North Sea News
Such a horrible place to be stranded....getting paid Time and a half probably.....good accommodation....good food....such a hard life making like Crusoe on the North Sea.
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Jake Molloy
When you consider that Jake Molloy has spent the last twenty-plus years criticising oil companies' safety regimes, just how can he justify comments like this??
Perhaps it is time for Molloy to actually experience an ARA to minima on a foggy day, just so he can see what it is really like! What a moron!! 
bondu
Jake, Aberdeen-based regional organiser of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers Union, added: “The one thing that gets me in this techologically advanced age is that they put a man on the moon in 1969 but you can’t land a helicopter in a bit of fog,
“What is it that prevents them from putting some kind of homing device on a deck to allow a chopper to land right on that spot? I don’t know but it’s been a bugbear for decades.
“What is it that prevents them from putting some kind of homing device on a deck to allow a chopper to land right on that spot? I don’t know but it’s been a bugbear for decades.
bondu
Perhaps now that Sikorsky and the FAA have done the Certification work on Automated GPS Approaches to a hover....there is some hope things might improve over the current system.
Getting the CAA to embrace the new technology will be the biggest obstacle I bet.
Getting the CAA to embrace the new technology will be the biggest obstacle I bet.
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Earlier in the thread I was asking about workers offshore and PPRuNe member diginagain said he was communicating from a rig in the North Sea using a satellite link. I don't know the total number of workers offshore but in the longterm wouldn't it be useful if they could have wifi access so that they could use their laptops/iPads for personal communications, maybe Skyping their family etc? Perhaps it would be possible to float a string of buoys with repeaters to cover some of the areas instead of using satellite connections?
Re: deck landings in fog, how different is the technology used for automated approaches from that being used in unmanned helicopters. I read that the Kaman K-Max was able to make fully automatic flights returning and landing at its operating base.
Re: deck landings in fog, how different is the technology used for automated approaches from that being used in unmanned helicopters. I read that the Kaman K-Max was able to make fully automatic flights returning and landing at its operating base.
Last edited by HeliStudent; 25th Jul 2013 at 19:19.
We did use Chinooks to clear low lying ground fog from LZ's.....and the odd runway on occasions one really....really needed to get down.
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Perhaps it is time for Molloy to actually experience an ARA to minima on a foggy day, just so he can see what it is really like! What a moron!!
bondu
bondu
Si
OOHHH make him sit in the jump seat for a long leg from Aberdeen to the basin and back THAT will make him think about what we do.
I am not saying we should go back to the old days but some perspective is also required.
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Bristow Signs Contract for 11 AW 189 for UK SAR
Nobody seems to have mentioned the official signing of a contract between Bristow Group and Agusta Westland for 11 AW 189 helicopters for delivery between 2015 and 2017
Bristow Group Sign Contract for 11 AW189 Helicopters for UK Search & Rescue.
23/07/2013
At a ceremony held in London on 18th July, AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, and Bristow Group signed a contract for 11 AW189 Search & Rescue (SAR) helicopters that will be used to deliver SAR services in and around the UK. The contract was signed by Mike Imlach, Director of European Operations, Bristow Group and Geoff Hoon, Managing Director International Business, AgustaWestland, in the presence of Patrick McLoughlin MP, Secretary of State for Transport. In addition to the aircraft, AgustaWestland will provide related training, maintenance and support services. The 11 AW189s will be built at AgustaWestland’s Yeovil facility and operated by Bristow in the UK, with a phased introduction to service between 2015 and 2017. The overall programme value to AgustaWestland, which was announced in March 2013, is in excess of €275 million. Bristow Helicopters Ltd. was awarded a contract by the UK Department for Transport in March 2013 to provide SAR services to the UK for 10 years and selected the AW189 SAR variant as one of the central platforms for the UK SAR programme.
Patrick McLoughlin MP, Secretary of State for Transport, said “This deal will not only ensure that the UK is served by a new generation of state-of-the-art search and rescue helicopters but will also provide a welcome boost to Britain’s world-class aerospace industry. This is good news for those who rely on our search and rescue helicopters and good news for British manufacturing.” Daniele Romiti, Chief Executive Officer, AgustaWestland commented “We are delighted to sign this contract today with Bristow who has a long and proud history of providing life saving SAR services. The selection of the AW189 for this prestigious SAR contract, after extensive evaluations of competing types, confirms that the aircraft is ideally suited to conduct this demanding role and we are confident that this success will lead to further success for the AW189 in the SAR role around the world.” Mike Imlach, Director of European Operations, Bristow Group, added Bristow Helicopters Limited is excited to be working in partnership with AgustaWestland on the development and supply of the new technology AW189 to the UK Government. The aircraft has great potential and will be a tremendous addition to the Bristow Group Search and Rescue aircraft fleet and the fact that it will be assembled in Yeovil will help the UK economy further.”
The AW189, the latest helicopter produced and equipped by AgustaWestland to undertake SAR missions, builds on the Company’s heritage and expertise in search and rescue both in the UK and abroad. The iconic Westland Sea King, which has been operational for over 30 years, is currently flying the majority of Search and Rescue missions in the UK alongside the AW139 which is undertaking the same role, primarily on Britain’s south coast, for the Maritime & Coastguard Agency. Since its launch in June 2011, the AW189 has become the outright market leader in the 8 tonne class with over 80 orders and options placed by many of the world's leading operators. The AW189 SAR helicopter is part of AgustaWestland’s family of new generation helicopters that also includes the AW169 and AW139, the best-selling helicopter in its class with over 720 aircraft ordered in 60 countries. These helicopters all possess the same high-performance flight characteristics and safety features whilst sharing the same common cockpit concept and design philosophy. This approach facilitates synergies for operators of these models in areas such as training, maintenance and support. Bristow is a long-standing customer of AgustaWestland with the AW139 already in service and the AW189 on order for offshore oil and gas transport operations. It was one of the first operators to order the all new AW189 helicopter.
Bristow Group Sign Contract for 11 AW189 Helicopters for UK Search & Rescue.
23/07/2013
At a ceremony held in London on 18th July, AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, and Bristow Group signed a contract for 11 AW189 Search & Rescue (SAR) helicopters that will be used to deliver SAR services in and around the UK. The contract was signed by Mike Imlach, Director of European Operations, Bristow Group and Geoff Hoon, Managing Director International Business, AgustaWestland, in the presence of Patrick McLoughlin MP, Secretary of State for Transport. In addition to the aircraft, AgustaWestland will provide related training, maintenance and support services. The 11 AW189s will be built at AgustaWestland’s Yeovil facility and operated by Bristow in the UK, with a phased introduction to service between 2015 and 2017. The overall programme value to AgustaWestland, which was announced in March 2013, is in excess of €275 million. Bristow Helicopters Ltd. was awarded a contract by the UK Department for Transport in March 2013 to provide SAR services to the UK for 10 years and selected the AW189 SAR variant as one of the central platforms for the UK SAR programme.
Patrick McLoughlin MP, Secretary of State for Transport, said “This deal will not only ensure that the UK is served by a new generation of state-of-the-art search and rescue helicopters but will also provide a welcome boost to Britain’s world-class aerospace industry. This is good news for those who rely on our search and rescue helicopters and good news for British manufacturing.” Daniele Romiti, Chief Executive Officer, AgustaWestland commented “We are delighted to sign this contract today with Bristow who has a long and proud history of providing life saving SAR services. The selection of the AW189 for this prestigious SAR contract, after extensive evaluations of competing types, confirms that the aircraft is ideally suited to conduct this demanding role and we are confident that this success will lead to further success for the AW189 in the SAR role around the world.” Mike Imlach, Director of European Operations, Bristow Group, added Bristow Helicopters Limited is excited to be working in partnership with AgustaWestland on the development and supply of the new technology AW189 to the UK Government. The aircraft has great potential and will be a tremendous addition to the Bristow Group Search and Rescue aircraft fleet and the fact that it will be assembled in Yeovil will help the UK economy further.”
The AW189, the latest helicopter produced and equipped by AgustaWestland to undertake SAR missions, builds on the Company’s heritage and expertise in search and rescue both in the UK and abroad. The iconic Westland Sea King, which has been operational for over 30 years, is currently flying the majority of Search and Rescue missions in the UK alongside the AW139 which is undertaking the same role, primarily on Britain’s south coast, for the Maritime & Coastguard Agency. Since its launch in June 2011, the AW189 has become the outright market leader in the 8 tonne class with over 80 orders and options placed by many of the world's leading operators. The AW189 SAR helicopter is part of AgustaWestland’s family of new generation helicopters that also includes the AW169 and AW139, the best-selling helicopter in its class with over 720 aircraft ordered in 60 countries. These helicopters all possess the same high-performance flight characteristics and safety features whilst sharing the same common cockpit concept and design philosophy. This approach facilitates synergies for operators of these models in areas such as training, maintenance and support. Bristow is a long-standing customer of AgustaWestland with the AW139 already in service and the AW189 on order for offshore oil and gas transport operations. It was one of the first operators to order the all new AW189 helicopter.
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The NS pilots do a good job, sure, but you know, it's not THAT hard really is it? The minima are quite conservative, the aircraft are far more sophisticated than they were and there are two pilots on every flight.
LOL sorry.
Si
No, Far East Driver, buses are on the ground. Helicopters are in the air, you are a Pilot and I presume you are remunerated appropriately. Otherwise, you should think about another profession.
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I don't know the total number of workers offshore but in the longterm wouldn't it be useful if they could have wifi access so that they could use their laptops/iPads for personal communications, maybe Skyping their family etc?
On my rig it is, however, a very slow connection at present, really only useful for texting and Faceaching.....
just bus drivers
Then they pocketed the pilot's pension fund.
Last edited by Fareastdriver; 26th Jul 2013 at 15:01.
Originally Posted by HeliStudent
Earlier in the thread I was asking about workers offshore and PPRuNe member diginagain said he was communicating from a rig in the North Sea using a satellite link. I don't know the total number of workers offshore but in the longterm wouldn't it be useful if they could have wifi access so that they could use their laptops/iPads for personal communications, maybe Skyping their family etc?
Last edited by diginagain; 17th Aug 2013 at 22:58.
Thread Starter
Training for the North Sea
More ..
Aberdeen is the busy hub of the UK's North Sea oil and gas industry. That much is clear within about 30s of landing at the airport when you become immediately aware of the enormous amount of rotorcraft traffic ferrying workers to and from the rigs. It is, as the late author Iain Banks says of the place, "very helicoptery".
Bond Offshore Helicopters, Bristow Helicopters and CHC Scotia make up the trinity of offshore operators working from the Scottish site. Governed partly by their relative size and corporate parentage, each has adopted a slightly different means of recruiting and training pilots.
The largest of the trio is Bristow, part of Texas-headquartered Bristow Group, but with operations across the globe. Due to its scale, it has taken a more in-house approach to its recruitment and training needs. A key part of this is its own training operation, Bristow Academy, based in Titusville, Florida. Acquired in the early part of the last decade, the division provides ab initio training for self-funded would-be pilots.
Whereas Bristow previously had a training facility at Redhill in southern England dedicated to producing helicopter pilots for its North Sea operations, Titusville simply turns out qualified pilots, although relevant training can be provided for those seeking a career in offshore work. And the highest performing graduates are asked to stay on as instructors, Bristow looks to recruit them into the offshore business, first ensuring they are instrument rules qualified. In all, Academy recruits make up some 30% of the intake in Aberdeen, says Rhodes, with that figure varying between 50% in Norway and 25% in its Nigerian business.
This surge in oil exploration - driven by both the high price of crude and technological advances that have enabled access to previously uneconomical reserves - has meant that the offshore workforce has hit record levels. And that could rise further as oil companies undertake previously postponed remedial work on rigs, expansion of existing fields and new exploration. Bristow's pool of Aberdeen-based pilots has seen similar expansion, rising from 70 to 150 over the last 18 months.
Bond Offshore Helicopters, Bristow Helicopters and CHC Scotia make up the trinity of offshore operators working from the Scottish site. Governed partly by their relative size and corporate parentage, each has adopted a slightly different means of recruiting and training pilots.
The largest of the trio is Bristow, part of Texas-headquartered Bristow Group, but with operations across the globe. Due to its scale, it has taken a more in-house approach to its recruitment and training needs. A key part of this is its own training operation, Bristow Academy, based in Titusville, Florida. Acquired in the early part of the last decade, the division provides ab initio training for self-funded would-be pilots.
Whereas Bristow previously had a training facility at Redhill in southern England dedicated to producing helicopter pilots for its North Sea operations, Titusville simply turns out qualified pilots, although relevant training can be provided for those seeking a career in offshore work. And the highest performing graduates are asked to stay on as instructors, Bristow looks to recruit them into the offshore business, first ensuring they are instrument rules qualified. In all, Academy recruits make up some 30% of the intake in Aberdeen, says Rhodes, with that figure varying between 50% in Norway and 25% in its Nigerian business.
This surge in oil exploration - driven by both the high price of crude and technological advances that have enabled access to previously uneconomical reserves - has meant that the offshore workforce has hit record levels. And that could rise further as oil companies undertake previously postponed remedial work on rigs, expansion of existing fields and new exploration. Bristow's pool of Aberdeen-based pilots has seen similar expansion, rising from 70 to 150 over the last 18 months.
A nice article and interesting to see the approach to recruitment and training in the 3 operators.
"the highest performing graduates are asked to stay on as instructors" - I do however question this part. They would seriously benefit from actually doing this but i suppose the $$ is their language.
LZ
"the highest performing graduates are asked to stay on as instructors" - I do however question this part. They would seriously benefit from actually doing this but i suppose the $$ is their language.
LZ
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Jobs Galore
Well after reading the full article it looks like everyone will have no problem getting a job offshore if the demand is as accurate as they say.
What do you think?, same old story?
What do you think?, same old story?