I found this thread fascinating and somewhat revealing. In more than 40 years of IFR helicopter ops I cannot remember ever flying a standard SID or STAR. Certainly I have flown helicopter SIDS/STARS (Aberdeen, Bergen) which are designed for helicopters coming and going from offshore. My experience of major airports is that they wont let you anywhere near a SID or a STAR - they take you under radar and probably join the airway at a convenient point so you can occupy the lowest levels without screwing up their fixed wing traffic. Likewise Radar-To-ILS is the normal arrival.
Now that we have a sophisticated FMS I am teaching SIDS and STARs so I have had to rely on my FW colleagues to provide the vital data on how to use them correctly - and then try and pass it on. Until this thread the performance side of SIDs and Missed Approaches was a mystery to me and I am grateful to know more, however I wonder if I am shamefully ignorant or do my fellow SFIs/TRIs/IRIs share this lack of awareness?
I have never seen any data in any OM that I have previously used on special OEI SIDs. Am I alone or are there OMs for Helicopter Operators out there with such data with guidance on how to use the kind of information that has now come to light. It's one thing to micro-study your main operating bases but what happens on a ferry or a positioning flight into strange territory?
More threads like these please - thought provoking stuff!
G
