Yacht Helicopters

The 54m Tiara is as far as I know the only sailing yacht with Heli capacity!

I find it quite shocking that they are allowed to fly in or out when at port. All it will take is for one accident to happen and from there on we will never see that again. Can you imagine the nightmare legal battles between yacht owners, insurance companies, port authorities and heli operator?

BTW, Tiara shouldn't be allowed for heli operations. The fact that a heli can fit doesn't mean it is safe. Just look at the picture, something is wrong there.

That is the bottom line as far as I am concerned. If an owner wants to take the risk of such operations it should be between him and the pilot, I don't think anyone should prevent him from doing that but if crew or charter guests are involved then it's a different story.

When charter guests or crew are passengers or have to work in the immediate vicinity then a completely different and far higher standard should apply.

It makes it kind of tricky to preflight the tail rotor don't you think?

Fundamentally, helicopters don't belong into yachts, it is a far riskier environment than firm land. That said, you can manage that risk to an acceptable level. This is not just theory, think about the heli that crashed into the sea after taking off from Octopus, the safest yacht in the world for heli operations. Tiara is at the bottom of the list.

You are missing my point. What I say is that s**t happens, helicopter accidents with yachts involved happen regularly, and will continue happening. To reduce the risks there are constant improvements in its regulations. And belive me, in one of those, Tiara will loose its certification.

If you are interested, the one on Octopus hit an antena and the pilot made an emergency landing on water, or so believes the Air Safety Foundation.

The only thing wrong here is when someone expresses an opinion without having operational experience. If you think landing on the stern of a boat is high risk, you know very little about the environments most helicopters operate in. As a helicopter pilot, my concerns are the elements I can't see, not a boom that swings well clear of my rotor span that I can easily judge from the cockpit. I'd much prefer to land on Tiara in a tranquil bay then many of the high density, powerline laden approaches that professional pilots deal with every day.

This thread is about helicopters in yachts, not about me. It is also a thread in a forum, where all of us share information and comments, with or without "operational experience". You don't need to agree with everybody. Just try to learn from our collective knowledge.

In which case, you need to take note of what YachtForums has to say. He is a helicopter pilot and his experience far outweighs amateur 'comments'.

No Pilot would even put themselves at risk landing on that when the risk of striking or being hit by the mast is a risk too great . Not even a rescue chopper would even risk that in rough seas .

You need a hanger to protect it from the elements because a helo left to the elements will take a battering like what happend to the Seahawk that was tied down at the Bow .. on the Kitty Hawk .. caught up in a Typhoon

USS Kitty Hawk Big Wave - YouTube

You might be amazed at the number of Lifeflight helicopters that crash because of a "must do" mentality. Look up the stats, it makes for interesting reading and applies to a lot of aviation besides just that. Don't ever make the mistake of thinking that a pilot is the best judge of what is safe ...

The point I was trying to make is that an owner/operator can do whatever he feels is worth trying. As long as he doesn't have an unsuspecting and unknowing pax in the other seat it is his business. Of course he is also threatening the lives of the crew who are often photographed standing just outside the rotor disk in nothing but shorts and a polo but that is another story.

If guests are transported, a far higher standard should be applied to all aspects of the operation.

Hi,

Colintraveller - Do you have shipboard helicopter operational experience?

If you think a Pilot wouldn't or couldn't land on there with the boom out of the way you might want to start looking on You Tube for helicopters lifting things onto buildings and building sites, oh and don't forget the mountain rescue boys if you want to see close shaves with the main rotor and the ground.

aw

another interesting thread , as far as choppers on yacht's that is considered easy duty buy a lot of pilot's i personally no , as was suggested earlier life flight has had some pretty sad incidents i can think of a lot of places i would not land or even get close to in a helio i think any one that has personal experience with flying (P I C ) TIME they realize the ego's involved with some pilot's I M H O flying is a lot like boats just like the capt and the crew there are some real good ones and some that should not be in either place , if you want to see some risky helio work watch some of the logging operations in canada and alaska

flt 450 going north travler

99% of turbine helicopter owners hire pro pilots whom have the responsibility of safely operating aircraft. With that said, I've seen numerous situations where wealthy owners have put undue pressure on their pilots to perform trips in inclimate weather which has resulted in destroyed airplanes/helicopters, not to mention injuries. It always boggles my mind how a small group of owners will put their lives, as well as the lives of others, at risk. Helicopter operations are dangerous in general and that is why their insurance premiums are almost double what a fixed wing aircraft would be.