CH-149 Cormorant helicopter heavy fog medevac

[@joemoran1745]

As a B777 Captain who has to very rarely conduct Cat3B approaches....what you are doing there...that's hardcore lads. Well above the level. Upmost respect.

[@lenhowl]

Well done guys, as far as I’m concerned you will never be paid enough for doing this work and I’m pretty sure that all of you are not doing this for money in the first place. Without you a lot more lives would be lost and you all are true HEROES. Cheers

[@AutoRauto]

I would pay them LESS. Why should my taxes go towards saving people I don't know. If you're saving me, you can get paid. But not for saving others.

[@lenhowl]

@ What a stupid comment. Hopefully none of your family members never get lost or in a situation where these guys are needed, then i am sure you would have a different outlook or then again maybe you just wouldn’t give an F!

[@ysasmendi]

​@@HoolyDooly-si2zz easier and safer to hoist the patient. To land on a helipad the boat should be stopped and still. Landing on a helipad that's moving is very unsafe, as any speed or course difference gets compounded very quickly and they can hit a part of the ship. Not that these guys cannot do it, just that it's faster to do it this way.

[@chickenegg0138]

​@@AutoRauto the afterlife WILL NOT be good to you

[@AndrewSteffenHB]

Shit, my best friend’s brother is in the coast guard and what he and his buddies talk about is how good the pay is, he couldn’t care less about the job he just ended up there after flopping around a bit. He finds his passion in his free time building cannons and collecting firearms.

[@wswift7611]

I am a SAR pilot for 30+ year, i am also an instructor/examiner developing techniques and procedures, you guys has done marvellous job with the conditions therein. We all want to get more pay but just can't put price tag on lifesaving duty. The winchman and winchops are always thebest teammates we have. Simply great team work. Hats off

[@mineralsalts]

Dear Pilot/Instructor. Could the loss of the video recorded during insertion due to “corruption” be due to the RF signal from the radome/s forward of the winch location? I don’t imagine such ships are keen to de-energise their radar whilst navigating in fog, although as a sailor we were banned from “going aloft” on the rigging unless the radar was turned off, due to concern (then, with earlier radar technologies reporting higher EMR levels) for human health.

[@mattfrom103]

@@mineralsalts The corrupted video I think happened when I transferred it to an external drive and didn't double check. Lesson learned. Normal procedure is to ask the ship to put their radars into standby mode. I believe in this case she kept her forward radars on but the rest off. The forward ones are towards the bow and of no concern to us. We turn our radar to standby mode as well while conducting hoist ops. In the case where a ship only has one radar and it's close to where we are hoisting they will turn it off for the SAR Tech insertion, turn it back on once they are on the deck to sweep the area, and turn it back off when we hoist them back in.

[@mattfrom103]

Thank you for the kind words. The FE (winchman) is really person who ties it all together.

[@scotttee1581]

As someone who was a medevac passenger, those that fly and crew the helo's and planes are nothing short of brilliant. No words can thank you enough.

[@FurryWrecker911]

Seeing all the extra little nuances like securing the lines, shutting the door, and general housekeeping of the ropes are the little details I like to see. It really paints the broader picture of what all goes on, instead of what we see on the ground as civvies, which is "helicopter flies in, grabs body, flies away." There's a LOT more to it than that.

[@mattfrom103]

All this little nuances are all rehearsed, scripted, detailed in training manuals, and must be done. A lot of learning and training happens before someone is set free on their own to do this.

[@Wolfhound_81]

@@mattfrom103 you mentioned the transition up. Is my assumption correct that the crash happened due to the fact that you're flying in IMC and need to switch from referencing visually (the ship) to instruments only? Losing visual reference is probably the nr 1 reason for general aviation loss of life.

[@mattfrom103]

@@Wolfhound_81 It would be unprofessional of me to try to sum up that tragedy in a couple lines. I think it would be best if you read the report yourself. It is quite detailed into the complexities of what happened. milnewstbay.pbworks.com/f/CH149914-2.pdf

[@heartofoak45]

My admiration knows no bounds for the sheer professionalism of all involved.

[@andiscott8470]

As a regular traveller on the QM2 across the Atlantic... Thank you.

[@bks252]

Great video. As a retired Army helicopter pilot, that is scary stuff in a helicopter. Great job!

[@RpGamingProductions1]

that might be the most badass thing ive seen in a long time. crazy the helicopter has enough power to carry all those balls of steel.

[@hennagal7360]

Top comment 😂

[@Marks-Law]

@@hennagal7360 It should be

[@Omnis2]

Wow, I was NOT expecting that ship to appear so close like that. Insane fog.

[@lolo2221]

I really enjoy the dual perspectives. Seeing what the pilots are doing to get into and stay in position, followed by the work on the hoist and the retrieval of the person in distress is super cool. I also appreciate in this video you showed more of the work around the actual retrieval. Pinning the line to the hook, double checking the SAR tech, securing the door and so on. I'd love to see a longer video where we tag along from take off to landing and we get to see the checks and procedures all the way through the flight!

[@mattfrom103]

You are in luck. I just shot a night boat mission. It will show the entire transition to the boat with the radar image. It also shows the entire hoist sequence from the view of the flight engineer. Oh, and it's got full audio. I am also working on one that has the entire process for a mission,...no audio though.

[@lolo2221]

@@mattfrom103 awesome! I look forward to it.

[@mattfrom103]

@_c_y_p_3 Thanks for the feedback. It helps a lot.

[@gulfstream7235]

To all who work in search and rescue jobs like this you have nothing but my respect.

[@AutoRauto]

Yeah but all this fuel lost just for 1 person's life? Is that justified?

[@sethmoore2954]

@@AutoRauto Imagine it's you or a family member dear to you, then you tell me. Now remember to extend it to everyone,, because we are all worth the fuel

[@AutoRauto]

@@sethmoore2954 your family members are only important to you because you know them. But are they really that important in the grand scheme of things? Are your relatives presidents or Nobel prize winners? Because those are people that deserve saving, and even then they are replaceable

[@sethmoore2954]

@@AutoRauto the grand scheme of things will not matter if we lose sight of the things in front of us. in the grand scheme of things that fuel did not matter. who is anyone to judge what lives should be saved? because who knows what importance that life will go on to serve

[@richardwillson101]

​@@sethmoore2954 this is absolutely key. Any person rescued is given the chance of a future. That can, and often DO go on ti achieve great things. A brush with death can really drive people to achieve or do something for more than themselves. Also, potentially go on to produce children who may achieve incredible feats for humanity. No one human being is more important than another in the "grand scheme" of things. No matter their title or job. So everybody should habe the same chance of rescue and survival.

[@egrayner1]

I'm a ships pilot on the west coast and engaged in hoisting on and off ships. The heli crews are civilian but many ex-military. They are great and make you feel confident they will get you on off the ship safely. We go up and down on our own and I love their term for us: "Human External Cargo". We do day and night ops but not limited visibility jobs. The Cormorant is a beautiful machine with far more capabilities than the Dauphine's we fly on but we are not military nor are we engaged in SAR or life and death extractions. I'm quite happy to leave these fog operations to the military. Well done boys!

[@mattfrom103]

From what I have hear the Dauphine is a great machine. I don't think you would want a Cormorant for the Pilot runs, too big.

[@JoaquinBerlo]

5 years working on that ship, many time we heard the call signal for medevac and assist with the operation but I never was able to see the friking helicopter at all. It is nice to see it now. Thanks for the video.

[@TheGandalffff]

I didn't think a "transition up" maneuver was so critical and required a lot of care from pilots. It's amazing seeing this. Great work!

[@AutoRauto]

And why is it so important to save some random injured person? If it was someone significant like a president, I would understand. But all these maneuvers for a random "npc"?

[@justinbecker4772]

​@@AutoRautoa person is a person.

[@Speedbird9L]

@@AutoRauto I know, right. That cage on the deck is a golf driving area. What if I wanted to golf, but couldn’t because this npc decided their evacuation was more important? Would I receive a refund for the time lost? I doubt it. Sick people are so selfish sometimes.

[@Finat0]

​@@Speedbird9L you do realise that the sick person most likely didnt decide this themselfs... theres a very big chance they didnt get much of a say in it at all

[@daemn42]

I suspect that it's a lot more critical when they're doing a rescue where they have to take off vertically with zero airspeed, and then transition to both forward and climbing, where in this case they were going 20 knots forward (ship's speed) the whole time, so they probably just noted their pitch attitude on the instruments and applied some more power to climb out while maintaining a steady 20 knots forward. Flying forward is a relatively stable state for helicopters (they will naturally weather vane into the wind), while hovering is not. The problem is, without visual references (buried in fog) it's really easy for the pilot to unknowingly cause the helicopter to start sliding sideways or backwards or let the helicopter yaw without knowing it. Even if you tilt forward to gain speed, you initially lose altitude requiring more power to be applied, and the tilt angle to be regulated very carefully. On a helicopter like this they can fly on instruments alone, but it's still a very unnatural state for most helicopter pilots, especially at or close to a hover.

[@lucaas]

That's very impressive, well done! Would you be okay with me featuring a short part of this video in my series Weekly Dose of Aviation? Of course you will be credited both in the video and in the description. Thanks!

[@mattfrom103]

Go for it.

[@captainbligh3894]

Did this more than once myself as a young RN pilot, so brought back great memories. Nice to watch such a cool professional job. BZ to 103 Sqdn.

[@androidemulator6952]

The skill and bravery is off the charts with these guys- Salute !!

[@Michael-zj3cn]

Then update your chart. That's a failure on your part. Although yes, these guys are ace.

[@kateshields6478]

This is fascinating as I was on QM2 in July 2023 when a medivac was required on our westbound transatlantic. We could hear the helicopter as it hovered over us and I often wondered what it looked like from the opposite perspective. Now I know! Thank you all so much for the vital work you do, and hope the patient made a full recovery.

[@Speedbird9L]

Same thing this year. Eastbound off Nova Scotia. In this case the patient was taken off by a coastguard ship, but the captain said a helicopter was the alternative if the seas got rougher.

[@staceygrahame2504]

Thank you for such an educational video and your clear explanations. As someone who both loves being on the Ocean and is an aviation fan, it was cool to learn about the intricacy of this kind of mission. I mean, I always knew it was insanely skilled, but considering the number of people involved in the process and how everything has to be done so perfectly between a team of people of whom half have never met befofe, it really is something to admire and respect. Like, I’m surprised the winch can cope lifting them up, considering how big and heavy the balls on them must all be for doing this job. Thank you for your skill and service, SAR Teams all over the world. As someone who likes to be on large ships, I feel better for knowing you’re out there.

[@mattfrom103]

Thank you for the kind words. Both the ship's and the helicopter's crew are professionals who have procedures for this and have trained for it as well. Both crews have done this before. So it's just 2 teams of professionals working together. Training and procedures makes up for lack of familiarity. PS: The winch is rated to 600lbs.

[@zogzoogler]

The skill and bravery of these people in order to save a life is unreal, it shows humanity at its best.

[@Moonstalker46]

well said

[@davewinst1]

The image of that stretcher makes me some claustrophobic, imagine being strapped inside that, gives me the chill. Top job though.

[@TomCro73]

Hopefully the pt was aware they were headed to a higher level of care "on the beach". Did cross my mind though - if I'd been having an MI, I doubt that experienced would have decreased my elevation any!

[@FlightSimMuseum]

Amazing and humbling. Thank you to all who work in emergency services, words are not enough.

[@thequietprofessional8435]

Great team effort all round. This clearly demonstrates your level of training and professionalism to your speciality and DAMM, that pilot handling was silky smooth. Great job 103.

[@mattfrom103]

Thanks for the kind words. We are taught that during hoisting it is more important to be smooth than it is to be hyper accurate. A few feet off target can be corrected easily but jerky movement can cause a lot of problems during hoist ops.

[@zebtaylor1630]

Great video. Nostalgic for me in several ways. I was involved in the building of the ship in France and managed the navigation system fit out. Previous to that I participated in many ship helicopter medevacs, mostly USCG in Alaska and the Caribbean when I was a Merchant Navy Officer. I’m also a helicopter pilot but don’t fly professionally.

[@officialboomtish214]

Man, watching these videos reminds me of back when I had a cadet summer camp at CFB Comox: your colleagues over at 442 squadron also flew the cormorant, and the buffalo too back when I was there. Watching you guys save lives for complete strangers back then inspired me to do the same: I’m now a Ground Search And Rescue volunteer myself in my local community. Godspeed!

[@mattfrom103]

That's awesome. Thanks for volunteering your time like that! I'm sure it is appreciated by those in need.

[@officialboomtish214]

@@mattfrom103 and thank you for devoting your entire career towards it! You do a service that we could never provide. You’ve earned yourself another subscriber, Matt. I can’t wait to see this channel grow!

[@mic7504]

No more Buffalo, but the Kingfisher looks like a nice bit of kit.

[@officialboomtish214]

@@mic7504 the kingfishers sure are nice, I do agree. Shame they don’t keep at least one buffalo in flying condition though, even if it’s flown by a museum or a historical society: I could imagine it being a great airshow circuit plane!

[@JayMaverick]

Just holding my breath here, all of this was amazing.

[@sturvinmurvin9408]

Heroes! This is amazing...IMC in a Ch-149 over open ocean with a cruise ship extraction. Doesn't get any more awesome than this!

[@naserourai9034]

As a seaman myself, I’d like to thank you for your service guys..

[@Lilibet_777]

If this happens in summer 2024 QM2 from NYC to Southhampton ...then i was on the Ship as a paassenger. If not, then we experienced a similar situation in August 2024 close to New Fundland .We were asked to stay in cabin. As we were passendes on Deck 12 we saw a lot of prepration inside the ship, which was handled fast and professionell.QMII has a smal clinic on Board obviously well equiped ...so that must have been a really critically illpassenger. We were very Impressum by the Operations and THANK YOU for coming to save peoples lives whenever necessary...there was probably a high risk for the tescuers due to weather condition ❤

[@mattfrom103]

I don't want to give exact dates but it was summer 2024....... The reason for staying the cabins is safety. The downwash can blow stuff around and hurt or kill people. As well passengers love taking pictures and they usually don't know how to turn off their flashes. That really sucks at night when that happens. (*Newfoundland)

[@Lilibet_777]

@mattfrom103 Thank you Matt ...we were told similar by the captain .i am delighted to watch the Video now...as i get a better impression how it works under this circumstances)Serveral Members of my family are first responders ( firefighters, paramedics, and emergengy docs, my daughter is a emergency doctor, specialist in children ...in Germany emergancy doctors come together with the paramedics and the ambulances )...so i am always interested in rescue operations...and i know first hand how professionell you all have to be and that you sometimes have to take personal risks to help others! Thank you for your effort and astonishing work❤️💙💚best regards from Germany.

[@mattfrom103]

@@Lilibet_777 Thanks for the kind words. We almost never take a doctor with us from shore. However sometimes we take the doctor from the cruise ship back to shore if the patient is very critical.

[@UD503J]

Bravo and huge appreciation to all those who fly and crew SAR, rescue, and coast guard missions.

[@zebracherub]

That’s the most badass thing I’ve seen in a long time, holy shit.

[@jonpne1]

Really interesting to watch. Have been on the QM2 twice - both had passengers medevac’d by helicopter. The second time would have been the same as this video just at night. Great to see the other side of it and the skill involved

[@nathanwildthorn6919]

Beautiful helo flying and textbook teamwork! Wow! Skills and OPS coordination at its finest! Thank you for posting this. 😊

[@cwam1701e]

What an awesome video! And that SAR guy coming up on the line made it look so easy. The skill by all is outstanding!

[@stevenjohnson2682]

Y'all are legends, every one of you. Professional in all aspects and a great example to look up to.

[@aldertvanweeren3474]

i did sail at sea for 15 years... i did not need them ... but oh boy .. i am happy to know they will always be there when needed. lots of exercise and training makes things like this easy to look at, but there is no easy way out when things at sea start being ugly ... thks guys(and girls!) keep doing this great job !

[@KnuDonner]

Great job, and cool video with more than one perspective. It’s also interesting seeing SAR done by others in the same job, as my own. I’m a rescue swimmer and flight mechanic on the Danish Merlin EH101, operated by RDAF. All the best to you and your colleagues in Canada! Greetings from Denmark 😊

[@AvgeekRider]

Thank you for what you do! You guys are true heroes.

[@mattfrom103]

Nice to meet you! If ever you want to discuss different techniques or have questions feel free to shoot me a message or email.

[@mic7504]

Canadian here. Thank you fro your service. And your funny little red hotdogs (very yummy). So what's the difference between a Merlin and a Cormorant? Are only the engines different?

[@MrVielanda]

Spectacular video in every sense! Well done! And by the way, WHAT A SHIP. A true liner

[@James-km7yz]

Great team. Great service. Thank you to everyone who works in search and rescue. There's no higher accolade than saving lives.

[@mrsaskriders]

Wow 😮 Such incredible skill and bravado. Dad was RCAF, but fixed wing Bombers after WW2. THX Top notch navigation equipment and features of auto hover etc.

[@maciejbrozek4666]

Respect guys! I truly admire work of all of you - SAR heros. This job is very dangerous but must be very satisfying at the same time. All the best for 2025 from Poland!

[@TeezyThaKidd]

really appreciate the captions explaining what’s going on. god bless you and your crew for the work that you do!

[@pauljalbert]

Respect and gratitude for our SAR Techs! Badass heroes! 😎❤

[@bcmfin]

Great video and awesome channel. I flew with 405 SQN out of Greenwood from 1985 to 1989. We were often tasked with SAR missions as OSC. The only success I remember was the crew of the Rowan Gorilla. All the others were recovery's. Nice to see you guys (and gals) taking live people to safety.

[@mattfrom103]

I've had an Aurora fly top cover for me once for a mission and once they drop flares for training. It was interesting working with those folks.

[@guillaumelalonde7945]

​@mattfrom103 they fly incredibly low in those things.

[@charlieinsingapore]

Thank you guys, that was all kinds of awesome. Not long ago there would have been no chance flying anyone in those conditions. Well done.

[@DavidBarkes]

Missions like this have been flown for many, many years. I assure you that in the mid 1980s missions exactly like this were flown, but in the NO Auto-Pilot CH-113 Labrador helicopter from 103 Sqn Gander, NL. Entirely done by manual, hand flying with a weather radar and and a radar altimeter.

[@bernardanderson3758]

Very well and professionally flown by two well trained and very Qualified CH-149 Helio professional pilots

[@black1104]

These boys and girls are what it's all about. ❤

[@martyb3783]

Well done. It's nice to known that brave folks like this are out there.

[@carlito3859]

Insane scary just watching the video hope it all went well for the medivac. Those guys are superheroes

[@davidluchsinger7377]

I love the details you provide. Helps show there’s way more to flying than most folks realize.

[@CatFish107]

Oh hey, greetings from out in the neighborhood of 442. I'm used to seeing the underside of the cormorant, never had the opportunity to see inside! lovely stuff. thanks for sharing

[@AdventuresonTour]

Just amazing.... I've seen this happen once as a passenger on a cruise ship in the Bahamas. What I found interesting here is the hoist point being so far forward on the ship. When it happened on our cruise they evacuated the rear of the ship and hoist from the rear most deck. I guess that is incase something happened the idea is the ship moving forward any issues and the major section of the ship would still be ok.

[@mattfrom103]

All larger ships generally have a designated winch/hoist location. Why they designate one location over another I don't know. We will generally use the designated location unless we have a very good reason not to. In this case, we didn't have a reason not to use the designated location so we did. The back left corner is usually, by default, a good location for smaller boats. Trawlers we usually try midships right behind the bridge. Container, bulk, or tankers we usually go for the bridge wing. I believe the Cruise ship Queen Victoria's designated location is back left corner. I have a video of that one posted.

[@brianthibault5929]

Excellent video! Thank you for your service!

[@CSIS25]

Man i cant get enough of your videos, it was a job i wanted to do but never could do it. at least this gives me an eye of some things i could have been doing, have to admit it looks fun

[@mattfrom103]

It can be a lot of fun. It can also be extremely challenging and hard at times. Overall I am happy with where I ended up.

[@CSIS25]

@@mattfrom103 That's what i was thinking hard challenging but fun to learn at same time. Thanks for posting the videos !

[@v8westy493]

That was fascinating to watch, the commentary so helpful and informative. Very impressed with the skills, training and obviously the machine helps a bit too. Keep up the good work all of you.

[@alainrouleau]

Thanks for sharing! 👍 Pretty crazy fog. You only see the ship at the last second despite the helicopter being so close. Really, really crazy. No wonder why it's so dangerous out there.

[@dukeofrodtown1705]

Great work lads and lasses! Thank you for your service to our nation, and Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays to you

[@diggernator]

From NZ, thanks for posting .. a very slick operation and post .... wishing you and the team a safe and hopefully relaxing festive season 🥂🥂

[@ELMS]

Matt, excellent work and excellent camera work. I hope your subs go through the roof as this is terrific content. As ex-RCAF…Bravo Zulu!

[@mattfrom103]

Thanks. I'm just doing to share what we do, not for the subs.

[@soulpaua2097]

I think I speak for everyone, and it goes without saying. You guys and gals are heroes. Thank you!

[@djraythefurry0420]

Holy shii i didn't know u were the one to help out with the mary incident You all did 100% to help the peeps on board Thanks for your service m8

[@mickyday2008]

Fantastic bit of flying and great team work. You made it look easy but I know the skill and training involved. Great video. Cheers.

[@casualtrucker]

Well done “ So That Others May Live”….👍👍

[@Dakiraun]

That was so amazing to watch. I've never really see how they do that sort of extraction before. It's amazing considering the scale; the Queen Mary 2 is such a giant Ocean Liner, and 20 knots would mean she probably slowed down for the encounter. I like how careful and procedure oriented it is - thank you for sharing it with us; amazing job to all involved!

[@mattfrom103]

If I recall she was doing about 20kts before and we just kept her going at that speed. Wind usually helps us.

[@Dakiraun]

@@mattfrom103 Neat - just poking along for her (think she can do 28 knots). How bad was the wind in that? I imagine that gets WAY harder as conditions degrade.

[@whathasxgottodowithit3919.]

The transition from VMC to IMC particularly with Helicopter operations takes great skill and professionalism in the Air / Sea Recue environment

[@mattfrom103]

We practice it a lot both in the sim and real aircraft. It is a very scripted procedure.

[@axelknutt5065]

@@mattfrom103trust the instruments

[@mattfrom103]

@@axelknutt5065 Always.

[@joshxkerrigan]

First traveled across the pond in October and saw these steel balled heroes in a commercial for a TV show about these flights. Stay safe out there and thank you for your service, even if I (hopefully) never need it!!!!

[@GustavoDB]

How beautiful to see when they climb up and get over the mist lay. Everything was beautiful. Thanks

[@sailwesterly5444]

Very interesting and thanks for the captions - very informative. Great footage.

[@christophervanelkan9125]

Ich finde das sehr spannend zu sehen. Solche Videos kenne ich nur vom Festland.

[@unclegeek]

Awesome. THanks all for what you do.

[@allanegleston4931]

thanks for the vids and as the poster below me said these ppl are true heroes . thanks for the anotations .

[@richardbates4120]

Incredible work folks!

[@williamthethespian]

Wonderful, and perfectly done in difficult conditions.

[@mitchrich6]

It appears much clearer on camera than our own eyes, so imagine how incredible this is

[@jimmymc10021]

Wow, those are some serious conditions. Great job.

[@alangordon3283]

Respect to these thoroughly professional life savers.

[@kentonsnowball361]

So cool. Thank you for sharing this experience.

[@alexhasse4897]

Heros! Thanks for your service and very nice video!

[@Travis_22]

Things can go bad very quickly in conditions such as these. Great job!

[@RobertDePinto]

Excellent video. Thank you.

[@TommyBahama84]

Great work, professional aviators all round 👍

[@furyanwolf]

Am I the only one that's impressed by the amount of weight that tiny little thin cable can hold? Wow.

[@mattfrom103]

That is 3/16" or ~5mm stainless cable. It is quite strong. The hoist is rated for 600lbs or 272kg but it would take a lot more to break that cable. The cable is inspected frequently and gets replaced even the most minor of defects or damage.

[@MikeDent]

Wow. Amazing to see. i’ve been on a ship as this has happened. It’s definitely a well scripted and professional procedure. Thanks for sharing.

[@djlondon7956]

Fascinating video and so impressive. Wonderful skills.

[@leesp2]

wow amazing job, what great example of teamwork, trust and professionalism 🙂

[@alainrouleau]

Didn't know the yellow circle was the designated spot for the hoist location. You learn something new everyday. All very interesting, thanks!

[@JohnHill-qo3hb]

I wish more informative videos like this about our Armed Forces going about what they do in this style, no bravado, no fake drama, just doing what they do so that folks can see that these men and women don't sit around BS'ing and drinking coffee all day... and playing euchre. I also appreciate the note about the three service people doing exactly what you folks were doing but never coming home, kind of grounds the video story, did for me anyway... BZ and long safe career.

[@TheSparrowLooksUp]

People who can fly these rotary wing aircraft never cease to amaze me. I try the Hind in DCS and couldn't hold a hover to save my life. The concept of the collective device is oddly intuitive, imo.

[@mattfrom103]

If it makes you feel better it took me several hours in a Jet Ranger to learn how to hover. It's also a lot easier in the real thing vice a computer.

[@TomCro73]

I hear ya - I took a lesson in an R22, soon after gaining my fixed wing Private. Instructor was a part time news pilot in Jetrangers - knew his stuff and loved to teach. Tiny, *tiny* inputs on the controls - I quickly decided once would be enough! We'd a blast of a flight though, then landed and shut down. We'd taken the doors off before departure. Only after shutdown, did I realize I was *absolutely freezing*. I simply hadn't had the brainpower to process those inputs any earlier! Can only conclude that rotary jocks are a strange breed.... :D

[@2ndAmendment-Jeffrey]

Watching the crew working screams professionalism and discipline. Everything you need when the crap hits the fan.

[@Bastii311]

Nice to watch pros doing their work!

[@ermesdalponte9701]

Bravissimi, complimenti, ognuno sa quel che deve fare e lo fa bene.

[@mattfrom103]

Grazie per le belle parole.

[@drdoolittle5724]

All superbly professionally choreographed, totally unlike somebody I know who came up through an inversion VFR only to find a Chinook luckily on the same course about a mile way!

[@WilliamDelorenzo-y9v]

the real heroes. Bravo

[@Error_404_Account_Deleted]

Thank you for what you do

[@iainbradford4254]

Great work guys! Respect

[@carl32us]

Amazing and very impressive, this evacuation ! Really heroes those pilots and their crew ! Thank`s for posting this impressive video! I really hope, every one will appreciate their efforts to save life`s !

[@timdunk7278]

Beautiful teamwork.

[@pedropinho573]

Hello, former Merlin pilot in Portugal here. Great job on transitioning down in such heavy fog! I once had to do one rescue similar to this, in heavy rain at night. It is extremely disorienting. Just a comment: didn't you consider doing the hoist on the aft part of the ship? You would have better references in front of you. I am assuming they pushed for the rescue to be made in that position, we would often tell the ships we would do the operation where we wanted or there would be no operation. I am saying this because on the position where you did the hoisting the visual references were much less than further aft on the ship. Just my 2 cents and something to consider, I understand SOP's will diffeer between operators. Once again, great job! Best wishes from the other side of the pond.

[@mattfrom103]

Hello! You are quite correct in what you say and our SOPs are similar. In this case the ship is so large I wasn't worried about references. There was probably at least another 100m of ship in front of the hoist location. We looked at the picture of their suggested hoist location and we were happy with it. A concern on cruise ships for is the dangers of hoisting to a unsecured or unprepared location. Lots of stuff that could blow around and hurt people. Also, that's where the patient was which made it easier. We train on 15m vessels so, again, we weren't concerned about references. I think I posted a video of hositing to the Queen Victoria cruise. On that one we hoisted to the back left corner because that was their preferred hoist location. -Large cargo ships we will generally hoist to the bridge wing. -Large fishing ships/trawlers we will generally hoist midships as the back is normally obstructed. Sometimes the bow. -Smaller fishing vessels almost always the back left corner for references as you stated. Cruise ships is usually their preferred location as it makes it simpler for all involved. But, like you said, at the end of the day I am going to hoist to where I want to, not always where the ship tells me. Question for you: How often did you use twin engine cruise and how much fuel did it really save?

[@pedropinho573]

@@mattfrom103 anything longer than 100 NM we would use TEO cruise, although if I remember correctly we could only do it below 14600 Kg AUW. It saves 5-7% fuel. The two working engines will be at a higher Ng, so more efficient. Since we routinely went above 250 NM and back (with a 1200 Kg ferry tank), it became very common and "natural" to do it. Problems with TEO cruise: you must be above 2000 feet, to restart #3 if you lose another engine. I did on the sim, at 15600 Kg, in TEO cruise, double engine failure, at Vy, 95% NR the aircraft had a 500 ft/min descent rate with only one engine working, which blew my mind at the time, it's amazing how good the engines are. Another problem with TEO: you will have fuel stuck on #3 that you have to x-feed to get out, and we once had a crew with a malfunctioning x-feed valve, so they were stuck with a bunch of fuel on #3 deposit and unable to reach land! They solved it by manually opening the transfer valve on #3, then pulling the CB and manually blocking the valve in the open position (something the engineers in Yeovil taught us how to do, it's inside the aft cabin). If you then turn the dump system on, the fuel gallery gets pressurized, and since the dump valve on #3 was open, they were able to more or less equalize fuel between all deposits.

[@mattfrom103]

@@pedropinho573 Ya, I've used to the dump pumps to get fuel out of main tanks before. It's a neat trick. I am jealous of your ferry tank, we don't have one. We also don't use TEO. That's why I was curious.

[@craigpattenden]

Found this absolutely fascinating