Airwave45:
I have enjoyed reading your posts thus far. In general they are a welcomed balance to the forum, and I am pleased to see someone representing the 19 guys down the back actually spend a credible amount of time to-an-fro'ing with the likes of HC, a well respected contributor representing the two drivers up front. Please don't rush off.
My question to you, and the workforce, and those all spouting statistics and likelihood of this that or the other thing versus what the Noggies do on a different or similar type; all protesting that they will never board another Puma: what if it turns out that this accident was the result of pilot error?
Suddenly all the screaming about abandoning the type becomes nothing more than grudge, really. The catalyst of the current protests, and petitions is this most recent incident citing 5 accidents in 4 years and taking it out on the type. If it were pilot error what do you think the industry's response would be? Ground the pilots?
That is not an attack on the response of the offshore workforce, just a parallel application of logic. I'm genuinely curious whether that'd put some egg on faces, or if this might be the beginning of an unstoppable movement - regardless of outcome.
Ok,
To be clear, you won't find any of my posts having a go at a specific aircraft.
They are in a thread about one particular incident, but tragic as the loss of life and aircraft is, this specific incident really is not what I'm posting for.
Now, if it does turn out to be CFIT, I really feel for the crew.
Which also comes back to the original reason I got brave enough to come in here in the first place.
Which is, Too Many, Too often.
And after looking at the numbers (Which, I know you can turn any way you want) but without getting too picky with them and being really rough.
One side of the N Sea puts 10x more helicopters in the water than the other.
This could well be a statistical anomoly, it may turn out as time goes past that the Scottish side of the operation doesn't put an aircraft in the water for the next 10 years.
Which will leave us scratching our heads and wondering what is going on (well, we won't, we'll all be fat happy and home for T and medals each night)
I feel that you are asking, Based on "If it is human error, then boo ya to the baying mob out to get the Puma"
Which is missing the point that, had there not been so many crashes, there would be no baying mob (which is dying off, people have short memories)
From the back of the bus, we care not a jot whether it is CFIT, or the elastic band that holds the gearbox to the airframe failing, what we see is another wet helicopter and another funeral to go to.
You are percieved (Helicopter + crew) as "one system" be that human or mechanical factors which cause an incident, it is beyond the remit of the slf to figure out what caused it, that is your job.
And if it is CFIT, it still comes down to Too many, too often.
Why do the Noggies not fly their helicopters into the oggin?
I'm 100% sure that the view from the pointy end is different, there is your personal proffesionalism and respect for the machinery.
Which you can differentiate.
If it is CFIT, why are we so good at that? (as it wouldn't be the first of those recently either)
A "Can do" attitude is great, in the right place. Maybe instead of the bears putting their big boy pants on, the pilots need to put on slippers and be a lot less willing to work up to limits.
It might be time to drop operational limits further?
Worse still, appropriate use of automation (AP) may have to extend further into the flight envelope and you become more like your plank flying brothers who only get to waggle the sticks for the first 45 and last 45 seconds of each flight.
From my perspective, last time I had to go offshore N Sea I did not sleep at all the night before I went and was a nervous wreck through the briefing.
Wasn't so bad going out to the helicopter and felt the flight was a non event.
Was offshore for about 10 days and from 2 days before coming back, started getting myself all worked up about getting on the helicopter again.
Were it just me who was like that, I would have my big boy pants on standby for such eventualities.
But it's not just me.
That baying mob out there is made up of old farts like me who have lost their bottle, there is a reason that the bottle has gone, but we don't know the root cause of that reason (Too many, too often)
I fly for fun, I've been on more plank flights and helicopter flights than is credible, Scottish helicopters scare the crap out of me.
Which is why, I'm not getting on another one.
I'm not going to say never, but I've manouvered myself to a place where I don't have to anytime soon.