Bristow 412 Accident
I heard it hit one of the legs, then managed to get down on the deck of a semi-sub alongside with a lower deck. Luckily the (single) pilot and pax were all okay. The other rig has no crane, so they're having to get a small crane barge out to lift the 412 onto a barge for transport back to shore.
The main thing is that all those on board are unhurt.
I hear that a number of the pilots leaving Bristow are going to CHC, including a number of trainers, so I would guess that their training infrastructure will not to too stretched (as it certainly is now) in the months to come. CHC also have quite a few pilots away doing AW139 courses at present, so I guess we'll be seeing the first one in Nigeria soon.
cyclicoyibo,
The new GPS with TCAD on its moving map display adds considerably to the spatial awareness of pilots. I find it one of the greatest aids to safety in Nigeria, especially when one can spot the number of pilots who are economical with the truth when reporting their positions! I think the 212s do a good job mostly because they are flown by pilots with more local experience. The huge influx of new pilots and the pressure to get them on the line as P1 means that many pilots are now being cleared far earlier than would have been the case a few years ago.
I think the number of calls which have to be made in the PHC area is quite ridiculous and it's certainly unecessary to include all the information one currently has to include on every call. Satellite flight-following systems are now relatively cheap and easy to install and if all aircraft had them fitted, and details of POB and fuel left at base on take-off, for a lot of flights, all that would be necessary would be to pass routes, ETAs and heights to enable us all to keep clear of each other. It would also help if the NAMA would raise the height of the base of the PH TMA so we could have decent height separation, instead of only 300 feet at the lower altitudes, forced on us by being crammed into just 1,500 feet of available airspace.