Deck Winching Question
Yesterday, I attended an RYA First Aid course in which there was a film clip of an S61 doing a highline transfer to a lifeboat. The winchman was on the boat and off again pretty quickly. In the discussion that followed, I suggested to our instructor that in a real rescue from a boat, the helicopter would probably not remain in the hover but would rather stooge off for a bit until the winchman was ready for lift. Our instructor, however, was adamant that the helicopter would remain in the hover. (He was a doctor, not a pilot, BTW!)
It's over 20 years since I flew a yellow heli, and highlines were just coming into fashion - and I have never used one for real. Personally, I would rather be flying at endurance speed while waiting for the winchman to finish, rather than hovering, making a lot of noise and downdraft, and using more fuel.
What is the opinion of current SAR guys?