Originally Posted by
clearedtocross
Sorry fdr, I humbly disagree. While it is near impossible to stop a light heli manually like a Robinson R22 without proper ground reference, those big junks used for all-weather rescue operations all have hover-capable autopilots. Press the button and the thing holds position even in strong winds. I am sure a Blackhawk has this feature too. And hover og at sea level is not an issue here. And I am sure you should not be allowed to fly a heli at night if you cannot perform a reasonable 360 flown shy above transition speed. Another question is if you should be allowed to fly at 200 feet at night over a built up area. But that's another story. There are so many risks staring at you with these procedures it's a wonder an accident did not happen before.
Did you ever read the UTTAS LOADS report? A quick stop with a tail wind, at low level at night over water, the issues are not dependent on whether you have franks rotor head or not, nor if you have a SAS system capable of entry into a hover. A level 180 with a confined radius at low level at night is also hardly a great option, one that puts the helo belly up to the traffic to remain over water, or doing a break into the traffic which is towards obstacles. I do not see that this flight path has been safe at any time, irrespective of how lucky the operators have been. If this is the de-confliction plan they need a new plan.
As an aside, the RHC is quite maneuverable, our low level / ag ratings using it require competency in torque turns, pedal turns which are entertaining but hardly beneficial to a UH-60 crew doing 115KGS towards a jet doing 130 KTS GS.