Civil/Military pretenders

[mowgli]

Unbelievable...

Mid Air Crash avoided by quick thinking Rescue Crew. NZ Police training exercise involving STG. Two helicopters fast roping. While one in position other heli is providing sniper cover . Helipro Pilot briefed to drop STG and depart forward and and then left to come back to provide sniper cover for second heli (Westpac Rescue) drop off. Helipro pilot ignored the well briefed instructions and had rescue helicopter crew not acted a mid air collision would have occurred!!!!

[htbrst]

I bet there were some bad words said on the Rescue chopper - wow

[saratoga]

Looks like when you're playing cowboys and indians ,well ...theres bound to be cowboys!

[davel]

Why civilians are doing a job that should clearly be left to the military is beyond me..

On other forums it has been stated that the winching attachment they are using isn't even certified for fast roping..

Heres how the pros do it..

[Ykato]

www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10850680

[delticman]

I guess it was three years ago when all departments were told to save money.

[flyinkiwi]

• The helicopters are farther apart than they appear on camera
  
• I am willing to believe the quote from the pilot that they flew as briefed over a member of the public holding a handicam
  
• Another mountain out of a molehill
  

[davel]

Quite the opposite 'flyingkiwi'..

The PIC in a BK sits in the right hand seat. From that position he would have had no visibility down and to the left. From a reliable friend I have been told that the brief was to depart forward and come around to assume an overwatch position. The only reason a collision was avoided was the crewman in the Westpac machine saw the Helipro aircraft coming at them and told the pilot to break right..

RL would be better off just admitting it was a balls up rather than trying to pass it off as a planned manouver..

As I said earlier, this isnt the job for a local charter company and a rescue helicopter trust, leave it to the RNZAF..

[delticman]

And what were the passengers doing standing on the deck? If the flying pilot was on the right hand side, should he have not approached the port side? I'm hoping there was a lot of debriefing going on afterwards.

[sparrow]

From the NZH link "Westpac rescue helicopter operations manager Dave Greenberg said the staff had since left."

Don't really blame them.

[phil]

Not to mention the comment from Dave Greenberg:
"Everyone took the action they needed to ensure there wasn't a collision."

Too much time spent taking off from Queens wharf perhaps (Helipro need to depart rearward from their location there).

Took a long time messing around with their FRD too, having to pull the rope back into the frame took forever compared to simply dropping it on the deck. Perhaps it was just for training in fast roping and they were happy to sacrifice the timings simply to have the ability to practice?

[mowgli]

Another case of, "can do, can kill" if you ask me.

[ngatimozart]

Why didn't the first helo egress forrard and clear the ingress site instead of the starboard and slightly aft manoeuvre? That was the cowboy move.

[hawkeye]

Police called it operational re-positioning. The overwhelming evidence of lack of planning and excperience is that the 2nd helo still had to deliver its meat bombs. I doubt there is a serious infil plan that states: after we get the first guys onto the ship, we are going to delay getting the second team in and let the small number of staff on the deck be in high risk while we operationaly reposition the helicopter. Nonsense. If you look at other vid of the group doing it there is an automatic weapon on point, large numbers of guys get on the deck in smallest of time. Makes you wonder if the NH-90 would be put at risk doing this? if the A109 can carry enough guys?

[fergi]

Have to agree with Hawkeye here they would have to get the people on board as quickly as possible or the surprise would be lost.

[jonesy]

They couldve boarded the ferry at Wellington like everybody else.... ;D

[phil]

NH90 could put the whole team down in one go I expect, A109 could probably put one guy down per frame, it's tiny!