Helmets in offshore ops?
 

I would like to get peoples opinions on wearing helmets in the North Sea Offshore environment.
Reasons for and against?
Should we be pushing operators to provide helmets to prevent hearing loss and protect our heads in the event of an accident or encountering severe turbulence?
The most damaging frequency levels travel through the skull and thus no matter what headset is used, it will not protect against the most damaging frequencies.:sad:
Your views and opinions would be appreciated.

Do you have a source for: "The most damaging frequency levels travel through the skull"?

It would be possible to do a useful study comparing the long term differences between bone-dommed military crews and headsetted civil crews with similar exposure durations in similar aircraft (SK vx S61, 330 vs 332).

Wearing a helmet is just plain smart, regardless of "environment."

Why is this still a debate in 2007???


RH

Do your give them to all your passengers?

Sadly we have to group together in order to convince Heath and Safety and bean counters that this issue must be resolved.:ugh:

Passenger do not sit in an area that if full of sharp obstructions they have a relatively cushioned environment compared with the cockpit and do not spend 800hrs per year in the noise levels we suffer.

Just wearing a cap over your head you will hear the noise levels reduce, with regard to a source backing this information, it is just what I have read on PPRUNE and discussed with other pilots.

Helmets in the North Sea?
 

Wouldn't they shrink? :}

Seriously, I'm absolutely staggered and surprised to learn that North Sea pilots don't already wear helmets. Here's one bean counter with whom you wouldn't have any argument!

Apart from cost, they only thing that I can think of that may be a disadvantage is whether a helmet would be an encumbrance in the event of a ditching. I've no idea whether they would, it's just a thought and a question!?

Cheers

Whirls

Our pax in the north sea wear survival suites, re-breathers and most wear plb's (Personal Locater Beacons) The cabin is trimmed and lined and there are no sharp edges or corners. They are provided with "spongy" ear protection and in the a/c they also have ear defenders issued. The crew DO NOT get re-breathers or a lined cockpit. I asked for a re-breather years ago and was told were to get off. I have also asked to wear a helmet and was told that "The pax would complain". Twice I have hit my noggin on sharp objects while in turbulence and f&*k me does it hurt.

Some years ago the crews were instructed by "D Management" to wear safety glasses offshore while re-fueling and pairs of said glasses where place in the door trim of the a/c. NO ONE wears them. If D Management cared about its crew then it would issue modern light weight helmets to its crews.

I for one would have no problem wearing one. Mines a medium.

I ditched with a helmet (night, November, sub-Arctic).

The helmet was not hindrance and in fact was a boon in helping to reduce heat loss from the head, better than any touque out there.

Outside Europe, what I have seen, the wearing of a helmet is at the discretion of the pilot (offshore oil flying). Some wear them, some don't. I don't in the summer due to the heat. I didn't in the tropics due to the heat. I expect I will again in the colder weather. I know I should. My copilot is wearing one today.

Never ceases to amaze me what can become an issue in Europe.

If you have done HUET training then you would Know that a helmet and a STASS bottle would not encumber U on exiting a cockpit(women and pilots first.) But apart from the limited protection from banging your head, wouldn't a good quality pair of headsets protect your hearing! Having worn a helmet in the Military for many years it was such a relief to fly with headsets in all enviroments. I think it should be an individual choice.

What ever makes you happy!!!!!!!:)

Some trivial information.

All HLO's AND deckcrew in the Danish sector wears SPH5 kevlar helicopterpilot helmets.

Mayby they know something we don't !!??

Having worn a helmet during my military flying I can well appreciate the benefits; in fact, I was quite surprised when I started my second career (in the offshore drilling sector) to see aircrew without, but while I believe aircrew should be given the maximum protection available, I foresee a snag.

Someone flying as pax will see the crew wearing electric hats, and will demand that they are made available to all onboard, without understanding the rationale for the crew to have them, nor the need for training in wearing them correctly to obtain the best protection, the supply and maintenance chain, hygiene issues and costs involved, which will have to be absorbed by someone.

To reitereate, in my personal opinion, the provision of helmets for aircrew cannot be a bad thing, but I can't see it happening.

Rotordk, the Danes seem to understand the helideck hazards rather better than others. A company I worked for provided the same helmets for our helideck crews in the UK sector, but without some compulsion to wear them, the helmets remained in the stores.

Following years of refusal (because all the passengers will want one was the excuse) to allow pilots to wear helmets our offshore company relented and will even purchase the item for you. It's your choice if you want one. And guess what, the passengers couldn’t care less. Indeed whenever the subject does arise the passengers are glad to see the pilots wearing them when it is explained how it adds to THIER safety as passengers.

Uhm... well I have worn one ever since I started flying and don't really give a damn what the pax or the boss may think of my head having protection. 16 years on, and now flying VIPs, I still wear it; had a few narky comments passed many times from cosmonaut, Luke Skywalker, for the more polite ones eheh, but at the end of the day, I made it clear it was take it or leave it...glad to say i am still wearing it
Cheers
WLM

Can I infer from that, that your employer wouldn't let you wear a helmet even if you bought it yourself? :ugh::rolleyes:

Cheers

Whirls

diginagain,

I haven't seen or heard of any passengers asking for helmets, even though
100% of them have seen the deckcrews and HLO's wearing helmets (DK sector).
Open ended question......who says the passenger would want helmets.....?

Has the AAIB from the Morecombe Bay crash been published yet? - I think that will have something to say on the subject of passengers and helmets (based on what the SAR crews found when recovering the bodies)

Whirly,
A couple of pilots did start to wear them without any sort of management approval and the management with the reins at the time made no comment, although they were tight fisted when it came to suggestions that the company might contribute to the costs, but as I said they did eventually come across. Previous management I'm inclined to think would have made life uncomfortable for anyone inclined to wear a helmet by regarding them as having less than the required amount of right stuff.

Impress to inflate has made the perfect argument.

It's really a no brainer get BALPA onto it pronto! Maybe by the time you retire you get it. :E I was always told the real helicopter pilots in Aberdeen don't want them plus the pax would want some as well.

Lets get the headset issue sorted out first for the S76 offshore flying never mind helmets!!! :hmm:
Too bloody loud those S76's, but then again, who would be flying 800 hrs a year in the North Sea? We only work 20 days a month:E:E! :mad:

Helmets? At more than £1k a piece, i'm sure management would rather not discuss this issue.

Had a chat with the friendly tax man the other week. He was prepared to give a tax break if I was to purchase one. Thats £400 back.