Originally Posted by R O G
you can descend once clear of the high ground and get below the icing level and back to VFR.
- essentially we are talking here about what the crew would have CONSIDERED in their overall 'thinking' during the trip, not what they would do IF they were forced to make an emergency abort. I don't think anyone with more than a few hours at low-level would think about 'stopping' at exactly 2400' after an abort climb unless they were turning back?
This is all a bit of a distraction from the root of the thread, but I think you need to re-check the map for the route and you will realise that your option would not pertain for a heli in that area. Yes, I have many times 'got back down' from an abort, but I would have been exteremely circumspect in trying it there and then in IMC on that route. As mentioned many times here, to consider a pull up to SA would not, I'm sure, have been in their minds, and I'm sure going 'back down again' would have been far removed from their planning I would suggest their only option would have been a let-down at Macrihanish which would, I guess, have knocked out the detail for duty time/fuel/whatever, let alone being vectored around in IMC without any icing clearance?
I really think this climb to SA thing is something we should ignore. I'm sure they would have ruled it out in
planning. Let us just concentrate on the fact that we don't know FOR SURE why they 'arrived' where they did and focus there? These 'diversionary tactics' that we are suffering (crew duty/meals/S Alt/ etc are not advancing the effort, and I feel the ball is well and truly rolling now.