PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Help Needed:Stabilty of Helicopters when Ditched.
Old 19th December 2012 | 20:42
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Thomas coupling
 
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,670
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From: UK
Thanks - clear now. So you are looking for data to make a captaincy Go/No Go decision? Presumably, once airborne the decsion making is made for you, because if you have to land (LAND immediately) SS has no say in it - you are going down whether you like it or not.

I used to teach waterbird in Nova Scotia with the CAF. These guys have maritime ops down to a "Tee".

I recall ground school covering the following:

Position the aircraft prior to landing on top of the swell at 30 degrees to the swell. This will reduce the risk of tip path and/or tail rotor contact.

Always motor fwd at about 3kts to maintain directional control.

In the event the rotors are stopped, deploy the drag chute to avoid the cab braodsiding and keeling over.

IF contact with the rotating blades is imminent during the landing remember that the advancing blade striking the swell first will eject the gearbox backwards out of its housing. Allowing the retreating blade to strike first will cause the gearbox to eject fwd and dwon into the cockpit!

Anything more than 3 degrees nose up during touch down will almost certainly cause the tail rotor to contact the sea surface.

ANY prolonged delay on the surface will inevitably result in being unable to take off again due to ingress of water and overload. Cof G shifts perilously
fwd.

The bottom line - if you land on the sea - stay put! Hence no more sea hull shaped helos.
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