TPT's Jim Zura endured the equivalent of being a sock in a washing machine, being churned around in a simulation of an offshore helicopter ditching.
HELICOPTER SAFETY
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"I'd done umpteen helicopter shoots over the past dozen
years, through mountains, deserts, urban skylines, swamps, and offshore. Now, the
company that wanted to enlist me for some offshore shooting requires Helicopter
Underwater Escape Training. Hmm, well, they're gonna pay for it, I'm
sure it's survivable, so what the heck?" TPT's Jim Zura endured the equivalent of being a sock in a washing machine, being churned around in a simulation of an offshore helicopter ditching. |
| The Helicopter Simulator at the MSTC hits the water, then turns upside down. Scuba divers stand by just in case anyone begins to show signs of drowning. | Statistically, helicopter travel is safer than your drive to the local store. But when a helicopter experiences an emergency that causes a ditching in the water, the top-heavy nature of the machine usually causes it to roll over almost instantly. |
| The Marine Safety Training Center in Lafayette, Louisiana provides extensive training for such emergencies. Classroom training, courseware and shallow-pool preparation set the stage for the Big Plunge: actually strapping yourself into a seat of a full-size helicopter mockup that rotates upside-down under water. "There is no avoiding getting water up your nose," snorted Jim. "Once the craft flips over, it becomes very disorienting. Maintaining the discipline of sitting still while the water rushes in, keeping your seatbelt on until you've busted the door free-- well, all I can say is that I'm glad I've experienced this under controlled and repeated circumstances. Hope I never have to find out what it's really like, but if I do, I'm prepared." |
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