Helo Escape Advice?

when you get in determine the possible escape routes...know that there is a good chance that the helo will roll. Try to exit to the upside of the roll... Once you hit the water try to stay relaxed, and be prepared to hold your breath once the water gets to your face. calmly feel for the route you have pre-determined to your best exit chance...set up your escape and pull yourself out (remember that that you may tend to float up into the machine) do not kick upon exit, you might kick a person behind you or injure yourself on sharp metal...if there is a chance of fire, try to splash the surface prior to breeching it with your head and breathing....

just from what I can recall from helo dunk training in 1980
 
Bumblebee said:
when you get in determine the possible escape routes...know that there is a good chance that the helo will roll. Try to exit to the upside of the roll... Once you hit the water try to stay relaxed, and be prepared to hold your breath once the water gets to your face. calmly feel for the route you have pre-determined to your best exit chance...set up your escape and pull yourself out (remember that that you may tend to float up into the machine) do not kick upon exit, you might kick a person behind you or injure yourself on sharp metal...if there is a chance of fire, try to splash the surface prior to breeching it with your head and breathing....

just from what I can recall from helo dunk training in 1980
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Thats pretty much the way the Army is still training. Wait till it goes upside down to get out or you could get trapped or hit with the rotor assembly.
 
Bumblebee said:
when you get in determine the possible escape routes...know that there is a good chance that the helo will roll. Try to exit to the upside of the roll... Once you hit the water try to stay relaxed, and be prepared to hold your breath once the water gets to your face. calmly feel for the route you have pre-determined to your best exit chance...set up your escape and pull yourself out (remember that that you may tend to float up into the machine) do not kick upon exit, you might kick a person behind you or injure yourself on sharp metal...if there is a chance of fire, try to splash the surface prior to breeching it with your head and breathing....
Click to expand...

:yeahthat:

The only thing I would like to add is this: When you start to go in, grab something solid. Don't let go as the aircraft sinks and/or rolls. This one handhold will be your only physical reference to the door, window, or exit that you'll have. You most likely will not be able to see under water...your exit and survival it's all going to be by feel.

I pick these "grab" points when I get in and I reference thier locations to the exit. This way I know about how far I'll need to reach should things go to south!
 
I was once told by a Vietnam-era UH-1 driver that the reason most Vietnam-era pilots flew helicopters from the wrong (read: left) side is because that's the side least likely to take a hit from flying main rotor parts in the event of a crash. If that's accurate, then that would make the right side inherently safer . . . unless you're in a Russian-made helicopter, as their rotors travel in the opposite direction.

Don't know how true that is.
 
dustoff17 said:
:yeahthat:

The only thing I would like to add is this: When you start to go in, grab something solid. Don't let go as the aircraft sinks and/or rolls. This one handhold will be your only physical reference to the door, window, or exit that you'll have. You most likely will not be able to see under water...your exit and survival it's all going to be by feel.

I pick these "grab" points when I get in and I reference thier locations to the exit. This way I know about how far I'll need to reach should things go to south!
Click to expand...
exactly! thanks for the augmentation.
 
RDoug said:
I was once told by a Vietnam-era UH-1 driver that the reason most Vietnam-era pilots flew helicopters from the wrong (read: left) side is because that's the side least likely to take a hit from flying main rotor parts in the event of a crash. If that's accurate, then that would make the right side inherently safer . . . unless you're in a Russian-made helicopter, as their rotors travel in the opposite direction.

Don't know how true that is.
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Actually most preferred to fly from the right seat. After an emergency landing, the collective would get in the way if you are sitting in the left seat.
 
All this, know your emergency exit and how to operate it. Make sure you have something sold to grab when opening the exit.
 
The key to survival is to know where the exits are and get a hand-hold as you hit the water.

I've been through the Navy's Helo-dunker 4 times and it is great training. There is nothing like the muscle-memory of having done something once in a training environment to increase the odds of a favorable outcome - and the statistics show this to be true in this case! Since the Navy started using this device it has drastically lowered the incidence of aircrew being drowned in helicopter crashes at sea.

Here is a great synopsis of the program:

http://homepage.mac.com/lexl/iblog/C744401703/E2099978601/index.html


Kevin
 
Bumblebee said:
Once you hit the water try to stay relaxed, and be prepared to hold your breath once the water gets to your face.
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I'm not military, so I'll def let the military helo guys give the answers, but we were told specifically to not wait until the water reached the bottom of our face. We were told to take our final breath as the water came up to our chest, because when it hits your face, it's too late. I took all my breaths by mid chest and it was true, by the time I finished breathing in, my face was submerged.

As others have said, muscle memory is key. Know your exit, know how to operate your exit, and know what stands in your way between you and your exit. Also, NEVER unbuckle until the craft has completely stopped moving. When I dunked the first time, I unbuckled out of panic, and ended up floating out of the seat and tangling in my seat belt as the MET was still rolling. Thankfully the safety divers got me out. As bad as it may sound, if someone is in your way and they aren't responding, or panicking in the way of your exit, do your best to move them aside and take over. When I dunked it really woke me up, knowing that the only thing that is going to save me, is me. There isn't time like in the movies to round everyone up and get them out, its you and you only.

Here's a vid of the group we were with dunking. This was just before I got into the pool...

[YT]7sftPaFr5lE[/YT]
 
I did mine in the Navy, but that was 31 years ago!
Mark815 said:
I'm not military, so I'll def let the military helo guys give the answers, but we were told specifically to not wait until the water reached the bottom of our face. We were told to take our final breath as the water came up to our chest, because when it hits your face, it's too late. I took all my breaths by mid chest and it was true, by the time I finished breathing in, my face was submerged.
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good clarification...I didn't mean to breath when the water hits your face, but that you needed to be able to hold it when it did.
 
I was told once you exit the helicopter blow some bubbles to reorient yourself and follow them - sounded like good advice to me!
 
This is true. However, you most likely wont be able to SEE the direction the bubbles go. AND you might have exited the aircraft inverted.

Best advice is blow a few bubbles with your hand in front of your mouth. You CAN feel them (practice in a swimming pool just to get an idea). THEN follow the bubble path to the surface.
 
This is the same thing we are taught in the military. I assume the civilian training is pretty much the same.

Mark815 said:
I'm not military, so I'll def let the military helo guys give the answers, but we were told specifically to not wait until the water reached the bottom of our face. We were told to take our final breath as the water came up to our chest, because when it hits your face, it's too late. I took all my breaths by mid chest and it was true, by the time I finished breathing in, my face was submerged.

As others have said, muscle memory is key. Know your exit, know how to operate your exit, and know what stands in your way between you and your exit. Also, NEVER unbuckle until the craft has completely stopped moving. When I dunked the first time, I unbuckled out of panic, and ended up floating out of the seat and tangling in my seat belt as the MET was still rolling. Thankfully the safety divers got me out. As bad as it may sound, if someone is in your way and they aren't responding, or panicking in the way of your exit, do your best to move them aside and take over. When I dunked it really woke me up, knowing that the only thing that is going to save me, is me. There isn't time like in the movies to round everyone up and get them out, its you and you only.

Here's a vid of the group we were with dunking. This was just before I got into the pool...

[YT]7sftPaFr5lE[/YT]
Click to expand...
 
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