Thanks crab, you have confirmed some of the outcomes that we have experienced. I am intrested, if you have time, in you detailing your over water NVG winching experiences, and acft equipment in terms of autopilot/auto hover etc.
We do not do such operations so we would be keen to hear it.
I note that you guys have come to the same conclusion in terms of sometimes it is better to be goggled up, and some times it is not. Indeed the Swiss when we visited, stated that they goggle up and degoggle as required by the situation. For cliff winches for example, they would approach to the hover on NVG, then degoggle in the hover for the winch, depart and goggle up in the fly away.
Unfortunately, that option is not available in Oz as the NVG Order prescriptively requires us to be on the ground or above LSALT to change status of the crew (between aided and unaided). Oz was the only country we came across with this requirement. Others advised a control (NZ system for example) but most did not regulate this aspect at all. How do you guys control it, and with your experience, what do you think of the Swiss approach?
How do any others do this?
Aarakis: I agree. My use of the phrase "detuned" was incorrect.