GP
I like the sound of that idea. We always check power available at the LS but probably underestimate the importance of power req'd, relying more on "judgement/experience". A tricky concept! Will try your method in some safe, controlled conditions and see if it's a flyer.
Sadly, unless your chopper's right new then the charts are probably only a guide anyway. Some Sea King stuff really refers to Wessex performance.
Speaking of not knowing weights, I've pitched up to LS's where it took a fork lift to put the load in the back - it was immovable by hand. As a youngster I actually remember chuckling about it at the time. There were pax in the back as well. They had to squeeze past the crate to get on the winch to be put on the back of a ship. With the benefit of HVG (Hindsight Vision Gog's) I can see that was a potentially huge error on our crews' part. We weren't quite cowboys but our youth/immaturity (flying wise) meant we thought we could hack anything. Now that a few years have passed, would I do the same again? Only to save life, and then I guess I'd have to tell a grown up about it.
To any young folks out there who are watching this debate/slanging match with interest/amusement, I will repeat the wisest of the adages, "There are old pilots and bold pilots but...." However tough you think you are I bet you'd prefer to live longer.
No comment on potential causes of this crash until more is known.
Last edited by scottishbeefer; 24th Feb 2006 at 09:12.