Who needs a winch?

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.n...21547893_n.jpg

A BK117-B2, D-HNWL, from the North Rhine-Westphalia Police Helicopter Unit practicing water-rescue training on the Rhine-River.

Seen here participating in "Kufenrettung" which involves lowing the craft into the water in order to recover the 'rescuee'.

And do we think that manouver is a "good idea"?

This evolution was the calendar subject in July 2010:

http://www.eacott.com.au/gallery/d/4...wide+thumb.jpg

@JohnR81
One thing is beeing there and seeing someone drown - and may be trying a rescue without knowing what you doing
or
do a training and define do´s and don´ts of the manouvere.
The picture was surely taken with a very long lens and looks more dramatic, as it actually is - even so - it´s still a challenge.

The squadron evaluated its way how to do this over the last ten years, starting of on a lake and by now practicing it ones a year on the river rhine with every pilot.

Due to the training a couple of people could be rescued by now.
Oct 2010, Apr 2009, Feb 2009 (Spektakuläre Rettung: Hubschrauber zieht Frau aus Fluten des Rheins - SPIEGEL ONLINE)

Greetings Flying Bull

Ice recovery ops
 

http://www.nordicrotors.com/images_2...splay_7525.jpg

This method is performed by the HEMS unit in Stockholm, Sweden, as well. Above is an image from a training sortie in the late-90s. To this date, the manoeuvre is used for critical life-saving rescues, where no SAR helos or other adequate ground units are nearby. The method is mainly used to pick up people that have broken through thin ice, and its not that common.

There are some more images available at this link.

Flying Bull - please tell me that D-HNWL wasn't really partially immersed at such an obscure angle....and that it was some weird camera nagle we are looking at????????

Hi Thomas Coupling,
first it isn´t the L it is the P ;-)
As I wrote, this is due to waves from bypassing ships and the zoom-lens used.
If you look close, you see the whole belly - except where there is a littlte wave in front.
One thing which might "helped" the photo, is that you create even waves with the downwash
Helionline.de
That picture looks less dramatic.

Hi-Jet's Rasta chopper lands firmly in Suriname.

http://dwtonline.com/media/3292574/d...Detailfoto.jpg

Hi-Jet helicopter breekt staart bij noodlanding - DWTonline.com

Heres another pic of that excercise, which shows the BK from the side:

Foto Germany - Police Eurocopter BK-117 C1 D-HNWP

skadi

Hi skadi,

if you zoom in you still see, that the belly isn´t in the water, just splashes from the skidstruts moving through the water.
So the approachspeed, immersing the skids into the water, was just a little higher than perfect.
What you can see is the great clearance of the tail rotor.

Were all the drain holes and pipes taped up to prevent pollution of the water?

That was the reason for my link! I did same excercises with BO105 some moons ago....

skadi

Maths, anyone? 52 years ago was 1961, the first Westland Sea King flew in May 1969 which I make to be 44 years ago. Even the first Sikorsky SH3 Sea King flew in 1959 which was 54 years ago, and the Sikorsky built prototypes for Westland were made in 1966!

Has the Telegraph overtaken the Grauniad for proof reading errors?

Hugh Barklem
 

Boy, 17, flies 2,000 miles around coast in helicopter

Hugh Barklem: Flying High for Hospital Helipads

Looks different on this pic:

Helionline.de

In this case it could be possible to ingest water into the fueltank through the ventholes

skadi

Unfortunately photographers like to post pictures, where the helicopter is momentarily a little bit lower than planed - problem with training - and with serial shots of cameras....
Doing this kind of training for a decade, hadn´t had problems so far and a technican is checking every bird afterwards.
More concern is to the electronic departement - but even there - no water.
Procedure is beeing finetuned from year to year to reduce risks involved - and due to this training a couple of people were rescued and are still alive!

Anyway, the Rhine has a long tradition of helicopters which like swimming!



;)

Lynx HMA.8 DAS test off Cyprus; HMS Dragon in the background.

http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/wwfuture/960...d/p01jmdkf.jpg

I/C

Nice, really nice.

Jacques