Interesting little article regarding air to ground radio comms - relevant to holders of UK ROCC INSTRUCTIONS FROM AIR GROUND COMMUNICATIONS SERVICE (AGCS) OPERATOR Report Text: I was carrying out a flight to [ ]. Despite flying the planned route many times previously, I read numerous sections of the AIP, including the entry for [ ] to make sure I was up to date with procedures. I free called [ ] Radio requesting joining information. I received the airfield details which I read back and joined overhead as per published procedure. On landing I was holding the nose of the aircraft off the runway and slowing down without brakes when the AGCS told me to, "vacate at Bravo". Once I had slowed the aircraft I vacated at B and was instructed by the AGCS operator to, "Taxi to the end of Bravo and park on the concrete as the grass is soft". I was fully aware that an AGCS cannot give instructions, however I complied with them as they know the surface conditions better than I do and understood they were only trying to help. On departure I again called [ ] Radio asking for taxi information for a flight to [ ]. I was given the airfield details and also a taxi instruction to, "Taxi to holding point Alpha". Again, I know that AGCS cannot give taxi instructions and due to my pre-flight planning I had already decided that I was going to taxi to Alpha anyway. To somebody who has an understanding of the different types of Air Traffic Service Unit (ATSU) it wasn't such a big problem; however, I see more and more students as well as PPLs who are confused by the three types of ATSU and actions like the one described above only further blur the important distinctions between the services. I recently witnessed a runway incursion where a pilot simply taxied onto an active runway in front of a solo student at an AFIS unit without calling because he thought AFIS didn't control him on the ground. Ignoring the pilot’s disregard for the basic rules of the air, his understanding that he could line up at an AFIS unit without approval stemmed from his misunderstanding of the services which is only exaggerated when airfields don't stick to the rules. The solo student had to go-around from low level to avoid a collision. What makes matters worse is I train students in correct RT procedures and the limits of the services and when they fly to other airfields expecting one thing and receive something totally different it doesn't just confuse them - it also makes my teaching look incorrect. Lessons Learned: - As AGCS operators only have to pass a Radio Operator’s Certificate of Competence (ROCC), are not technically licensed and are not as closely regulated as Flight Information Service Officers and Air Traffic Control Officers. I believe a simple letter or information poster being sent to holders of a ROCC may help to reduce the amount of incorrect phraseology and services being provided. Comment: The AGCS operator was undoubtedly trying to be as helpful as possible but the reporter is correct in highlighting the risks of allowing the Air/Ground service to stray from information to instructions. Despite the use of the call sign “xxx Radio”, which identifies the service as an Air/Ground service, inexperienced pilots are particularly at risk of treating AGCS instructions as authoritative.
1 Comment
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance (HIOWAA) today unveiled a new brand identity to coincide with the charity’s 10 year anniversary. Since the charity’s first operational flight in 2007, the service that the Air Ambulance provides to the community has evolved considerably and the new brand identity will reflect these changes.
www.hiowaa.org/latest-news/hampshire-isle-wight-air-ambulance-unveils-new-brand-identity/ Oil & Gas UK have launched drone guidelines to industry in the form of the ‘Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Operations Management Standards and Guidelines’, in partnership with an expert panel, including Green Deck Operations Ltd.
Simon Jones, owner of Green Deck Operations, a company providing helideck and crew support services to the offshore and super yacht aviation sectors as well as HEMS support services was part of a panel of experts selected from Oil & Gas UK tasked with the development of these groundbreaking UAS guidelines for the UK Oil & Gas industry. The group consisted of representatives from three major oil and gas companies, BP, ConocoPhillips and Shell as well as two of the UKs leading drone operators, Cyberhawk and Sky-Futures. Mick Borwell, Health, Safety and Environment Director at Oil & Gas UK, said: “The technology is particularly attractive for its use in improving safety. For example, sending unmanned aircraft instead of people into confined spaces to conduct inspections reduces risk, and is also effective and efficient. We expect their usage to grow.The intention is to encourage offshore operators planning on using this emerging technology to think about the whole operating and safety system offshore and not just the air vehicle. The guidelines have evolved from lessons learned in recent years and provide information about best practice, procedures and the certification needed to be compliant with UAS regulations.” The new Oil and Gas UK Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Operations Management Standards and Guidelines have been published, very proud moment for GDO as we were a key contributor (and mentioned specifically in the Acknowledgment Section). Very happy and proud to be part of this positive safety step in the operation of UAS in the offshore environment. Happy days!
Just wanted to wish all clients and followers a very Happy New Year. 2016 was a test of resolve in several areas, however we are still fighting! Integrity and remaining professional at all times in the face of adversity is the key to our success and Green Deck Operations will continue to build our flourishing company by providing an honest and professional approach in the services we provide.
Talking about services, we are happy to announce a new service to the industry, Dangerous Goods by Air Awareness Training. Head over to the website for a brief outline of this new service which has already been delivered to a client with very positive feedback. Whilst your at the site, check out our other services and please feel free to direct any enquires to us where we would be more than happy to assit in any of your offshore, superyacht, hospital helipad or military flight deck needs. More services will be added soon, so keep checking out the site, Twitter, Linkedin and FB for updates. Thank you, thank you thank you for your continued support. Once again.........HAPPY NEW YEAR, Green Deck Operations hopes you have an outstanding, successful and prosperous 2017. Full credit and responsibility for the content of this article goes to Allan Blake CHC Group Ltd and 42 affiliated companies petitioned to enter the US Chapter 11 process on 5th May 2016, with outstanding debt obligations of approximately $1.6 billion. The Chapter 11 process has many of the features present in bankruptcy proceedings both in the US and other jurisdictions. However, it also provides additional benefits for debtors with mechanisms that allow the debtor, CHC in this case, to restructure its business. For example, the debtor can acquire financing and loans on favorable terms by giving new lenders first priority on the business’s earnings, cancelling outstanding debt and equity; the court may also permit the debtor to reject and cancel onerous contracts, such as asset backed loans and helicopter and property leases. The debtor is protected from litigation whilst in Chapter 11. This process is critical for the staff employed by the debtor as it provides an opportunity for many of them,79% of CHC staff in this case, to maintain their employment in the continuing business while a new business plan is developed, rather than going straight into liquidation and being made redundant. Exit from Chapter 11 occurs once a reorganisation plan is developed and approved by the US Bankruptcy Court; failing this, the debtor moves into liquidation proceedings.
Six months later, on October 11th 2016, CHC lodged a court Motion seeking approval for a Plan Support Agreement (‘PSA’) that creditors will vote on and which will provide the necessary financial support to eventually exit Chapter 11. The Motion states that CHC has been seeking to “(1) Negotiate a “cornerstone” lease arrangement with one or more key aircraft lessors that provides for substantially improved economic terms and fleet flexibility; (2) develop a chapter 11 plan that provides for a significantly reduced balance sheet supported by the company’s go forward operations; and (3) attract one or more new capital investors to fund this plan and the reorganized entity’s future operations.” (Case 16-31854-bjh11, Doc 956 filed 11th October 2016) CHC believe that they have accomplished these goals and have a clear path forward with this PSA to exit Chapter 11. Karl Fessenden, President and CEO stating: “We are confident that this Plan, together with our strong and competitive operating model, will significantly enhance our financial flexibility and establish a sustainable capital structure that enables CHC to invest in and grow the business over the long-term.” (CHC Press Release, 11thNovember 2016) Critically, CHC have achieved the broad support of the majority of their creditors and the support of Milestone, a part of the GE Group, who will become their lead lessor of aircraft and provider of asset backed finance. There is also an agreement in principle with Waypoint, CHC’s other main helicopter lessor. The PSA Motion, Backstop Agreement and Milestone agreement was approved to go forward for creditor approval by the US Bankruptcy Court on December 20th. CHC still have processes to go through to finally exit Chapter 11 and the financial agreements are conditional on a Final Confirmation Order from the Bankruptcy Court of no later than March 17th 2017. However, the Court approval of the PSA for submission to creditors to vote on is a major step forward. Table: CHC Chapter 11 Backstop Parties (** also PSA Sponsor)Commitment (US$) Alliance Bernstein L.P. **57,231,439 Bain Capital Credit, LP **108,380,404 Carl Marks Management Company **36,124,146 FHIT – Franklin High Income Fund **15,000,000 Marble Ridge Capital LP5,676,614 Solus Alternative Asset Management LP14,323,386 Tennenbaum Capital Partners **19,480,268 Wayzata Investment Partners LLC **43,783,743 Total 300,000,000 The restructuring detailed in the PSA involves cancellation of the CHC debt and equity holdings and an investment of $300 million in the form of a pro rata rights offering to existing security holders and unsecured debtors of a debt called “New Second Lien Convertible Notes”. This investment will be in a new Cayman Islands unlisted parent company that replaces the current US listed company. There will be no costly listings on stock exchanges and the SEC requirements will not apply. Eight investors, called “Backstop Parties” and listed in the Table below, will back CHC’s $300 million issue, underwriting it for a fee of $30.8m of additional Notes. It is anticipated that this injection of fresh funds will provide the necessary liquidity and support for the CHC operations after emergence from Chapter 11. The agreement with Milestone provides CHC with essential cost savings for their leased fleet and flexibility for their remaining leased aircraft. It is also an important agreement for Milestone who maintain a key client as a continuing outlet for their fleet, many of which would otherwise be idle and incurring storage fees. Milestone had 42 helicopters leased to CHC at the start of the Chapter 11 proceedings. The main terms of the Milestone agreement are:
“…an agreement in principle on a proposal for an overall transaction that [CHC] believe will provide them with significant flexibility in their fleet and cost savings, consistent with their overall fleet restructuring goals… With this agreement in principle…[CHC] will have reached a favorable result with both of their largest lessors consistent with the goals set forth in the Debtors’ business plan.” (Revised Proposed Disclosure Statement for the second Amended Joint Chapter 11 Plan of CHC Group, 19th December 2016, p.35) It looks like Waypoint have eventually reduced their ongoing lease rates for the aircraft that will remain in the CHC fleet, and any new aircraft in the future, as well as taking some aircraft back voluntarily on reduced return terms. CHC gained another major backer for the PSA approval and avoided potentially lengthy litigation with one of its two largest lessors. CHC had 18 different lessors at the start of the Chapter 11 proceedings and has now reached agreement with eight of the main ones, including Lobo . The court approval to move forward on the basis of the PSA is critical for the future of CHC. It had set expectations with its clients for an an early 2017 exit from Chapter 11 and needed to enhance their confidence to survive. That schedule is now achievable. However, it will still not be easy, even with the financial and leasing support, to maintain the business in the current environment. Although Chapter 11 will deliver the much needed strategy of fleet rationalisation, reduction of the balance sheet and cutting of annual fixed costs from $417m in 2016 to a planned $142m in 2019, the business will also need to look at other strategies post Chapter 11. For example:
Other offshore operators may be fearful. In a relatively small market an effective Chapter 11 exit can provide the affected operator with a significant commercial advantage going forward: in this case a fast and very economic fleet rationalisation, significant balance sheet improvement, and reduced fixed costs including improved aircraft lease terms. However, such fears can be exaggerated as:
The price of oil is recovering but any improvement will not necessarily lead the oil and gas companies to ramp up exploration quickly and could be quickly brought to halt by US shale producers turning the taps back on. They will wait to see whether any revival can be sustained and need to focus on sustainable profitability rather than enhancement of reserves at high extraction costs. The recent BP announcement not to proceed with their high cost exploration in the Great Australian Bight with co-sponsor Statoil, despite having already committed substantial cash and a very high profile political commitment to the project, is an example of continuing caution in the Final Investment Decision process as profits decline. Recent BP deals to take 10% in Abu Dhabi’s onshore Adco concession and a 62% interest in Kosmos Energy’s blocks in Mauritania and Senegal illustrate a cautious focus on low cost developments to replenish reserves. Shell, a large CHC client, is still looking to sell $30 billion of assets, including Norwegian assets, to offset the price it paid for BG. In September 2016 Shell had a significantly increased debt of $86 billion, rising from $52 billion at the end of 2015. The price of oil is not leading to attractive sell off prices for Shell to reduce this high level of debt. Even as exploration recommences in a cautious manner, oil and gas companies will not want to give up the significant cost reductions that they have secured from their helicopter providers and other suppliers as they focus on making profit at $50 per barrel or less. Against this background, there isn’t much time for the CHC management to catch its breath to embark on the next strategic challenge following the arduous, stressful but ultimately successful Chapter 11 process. With a broad range of committed investors and a key lead lessor to support, advise, and even cajole, CHC have given themselves a good opportunity to continue as a main player in the future offshore helicopter market. The restructuring agreements secured by CHC are great news for the staff who remain at CHC: the humming bird seems set to rise out of the ashes of Chapter 11. Copyright and full responsibility for the content of this article remains with Allan Blake Fourth Quarter update from the British Helicopter Association, enjoy.
Published in 2011, but still worth reminding everyone of:
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) marked International Civil Aviation Day with the release of its Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Toolkit, which it says is designed to help UAS pilots of all levels of skill and experience.
The toolkit, made available Dec. 13, is “much more than a starting point” for learning the basics of safely operating UAS, also known as “drones” or “remotely piloted aircraft systems,” ICAO said, noting that UAS have often been operated illegally around airports and in other sensitive airspace by pilots who are unaware of operating rules. “The resources this new toolkit makes available are designed to help UAS operators of all ages operate their aircraft safety and responsibly,” said Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, president of the ICAO Council. “The importance of recognizing that these devices are aircraft and of integrating their use safely with existing manned operations, should not be underestimated.” ICAO Secretary General Fang Liu said the toolkit offers “helpful information and resources [and] can serve as a platform for the exchange of global best practices, lessons learned and effective governance approaches.” ICAO said the toolkit was developed through the ICAO UAS Advisory Group, in cooperation with industry and international experts. This Safety Directive/Operational Directive comes into force on 1 January 2017 is made in the interests of safety of operations to offshore locations (helidecks) for the reasons set out in Chapters 10 and 14 of CAP 1145. Additionally, it is made in further response to the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) Safety Recommendation (SR) 2011-053 issued following the accident to Eurocopter EC225 LP Super Puma, G-REDU, when approaching the ETAP Central Production Facility platform on 18 February 2009. here to edit.
The eighth edition presents several new topics not previously addressed in CAP 437 including a risk assessment for helicopter operations to helidecks in the UKCS which are sub-1D and criteria for parking areas. In addition there is a comprehensive update on the section related to helideck surface including new friction requirements for flat helidecks with micro-texture finishes and for profiled helidecks. An update on best practice for temporary combined operations, multiple platform configurations and helideck movement are also included. This amendment is issued to present the final specification and the installation arrangements for the Lit Touchdown/Positioning Marking Circle and Lit Heliport Identification Marking. Finally the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Requirements for Air Operators, Operational Requirements Part-OPS, Annex VI Part SPA (AMC1 SPA.HOFO.115 Use of offshore locations) are reflected in Appendix material.
Great report from OWJ andDujon Goncalves-Collins Far-offshore projects due to be developed in the UK’s Round 3 will be significantly more complex in terms of logistics and are likely to drive demand for new operational solutions making use of helicopters
As offshore windfarms are built further and further from the shore, so transferring personnel to them by vessel becomes more challenging from an operational and economic point of view. Developers planning to build Round 3 windfarms and companies likely to be involved in operations and maintenance know that new solutions will be required and that, inevitably, helicopters will play a much greater role in future. As highlighted previously in OWJ, helicopters are increasingly being used in the offshore wind industry in the UK and elsewhere as windfarms are built further from shore. They are already being used on some projects, such as Greater Gabbard and Westermost Rough, and as Dong Energy’s programme manager for Hornsea Project One Duncan Clark recently told OWJ, helicopters could have a role on that project too, given its distance from the shore. Highlighting growing demand for helicopter services, Vattenfall issued a requirement for a provider of helicopter services for the DanTysk, Sandbank, Horns Rev 1 and Horn Rev 3 offshore windfarms. Tenders were due to be submitted by 20 September, and the firm contract will last for two years. Under the terms of the proposed deal, a €6 million framework agreement will be divided into two lots, with the first covering crew transfers, either on a fixed day or on demand, of up to 12 persons to and from the windfarm. The second lot covers troubleshooting activities including hoisting operations. Operators are obviously also picking up on the growing demand for helicopters in offshore wind operations, and other companies in the offshore wind supply chain also recognise the growing role that helicopters are likely to play in the industry, one example being Fred Olsen Windcarrier, which has proposed a stand-alone offshore heliport concept that will enable the offshore wind industry to integrate helicopter use into the operations and maintenance on far-from-shore offshore windfarms. As Fred Olsen Windcarrier noted recently, and as also reported by OWJ, unlike the offshore oil and gas sector, the offshore wind industry has until now not had the inbuilt infrastructure to make use of helicopters effectively. However, the company believes this is set to change with the introduction of concepts such as its offshore wind heliport – a landing base fixed to the seabed within the turbine array that forms part of the company’s Windbase concept. Speaking to OWJ in October, Dujon Goncalves-Collins, director of policy – technologies at RenewableUK, explained that, although helicopters would be “complementary” to other logistics solutions, rather than replacing the use of vessels to transfer personnel to and from and within windfarms, demand for helicopters could increase significantly in the next 10–15 years. He explained that, currently on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS), helicopters support approximately700 megawatts (MW) out of a total of around 5 gigawatts (GW) of operational windfarms in the UK. At the moment, they account for only around 2 per cent of all offshore helicopter round trips in the North Sea portion of the UKCS, by far the greatest use being in the offshore oil and gas industry. However, he said that, looking ahead, this number could increase significantly. “From the operations supporting Greater Gabbard and Westermost Rough today, we can expect others to be serviced by full-time helicopter contracts by the end of this decade,” he told OWJ. “By 2020, we could expect that 3GW of the planned 10GW of operational windfarms will be supported by helicopters, which could equate to the percentage of round trips rising to 10 per cent.” By 2030, he explained, the figures could increase to 10GW of a total 20GW of operational windfarms and account for around 20 per cent of all round trips in the UK sector of the North Sea. “Driving down costs is probably the most important economic issue for the offshore wind industry,” said Mr Goncalves-Collins. “Safety is the other overriding issue, and statistically, helicopters have a good track record. For the time being, experience with helicopters has been limited to one or two full-time contracts to provide support in UK waters and some looser, ad hoc arrangements, but developers are already looking at a range of options for new projects and there are already some tenders out there that would see more extensive use of helicopters. At the same time, we know that helicopter operators who are not already active in the industry – including some who are not already active in the offshore oil and gas sector – are showing ever-greater interest in it, and a number have already joined RenewableUK.” Demand for helicopters is likely to take the form of transfer operations, moving windfarm technicians from the shore to a windfarm, a range of operations within far-offshore windfarms and hoisting operations for personnel once they are in a windfarm. For obvious reasons, crew transfer operations are likely to use larger aircraft, but smaller units are better suited to in-farm operations such as hoisting. Mr Goncalves-Collins said that, although helicopter operations are new to many companies in the offshore wind industry, experience to date suggests they are dedicating sufficient resources and expertise to the issue and that consultants are being made use of where necessary. He cited the example of the Greater Gabbard offshore windfarm, which is jointly owned by SSE and RWE, and operated by SSE from its Lowestoft operations and maintenance base. The windfarm lies approximately 26km from the coast of Suffolk, and helicopters are used to complement conventional crew transfer vessels. He explained that the operation was set up in partnership with the helicopter operator (Babcock International Mission Critical Services) and the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority. “Much was learned from the oil and gas sector’s advice, experience and training,” he noted, although due to differences in the nature of the operations, some ‘out of the box’ problem solving had to be employed to ensure the finalised operations were signed off as being safe and effective. The lessons from the setup and the operations have been shared with RenewableUK during the development of the Offshore Renewables Aviation Guidance (ORAG) document, which was unveiled at Global Offshore Wind 2016. Helicopter operations have been used for many years in the offshore oil and gas industry, but considerations around their use are less well understood in the renewables market, hence the need for guidance that has been produced recently by the Offshore Aviation Renewables Forum (ORAF). As previously highlighted by OWJ, ORAF and RenewableUK have been addressing the issue of growing use of helicopters for some time. They have interacted with their counterparts in the offshore oil and gas industry and are working to evolve offshore wind industry aviation operational requirements covering issues such as hoisting, winching, passenger transport, rapid response and variations in day/night operations. The overall aim of the work they have been doing is to reduce risk and establish a culture of transparency and knowledge sharing. Helicopter operations to large offshore structures are likely to be similar to those within the oil and gas industry. Specialist operations, such as helicopter hoist, that also support the transfer of personnel and equipment are likely to be very different, says RenewableUK, noting that the expected growth in helicopter operations within the renewable energy sector should build on current offshore experience but start to define and align specific good practises that reflect the risk profile of the offshore wind industry in the UK. “If windfarm developers do not own and operate their own air assets, duty holder control and risk mitigation measures will be based on contractual and quality control systems. Duty holder aviation safety control measures should be implemented throughout the procurement and delivery process. Contractor pre-selection, based on safety management and performance, should occur before contract award, and contracts should allow for audit and quality assessments. Day-to-day operations should be monitored and controlled by duty holder representatives, and regular safety and quality audits should be conducted by specialists,” the ORAG document states. ORAG was produced by a steering group of RenewableUK members with expertise in offshore aviation operations, offshore health and safety and risk management, offshore development and offshore operations, in consultation with regulators, air operators and offshore renewable developers, operators and wind turbine OEMs. It is intended as industry good practice and guidance and an indicator to organisations of the documents and procedures that should be considered when planning to incorporate helicopters into offshore wind logistics concepts. The guidelines were written primarily from and for the perspective of organisations having primary responsibilities for and control over projects in the UK. During the planning, design and construction phases, these organisations are most likely to be the client, developer or principal contractor. During operations and maintenance, they are most likely to be the owner or operator. ORAG notes that, whether a developer intends to use aviation or not, other airspace users from oil and gas to search and rescue may affect layout and operations. “As developments move further offshore, the use of aviation is expected to increase, and aviation must be considered integral to windfarm planning, consenting and implementation,” it says. A very relevant safety alert and without doubt a read across to UK HEMS and Offshore Helideck Operations.
Congratulations to the team at King College Hospital for their hard work in bring this much needed capability. Jim Seager a friend of GDO has also been instrumental in developing the helipad team’s training and competency building package. Good job Jim! The new helipad will save thousands of lives, helping the hospital serve its trauma population of 4.5 million people across south east London and Kent.
Built on top of the hospital’s 10-storey Ruskin Wing, the helipad has been made possible thanks to a multi-million-pound donation from the County Air Ambulance HELP Appeal – the only charity in the country dedicated to funding the construction of hospital helipads. In addition, more than 2,600 patients, staff, and members of the local community generously donated £500,000 to the hospital’s Time is Life Appeal. The helipad is the first in mainland UK to be equipped with a deck integrated firefighting (DIFF) system. This system automatically sprays foam from a series of nozzles installed into the helideck in the event of a fire, instead of relying on a team of fire fighters to manually extinguish it. Using the automated fire system will save the Trust £300,000 each year compared to employing firefighters, and it guarantees to extinguish a blaze within eight seconds. The system also frees up firefighters to work on the ground. The new helipad will speed up the time it takes helicopters to transfer critically ill patients to King’s, and reduce ‘landing-to-resus’ transfer times to just five minutes. At present, helicopters land in nearby Ruskin Park and patients are transferred to King’s by road – a process which can take as long as 25 minutes. Dr Malcolm Tunnicliff is Clinical Director for Emergency Medicine at King’s College Hospital. He is also Deputy Director of the South East London Kent and Medway (SELKaM) Major Trauma Network, and a doctor with the Kent, Surrey & Sussex Air Ambulance Trust – a charity providing a Helicopter Emergency Service (HEMS) to the south east of England, and is Governance Lead for the charity. He said: “We are incredibly pleased that our helipad at King’s is operational. It’s a very positive development for the patients we treat and our staff, who go above and beyond every single day to save people’s lives. At King’s we treat some of the most seriously ill and critically injured patients in the south east. The helipad will speed up the time it takes to transfer patients from helicopter to hospital, giving patients the very best chance of survival.” Mr Robert Bentley, Clinical Director of the King’s Trauma Centre (KTC) and South East London Kent and Medway (SELKaM) Major Trauma Network, added: “We are very grateful to the County Air Ambulance HELP Appeal, plus the many other donors and fundraisers from across the King’s hospital community – without their generous contributions, the helipad would not have been possible. “When a patient has experienced major trauma it is vital they get specialist treatment as quickly as possible. In these situations, time is life. “We are proud to be the best performing major trauma network in the country, and our new helipad will help us continue our focus on delivering world-class trauma care, and saving even more lives.” Robert Bertram, Chief Executive of the HELP Appeal which donated £2.75 million, including £500,000 towards the entire cost of the DIFF, explained the importance of the new system: “This automatic system is safer for everyone including emergency rescue teams as they can work alongside the spray activation to help with evacuating patients and staff from air ambulances. It has also been shown to put out fires really efficiently and isn’t affected by the wind – a must when the helipad is located on the roof of King’s College Hospital. “Typically used on oil rigs, this is the first time DIFF will be used on a helipad in mainland UK where even though the chance of a fire is much lower, we feel reassured that if it ever does happen, we now have the best possible chance of getting the fire completely extinguished and critically ill patients can continue their journey to the Emergency Department quickly as possible. “We have pledged £2.75 million to this helipad as we are fully aware of the drastic difference this helipad will make. Every second counts when a critical accident or injury happens, and the new helipad will make sure the most seriously ill or injured patients get the treatment they need as quickly as possible.” TODAY 75 years ago Fairey Swordfish W5856 with the Royal Naval Historic Flight 9RNHF) took her maiden flight.
Members of the Royal Navy Historic Flight came together to celebrate this aircrafts significant birthday on this historic date that marks the victory won by the Royal Navy at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 2016 , Commanded by Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson Commanding Officer of RNHF Lieutenant Commander Chris Gotke AFC said; It is a great honour and privilege to be the Commanding Officer of Royal Navy Historic Flight. We are very privileged to be able to celebrate today the oldest and only flying Mark 1 Swordfish Birthday today. She is 75 years old and fittingly flew first on Trafalgar Day.” W5856 is the oldest surviving flying Fairey Swordfish in the world. She first flew on Trafalgar Day (21 October) 1941 and was a “Blackfish”, built by Blackburn Aircraft at Sherburn-in-Elmet and delivered to 82 MU (Lichfield) on 20 October 1941 for overseas transport to Gibraltar. Tug Wilson Mechanical Supervisor on the Historic Flight added; “It means a lot to me working on her keeping the aircraft in the air and remembering the people that actually flew them in times of conflict.” W5856 served with the Royal Navy’s Mediterranean Fleet for a year. Little is known of her role while on active Service in the Mediterranean after which she was then returned to Fairey’s Stockport factory for refurbishment during winter 1942/43. Used for advanced flying training and trials, the aircraft was transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy in 1944 for training and then stored in reserve after the War’s end. Passing through the hands of at least two civilian operators after disposal, she was purchased by Sir William Roberts and brought to Scotland to join his Strathallan Collection, arriving in crates in August 1977 in a badly corroded condition. In 1990, the aircraft was bought by British Aerospace and completely restored to flying condition. Following a successful test flight at Brough in May 1993 she was gifted to the Royal Navy Historic Flight and three years later was adopted by the City of Leeds, in tribute to the local companies that built Swordfish components during World War II. She now wears the City’s coat of arms and name on her port side just forward of the pilot’s cockpit. In 2003 and her future looked uncertain when grounded with corrosion however BAE Systems came to her rescue and constructed a new set of wings which were delivered to the Royal Navy Historic Flight in 2012 where W5856 was finally restored to full flying condition. Dave Skiddy a Senior Mechanical Supervisor on the Historic Flight said; “It’s an absolute privilege to maintain our naval history for the next generation of Fleet Air Arm Engineers.” With a major grant from the Peter Harrison Heritage Foundation W5856 aircraft re-joined the display circuit in 2015, painted in the pre-war colours of 810 Squadron embarked in HMS Ark Royal. The horizontal stripes on the fin denote the Commanding Officer’s aircraft, and the blue and red fuselage stripes are the colours for Ark Royal with the letter code ‘A’ being for the ship, ‘2’ for the second squadron and ‘A’ for the first aircraft of that squadron. The long yellow fuselage strip identified 810 as Yellow Squadron in the summer air exercises held in 1939. Lt Cdr Chris Gotke highlighted the importance of today in terms of our heritage and future saying; “The Royal Navy has some of the world’s most cutting edge technology coming into service in the next few years in the form of Queen Elizabeth Class Carriers and the 5th Generation Lightning II multi-role fighter. However, when looking to the future you must reflect on History. A little known aircraft that entered service in the Royal Navy was the Swordfish. She first operated on 825 NAS in 1936 and whilst being out of date then served as one of a few aircraft types all the way through the Second World War! She operated in the longest battle of the war, the battle of the Atlantic. This lasted for 6 years as was basically the Battle for Britain, if we had lost the Atlantic convoys then the war would have ended. The Swordfish also carried out strategic attacks such as the Raid on Taranto removing the Italian fleet from the Second World War and allowed the Royal Navy to manoeuvre in the Mediterranean. Crews showed phenomenal heroism during the attack on the Bismarck and on the Channel Dash in an aircraft that only flies as fast as a car! W5856 has a few more events this year including Remembrance at the Fleet Air Arm Memorial Church in Yeovilton before being taken down for Winter Servicing before the 2017 season begins. Happy Birthday W5856! The HELP Appeal has provided a total of £2,267,000 non-repayable grants in September to hospitals across the United Kingdom, including £700,000 donated to hospitals in Scotland, to assist with the construction of new and upgraded hospital helipads.
In September they contributed towards the construction of new and upgraded emergency landing pads at eight hospitals throughout the UK, including Liverpool, Luton, Leeds, London and Nottingham. The HELP Appeal (Helicopter Emergency Landing Pads) is run by the County Air Ambulance Trust, and work to identify where helipads or base infrastructure are needed the most and offer assistance throughout the project, such as feasibility studies. As the only charity in the UK providing hospital helipad funding they rely entirely on individual and organisational donations to provide the funding required. Golden Hour After an accident, the first 60 minutes are vital. Known as the ‘Golden Hour’, if a trauma patient receives medical attention in these 60 minutes their chances of survival increase significantly. Helicopter helipads reduce transfer time and ensure critical patients receive the immediate and specialist medical attention they need. Robert Bertram, CEO of the HELP Appeal, said: “As the only charity in the UK providing funding for hospital helipads, we are delighted to have been able to provide funding to fifteen hospital projects over the past year. It is something we could not have achieved without the kind donations we receive from individuals and organisations.” “After a serious accident, an air ambulance can often be the difference between life and death for critical patients. Every second is vital, so to be able to land on a helipad instead of requiring a land transfer will potentially save lives.” NHV is pleased to announce the opening of a new hangar, apron and passenger handling facilities at their operational base at Aberdeen InternationalAirport.
The construction works commenced in September 2015 and were completed in September 2016. The new double story passenger handling terminal incorporates all the facilities required to process offshore passengers including check in, x-ray, security, safety equipment storage & issue, safety briefing rooms etc. and is fully CAA/DFT compliant. The heliport facility is located at the North East corner of the Aberdeen Dyce Airport within a short distance to the runways and limited taxi time needed, which provides significant advantages to our clients. Lesley Philip, Logistics team lead at Chevron Upstream Europe, said: “The new heliport has been well received by our offshore community. The modern, spacious facility supports efficient passenger processing, which is further aided by the ability to exit the briefing room directly onto the tarmac and airside. Many of our offshore personnel have provided positive feedback on the comfort level and leisure facilities on offer, such as pool, Wi-Fi and TVs, prior to departure.” “Our new facilities in Aberdeen are very important for NHV to enable the company to serve its existing and future customers in one of the most strategic helicopter hubs of the industry. It will also allow us to strengthen our position in the UK market.” says Eric Van Hal, CEO of the NHV Group. The base already became operational from the 1st of January 2016 where the existing facilities (warehouse and offices) were quickly altered to become a hangar and temporary passenger handling facilities. An official opening reception will be held on October 21st 2016 in the presence of Simon Gray (CEO EEEGR) and Deirdre Michie (CEO Oil & Gas UK).
According to the Reuters news agency, the helicopter was en route to the Chevron-operated Tombua-Landana platform, offshore Cabinda, Angola, when it crashed.
The California-based oil company told Reuters that five passengers and a pilot were in the helicopter. Search and rescue operation is underway for the two people missing. Angola’s Angonoticias reports that all the six people have died; two expatriates and four Angolans. The website also says the helicopter went down in bad weather In a statement sent to Offshore Energy Today, a Chevron spokesperson said: “A helicopter operated by Heli-Malongo departed the Malongo Terminal, in Cabinda province, Monday, September 26, 2016, at 15:23 and was en-route to the Tombua-Landana offshore facilities. The helicopter did not reach its intended destination. It was carrying five passengers and one pilot. One of the passengers is a CABGOC employee; four of the passengers are contractors providing services to CABGOC. Search and rescue operations have been mobilized; currently, there are 19 marine vessels and three helicopters involved in the efforts. The search and rescue team has located the remains of four personnel. Extensive search and rescue activities continue for those who remain missing.” The Tombua-Landana field started oil production in September 2009. The field is located in Block 14, 50 miles (80 kilometers) offshore Angola. The shortlisted nominees for the 2016 Air Ambulance Awards of Excellence have been announced today. The winners will be revealed at the awards ceremony to be held on 14 November at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel in Kensington, London.
The independent judging panel met and considered all entries made across the ten categories. After lengthy deliberation and discussion, the panel was pleased to shortlist the following: Outstanding Young Person Award:
Charity Staff Member of the Year:
Air Ambulance Paramedic of the Year:
Air Ambulance Doctor of the Year:
Air Ambulance Pilot of the Year:
Air Ambulance Campaign of the Year:
Charity Volunteer of the Year:
Special Incident Award:
Lifetime Achievement Award:
Innovation of the Year:
"So Green Deck Operations, odd name for an aviation support company", many people have posed the question to me, whilst on assignment, I thought it only right to explain the reasoning behind the name and why not do it via my new blog! First reason: Most people who know me, will also know that I come from a military background, 30 years serving in the Royal Navy (Fleet Air Arm). When operating helicopters from a ship there may be times when ship's command may wish to dispense with the requirement to fit aircraft lashings (tie downs) in order to reduce time on deck. When command want to dispense with lashings a “Green Deck Ops” contract is invoked. This contract is between the officer of the watch and the section controlling the flying operations which would be the Flight Deck Officer (my old job in the RN). Second reason: Again from maritime military aviation, when we operated helicopters from our decks we relied on voice comms and light signals to control the various stages of aircraft operations. So a red light meant....no flying, amber deck....cleared to engage rotors and of course Green Deck....the deck is ready in all respects to launch / recover the aircraft. The green light was the signal also to remove tie downs and chocks also. The separation of light signals between helicopters and jets was flashing for helicopters and steady for jets. On Aircraft Carriers the Flight Deck Officer used a Green Flag to launch the jets....again my old job...awesome. Third reason: Offshore on most vessels, rigs and installation which operate helicopters there is a system which is used to analyse helideck motion during aircraft landing and take off to improve safety. The Helideck Monitoring System (HMS) will monitor helideck vertical velocity, attitude, wind speed, direction, temperature and bars pressure. It has some very complex algorithms, however for people like me it is genius as if the deck is out of limits to operate helicopters a red light will show, telling the HLO / Radio Op / Bridge that the they have a Red Deck and of course if everything is within limits the team will get a Green Deck (green light). And the final reason...bear with me: CAP 437 Chapter 4 (Visual Aids) Section 2 Para 2.1 (Helideck Landing Markings) - "The colour of the helideck should be dark green" So there you have it, Green Deck Operations, which represents my career both in the military and the natural transition to civilian maritime aviation.
|
|