Underslung Load!
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 1999
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From: Warrington, UK
Underslung Load!
The town of Bodenwerder, on the River Weser, in Germany is the birthplace of Baron von Münchausen. Part of the legend has him accidentally being shot from a mortar and riding through the air on a cannonball.
When I was stationed in Germany in the 70's they used to have an annual lights/water/music festival. Part of the festival was a re-enactment of that cannonball ride. And no, it's not a dummy.
When I was stationed in Germany in the 70's they used to have an annual lights/water/music festival. Part of the festival was a re-enactment of that cannonball ride. And no, it's not a dummy.
Joined: Feb 2006
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From: The Alps
The town of Bodenwerder, on the River Weser, in Germany is the birthplace of Baron von Münchausen. Part of the legend has him accidentally being shot from a mortar and riding through the air on a cannonball.
When I was stationed in Germany in the 70's they used to have an annual lights/water/music festival. Part of the festival was a re-enactment of that cannonball ride. And no, it's not a dummy.
When I was stationed in Germany in the 70's they used to have an annual lights/water/music festival. Part of the festival was a re-enactment of that cannonball ride. And no, it's not a dummy.
cheers
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,067
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From: On the big blue planet
Livery looks like Helicopter Service Hannover.
http://www.helionline.net/567-675482...3/355//42.html
skadi
http://www.helionline.net/567-675482...3/355//42.html
skadi
Joined: Mar 1999
Aviation Qualifications: ATPL
Posts: 1,658
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From: Brisbane, Qld, Australia
It was clearly a dummy. No smart person would do that.
Bungee jumping from a helicopter comes to mind.
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 361
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From: UK
I favour it being the "not smart person" option. Unless the distress smoke flare could be activated from the cockpit it needed manual activation and that could only be by the living dummy on the wire, unless it burnt for a considerable time from the pick up point.
Guest
Posts: n/a
I have flown HEC (Human External Cargo) many times before it even became something that had a name.... And I clearly did not invent it......
Nothing wrong with it-sometimes its just the only thing that works..
Nothing for inexperienced pilots, though.....
Nothing wrong with it-sometimes its just the only thing that works..
Nothing for inexperienced pilots, though.....
Joined: Aug 1999
Aviation Qualifications: ATP+Mil
Posts: 4,411
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From: Gold Coast, Australia
Really? Air Days and similar we often had crewies down the winch wire acting as a Wicked Witch, or in RNAS Portland's case a water skier across the approach to Chesil Beach with a late lift to clear the causeway 
I had a permit for Bungee jumping from my BK117 for a TV programme, with a raft of safety compliance requirements. It went so well that if I'd had a spare approved pilot I would have joined the contestants and had a bungee jump myself 
Then again, I'm not that smart. I ride a motorbike, too.
Then again, I'm not that smart. I ride a motorbike, too.
Joined: Jun 2002
Aviation Qualifications: PPL
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From: east ESSEX
Done it a couple of times from `unfriendly territory`,and at night. Posted on `Long Lines thread,page 2,#41..
Abseil tapes were secured inside the cabin,not on hook or winch..
Back then we didn`t have `Loadies/winchies,; we just did a bit of training during SAR training phase....won`t be allowed nowadays I expect..
I ,too used to ride/race m/cycles,,,got 3 ,in bits in the garage/shed.....
Abseil tapes were secured inside the cabin,not on hook or winch..
Back then we didn`t have `Loadies/winchies,; we just did a bit of training during SAR training phase....won`t be allowed nowadays I expect..
I ,too used to ride/race m/cycles,,,got 3 ,in bits in the garage/shed.....
Joined: Feb 2000
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From: UK
Did some trials at Boscombe with a 'Jungle Penetrator', intended for SAS recoveries out of high tree areas. The penetrator had three fold down arms as seats and the device was intended to be carried on the external load hook. Trial flight was on the Seaking and the line was 300' of 'nylon' rope. Once deployed, we did incremental speed runs over Salisbury Plain. From memory, the 'trail' angle was manageable until aboiut 40 knots, when the rope developed an uncontrollable sinusoidal rotation. The device, complete with rope, eventually went solo and returned to Mother Earth complete with trial dummies.! There were no further attempts while I was at D sqdn!!
Joined: Aug 2000
Aviation Qualifications: ATP+Mil
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From: SW England
Used FRIES (Fast Rope Insert Extract System) - a fancy name for 90 foot swarming ropes with attachment points for 3 lucky(?) souls at the business end - a few times; Chinook could manage 5 simultaneously. Noted that after picking up just one operator (plus bergan) per rope and flying them a relatively short distance, each rope was now approximately 120 feet. Wouldn't want to use each rope more than once.
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 203
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From: Mid-central South of England
Human- pseudo USL
I did quite a bit of this a long time back including some trials and a mock one to undersling a trainee “Buzzard” at STANTA. Personally I thing the main concern was usually the attachment mechanism, I certainly would never (apart from the spoof one mentioned above) consider the SACRU😎😇
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 202
Likes: 69
From: Falkland Islands and UK
The photo in the original post shows two lines coming down from the aircraft with some kind of spreader bars, but not clear quite what it is attached to at the top. I’m guessing it is to stop the person spinning, but that wouldn’t work if it was to a single attachment point at the aircraft. Is anyone familiar with this kind of system - is it specific to HEC?
