Helicopter Rescue, what would be acceptable to take from aboard?

[redneckrob]

I flew helicopters for the Coast Guard for 20 years. The answer depends a bit on why we're picking you up. If it's 30' seas at night in a storm and your boat is sinking, you are to the point that your life and the life of our crew rescuing you are all that matters. The clothes on your back are all you should be concerned with bringing beyond any survival gear needed to complete the rescue. Anything more and you're putting our lives at risk since every second holding a hover in difficult conditions is a struggle. It would be the epitome of selfishness to go back to get any inanimate object in that situation.

On the other hand, if we're medevacing someone in relatively benign conditions, the swimmer will often ask if there's anything you want to take along and I'd encourage you to make sure you have important things like your passport if you're a foreign national.

In intermediate level situations just ask the swimmer if they come down. It's not unheard of to take pets if it can be done safely, and if you can fit something in your pocket it's probably fine. I'd probably draw the line at some inanimate larger object like a laptop and certainly anything that had any weight. Keep in mind that the helicopter I flew, the H-65 Dolphin, was extremely weight limited and we often took off at our max gross weight with just our basic crew and full fuel and more than once I had to leave the swimmer on scene and come back to get them because we couldn't pick up all the survivors and the swimmer. It's hard to overstate how much even a few pounds matters, especially when your own weight has potentially gone up by 20-30 lbs with wet clothing and gear.

[a64pilot]

That was the Dauphin with the Allison engines?
On edit apparently Lycoming

[redneckrob]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

That was the Dauphin with the Allison engines?
On edit apparently Lycoming

Lycoming for the first 15 years (awful!) and the Turbomecas they were designed for the last 5 years. The Turbomecas really only got us better single engine capability since the MGB and head were our limiting factor (plus far better reliability) but they also put in a switch that allowed us to boost rotor RPM slightly in a hover which gave us the ability to hoist a bit more since you can deliver more power to the rotors at the same torque with a higher RPM.

[a64pilot]

I had a friend that flew them, did an inter service transfer from Army AH-64’s, name was Mike Holmes, he was my front seat for a year or two.
Old Huey was the first turbine that you could “beep” up rotor RPM for hover and beep it down for cruise that I knew of not much difference but it’s some anyway.

[Franziska]

Awesome answer. Thanks.

Wow, you must be really brave and tough guys & gals, especially the swimmers.

Beeing left behind in horrible conditions to be picked up later seems nerve-racking at least.

Originally Posted by redneckrob

I flew helicopters for the Coast Guard for 20 years. The answer depends a bit on why we're picking you up. If it's 30' seas at night in a storm and your boat is sinking, you are to the point that your life and the life of our crew rescuing you are all that matters. The clothes on your back are all you should be concerned with bringing beyond any survival gear needed to complete the rescue. Anything more and you're putting our lives at risk since every second holding a hover in difficult conditions is a struggle. It would be the epitome of selfishness to go back to get any inanimate object in that situation.

On the other hand, if we're medevacing someone in relatively benign conditions, the swimmer will often ask if there's anything you want to take along and I'd encourage you to make sure you have important things like your passport if you're a foreign national.

In intermediate level situations just ask the swimmer if they come down. It's not unheard of to take pets if it can be done safely, and if you can fit something in your pocket it's probably fine. I'd probably draw the line at some inanimate larger object like a laptop and certainly anything that had any weight. Keep in mind that the helicopter I flew, the H-65 Dolphin, was extremely weight limited and we often took off at our max gross weight with just our basic crew and full fuel and more than once I had to leave the swimmer on scene and come back to get them because we couldn't pick up all the survivors and the swimmer. It's hard to overstate how much even a few pounds matters, especially when your own weight has potentially gone up by 20-30 lbs with wet clothing and gear.

[meirriba]

Originally Posted by Franziska

No, it's my complete business setup, CAD visualisation, CGI films and so on.

Yes, I do incremental backups, still it does need to compare both versions no?

So it will need time and data, but you are right it will not be the full TB each time. Point taken.

Incremental backup works somewhat differently, not by comparing your files with the backuped files.
It keeps a log of changed files. Once you start backup, it will seek and backup only the files that were changed since last backup run (or in a sophisticated backup software, files that changed since a date you specify). It will copy the new version of such a file to the backup cloud/computer or wherever your backup is being stored. No need to run on all your files and no run at all on the backup storage.

[Cadence]

Your butt and what you have in your pockets and feel thankful for that.

[AndyEss]

I was peripherally involved with a helicopter rescue off of the polar ice pack north of Point Barrow, Alaska. We were conducting seafloor engineering work by flying our test equipment out onto the ice using a Huey and the twin engine civilian version of the Huey. I forget their designations.
The Inupiat community contacted us during a windstorm that broke up the ice, and a whaling camp was being blown further and further offshore. We had the only operational choppers available at that particular time.
We agreed to fly out to “Save the Whalers”.

One of the whalers fruitlessly tried to load his snowmobile onto our rescue chopper.

[paulie4203]

I had the unfortunate experience of running up onto Silver Bank. There was no way of getting off. I was one of two crew plus the owner. Fortunate for us, the boat never took on water, calm seas, and clear skies. Fortunately, the US Coast Guard had an outpost in the Turks and Caicos. The call was made and when they arrived via helicopter, a swimmer was dropped into the water and swam over to the boat, listing at 45-50 degrees. One at a time, we got into the water as directed without any restriction on what to bring. The swimmer towed each of us in turn to where the basket had been lowered, scrambled onto it and hoisted up. Bottom line, whatever you can hold onto while being towed can be brought along but as stated above, conditions dictate everything.
THANK GOD FOR THE COAST GUARD

[skipgundlach]

Different conditions, likely, but...

Our wreck (2-07, covered extensively on CF at the time) had us uninjured, on a flat rock.

The time needed for various comms before the red chopper arrived convinced them that we were of sound mind and body, so didn't send anyone, just the basket, which I loaded wife and backpack into, and later, myself and another backpack into.

All critical stuff was in those, and no extra clothing.

As there was not the first nose wrinkle, I presume that level of stuff to be acceptable. Crew did the movies and stills on the ground; unfortunately for me as I'd have loved the documentation, no pix of the rescue were available by the time I figured out the trail needed to go down to get it, but they were excited to have had a real one (most launches are false alarms or strictly for training - and, indeed, I was able to get some shots of the recovery during one such flight - the first 4 here: Pictures: Flying Pig Is Aloft - The Adventure Begins/Chapter_2_-_Crash_Landing/Chapter_1_-_On_The_Rocks )

L8R

Skip

[IslandInfedel]

If you are on a sail boat, a hoist is a even more risky matter, if it’s not viewed as safe they ain’t going to do it, add to that helicopters don’t have a ton time to mess around if you are a significant distance from where they started their engines. If your thoughts are even on a laptop it’s not worth calling a helicopter yet, that’s akin to calling a ambulance for a ingrown hair.

Normally I’d say whatever is in your pockets, I have seen a few videos of them saving a dog however, but your laptop lol

[redneckrob]

Originally Posted by Franziska

Awesome answer. Thanks.

Wow, you must be really brave and tough guys & gals, especially the swimmers.

Beeing left behind in horrible conditions to be picked up later seems nerve-racking at least.

We train incessantly for it so probably not as brave as it probably seems to someone outside. The swimmers, on the other hand, do engage in some crazy stuff. What's most remarkable is that most of them are completely unremarkable if you met them on the street. You wouldn't know what they were capable of if you hadn't seen it for yourself.

[OS2Dude]

I would imagine it would depend a great deal on the situation. A boat that is sinking in realativly calm water and decent conditions would give the crew more latitude. In a hurricane with 40' waves, be glad they're willing to get you and forget the other stuff. Sure, put the stuff in floating water tight bags in case your vessle does not completly sink you may be able to recover it later, but if it is not something you will physically die within 8 hours if you don't have, in a dire situation it is not worth risking your life or the lives of those trying to rescue you.

Are you backing up the entire drive? You only need the important data files. Programs can be replaced if needs be. You don't need the mundane junk files we all seem to accumulate. (Games, trivial email, trivial photos.) Copy any configuration files (or screen shots of config page) only when changed.

[a64pilot]

If you have to leave them, how do you find them again? Do they have a beacon? Do you have comms with them?

[GTom]

Originally Posted by Franziska

Thanks, but I would like to know the specific answer of someone flying on such choppers or directly involved into their operations.
What do they ACTUALLY allow.

Of course it's first the life of the crew, than the boat and than the HDD...

Btw. Regularly updating 10TB onto the cloud is not easily done with sketchy internet. I had been thinking of that too at first.

2-3 waterproof flash drives for the data you created since your last internet access will fit your pocket.