Life Raft for GA Helicopter Use
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Life Raft for GA Helicopter Use
Can anybody recommend a suitable compact self inflating life raft that we can use whilst channel & open water hopping in a 44/206?
There seem to be a wealth of variants with prices ranging from £500 - £2500+ and I cannot see the difference!!
Any suggestions most welcome!!
There seem to be a wealth of variants with prices ranging from £500 - £2500+ and I cannot see the difference!!
Any suggestions most welcome!!
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Some useful info here: EQUIPPED TO SURVIVE (tm) - Aviation Life Raft Reviews
This is perhaps more than you wanted to know, and is a bit dated (2000) but the price is right! Also much other useful survival info at this site.
See also: WINSLOW® Liferaft Company Home
Depending on how many persons involved, water temp, and and how far off shore you will be, you may want to consider:
http://www.switlik.com/pdf/isplr_brochure.pdf
or, Switlik helicopter crew and pax life vests: Aviation Life Vests . After reading all the reviews, I purchased a set of the Switlik vests for my helo. I (thankfully) have no first hand user experience with these, but the quality appears very high and the Company was quite responsive. Vests may be a good idea in addition to a raft, as except for a near perfect entry into the water, it may be difficult to deploy and board a raft without personal flotation gear due to injuries, panic, etc, especially if some on board are marginal swimmers.
Keep in mind that survival times in colder water are very short, so flotation gear alone may not be enough. Additional info at: Cold Water Survival. This is boating oriented, but once in the water, it doesnt matter so much how you got there!
Much additional info on the web; Google "cold water survival" etc.
Depending on where you are operating, you may also wish to have a portable satellite phone and/or some form of PLB/EPIRB. Unless float equipped, the acft will likely submerge quickly, rendering the ELT inop.
Dont mean to emphasize the downside, as the odds are very high that you will not need any survival gear; but if you do, being well prepared is the only way to go.
This is perhaps more than you wanted to know, and is a bit dated (2000) but the price is right!
Also much other useful survival info at this site.See also: WINSLOW® Liferaft Company Home
Depending on how many persons involved, water temp, and and how far off shore you will be, you may want to consider:
http://www.switlik.com/pdf/isplr_brochure.pdf
or, Switlik helicopter crew and pax life vests: Aviation Life Vests . After reading all the reviews, I purchased a set of the Switlik vests for my helo. I (thankfully) have no first hand user experience with these, but the quality appears very high and the Company was quite responsive. Vests may be a good idea in addition to a raft, as except for a near perfect entry into the water, it may be difficult to deploy and board a raft without personal flotation gear due to injuries, panic, etc, especially if some on board are marginal swimmers.
Keep in mind that survival times in colder water are very short, so flotation gear alone may not be enough. Additional info at: Cold Water Survival. This is boating oriented, but once in the water, it doesnt matter so much how you got there!
Much additional info on the web; Google "cold water survival" etc.Depending on where you are operating, you may also wish to have a portable satellite phone and/or some form of PLB/EPIRB. Unless float equipped, the acft will likely submerge quickly, rendering the ELT inop.
Dont mean to emphasize the downside, as the odds are very high that you will not need any survival gear; but if you do, being well prepared is the only way to go.
Last edited by EN48; 12th Apr 2009 at 14:08.
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Life Rafts etc
Speaking as a cross-channel yachtie ( I reckon the kit on offer to you will be similar or same, but even more expensive than ' Marine' if an 'Aero' tag can be applied ! ).
Most rafts start at the 4-person size.
Beware having too large a raft for your max crew complement, as it will be less stable in rough seas, ie too bouyant/ light.
The £500 jobs are basic, with a single skin floor - for longer trips where one might be in the raft a long time, a doubled, thermal insulated floor is worth it's weight in gold but I'd think unnecessary for you.
Things to look for are a decent boarding step, as much reflective tape as possible, and the better ones have a light on top, inside & out.
Normally servicing is required every 3 years, about £100.
I'd check on any aero regs', & then if poss' shop around yacht chandlery ad's in the magazines, looking at each manufacturer's spec' on their websites.
As for life-jackets, there are some very neat and unobtrusive high-spec' jobs around now - check Lewmar for instance - but I wouldn't think auto-inflation a good idea in a ditching, as it may inflate & trap one inside; I'd go for 'manual gas'. These also need servicing every few years but the time period is not as strictly stated as rafts, just common sense really.
Thigh straps and spume visors are becoming standard, which is completely right.
Flares are going out of fashion on yachts, as they're nasty dangerous things at the best of times, and there was an horrific accident a little while ago when a qualified instructor, demonstrating a flare correctly, had it fire through the base and fill his abdomen with phosphorous - only just survived, and I think sadly now handicapped.
A design fault with those particular flares recalled ( I had some ! ) but a nasty wake-up call.
I'd still carry a few basic flares, but a waterproof hand-held VHF ( about £150 + ) would be very useful.
Remember that will be useless with the noise of a rescue helicopter nearby.
The Royal Yachting Association run short sea survival courses, with the chance to try a raft in a pool, & training. Not expensive & well worth it, particularly for peace of mind of nervous passengers.
Hope that's some help, and that you NEVER need it !
Most rafts start at the 4-person size.
Beware having too large a raft for your max crew complement, as it will be less stable in rough seas, ie too bouyant/ light.
The £500 jobs are basic, with a single skin floor - for longer trips where one might be in the raft a long time, a doubled, thermal insulated floor is worth it's weight in gold but I'd think unnecessary for you.
Things to look for are a decent boarding step, as much reflective tape as possible, and the better ones have a light on top, inside & out.
Normally servicing is required every 3 years, about £100.
I'd check on any aero regs', & then if poss' shop around yacht chandlery ad's in the magazines, looking at each manufacturer's spec' on their websites.
As for life-jackets, there are some very neat and unobtrusive high-spec' jobs around now - check Lewmar for instance - but I wouldn't think auto-inflation a good idea in a ditching, as it may inflate & trap one inside; I'd go for 'manual gas'. These also need servicing every few years but the time period is not as strictly stated as rafts, just common sense really.
Thigh straps and spume visors are becoming standard, which is completely right.
Flares are going out of fashion on yachts, as they're nasty dangerous things at the best of times, and there was an horrific accident a little while ago when a qualified instructor, demonstrating a flare correctly, had it fire through the base and fill his abdomen with phosphorous - only just survived, and I think sadly now handicapped.
A design fault with those particular flares recalled ( I had some ! ) but a nasty wake-up call.
I'd still carry a few basic flares, but a waterproof hand-held VHF ( about £150 + ) would be very useful.
Remember that will be useless with the noise of a rescue helicopter nearby.
The Royal Yachting Association run short sea survival courses, with the chance to try a raft in a pool, & training. Not expensive & well worth it, particularly for peace of mind of nervous passengers.
Hope that's some help, and that you NEVER need it !
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My advice would be not to buy one but to hire one instead.
When you take into account the servicing costs etc, you would be probably better off.
Try www.aerosafe.co.uk
or Tel. 01268 534427.
When you take into account the servicing costs etc, you would be probably better off.
Try www.aerosafe.co.uk
or Tel. 01268 534427.
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Don't you just hate it when all that seems to be available in rafts appears to be designed for a minimum of 4 persons.
What about those of us in an R22 or a 300 with only two persons on board, having to carry a heavy raft designed for 4?
What about those of us in an R22 or a 300 with only two persons on board, having to carry a heavy raft designed for 4?
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What about those of us in an R22 or a 300 with only two persons on board, having to carry a heavy raft designed for 4?
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EN 48,
That looks really neat, transferring military kit to the civi world and very useful for small cockpits.
Looking at the brochure, there is a quoted buoyancy of 180 lbs. What happens if the user weighs more than this, does anyone know?
That looks really neat, transferring military kit to the civi world and very useful for small cockpits.
Looking at the brochure, there is a quoted buoyancy of 180 lbs. What happens if the user weighs more than this, does anyone know?
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Have you thought through the practicalities of stowing and more importantly the deployment of the raft. You will need many practice sessions and in the end may not be able to deploy it due to the fact that the helicopter will most likely be underwater and tipped over or even inverted. A survival suit is of a far more practical solution.
belts and braces
]I favored the ISPLR a few years ago after conducting research, but the project didn't come off.
This and a survival suit and a 2/4 man raft is prudent.
Wearing a life vest as well as the ISPLR shouldn't be ruled out but it would be a squeeze for a large bloke in the back of a R44 wearing suit, raft and vest.
Beaufort defence make the SEIE MK10, an assembly comprises a submarine escape and immersion suit, an inner thermal liner, and a gas inflated single seat liferaft, all contained in an outer protective stowage valise.
When I last enquired they showed a little interest in doing a one off single place raft....without the integrated escape suit!
Mickjoebill
File:Submarine Escape Immersion Equipment suit.gif - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This and a survival suit and a 2/4 man raft is prudent.
Wearing a life vest as well as the ISPLR shouldn't be ruled out but it would be a squeeze for a large bloke in the back of a R44 wearing suit, raft and vest.
Beaufort defence make the SEIE MK10, an assembly comprises a submarine escape and immersion suit, an inner thermal liner, and a gas inflated single seat liferaft, all contained in an outer protective stowage valise.
When I last enquired they showed a little interest in doing a one off single place raft....without the integrated escape suit!
Mickjoebill
File:Submarine Escape Immersion Equipment suit.gif - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Last edited by mickjoebill; 18th Apr 2009 at 17:51.
