Originally Posted by Special 25
Crews used to shuttle in the Brent many years ago and found they became far more confident and proficient at night flying - Still that 1st flight after 2 weeks off or the first week when the nights came in in October were still a bit of a shock !!
I don't recall it that way: we were mostly a bunch of ex RN types, and didn't have the good sense to be concerned
Mid winter shuttles when there was 70 hours in the logbook for the fortnight, and not a day entry among them, were nearly all inter rig/platform with less than a few hundred yards transit. You led back into night flying after summer, but there was plenty of spare light around the platforms to help keep good orientation. Lots of landings per hour, plenty of opportunity to maintain currency and proficiency
I understand the 'risk assessment' attitude has changed over the years, but do the requirements of operating in the northern NS with only 7 hours of daylight mid winter not call for a higher standard of currency training, rather than the apparent call to mitigate risk by banning altogether?