I take orders from my wife sometimes, my employer always, the police in the conduct of their lawful duties and anyone pointing a gun or knife at me. Any other person who tells me "Don't say something" relating to what he thinks others won't want to hear will elicit a terse reply.
I will fight by all means any attempt to impose a blanket requirement for all offshore pilots to wear helmets, particularly if that requirement is applied to pilots flying over the northern North Sea.
I NEVER implied that those who fly types where noise is a serious issue e.g. the S92, or those who fly in other operational theatres where the risk of serious head injuries is significant, shouldn't be provided with helmets.
I'll reiterate and keep on reiterating: 1) There is no irrefutable historical evidence that the wearing of helmets in northern North Sea ops might have saved lives. 2) Even the lightest weight helmets cause heat and discomfort to increase to the extent where it can be a serious distraction for some pilots. 3) If we're forced to wear them, I'll campaign loud and long for mandatory 1 hour breaks free of all flight planning between flights. 4) I'll ask contacts in the offshore unions whether they would feel safe knowing that pilots engaged in critical phases of flight are being distracted by itchy sweaty scalps, caused by wearing helmets.
Finally, I'll calm down and adopt a more moderate tone when I'm given total assurance that the wearing of helmets will never become mandatory.
Last edited by Colibri49; 12th Sep 2010 at 20:18.