Bear Grylls & Helicopters
Here are a few questions for the Rotorheads as I am fixed wing.
Bear Grylls, personally can't stand the man. Actually I questioned the Scout Association a year ago, as to whether as Chief Scout he was a good role model. I say that an as experienced mountaineer. Examples include freeclimbing, abseiling on a single rope, climbing and paragliding without a helmet, abseiling from a single dubious belay. Oh and the diregard for his own son's safety.
So here is the lastest from his TV series, a AS355NP (G-DCAM), bunch of school children on board, the helicopter hovers at around 50 to 100 feet above a lake and they have to jump out, I really do not see the point, why not use a swimming pool, so here are my questions, based on and engine failure at 100 feet, and a boat and children already in the water below.
(a) I am aware that the AS335 has two engines, so what would be the height loss in a 100ft hover?
(b) Would FADEC if fitted make a difference?
(c) If there is height loss, at that stage could the pilot transition enough to clear the people in the water.
(d) Would I be right in thinking the CAA has to approve this type of operation in terms of the pilot and aircraft is approved for dropping persons.
I ask this having been a witness to a similar incident at Lyme Regis as a child, where a Wessex 3 or 5 had an engine failure during a demonstration of a transfer between a lifeboat and the Wessex, luckily the agile Atlantic 21, moved out of way just in time. Not sure if the Wessex 3 or 5 were twin or single turbine aircraft.