Chinook Amphibians
I was watching the programme "Combat Helicopters" on Channel 5 last night and was amazed to see a US Chinook landing on the sea to pick up a RIB. The initial splash was quite big and, when they showed a shot from inside, the crew were ankle deep in water as they pulled the boat inboard. In fact, they seemed to rely on the backwash to bring the boat inside.
Is this a procedure used and trained for regularly by any Chinook operators?
When you think how that amount of water can capsize a ferry, the control and stability problems for a helicopter must be quite interesting.