Sky Shuttle AW139 ditches in HK Harbour
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So it seems the pilot has stated he had full aft cyclic below 500 feet going into the water. Guess you'd have to be missing an awful lot of weight from the back end to make that happen. 
Now if only they could recover all of that "missing weight" and tell us what REALLY happened.
Now if only they could recover all of that "missing weight" and tell us what REALLY happened.
J-W,et al, I can tell you that having a tail-rotor and gearbox `depart,Two things get your immediate attention- Yaw,rapid ,depending on your forward speed.and -Cyclic,full aft to stop the nose-down,again depending on fwd speed and C of G..
If you care to do a few simple sums,approximations,lets say the T/R and g/box weigh 120 lbs,at an arm of about 30 ft; that`s 3600 ft.lbs of moment you have just lost...not really covered on the POH Schedule....
It was in a Westland product as well...thread on blade tie-bolt was not `cleaned` and started a fatigue crack which had had enough on my day...
all other t/r failures are easy after that....
If you care to do a few simple sums,approximations,lets say the T/R and g/box weigh 120 lbs,at an arm of about 30 ft; that`s 3600 ft.lbs of moment you have just lost...not really covered on the POH Schedule....
It was in a Westland product as well...thread on blade tie-bolt was not `cleaned` and started a fatigue crack which had had enough on my day...
all other t/r failures are easy after that....
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Well said Sycamore......the simple maths shows how little weight you need to loose all that way along a tail rotor boom for the londitudinal cyclic to run out of authority.
On 18 April 1979 a New York Airways' Sikorsky S-61L lost a 35-inch section of one of the five tail rotor blades in flight.
This occurred just after takeoff from Newark Airport (KEWR) in New Jersey, U.S. The crew immediately recognized the problem and initiated an emergency landing back on the airport. The chose to *not* autorotate, as they still had control of the aircraft.
Forty-three seconds after the blade failed the entire tail rotor gearbox departed the aircraft. They were at approximately 150 feet and 60 knots. At that point the aircraft became uncontrollable. It hit the ground in a steep nose-down attitude, yawing to the right. The non-flying pilot was able to get the engines shut down and the battery off prior to impact. There was no fire. Of the 13 people on board, 10 survived.
The NTSB concluded that when the tail rotor/gearbox departed, the center of gravity shifted to 2" forward of the forward limit.
Whatever the cause turns out to be, if the tail rotor of the AW-139 came off in flight, the crew really did a marvelous job dealing with an emergency which really is a pilot's worst nightmare.
Here's the link to the NTSB report on the New York Airways accident:
http://libraryonline.erau.edu/online...s/AAR79-14.pdf
This occurred just after takeoff from Newark Airport (KEWR) in New Jersey, U.S. The crew immediately recognized the problem and initiated an emergency landing back on the airport. The chose to *not* autorotate, as they still had control of the aircraft.
Forty-three seconds after the blade failed the entire tail rotor gearbox departed the aircraft. They were at approximately 150 feet and 60 knots. At that point the aircraft became uncontrollable. It hit the ground in a steep nose-down attitude, yawing to the right. The non-flying pilot was able to get the engines shut down and the battery off prior to impact. There was no fire. Of the 13 people on board, 10 survived.
The NTSB concluded that when the tail rotor/gearbox departed, the center of gravity shifted to 2" forward of the forward limit.
Whatever the cause turns out to be, if the tail rotor of the AW-139 came off in flight, the crew really did a marvelous job dealing with an emergency which really is a pilot's worst nightmare.
Here's the link to the NTSB report on the New York Airways accident:
http://libraryonline.erau.edu/online...s/AAR79-14.pdf
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Next Magazine
For all the ppruners that can READ Chinese ,
HK (Next) magazine issued on the 8th July has a very interesting article about the inner politics at EAA / Sky Shuttle
Many names mentioned and quoted. Sure looks like theirs a war going on at the top. May the best Man or Woman win
HK (Next) magazine issued on the 8th July has a very interesting article about the inner politics at EAA / Sky Shuttle
Many names mentioned and quoted. Sure looks like theirs a war going on at the top. May the best Man or Woman win
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Hk (next) Magazine In English?
TBD: If you google the link does it ask if you want a translated version? Is this an issue of the magazine you are referring to?
http://www.filligent.com/uploads/fil...%20English.pdf
http://www.filligent.com/uploads/fil...%20English.pdf
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From Cover Next Magazine HK
http://hk.next.nextmedia.com/template/next/front.php
Here the link, but its not online as yet as its a current issue for news stands in HK & Macau.
Here the link, but its not online as yet as its a current issue for news stands in HK & Macau.
TBD is very resourceful and I'm sure can have a translation posted here without too much effort, and it won't be googlenglish either....over to you TBD....but don't let that stop you getting in first filthymutt.
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And the beat goes on...
Sooooooooo, some engineering staff now openly questioning why the pilots are agreeing to fly when the various bits lying at the bottom of HK harbour have yet to be recovered and examined. Gee, why WOULD pilots "agree" to this sort of thing, let me think. 
The sequel to the post#154 was that the local village(in Borneo) were offered a reward if anyone could find any `bits` in the jungle,having been shown the t/r on another cab; within 3 days most of the critical components had been recovered,the villagers were happy, and the reason for the failure was established....Prices might be a little higher in H-K,but as someone mentioned earlier,there must be lots of CCTV that could identify the area.
All world harbors are mud pits....
Only feasible way to recover is to scan all sub bottom with Owerhouser magneto-meter and recover at last steel made parts & TGB
Only feasible way to recover is to scan all sub bottom with Owerhouser magneto-meter and recover at last steel made parts & TGB
Extracts from the South China Morning Post...
Copter pilot tells how instinct saved the day
Just don't call me a hero, says veteran aviator
Niall Fraser
Jul 11, 2010
Helicopter pilot Richard Moffatt is no fan of what he calls the "H" word, but few would argue that he is a bona fide hero. If it hadn't been for his lightning-sharp reactions, years of training and wealth of flying experience, Hong Kong could have been mourning one of its worst-ever air disasters.
The self-effacing Moffatt was at the controls of a Macau-bound AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter with 13 passengers and crew on board when it suffered a massive failure in its tail seconds after take-off from the Shun Tak Centre helipad in Sheung Wan last Saturday morning.
At that moment, father-of-three Moffat, 45, his Macanese first officer, Fernando Sun Keng-pong, and the men and women passengers heading for a relaxing weekend in Asia's gaming capital were plunged into a nightmare scenario.
The English and naturalised Australian pilot from Sky Shuttle has revealed how, after what is acknowledged as a brilliant piece of flying to get the helicopter safely onto the water, he dived into Victoria Harbour twice from the stricken aircraft to help distressed passengers cast adrift in the choppy swell of one of the world's busiest waterways. He has also told how, a week after the ordeal, he awakes in the middle of the night, replaying the incident in his head and wondering: "Could I have done more?''
Amazingly, just five days after what could easily have been a tragedy, Moffatt was back in the pilot's seat. It would have been sooner, was it not for the fact that his licence remains at the bottom of the harbour.
"I got my [new] pilot's licence on Thursday lunchtime and immediately went to the heliport and put myself on a flight," he said. "It was surprisingly fine. I didn't know how I was going to react once I sat in the aircraft, but I got in with a training captain and it was okay. If anything, this incident has increased my confidence in this aircraft and in myself. I wanted to do a flight as quickly as I could, before I could change my mind. It was the same for Fernando, he just got his licence back on Friday and got straight back in."
However, listening to a man who said he wanted to be a pilot from the tender age of four recount the dramatic circumstances of his first real-life in-flight emergency, it was easy to understand if he never wanted to see the inside of a helicopter again.
Moffatt recalled how, despite the speed and severity of the situation, his training took over.
"We took off towards Stonecutters Island into the wind. It was an absolutely standard departure," he said. "But as we were passing about 300 feet, literally five seconds after we completed the take-off checks, we heard a big bang at the rear of the aircraft. The whole airframe started to swerve to the right and there was a very severe vibration. The vibration was most notable through the pedals which control the yaw (swerve) of the aircraft, so I diagnosed there was a problem with the tail rotor. It was fairly clear to me that we had a tail rotor failure.
"The only way to resolve that was to enter into auto-rotation. This basically means taking all power off the main rotors which takes the torque out of the system. I then asked Fernando to switch the engines to `Off' and we auto-rotated to within about 100 feet of the water."
The veteran pilot, who has 18 years of offshore flying experience in the United States, Thailand, Myanmar and West Africa, compared the descent of 10 to 15 seconds towards the water as "like a sycamore leaf falling from a tree". Quite a metaphor, especially as he was talking about hundreds of tonnes of helicopter falling out of the sky at 1,500 to 2,000 feet a minute.
"At about 30 to 50 feet, I levelled the aircraft and that cushioned us onto the water," he said, before adding with heavy understatement: "It was largely an uneventful landing - apart from the fact that it was on water. It was a one-way ticket down but my training just clicked in. From the start of the event until we hit the water, I had no idea how the passengers were reacting. Both myself and Fernando were kind of busy!"
Neither did the pair have time to reflect on the highly skilled yet instinctive emergency landing - behind them were 13 terrified people in a chaotic cabin taking in water. "As soon as we hit the water, the floats activated automatically and our job was to get everyone out. The passengers were surprisingly well behaved. They took my directions. It maybe took 10 to 15 seconds from the event happening to us touching the water. I don't think there was time for panic."
Moffatt said most of the passengers got out with their life jackets on, but in the confusion some left the helicopter without. "There was one passenger who went out with his friend and didn't have a life jacket, so I went into the water to make sure he was okay."
The plucky pilot then swam back to the chopper to help two people who could not find life jackets. "They were still there under the seats, but at that point there was some confusion so I persuaded both of them to leave the aircraft with seat cushions, which are designed as buoyancy aids."
Prior to that he had gone to the aid of a distressed woman in her mid-20s who had a life jacket round her neck but had not tied it on. "While all this happened Fernando was right beside the aircraft, he was doing a wonderful job. English wasn't the first language of the majority of the passengers, so he was giving instructions in Cantonese and Mandarin."
By the time the pilots got the last two passengers into the water, three fishing boats were already there and had picked up some of them.
"Police launches were on the scene very quickly and they did the headcount. Once I was certain we had the 13 people out of the water, I was able to relax a little," Moffatt said.
"It wasn't until Fernando and I were on the ferry back to Macau a few hours later that evening and there was no one else around that what had happened hit home.
"There was the realisation of what could have happened and there was also self-doubt - did I do the right thing? Did I do the best I could? Was there something else I could have done to not have gone into the water?
"You read about pilots in emergency situations and you think, `If that had been me, would I have been able to pull that off?' It's nice to know that 18 years of flying have paid off.
"I don't want to sound like some sort of super-pilot because I am not; it is instinct, the training is there to make this reaction second nature. I just hope this is a once-in-a-career event.
...hundreds of tonnes of helicopter falling out of the sky... I didn't realize they were that heavy no wonder it fell out of the sky 
Copter pilot tells how instinct saved the day
Just don't call me a hero, says veteran aviator
Niall Fraser
Jul 11, 2010
Helicopter pilot Richard Moffatt is no fan of what he calls the "H" word, but few would argue that he is a bona fide hero. If it hadn't been for his lightning-sharp reactions, years of training and wealth of flying experience, Hong Kong could have been mourning one of its worst-ever air disasters.
The self-effacing Moffatt was at the controls of a Macau-bound AgustaWestland AW139 helicopter with 13 passengers and crew on board when it suffered a massive failure in its tail seconds after take-off from the Shun Tak Centre helipad in Sheung Wan last Saturday morning.
At that moment, father-of-three Moffat, 45, his Macanese first officer, Fernando Sun Keng-pong, and the men and women passengers heading for a relaxing weekend in Asia's gaming capital were plunged into a nightmare scenario.
The English and naturalised Australian pilot from Sky Shuttle has revealed how, after what is acknowledged as a brilliant piece of flying to get the helicopter safely onto the water, he dived into Victoria Harbour twice from the stricken aircraft to help distressed passengers cast adrift in the choppy swell of one of the world's busiest waterways. He has also told how, a week after the ordeal, he awakes in the middle of the night, replaying the incident in his head and wondering: "Could I have done more?''
Amazingly, just five days after what could easily have been a tragedy, Moffatt was back in the pilot's seat. It would have been sooner, was it not for the fact that his licence remains at the bottom of the harbour.
"I got my [new] pilot's licence on Thursday lunchtime and immediately went to the heliport and put myself on a flight," he said. "It was surprisingly fine. I didn't know how I was going to react once I sat in the aircraft, but I got in with a training captain and it was okay. If anything, this incident has increased my confidence in this aircraft and in myself. I wanted to do a flight as quickly as I could, before I could change my mind. It was the same for Fernando, he just got his licence back on Friday and got straight back in."
However, listening to a man who said he wanted to be a pilot from the tender age of four recount the dramatic circumstances of his first real-life in-flight emergency, it was easy to understand if he never wanted to see the inside of a helicopter again.
Moffatt recalled how, despite the speed and severity of the situation, his training took over.
"We took off towards Stonecutters Island into the wind. It was an absolutely standard departure," he said. "But as we were passing about 300 feet, literally five seconds after we completed the take-off checks, we heard a big bang at the rear of the aircraft. The whole airframe started to swerve to the right and there was a very severe vibration. The vibration was most notable through the pedals which control the yaw (swerve) of the aircraft, so I diagnosed there was a problem with the tail rotor. It was fairly clear to me that we had a tail rotor failure.
"The only way to resolve that was to enter into auto-rotation. This basically means taking all power off the main rotors which takes the torque out of the system. I then asked Fernando to switch the engines to `Off' and we auto-rotated to within about 100 feet of the water."
The veteran pilot, who has 18 years of offshore flying experience in the United States, Thailand, Myanmar and West Africa, compared the descent of 10 to 15 seconds towards the water as "like a sycamore leaf falling from a tree". Quite a metaphor, especially as he was talking about hundreds of tonnes of helicopter falling out of the sky at 1,500 to 2,000 feet a minute.
"At about 30 to 50 feet, I levelled the aircraft and that cushioned us onto the water," he said, before adding with heavy understatement: "It was largely an uneventful landing - apart from the fact that it was on water. It was a one-way ticket down but my training just clicked in. From the start of the event until we hit the water, I had no idea how the passengers were reacting. Both myself and Fernando were kind of busy!"
Neither did the pair have time to reflect on the highly skilled yet instinctive emergency landing - behind them were 13 terrified people in a chaotic cabin taking in water. "As soon as we hit the water, the floats activated automatically and our job was to get everyone out. The passengers were surprisingly well behaved. They took my directions. It maybe took 10 to 15 seconds from the event happening to us touching the water. I don't think there was time for panic."
Moffatt said most of the passengers got out with their life jackets on, but in the confusion some left the helicopter without. "There was one passenger who went out with his friend and didn't have a life jacket, so I went into the water to make sure he was okay."
The plucky pilot then swam back to the chopper to help two people who could not find life jackets. "They were still there under the seats, but at that point there was some confusion so I persuaded both of them to leave the aircraft with seat cushions, which are designed as buoyancy aids."
Prior to that he had gone to the aid of a distressed woman in her mid-20s who had a life jacket round her neck but had not tied it on. "While all this happened Fernando was right beside the aircraft, he was doing a wonderful job. English wasn't the first language of the majority of the passengers, so he was giving instructions in Cantonese and Mandarin."
By the time the pilots got the last two passengers into the water, three fishing boats were already there and had picked up some of them.
"Police launches were on the scene very quickly and they did the headcount. Once I was certain we had the 13 people out of the water, I was able to relax a little," Moffatt said.
"It wasn't until Fernando and I were on the ferry back to Macau a few hours later that evening and there was no one else around that what had happened hit home.
"There was the realisation of what could have happened and there was also self-doubt - did I do the right thing? Did I do the best I could? Was there something else I could have done to not have gone into the water?
"You read about pilots in emergency situations and you think, `If that had been me, would I have been able to pull that off?' It's nice to know that 18 years of flying have paid off.
"I don't want to sound like some sort of super-pilot because I am not; it is instinct, the training is there to make this reaction second nature. I just hope this is a once-in-a-career event.
no wonder it fell out of the sky
Last edited by gulliBell; 11th Jul 2010 at 20:59.
Extract from the South China Morning Post....
Helicopter in harbour plunge was subject to safety alert
Incident in Qatar prompted warning about craft's tail boom
Niall Fraser
Jul 11, 2010
The Macau-bound helicopter which was forced to ditch in Victoria Harbour last weekend was the subject of a worldwide safety alert.Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department officials confirmed that the stricken Italian-made AgustaWestland AW139 - along with hundreds of the same model flying worldwide - was subject to an emergency airworthiness directive issued last October by European safety officials.
The directive details a "de-bonding" problem with panels on the 15-seater aircraft's tail boom and mandates rigorous daily checks on that section of the helicopter.
Investigations into last weekend's incident continue, and official details are sketchy, but it is known that the AW139 helicopter - owned and operated by Macau-based company Sky Shuttle - suffered a "tail rotor failure" seconds after take-off from the Shun Tak Centre helipad in Sheung Wan, forcing pilot Richard Moffatt to ditch in the harbour.
The section of the tail that broke off and sank will form a key part of the investigation into what happened last Saturday. Aviation officials said it had yet to be retrieved from the harbour.
The aircraft's 11 passengers were plucked to safety and suffered only slight injuries as a result of the efforts of Moffatt and his first officer, Fernando Sun Keng-pong, in bringing it safely down onto the surface of the harbour.
Sky Shuttle operates a fleet of six AW139s, two of which are registered in Hong Kong and four in Macau. After being grounded in the immediate aftermath of the incident, the five remaining aircraft were cleared for take off last Wednesday.
The emergency directive was issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on October 29 after the tail boom of a helicopter of the same model operated by Gulf Helicopters snapped off as it taxied along a runway in Qatar in August. Its issuance has split European and Hong Kong aviation officials.
A spokeswoman for the Civil Aviation Department said it was aware of the de-bonding problem. "However, the problem referred to by the emergency AD [the directive] was only on the section of the tail boom immediately behind the cabin, not on the vertical section at the tail. EASA did not specifically correlate the reason for the directive to the Qatar incident."
A spokeswoman for AgustaWestland also moved to play down any link between the Hong Kong and Qatar incidents.
"We can confirm that the airworthiness directive you reference relates to the same model as was involved in the Sky Shuttle incident, although we believe that the Qatar incident that preceded the directive's issuance and the incident here in Hong Kong are unrelated," she said.
However, EASA's Dominique Fouda said the directive applied to the whole tail boom and that the Qatar incident - among others - had been factored into the decision to issue the airworthiness directive.
"The directive was issued following a number of different incidents involving fuselage problems on the AW139. It covers the whole of the tail, including the section to which the tail rotor is attached. The Qatar incident was factored into the decision," Fouda said. "The directive remains in force but has not been updated in light of the Hong Kong incident because the investigation into that is still ongoing."
The directive mandates that inspections of the AW139 tail boom be made at more regular intervals as a result of potential tail boom problems. These include daily general visual inspections and frequent detailed inspections of the tail boom panels "to detect bulging and/or deformations". It goes on to say that these inspections should in some cases be carried out at intervals not exceeding 25 flight hours.
Asked if this was being done prior to the ditching of the helicopter last weekend, the Civil Aviation Department spokeswoman said: "The inspection records of the accident aircraft are being checked. All airworthiness directives issued by the state of manufacture are mandated by Hong Kong.
"Therefore, the two Hong Kong- registered AW139 of Sky Shuttle are in compliance with the requirement of the [directive] since it was issued. This includes daily general visual inspections, 25-flight-hour inspection and 50-flight-hour inspection."
The Hong Kong authorities are also aware of the Qatar incident and say they will liaise with the authorities in the Arab emirate if necessary.
Despite several months having passed since the Qatar incident, details have not emerged as to what caused the tail boom to snap. There was initially speculation that a bird strike may have caused the helicopter pilot to lose control, but a former head of Hong Kong's Civil Aviation Department, Peter Lok, cast doubt on that theory.
"I never thought it was a bird strike. My feeling is that was an engine problem. These are not unheard of despite the fact that the way modern engines are designed enhances their safety quite considerably," he said.
The international investigation into the Victoria Harbour incident is being jointly undertaken by the Civil Aviation Departments of Hong Kong and Macau, the Italian Air Safety Board, AgustaWestland and the Transport Safety Board (TSB) of Canada - where the engines were manufactured.
The Civil Aviation Department is expected to release a preliminary report into the incident in about three weeks' time.
Helicopter in harbour plunge was subject to safety alert
Incident in Qatar prompted warning about craft's tail boom
Niall Fraser
Jul 11, 2010
The Macau-bound helicopter which was forced to ditch in Victoria Harbour last weekend was the subject of a worldwide safety alert.Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department officials confirmed that the stricken Italian-made AgustaWestland AW139 - along with hundreds of the same model flying worldwide - was subject to an emergency airworthiness directive issued last October by European safety officials.
The directive details a "de-bonding" problem with panels on the 15-seater aircraft's tail boom and mandates rigorous daily checks on that section of the helicopter.
Investigations into last weekend's incident continue, and official details are sketchy, but it is known that the AW139 helicopter - owned and operated by Macau-based company Sky Shuttle - suffered a "tail rotor failure" seconds after take-off from the Shun Tak Centre helipad in Sheung Wan, forcing pilot Richard Moffatt to ditch in the harbour.
The section of the tail that broke off and sank will form a key part of the investigation into what happened last Saturday. Aviation officials said it had yet to be retrieved from the harbour.
The aircraft's 11 passengers were plucked to safety and suffered only slight injuries as a result of the efforts of Moffatt and his first officer, Fernando Sun Keng-pong, in bringing it safely down onto the surface of the harbour.
Sky Shuttle operates a fleet of six AW139s, two of which are registered in Hong Kong and four in Macau. After being grounded in the immediate aftermath of the incident, the five remaining aircraft were cleared for take off last Wednesday.
The emergency directive was issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on October 29 after the tail boom of a helicopter of the same model operated by Gulf Helicopters snapped off as it taxied along a runway in Qatar in August. Its issuance has split European and Hong Kong aviation officials.
A spokeswoman for the Civil Aviation Department said it was aware of the de-bonding problem. "However, the problem referred to by the emergency AD [the directive] was only on the section of the tail boom immediately behind the cabin, not on the vertical section at the tail. EASA did not specifically correlate the reason for the directive to the Qatar incident."
A spokeswoman for AgustaWestland also moved to play down any link between the Hong Kong and Qatar incidents.
"We can confirm that the airworthiness directive you reference relates to the same model as was involved in the Sky Shuttle incident, although we believe that the Qatar incident that preceded the directive's issuance and the incident here in Hong Kong are unrelated," she said.
However, EASA's Dominique Fouda said the directive applied to the whole tail boom and that the Qatar incident - among others - had been factored into the decision to issue the airworthiness directive.
"The directive was issued following a number of different incidents involving fuselage problems on the AW139. It covers the whole of the tail, including the section to which the tail rotor is attached. The Qatar incident was factored into the decision," Fouda said. "The directive remains in force but has not been updated in light of the Hong Kong incident because the investigation into that is still ongoing."
The directive mandates that inspections of the AW139 tail boom be made at more regular intervals as a result of potential tail boom problems. These include daily general visual inspections and frequent detailed inspections of the tail boom panels "to detect bulging and/or deformations". It goes on to say that these inspections should in some cases be carried out at intervals not exceeding 25 flight hours.
Asked if this was being done prior to the ditching of the helicopter last weekend, the Civil Aviation Department spokeswoman said: "The inspection records of the accident aircraft are being checked. All airworthiness directives issued by the state of manufacture are mandated by Hong Kong.
"Therefore, the two Hong Kong- registered AW139 of Sky Shuttle are in compliance with the requirement of the [directive] since it was issued. This includes daily general visual inspections, 25-flight-hour inspection and 50-flight-hour inspection."
The Hong Kong authorities are also aware of the Qatar incident and say they will liaise with the authorities in the Arab emirate if necessary.
Despite several months having passed since the Qatar incident, details have not emerged as to what caused the tail boom to snap. There was initially speculation that a bird strike may have caused the helicopter pilot to lose control, but a former head of Hong Kong's Civil Aviation Department, Peter Lok, cast doubt on that theory.
"I never thought it was a bird strike. My feeling is that was an engine problem. These are not unheard of despite the fact that the way modern engines are designed enhances their safety quite considerably," he said.
The international investigation into the Victoria Harbour incident is being jointly undertaken by the Civil Aviation Departments of Hong Kong and Macau, the Italian Air Safety Board, AgustaWestland and the Transport Safety Board (TSB) of Canada - where the engines were manufactured.
The Civil Aviation Department is expected to release a preliminary report into the incident in about three weeks' time.
Last edited by gulliBell; 11th Jul 2010 at 21:29.
Again, South China Morning Post...and this one is interesting, particularly because it's attributed to a senior member of "the family"...
I wonder if the boffins on the 16/F are regretting dumping Sikorsky for AW, after all those "untarnished" years of operation of the S76C+.
Life rafts a must on Macau run
Jul 09, 2010
I wish to praise the act of heroism of the two pilots who saved the lives of 11 passengers when their helicopter was forced to land in the harbour on July 3.
It was fortunate that no one was hurt in this incident and that everyone was rescued by passing boats within minutes.
Imagine if this incident had happened not in the harbour but in the open sea between Hong Kong and Macau and passengers only had life jackets to put on.
I was chief executive of helicopter companies in Hong Kong and Macau until 2006. During my time, the business was under the Heli Express brand and we operated Sikorsky S-76C+ helicopters.
Safety was our primary objective and we had an untarnished record.
I recall it was once suggested by the helicopter inspector of the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department that life rafts should be fitted on to the helicopters travelling between Hong Kong and Macau as an additional safety device. This is because the entire journey is over water.
Following the accident on Saturday, I urge the Hong Kong CAD and the civil aviation authorities in Macau (AACM) to consider this matter and make it a requirement that life rafts should be installed in the AgustaWestland AW139 helicopters as an added life-saving device.
Andrew Tse, managing director, X Air Ltd
Jul 09, 2010
I wish to praise the act of heroism of the two pilots who saved the lives of 11 passengers when their helicopter was forced to land in the harbour on July 3.
It was fortunate that no one was hurt in this incident and that everyone was rescued by passing boats within minutes.
Imagine if this incident had happened not in the harbour but in the open sea between Hong Kong and Macau and passengers only had life jackets to put on.
I was chief executive of helicopter companies in Hong Kong and Macau until 2006. During my time, the business was under the Heli Express brand and we operated Sikorsky S-76C+ helicopters.
Safety was our primary objective and we had an untarnished record.
I recall it was once suggested by the helicopter inspector of the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department that life rafts should be fitted on to the helicopters travelling between Hong Kong and Macau as an additional safety device. This is because the entire journey is over water.
Following the accident on Saturday, I urge the Hong Kong CAD and the civil aviation authorities in Macau (AACM) to consider this matter and make it a requirement that life rafts should be installed in the AgustaWestland AW139 helicopters as an added life-saving device.
Andrew Tse, managing director, X Air Ltd
Last edited by gulliBell; 11th Jul 2010 at 22:19.
Wonderful thing ,hindsight.....for an ex-exec....
Go on,be proactive,make a decision....
Go on,be proactive,make a decision....