When you cross the channel at 1000' in IMC.....
Potential Threat to Aviation Posed by Skysails
We have received two safety alerts – from CHC Helicopter and the European Organisation for Safety of Air Navigatio (Eurocontrol) – concerning a recent incident involving a Skysail, an experimental supplement to standard ship propulsion.
Title: Potential Threat to Aviation from Skysails
Brief Account of Events:
The aircraft was descending to the operating area in the
Dutch offshore sector and identified a large kite/skysail
flying at around 1000 ft (just below the clouds) ahead of a
vessel.
The ‘skysail’ itself was in the flightpath of the aircraft as it
headed towards a nearby installation and, although difficult
to see against the cloudy backdrop, was seen to be
moving around ahead of the vessel in an erratic manner.
The long cable, on which the skysail was extended, was
also difficult to see.
The vessel can be seen in the picture below with the
‘skysail’ circled in red. The approximate line of the cable
has also been marked on the picture.
Details of the vessel, its location and the potential threat to
aviation posed by the ‘kite’ were passed to the local ATC
unit and onwards to the Coastguard.
The crew advised another nearby platform that the vessel
was moving towards their operating area and also
informed base operations as soon as possible.
Further research has shown that this is one of the first in a
line of ‘experimental’ vessels using ‘skysails’ to
supplement the traditional propulsion units.