It was definitely 0.5nm and 150' until a BCal helicopter got it wrong and got very close to hardware on a go-around.
Having said that, I remember during my initial training with a NS company (which will remain nameless) many many years ago sitting on a S61 jump seat with two captains doing a VIP trip to a rig and observing a 50' ARA to a decision point of "when we see the rig" followed by a vertical climb up the side of the rig onto the helideck.
Changed days now, thank goodness, but looking forward to getting the automatics (and approvals) which perform an ARA equivilent and bring us to a hover alongside the helideck. They would have avoided my go-around today from a rig followed by a three hour stop at Sumbugh waiting for the weather to clear offshore to eventually get back to Aberdeen at both FTL duty hour limits and close to ILS weather limits followed by minimum rest before another 0600hrs start. Oh happy days! Am I getting too old for this? NO!
Last edited by HughMartin; 23rd Jul 2013 at 19:36.