Neat helicopter photos

[alaskaflyer]

For you rotorwings fans, I thought I'd share this with you, from a rescue we finally finished yesterday morning.

When I get to work I'll add some pretty cool USAF Pavehawk photos.

 

[KennyFlys]

Wow, awesome shot in front of the mountain!

 

[RotaryWingBob]

Nice, thanks for sharing. I'd give my left... well, never mind... for a 500!

 

[astanley]

Richard - did the hiker have no self-rescue skills or gear? (Although the responding ranger being unable to fetch him may say something about how big a pickle the hiker got himself into)

Please don't tell me the hiker was one of the "fast and light" crowd...

Great shots!

Cheers,

-Andrew

 

[alaskaflyer]

Richard - did the hiker have no self-rescue skills or gear? (Although the responding ranger being unable to fetch him may say something about how big a pickle the hiker got himself into)

Well...no. He shouldn't have been there.

(I'll let you plumb the depths of my statement.)

And what the heck, judge for yourself. Not like they are top secret or something. It is steeper than the photos seem to show. What the article didn't say is that he took a fall that could have easily lasted all the way down to the glacier and so he decided he shouldn't move after that: http://picasaweb.google.com/r.t.alaskaflyer/TekRescue?authkey=wU1BvHMALyY

Immediately after these photos were taken the weather closed in for 10 hours scubbing our plans to fly in more of our own resources, and our 500 and the park Husky flying cover for him barely got out in time. The USAF resources (a HC-130 and a HH-60) were on site in total darkness for four hours during the first attempt and didn't leave until bingo fuel. They dropped enough flares to light up NYC and made multiple attempts to penetrate the clouds and wind. Those guys don't give up easily

 

[KennyFlys]

When I was stationed at Whidbey Island, my roommate's best friend was also an airframe mechanic but attached to the SAR squadron on base. They grew up together in St. Louis Park, MN. During the same time, I was serving TAD in the nuclear weapons loading school. It was on the other side of the same hangar as SAR.

I got to know Rick through Chuck, my roommate. We talked sometimes while out in the hangar. Though I never became close friends with Rick, I can recall his face well from the times I saw him out working on the helo and he was never without a smile. He became trained as a rescuer as part of the squadron.

On his last flight, they went up into the Cascades to rescue two hikers stuck on an outcropping ledge, one with a broken leg. I recall it was known the weather was going to be rough that week but they went anyway. The hikers shouldn't have been there. The helo had been on station for some time trying to get the hikers hooked up.

All the story I could ever get was the hikers were being put in harnesses as a basket wouldn't work in that situation. Maybe there was not enough room or a basket was too far down and out and would have swung too much risking knocking it back into the rock face.

The rescuer on the ledge along with the hikers was fine. The helo was pushed into the rock face by gusts. All on board perished, including Rick. I remember there being some anger toward the hikers, saying they had no business being up there. No one really thinks about the risk the SAR guys take until one is lost.

 

[alaskaflyer]

The rescuer on the ledge along with the hikers was fine. The helo was pushed into the rock face by gusts. All on board perished, including Rick. I remember there being some anger toward the hikers, saying they had no business being up there. No one really thinks about the risk the SAR guys take until one is lost.

I've been Incident Commander on many rescues including the one on Tuesday. This is always the monkey on my shoulder. As far as stress is concerned I'd much rather be the one out there at 2am hanging from a rope in the weather.

 

[Anthony]

sweet!

 

[alaskaflyer]

More photos:

http://tinyurl.com/3al8ln

 

[Gerhardt]

I'd give both of Bob's (left and right)...for a 500.

 

[TangoWhiskey]

Nice, thanks for sharing. I'd give my left... well, never mind... for a 500!

That middle picture (perched on the ridge) is incredible. How do you keep high winds from flipping it over the hill? Only land during calm weather? Winds can change fast in the mountains. Just curious if you tie it down or anything.

And, isn't that a 369D?

 

[alaskaflyer]

That middle picture (perched on the ridge) is incredible. How do you keep high winds from flipping it over the hill? Only land during calm weather? Winds can change fast in the mountains. Just curious if you tie it down or anything.

And, isn't that a 369D?

Well, there is no inherent lift in a helicopter sitting on the ground. Tie down the rotors. Sure, high winds could potentially blow it off, just as they could blow a similarly weighted minivan sitting in the same location. But whaddya gonna do? We were rescuing someone.

And yes, I believe the '77 model is officially a Hughes 369D, which later was redesignated the MD 500D when the company was sold.

 

[Dave Krall CFII]

Spectacular shots! TKS.

Regarding resurers that get injured or perish, I always remember the times I participated in SAR and figured, I can turn around and go back home anytime. I do not have to be here. Our team does not HAVE to look for these (more often than not morons) people, much less risk our lives. We have done it because we want to.

Injury and death of their teams' members are the SARs' problems and no one elses.

 

[alaskaflyer]

More photos of our park helicopter on a medivac mission the other day. And a two bonus ones of one of my staff conducting a high-risk law enforcement stop

 

[gprellwitz]

Thanks for resurrecting this, Richard! So that's the weather we have to look forward to when we fly up there this summer?

BTW, are you still going to be up there this August? I know you'd been talking about moving back to the lower 48.

 

[drizzt76]

Great photos!!! I didn't see them when they were posted...better late than never..