View Full Version : Underwater escape courses
BroomstickPilot
30th Jun 2006, 07:49
Hi Guys,
I'm a private pilot flying fixed wing, but I think my question might be best answered by the rotary wing community, especially those engaged on search and rescue or North Sea oil industry operations, so I hope you will forgive me invading your territory on PPrune.
I have just been given a brochure for an underwater escape course from an outfit called Andark, based at Southampton.
What they offer, in a one day underwater escape course, is a flat ditch, a submerged exit, and finally an inverted submerged escape drill.
Does anybody please know anything about their courses?
Do you please have any other advice?
Broomstick.
verticalhold
30th Jun 2006, 08:27
Never been to Andark, but I've heard good reports. If you fly over water its a good idea. Personally I always enjoyed the dunker and one day it might give you one of those little pieces of knowledge which save lives but often are just stored in the memory and never used.
Droopystop
30th Jun 2006, 09:31
I have not done the Andark course, but done several in Aberdeen, both as pilot and offshore worker.
The three scenarios are:
Flat Ditch: Simulator is lowered onto the surface and you step out into life raft/ water through a door.
Submerged exit: Simulator lowered so that your head is underwater. You then have to exit through the window/ remove window and exit
Full inversion: As above but you have to wait until you have stopped moving.
One of the simulators in Aberdeen can be fitted with a variety of cockpit doors appropriate to the aircraft type flown (OK two different types of helicopter), but any door is a useful addition to the training.
IME, the courses are well run and there will be a number of safety divers around. They do not assume you can swim and are very sympathetic to those nervous in the water. You might be surprised how many people who work offshore who are terrified of water and helicopters!
The courses I have done had a liferaft element as well which is very useful. It would be worth checking to see if they have smaller liferafts than the 15 man ones the larger helicopters are fitted with.
They are great fun and very educational. Especially if you get a chance to use a liferaft in a wave pool.
Hope this helps.
Flying Pencil
30th Jun 2006, 10:22
Have done the andark course and thought it was great. Good thing to do what ever you fly. We took about 20 people down from cpl's to frequent passengers, everyone thought they benefited from the dunking!
We also got to do life raft drills which teach people they can be quite hard to get in. The guys also have an underwater camera for some embarrassing photos.
FP.
whoateallthepies
30th Jun 2006, 15:05
Broomstick Pilot
Also done the Andark course. Sussex Police/Ambulance unit send their crews there for dunker. (Or did when I was there! I'm presuming they still do. Bearintheair or tbc can advise).
It's a smaller dunker than the North Sea crews use and more realistic for flyers of small fixed wing or helicopters. Bit more claustrophobic though. Seems like forever when you are number three out the left window!
Very useful classroom time as well discussing sea survival.
We did the Andark course a few weeks ago and as WAATP suggests it was a good visit.
They included life jackets and dinghy drills with some nice little additional teaching points thrown in.
For someone who first did the dunker in the Submarine Escape chamber at HMS Dolphin? in 1977, this was much more civilised but got the teaching points across.
If I ditch, I just know that with the final rotation of the blades, the disk is going to be tilted your way!!!
Yup, good course in the circumstances, gives you a rough idea of what it could be like. Pity the pool's so warm, its almost a pleasure to drop into it. In real life around the UK the shock of cold water will make it all a LOT less fun.
If you plan to do any long water crossings, rent (or buy) an immersion suit with a proper neck seal - probably the most useful survival aid. Getting out of the aircraft and floating nicely in your lifejacket is great but you'll proably only last 30mins at best without a goonsuit.
verticalhold
3rd Jul 2006, 08:33
MBJ;
They all heat the pools these days. Apparently In days of yore when us more mature aviators were doing the dunker someone realised that we weren't learning anything because we were fretting about lack of feeling in our nethers.
Then the health and safety gestapo weighed in about it being bad for our health. Personally I'd like to see a few of them floating in the North Sea on a dark and frosty night:E
BroomstickPilot
4th Jul 2006, 11:12
These replies have been splendid.
May I please express my thanks to everbody who has taken the time and trouble to reply.
Very best regards,
Broomstick.
bellfest
4th Jul 2006, 12:27
These replies have been splendid.
May I please express my thanks to everbody who has taken the time and trouble to reply.
Very best regards,
Broomstick.
That is the standard type of generosity you can expect from here in the rorary world.:) A very generous, giving, professional, helpful and curteous collection of individuals on rotorheads:E
Just don't read too many Aussie posts:eek: :} :hmm: :uhoh::ugh:
On a serious note though any type of underwater escape training is good. To an extent. You might wanna think twice if you turn up to see a shipping container suspended on an endless chain ( block and tackle) with a few deck chairs inside but apart from that it's priceless. Out of all the training courses I have done ( safety courses, CRM, seminars etc.) the HUET was by far the best bit of education I have taken away with me and you take a little more away every timeyou do it.
Good luck and enjoy.
BTW, the scariest part of the whole gig is in the class room when you don't know what you're are in for. Once you get that first shot of chlorinated water up your snozzer you settle right into it.:ok: