Aside from rope length, what is the technical differences between a short haul rescue system as opposed to a long (line) rope rescue system that seems to be more common here?
My understanding is that the terms "short haul" and "long line" in helicopter rescues really refer to more or less the same thing.
The term "short haul" came about because the usual method is to keep the time and distance traveled while dangling below the helicopter as short as possible. From the
Helicopter Rescue Techniques: National SAR Academy Training Manual:
The exposure time of the short-haul rescuer during forward flight is greater than during a helicopter rappel. To minimize this exposure time, short-haul flights should be limited to the shortest possible flight distance practical. The name “short-haul” is derived from this distance factor, rather than from the length of line used. A major advantage of helicopter short-haul is that hover time can be shorter than with helirappelling or “static” hoist rescue. Additionally short-haul operations are not restricted to the standard lengths of helicopter hoist cables and higher load limits than hoist operations may be employed, since the short-haul load is suspended directly beneath the aircraft without lateral CG limits being a factor
I should add that I have no personal experience with these methods. I getting way to old for that sort of thing!
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