Helicopter Rescue
Allow me to add a second chapter to the article on “Helicopter Rescue Options” that appeared in the September 1999 issue of SAM:
With the FAA’s relaxed rules on helicopter hoist rescues, it is important for ski area managers and ski patrol directors to understand the limits of helicopters and their pilots. There is more to hoist rescues than just knowing how to handle the rescue basket and hoist.
Conditions in the U.S. are quite different than those in Europe and the Europeans are using helicopters that are better qualified for hoist-rescue operations than most medi-vac helicopters used in this country.
As pointed out in the article, hovering can be quite tricky because of changing wind conditions. The greatest turbulence is experienced at 6,000, 9,000 and 12,000 feet (the most dangerous altitudes for helicopter operations) and this turbulence can be greatly multiplied by mountain ridges.
Here on Mauna Kea, the highest point in Hawaii at 13,796 feet, we test the limits of man and machine. Our helicopters lose 45 percent of their power at altitudes between 12,000 and 14,000 feet. While the Rockies and Sierras are generally not quite that high, equipment will experience power losses in those regions.
Not only does the helicopter engine lose power at high altitudes, but the pilot and crew lose thinking power as well. This can slow down reaction times noticeably. I call it “altitude lag” and it requires extensive planning, training and practice to overcome. If you take the average medi-vac helicopter and crew and send them up to high altitudes without that training, you are going to have accidents. We know this too well, here. Honolulu’s Fire Rescue squad recently lost a helicopter and two crewmen attempting a hoist rescue in a deep valley without proper planning.
The combination of altitude, sudden weather changes and downwash off mountain ridges make helicopter rescue operations dangerous for the unprepared and untrained. And in the Rockies, where there’s so much great powder, the vibrations created by the helicopter’s rotor can trigger avalanches. Area managers, ski patrol leaders and helicopter rescue teams all must be aware of these limits and hazards. Plan, train and practice together, so that we can gain the great services of our helicopter rescue crews.
Dick Tillson, President, Ski Hawaii
Going to the Dogs
Dear Sirs!!
Please, let us know if it is possible to send us another copy of the last SAM magazine because the first one was delivered during our absence and absolutely destroyed by the dogs.
Alfred Auer
And we thought only kids used that line. Ed.
Correction
In the “What’s New” section of the September 1999 SAM, we wrote that Plaspack’s Pocket Fence has pockets every 3 feet. The fence has pockets every 3 inches. We apologize for the error.
