I see your point of view and that's about all, it is your point of view after all.
You long-lined the boat, (good on ya BTW! that's the safest thing you could have done) now did you fly from the right or left ?? If from the left, you had someone in the command seat who did not have a license. If from the right, did you stick your head out the window, or take a door off? If you took the door off, and it was a civvy 205 (not ex-mil UH-1) you violated the limitations section of the manual. Read the very first paragraph in Limitations, and you will see it written that flying with the crew doors (pilot's/co-pilots doors) off in an assymetrical condition is prohibited. If you used the window, then ignore the point.
Civvy 205A1, LH Bubble door, Flight Manual Supplement and Instrumentation. Ex Mil UH-1's is a new thing in that country.
How was the boat driver deemed necessary ?? When flying forest fire ops, no forestry officials are allowed to ride along while we are performing slinging ops (except when bucketing). They are not deemed to be necessary, even though they are trained in slinging ops.
Why would they be there when bucketing anyway? Because of this, number 4.
allow a person to be carried during
rotorcraft external-load operations unless that person--
(1) Is a flight crewmember;
(2) Is a flight crewmember trainee;
(3) Performs an essential function in connection with the external-load
operation; or
(4) Is necessary to accomplish the work activity directly associated with
that operation.
I guess the Swiss and the Kiwi's should stop carrying pax with sling loads then. I have licenses in both those countries, I better let them know how wrong they are.
Kiwi regs.
135.95 Helicopter sling loads
(a) Each pilot-in-command performing an air transport operation in a
helicopter shall not carry a helicopter external sling load.
(b) Notwithstanding 133.53, each pilot-in-command performing a
commercial transport operation in a helicopter may carry goods in a
helicopter external sling load if—
(1) the goods in the sling load are associated with the passengers on
board; and
(2) the flight complies with the remaining helicopter external load
operation requirements in Part 133; and
(3) the flight is conducted under VFR by day; and
(4) the helicopter is operated with not less than a 10% power margin
from maximum power available at the point of departure and
landing.
When you dropped the boat driver off, where was the long-line? You didn't mention if you dropped it on the shore or what you did with it. I hope you didn't have it on while you performed the drop off. I shudder to think what it could have gotten snagged on while it was out of sight on the bottom of the river.
Last time I looked it was a jettisonable load. Maybe it makes you shudder.
You dropped him from 20 feet. You were unable to get any lower? That seems to me to be rather high for a hover exit with someone who is untrained in the operation. While performing hover-exit ops we will not do it if the person has to fall from the aircraft. It's just plain dangerous.
It was over the water, to go lower would mean ingesting salt spray into the engine with the possible sudden stoppage as they are known to do. Ask a guy with one in his boat, which there are many T53's. I guess your hover exit would entail filling the engine with salt. The guy was actually a skydiver but figured that because the drop was so low he only needed a lifejacket. It is legal to drop people from aircraft last time I looked. They have the option of the neccessary equipment.
Hey, the only rule I broke, according to the Authorities and the rules at the time, was the guy stood on the skid.