmechanical jettison, and the capacity(for performance). Don’t forget themirror and cables, as you would withany slung load.Forest and moorland fires alsorequire vast amounts of manpower,which are usually tired by the timethey get to the fire from the longwalk to get there, so you may beused as transport for fire-fightersand their equipment, as well asobservation, where your passengerswill have some rank and experience,since they will be directing groundforces from the air (this will beespecially true for lesser-poweredhelicopters). Very often, you will bemoving people in very short hopsover rivers and streams.One development of this is rappelling,which is the rapid deployment of firecrews by rope from a helicopter (andback in emergency) until the regularcrews arrive. This saves them thetrek to the fire in the first place andensures they are not exhausted whenthey start. They can survive for up to48 hours in the bush, and aCommand Spotter will stay in thehelicopter. All this will typically be
for fires started by lightning, whichare often in remote locations, downto weather conditions roughlyequivalent to Special VFR.Rappelling shouldn’t be done whenit’s too windy, or when it’s raining,as the special rope used will swell upin the pulleys and stop working (justfor interest, lightning can be up to50,000° in temperature – when it hitsa tree, the sap boils and the heat canbe held internally for days until fireactually breaks out).You will also not necessarily be theonly aircraft about. The combinationof lots of smoke (and poor visibility),coupled with heat turbulence andother machines buzzing about couldprove to be extremely dangerous –many people report it’s just likebeing in a war zone (the organisedchaos only makes it more so), but ifyou've ever done the British GrandPrix or joined Biggin Hill circuit youshould be alright. Constantcommunications between machines(on the same frequency) areessential, especially if you are pickingup from the same swimming pool (inpractice, you will go through the birddog if you want to change position).One pilot reported that the distancefrom a pond to the fire was so smallas to only require a fast hover taxibetween them both, which meantthat oil temperatures began toredline, as there wasn’t enoughairflow to cool things down(sometimes ash will clog the oilcooler). You will be tired, as well,after a couple of days' continuousflying from dawn to dusk, thoughyou won’t notice till afterwards, asadrenalin counts for a lot.Upslope drops should be avoided asmuch as possible, and only beattempted by experienced crews,especially on low targets, as you willneed more airspeed than normal tocreate a pull-up to clear the area withthe load if necessary, without usingextra power. Aside from trying to doa 180-degree pedal turn in a highhover out of ground effect, theresulting high power setting willSpecial Use Of Aircraft 203likely fan the flames, as with a hoverdrop. It helps if you have a drop offplace to one side, and approach withsome airspeed, so you can climbwith the cyclic, and turn one way orthe other with the least power,depending on which way round yourblades are going.With downslope drops, you will notnecessarily see the target until youclear the ridge, so you will needtargets to line up on beforehand. Forvery steep slopes, try reducing speedbefore diving off the ridge, so youdon’t end up going too fast. Crossslope drops are OK, provided youremember where your rotor disk is.With North American bladerotation, keep downhill slopes onyour right, so if the bucket doesn'topen or you run out of power, youcan drop the collective, put the nosedown and be able to use the rightpedal to take the strain off the tailrotor. Always approach at a 45°,unless you have a bit of height.In order not to make embarrassing
mistakes, like dropping water in thewrong place, you need to be awarethat some fires are deliberately set(see below), to make use of airflow,as in “backfiring”, and there maywell be someone around with adriptorch attached to their machineto do it with.After the excitement is over, and thefire comes under control, typicaltasks will be moving men andmaterials around, putting outhotspots, IR scanning, recoveringequipment and generally tidying up.Aerial IgnitionThe waste product from theactivities of slashers, who cut downtrees and undergrowth is, notsurprisingly, called Slash. Theforestry people would normally likethis to rot naturally, but manyfarmers disagree and burn it instead.Because it is both extensive andinaccessible, helicopters are used toset the whole lot on fire, but only intemperatures above freezing, andbelow 45 kts, from somewherebetween 150-300 feet. Thistechnique may also be used whenfighting forest fires:·
Temporarily knocking downlarge smoke columns so AirTankers can see where they’regoing, by igniting strips offorest within about 10-30metres of, and parallel to, anactive flame front, which starvesit of oxygen. Depending on fueltypes, temperature, dewpoint,wind velocity, etc. this can lastup to around 20 minutes.·
Prevention. Forests can betorched around priority areas,such as towns or gas plants toget rid of anything that mightburn later in the fire season.·
Back burning, when a rapidlyadvancing fire is movingtowards a cut line, or natural firebreak, like a creek, although thiscould also be done on initialattack. Parallel strips ignitedbetween the fire front and theintended firebreak willdrastically diminish a fire’smomentum, decreasing itslikelihood to spot across thefirebreak, and keep going, so thefirebreak can be used as a204 Operational Flyingdefensive line. In other words,the idea is to remove fuel fromthe path of a rapidly movingfire, where the head creates apowerful convective columnthat pulls air in from all sides,including downwind. When thisflow is steady, a fire is startedahead of the main fire from anatural barrier, such as a road orriver, which is sucked in andcreates a wider firebreak·
Aiding in ground crew mop up,by burning off unburned areas,making it safer. Ragged edgescan also be straightened, toreduce the perimeter anddecrease workload.·
Reducing the time, effort, andexpense of cutting fire
perimeters for fires with manyfingers, which is very timeconsuming.·
Steering a fire somewhere.You might carry a drip torchbeneath your machine and get tobecome an instant pyromaniac witha 20-foot flame about 20-25 feetbelow the cargo hook, carrying a 55-gallon fuel drum, associated pipes,wiring, etc., and a fire extinguisher tocope with hang fires, or those thatstart around the valve outlet when itcloses. Apart from danger to thehelicopter, the mixture could fall offand start unwanted fires.The equipment weighs about 550 lbswhen full, and can use straight JetFuel, or have it mixed with a gellingagent, which makes it cling to foliageand be more effective (I love thesmell of Petrogel in the morning).There will be a propane flame forignition. As there is a polarity-switching feature, aircraft rewiring isunnecessary and, although itdemands a 25-amp circuit breaker,30 amps is recommended.Another way is to use polystyreneballs about an inch across, full ofPotassium Permanganate, injectedwith Ethylene Glycol (anti-freeze) ina special dispenser and ejected fromthe aircraft. For maximum safety, theballs should not ignite inside tenseconds, but most take about thirty.On larger fires, an intermediatehelicopter will be dedicated for thejob, on short standby and used forlittle else, except when prevailingconditions are not conducive toburning, and you may be assigned toother flying duties.Always expect a Forestry Officer tobe on board.Your maximum speed is whateveryou can control, after Flight Manuallimitations, so burning fuel reachesthe ground at about 15 kts. If you gotoo fast, say over 20, the mixture willbe too lean and the fuel will be usedup before reaching the ground.Special Use Of Aircraft 205When greater than translation, fuelwill recirculate to give a poorpattern, aside from damaging theequipment.Otherwise, common-sense rulesapply, such as keeping the helicopter(or the mixing area) well away frombuildings, etc. on the pad, groundingeverything, wear flameproof orresistant clothing and equipment, orat least cotton protective clothing,brief anything that moves, etc. Don'tforget equipment spares, and to flyinto wind, or you will be blinded byyour own smoke.Vertical reference skills are needed,as you must place your torch rightnext to a second fuel/gel drum forquick and easy turnarounds. In somecases, such as backburning to aseismic line, you will need to bequite accurate, as when igniting thevery edge of the upwind side of agiven cut line (ensure your mirror(s)are properly adjusted). You must beable to clearly see where the flamingfuel/gel is contacting the ground.Beware of violent vertical up anddown drafts close to a large flame
front. In an updraft, keep the discloaded for the inevitable downdraftthat will follow, in which case youshould be light enough to allow asafe margin of available power toprevent contact of your torch withthe treetops. For this reason, 400-450 lbs of fuel seems to work wellwith a LongRanger. As with any fire,be prepared for moderate turbulenceand rapid reductions in visibility,keep your doors on, and yourwindows closed, as small bits ofburning ash and debris can enter thecabin. Be wary of pinstriping, orlettering, etc. that is not painted on.Activate the torch in spurts from 3-5seconds, then off for 2 seconds, thenon, etc. This prevents pump, andoutput nozzles, from overheating,and will reduce the chances of thecircuit breaker popping. Disarm thecircuit breaker during the ferry to orfrom the burn area, and when theequipment is active, try to fly onlyover that location, or you might startanother fire somewhere else.Carry your Bambi Bucket with you,so if it all goes pear-shaped, you canput the fire out you just started!Casualty Evacuation/AirAmbulancePatients just being moved from onehospital to another do not qualifyfor any exemptions for saving life,but special provisions may apply forduty hours.A Helicopter Emergency Medical Service(HEMS) flight is for immediate andrapid transportation of medicalpersonnel, supplies (equipment,blood, organs, drugs) or ill or injuredpersons and anyone else directlyinvolved. An approval is required.The purpose of a casevac is to giveimmediate assistance to sick orinjured people in life threateningcircumstances, typically from thescene of an accident.Otherwise, there are two types ofambulance flight, Intensive Care206 Operational FlyingTransport (ICT) and Ambulance TaxiTransport (ATT). Both are usuallyplanned in advance, meaning thatthere’s not so much of a rush. Anypolice observers or medicalattendants should be able to monitorand assist the patient during theflight and inform you of anyproblems.Whatever you get involved in, thefollowing should generally beavoided:·
Anyone with previous orpresent signs or symptomssuggesting epilepsy or any otherform of fit.·
Unconscious patients, unless inflight attention is available.·
Patients with severehaemorrhagic types of injury,unless in-flight attention isavailable.·
Abdominal or chest injuries ifaltitude changes of up to 1500feet are likely to be involved.·
Those under the affluence ofincohol or drugs, unlessprescribed by a qualified doctor.·
Persons of unsound mind orwho may be a danger to theaircraft or persons therein."Walking Wounded", that is,passengers who are infirm due toage, ill health or otherwise, may becarried subject to the approval of thequalified medical personnel whoshould accompany and beresponsible for them. No patientsshould be placed near emergencyexits, and wheelchairs, etc. shouldnot impede escape paths. If yourCompany does a lot of medicalwork, it may be worth retaining adoctor to advise on certain cases,especially where infectious diseasesare concerned. Routes should beplanned to take into account changesof altitude and rates of descent, andyou will need to accelerate ordecelerate with care.Aside from the patient's condition,the consent of both referring andreceiving hospitals is required,together with confirmedarrangements for road transport atthe departure and destinationairports. You also need to make surethat the type of aircraft is what iswanted, together with the details ofstaff and equipment.Specialised equipment should beproperly installed, and instructionsmust be available to all attendants.Some of it could actually be classedas Dangerous Goods (say, largequantities of Aeromedical Oxygen),so you may need an exemption tocarry it. Anything that needs to befixed to the aircraft (e.g. stretchers),or connected to its systems, must bethrough an approved system, as it
must be compatible with the aircraftenvironment (for instance, that usedin road ambulances may beunsuitable for flight).Oxygen (if used) must cover theduration of loading, flight, technicalstops and unloading, plus about 1½hours’ reserve for eventualities.Patients who can sit should occupy aseat and use a seat belt, which maybe a little looser than normallyrequired, except for take-off,landing, flight in turbulence orduring manoeuvres. Stretcherpatients should be secured by beltsor a harness as per the FlightSpecial Use Of Aircraft 207Manual. Other passengers must belimited to whatever seats are leftafter stretchers have been fitted.Flight attendants must have properexperience, and doctors must bequalified and registered in the Statesconcerned in the move. In fact, adoctor is always required on ICTflights and on ATT flights which areother than simple escort cases.Nurses must also be registered in therelevant States and work underdirect instructions of anaccompanying doctor (or applythose given before flight by one).Nurses must not be used on theirown on ICT flights or with anypossibility of the patient's conditionchanging. Paramedics may beemployed with the agreement of thepatient's doctor. Their training maynot be valid in some States.Pleasure FlyingThe idea behind this is to carrygroups of people, generally membersof the public who have never flownbefore, for a short period, which canbe anything from three to fifteenminutes, depending on whetheryou’re just going round a local show,the Niagara Falls (9 minutes) ormountains (here, we’re moreconcerned with the former, whichtends to take place on a moreinformal basis. Also, the dimensionsfor sites given here are largelyapplicable to UK, but are still goodto use elsewhere).It can be very lucrative if theoperation is slick and smoothlycontrolled, and it's also an idealopportunity to promote aviation ingeneral, so everyone should take careto ensure that the customer'sassociation with aircraft (and theCompany) is a happy one. Themachine must therefore be handledsmoothly with no sharp manoeuvres,unless they're specifically asked for,with all passengers being inagreement. The only types of flyinggenerally recommended are spotturns and sideways movement in thehover and normal climb, descent andcruise. Oddly enough, hoveringmanoeuvres are quite popular, butnot good commercially, as you needto give them their money's worth, soyou should keep the rhythm going.Because ground idle isn’t officiallycounted, your turnaround time doesnot affect the revenue per flyinghour, but, obviously, the quicker youare, the more cash you have in yourpocket at the end of the day. The
duration of the trip itself is whatdetermines productivity – theshorter it is, the more you get, butregard 2½-3 minutes as theminimum before you get complaints.On top of the public actually flying,there will also be those attending theassociated event, so don't forget theexemption to fly close to assembliesof lots of people. Sites must beorganised and staffed to afford themaximum safety for all concerned.The size and location of the site, thetype of event and anticipatednumbers need to be noted and a siteinspection arranged before you start.This must be done by someone whoknows the requirements, such as aqualified pilot, because positioningmust be paid for as well, and if thesite turns out to be unsuitable and isrejected on the day, you've all wastedyour time.208 Operational FlyingLook at a site's physicalcharacteristics and position relativeto areas available for emergencyvehicles, together with those for theaircraft. For instance, it may beacceptable for crosswind takeoffs (ifperformance is OK) if emergencyvehicle access is better in thatdirection. You are also allowed somediscretion if an otherwise perfectlocation is spoiled by one or twomajor obstacles which can simply beavoided by curving the flight path(there might be a tree in the middle),but an airfield should be alright onthis point.The authorities should be notified atleast 7 days beforehand, as mustlocal emergency services.Running The SiteOn the day, you should check yourarea is roped off properly, and is thesame as was agreed originally—beware of tents and marqueescreeping up on you. If you don't usethe agreed area, then (byarrangement) you will have toinform the authorities within a fewdays as they will have been informedof the original plans.Next, find the organisers and checkfor other activities that may affectyou, like aerobatics, balloons orparachuting (rotors must be stoppedfor the latter in UK). Give them anidea of what you want theannouncements to sound like(preferably every half hour) aboutyour activities, and let them knowyour start time. If they have freeseats, you will need a positive meansof identifying whoever gets them.You may be plagued by peopleclaiming they're from the organisersor the local papers, but unless youcan identify them, politely refer themback to the organiser.Meanwhile, back at the OperationalArea, set out the safety equipmentjust inside the ropes and carry outwhatever checks you need on thefuelling equipment—this will savetime later when the pressure's on.Show the marshallers around all theequipment. It's a good idea to keepthe emergency equipment accessible,but out of sight, as the public tendsto be put off by the sight of anything
designed to help in emergencies (likechecklists). If local fire engines areon site, rescue equipment is notnecessary but take it anyway, becausethey will either be swamped withchildren sounding the sirens or becalled away and you will have to stopflying until they come back.Standard rescue equipment (for UK,at least) consists of the following:·
A vehicle capable of carryingeverything—not a wheeledtrolley, but something selfpropelled. A car or van will do,but it must be able to go over allrelevant surfaces. The ultimateis a long-wheelbase LandRover,as you will discover when youtry and pull a trailer with all thestuff mentioned below with it,not to mention fuel barrels.·
11 kg Dry Chemical fireextinguishing agent, 1 x 7.5kg CO2 or 1 x 3.5 kg BCFextinguisher and 1 x 20 galpremixed AFFF foam unit witha minimum discharge rate of 16gallons per minute. Althoughthe BCF extinguisher is as goodas the first two combined, thechemical is difficult to get holdof. Fire extinguishers have to beSpecial Use Of Aircraft 209serviced every year and testedevery 10, according to the BSI.·
For each marshaller, helmetswith visors, flame resistantgloves, fire tunics or donkeytype jackets and stout boots.Most local fire brigades have asurplus equipment office whereyou can buy them.·
Release tools as follows:·
1 axe (rescue, small, nonwedging or aircraft)·
1 x 24 inch bolt cropper·
1 x 40 inch crowbar·
1 harness knife·
1 flame resistant blanket·
Medical equipment as follows:·
6 BPC9 dressings or equivalent·
6 BPC12 dressings or equivalent·
6 triangular bandages·
6 foil blankets·
1 pair scissors·
1 basic First Aid kit·
2 stretchersBPC9 and 12 are now officially outof date, but still about, so try and getthe right ones, as insurancecompanies will do their best toweasel out of any claim they can, andyou don't want to give them anexcuse. Scissors are in the averageFirst Aid kit, anyway.There should be only one entry andexit to the operational area, usuallyunder the control of the cashier, butthere's a danger of the money beingtaken if an emergency crops up andit’s left unattended, so you need ahefty table with a very large metalbox screwed down to it, padlocked,with a slot in the top into which themoney goes.The minimum people needed to runthe site effectively will be 3, one tocollect money and brief passengers(the cashier) and the remaining 2 tomarshal passengers in and out andoperate seat belts, etc.If, for any reason, such as last
minute sickness, you can't getenough people, you can get awaywith one marshaller on passengermovement, if all embarkation anddisembarkation is done from oneside of the aircraft, one door at atime. It's not recommended,however, as it takes longer andpassengers en masse must be regardedas thick as two planks—they willtake every opportunity to walk into atail rotor, regardless of how manywarnings you give them. A largeversion of the briefing card isrecommended as something they canignore in the queue, on top of theones you hand out anyway. It’ll be awaste of time, but make the effort.While marshallers can also be therescue crew, they're not expected towear firemen's uniforms all the time,but should still be dressed well andin a good enough substitute ifsomething happens quickly (so noshorts and T-shirts). A good sourceis Air Cadets, who not only looksmart in their uniforms, but are alsokeen to be near aircraft, and will do aday's work for free flights, which iswhere you can use up anypositioning flights, as you can't sellthem to the public. That's not to saythat you should abuse the privilege,210 Operational Flyingthough. Make sure they get theirmoney’s worth.Place the sign with the Companyidentification (and the price) onabout ten yards or so from thecashier's desk, so if people are putoff by the charge, you don't give thewrong impression by having lots ofthem turning away at the last minute.It also saves the cashier answeringthe same questions all day. You willneed plenty of other signs aroundthe event as, unless you're careful,regulations will ensure that you're farenough away for people to thinkyou're nothing to do with it. Potentialpassengers will not walk more than about100 metres. As with any customer, thesales process must be made asbrainless as possible, as pleasureflying is done on impulse 99% of thetime. If you make it difficult forthem, they will not do it, so makesure you can take all major creditcards, so they don't feel like they'respending real money. Next youshould brief the loaders, ensuringthat they know that people shouldalways approach and leave thehelicopter from the front and thatnobody should be allowed furtheraft than the rear skid support. Theyalso need to know about the openingand closing of doors and theoperation of seat belts, all of whichshould be covered anyway in thepassenger brief.The most dangerous time is whenthe passengers change over, so that'swhen marshallers must be mostwary. When you land, outgoingpassengers should be out of the area(or at least the edge of the rotordisk) before the others are usheredin, although you can tighten theoperation by shepherding the newones to the edge of the disk whilethe others are getting out.
Never close the throttle to groundidle during this, so you can lift intothe air and get out of the way ofanyone you see about to run roundthe back end—believe me, they will!The tail rotor is dangerous atwhatever speed it's going.With reference to refuelling, it's verytempting to carry on till the lastminute with a long queue, but becareful about your fuel reserves. Notonly is it good airmanship to landwith a reasonable amount on board(don't trust those gauges!), but youmust have a 30 minute break every 3hours anyway (in Europe).Passengers (and employers)understand a helicopter stopping forfuel, but not for you sliding off for ahamburger somewhere.There's a safety point as well. In away, helicopters are regarded in thesame sense as a fire engine—thepublic make no distinction betweenan old one on show or a new oneactually on duty. If there's a fire, theywill turn to anything for help. Thesame goes for a helicopter. If anaccident happens, you could beasked to ferry someone to hospital.Do you know where the nearest onewith a helipad is, and will you haveenough fuel to get there?Special Use Of Aircraft 211For maximum revenue, fill themachine up on every lift. If it takes 4passengers, don't fly with less than 3.If only 2 turn up, they should wait,or come back later when others havearrived. Children less than 2 yearsold on an adult's knee should havean approved seat belt extenderprovided for them—don't expect tocarry more than one, or preferablynone at all, because they’re tooyoung to appreciate it and you standa real chance of putting them offflying for life, aside from being sickdown the back of your neck.Don't sell more than 2 loads inadvance in case something happensand you have to return all themoney. Also, don't strap onepassenger in whilst waiting for morecustom. This is for two reasons;firstly if nobody else comes alongyou're obliged to go up with just oneperson (uneconomical) and,secondly, you will have to makeconversation by shouting while thecustomer is waiting, because usuallyyou're the only one with a headset.Talking of economical flying, andthe subject of freebies, if the showorganisers send along more thanone, allow them up one at a time, sothe costs are covered by the otherrevenue passengers on each trip; ifyou take all the freebies up at once,you lose money on the whole lift.You'll need to identify those whohave paid, which is usually done bysticking labels on them or datestamping their hands. If someoneasks how long the flight is (they will),say six miles or so—it sounds betterthan three minutes. While theaircraft is flying, ground staff canbrief the next load like this:"When the helicopter lands, please stayhere until you are called forward, as wehave to unload the other passengers first.You and you go to the right hand side as
