HCS (HUMAN CARGO SLING)
 

Does anybody know which operators in europe (except Switzerland) are performing Human cargo sling operations for rescue operations?

And what type of helicopters are they authorized to use ?

Any of them with single engine helicopters?

I´d appreciate the feedback.

Regards

:ok:

Not totally sure of Aircraft Types but Short Haul and Long Haul slinging of personnel is used in Austrian Tyrol, Italian Dolomites and by the French Gendarme. The Gendarme at Mt Blanc used to operate Alouette.

Heli Austria/Tirol use the MD 902 Explorer and a few AS 355s. Last year they had a 412 doing rescue as well.
ÖAMTC/Christophorus & Scheider Helicopter use the AS 135s.

Besides in Switzerland, I don't think any one uses a single anymore.

In Austria the federal ministry of interior (police air support unit) operates EC 135, AS 355 and AS 350 for those missions in the Alps.

Hello,

yes in deed heli-austria is doing HCS in every day business. yesterday they had some rescues with their special authorised system with their explorer 902.

Lawinen: Kaprun, Obertauern und Mauterndorf - salzburg.ORF.at

additional informatin can be found under Heli Austria GmbH in St. Johann im Pongau, Österreich

I'm no expert BUT... The Gendarme's in France (i.e. PGHM) certainly don't do long line (Human External Cargo) operations any more. They just use a lot of cable if they need to. Alouette has been replaced by EC145.

Thanks to all of you for the feedback:D

As GJ says, the PGHM (EC145) sometimes use a lot of cable out. At altitude extremes of aircraft and pilot performance, they will approach rescuer out on a long hoist cable and land them like long line to minimise time at altitude. The Dent du Geant rescue 2011 is a fine example. I have it on video. Awesome.

Certainly a few years ago NLA in Norway had a procedure to long-line their paramedics into incident scenes. Doctor at the door watching the paramedic and directing the pilot. I think they were using it only for paramedic insertion to get medical help to patients asap where access problems meant use of SAR helicopter or MRT access for patient recovery. "Ten times as much practice as we use it for real."

Not sure if the Poles use longline since mainly they have hoists but they do have a procedure for mountain rescuers abseiling from air ambulances (EC135). Drop of the paramedic and some kit and fill the cab with MR guys who ab into the incident location and access the casualty while the helo can return to get the paramedic and equipment.

The guys at the PGHM LZ at Les Bois tell me that they can reach nearly everywhere in the Mont Blanc Range by conventional winching (albeit sometimes with long cable lengths).

The major exception is parts of the North Face of Les Dru, but relatively short pitch lengths allow them to deploy rescuers who can haul with cable.

Anyway... :zzz: even the North Face of the Grandes Jorasses is fairly standard fare...

Parks Canada has been doing Class D (Fixed Long line "dope on a rope") rescue work in Banff National Park since the 70's starting with an Okanagan JetRanger but now using an Alpine 407.

Talon Helicopters does it too with the AS 350/355 family for North Shore Rescue in Vancouver BC

HEC
 

There are many operators in europe and Americas doing short haul or long line Human external Cargo ops. Hovewer, in EASA land, you practically cannot do it with single engined helicopter anymore, if operation falls under civil regulations (EU 965/2012), as there are severe limitations with Class 3 (single engine) operations. SAR operations (often done by police etc.) are exempt from this regulations.
In Switzerland, only Air Zermatt and Air Glaciers are performing this regularly, (and have loads of experience, as their pilots do a lot of external cargo most of the time, HEC is more a "side business") REGA, the largest rescue/HEMS operator in Switzerland mostly uses hoist - even in combination with extending 90meter long hoist cable with fixed rope to reach victims in high vertical cliffs, when necesarry.
The most experienced operator in EU is probably OAMTC, Austrian HEMS provider. Swiss guys might contest that! (they are not in EU, but technically, are in EASA land)
Honestly, I would steer clear from single engine HEC ops as a day-to-day business, as European safety standards and common practices have risen beyond that (with a few justified exceptions). Also, consider that pilots need much more training and experience for this than doing it with a hoist. If Switzerland will "sell" their national (FOCA) requirements for fixed rope HEC to EASA, it will be practically impossible to train a pilot for fixed rope HEC without considerable previous experience with external cargo operations.

And Bundespolizei in German Alps (longline, EC135); Bavarien Polizei (Alps, hoist EC135)...

JR

HEC will be (to be precise it already is) part of Annex VIII of Commission Regulation (EU) 965/2012 (Part-SPO). In contrast to HHO which is part of Annex IV (Part-CAT), I could not find any reference to or requirement of helicopter performance for HEC.

In an early draft, HEC was supposed to be regulated in Part-SPA and you could find the requirement of performance class 1 in OPS.SPA.025.HEC.

However, HEC did not make it into Part-SPA and the aforementioned draft was not followed up on.

I see no requirement in Annex VIII which limits HEC to performance class 1 or 2.

So, if you say
can you please quote where in regulation 965/2012 (or elsewhere) you found this with regards to HEC?

P.S.: I am not saying single engine HEC is good or bad. I simply do not see the requirement for performance class 1 or 2 when operating HEC (in contrast to HHO).

At the Hungarian Defence Forces The Szolnok Helicopter Base are doing routinly by MI-8/17 helicopters. they have the regular trainig and equippment for that.

Australia
 

Not in Europe, but Australia uses them for Surf Rescue, AS355, AS350, Bo105 and H135. Past helicopters have included B206 and B206L.

Human external cargo
 

A couple years ago I was reading about one of the (California?) electric companies using single engine helicopters (MD500) with human external cargo (I think lifting guys to/from power transmission towers.

I just didn't get it... I don't see how any external cargo would survive an autorotation.

Of course, working on a live wire with a helicopter rotor overlapping the power line has some issues with engine failures, I'm sure.

Is there something I'm missing that makes it safer than I'm imagining?

Paul, in most utility ops, engine failure is the least of your worries. Or to put it another way, the pilot will dream up far better ways to ruin your day than the engine ever will.

Engines just do not fail anywhere near the rate that they used to, so therefore your chance of an engine causing a problem is far lower than all the other things that can happen to you...

Personally I think that you should have considerable previous experience with external cargo ops before you are even considered to be able to fly Humans on the end of a line. We wouldn't even consider letting anyone try HEC without at least 1000hrs of longline experience. Thats 1000 hrs of actual throwing a rope around time, not the ferry to and from the job, or counting the hours sitting on the ground with the engine running thinking about lifting something....

But then thats just me, and i'm happy to go on the end of a line that any of our HEC pilots are in control of, and its all single engine!

What is the max height above surface level a victim can be lifted in Oz using cargo sling?

Mjb