this looks like it has a lot of good information.

i'll have to spend some time with it later.

thanks for the post and link.

be sure you read section 11, under recovery...let the hoist cable ground before you grab it...the rotor blades generate a tremendous electrostatic charge

Also very important is to avoid approaching from the rear of the ship. We had a scene some years ago where a lay bystander rushed up to the helicopter, running into the rear rotor, disabling the ship and removing his arm at the shoulder.

it looks like they do a lot of SR with choppers in the UK,island with mountains and all.not something i would ever have to deal with,i hope,but a good read.

I learned that from watch The Hunt for Red October.

Blue strobes for Landing Zones (LZs) seem to be favored in the U.S., from what I understand.

There is a lot of info there; maybe too much. Do not get me wrong; I am techni-geek who loves vast amounts of dry procedural data. But, there is a host of folks who do not suffer with my affliction. If it could be condensed for the "average Joe's" usage it would be great. I am sure the "necessary stuff" would easily fit on a single large laminated card or small flip chart. I guess the basics are also covered in a variety of survival guides/manuals/books.

I'm sure that someone, somewhere, has been rescued with a Harley Davidson, but a .pdf manual on it???

Sue

I agree. While the linked RAF guide has some interesting stuff, it very heavily oriented to specific models of helicopter and equipment, and UK procedures. The essentials are mostly there, but it would be hard for many people to sift out the generally applicable stuff from the specific local (as in UK) procedures.

The best general short version I've seen is in the little book Field Guide of Wilderness & Rescue Medicine , By Morrissey and Johnson, published by Wilderness Medical Associates, 2009. See pages 92-93 for a nice list of key points and an illustration showing what is needed for landing zones, and how to safely approach a helicopter. I have copied out those two pages on waterproof paper and keep them in my day pack.

The Morrissey & Johnson book is oriented towards WMA's WFR training. It is pocket sized and printed on waterproof material. I keep a copy of the book in my larger first aid kit.

Thanks for the link. While we have our own SOPs, it was an interesting document and sent it along to our Maryland State Police – Helicopter Emergency Aerial Tactical Team (MSP-HEAT Team) Coordinator to see if we can use the material in any way to enhance our training and response criteria.

Pete