Winter Ops

[Rotorboy2]

As winter is rapidly engulfing most of Canada, I thought it might be a good time to inquire about winter ops.

I am a long time Vancouver boy who is only in his second year of 'real' northern Alberta winters. Last winter I did not fly much but this winter is already shaping up to be alot more active.

Certainly winter ops requires a little more effort on flight planning, with an emphasis on what to carry for survival gear and such.

So if anyone has any specific advice or tips which may help someone else make this winter's flying a more 'inhabitable', then please post your thoughts.

I've included some questions/tips I think might be helpful:

Question: Aside from the manufacturer's flight manual on operating limits, does your company have a policy on flying in temps below -20°C?

Question: What should be included on your winter survival gear list?

Tip: Jet A is only good to -17.8°C. If you have to use Jet A around/below that temperature and you are leaving the helicopter out overnight, you had better have some good body covers and a few buddy heaters (i.e. in the Bell 206, place a buddy heater aimed directly at the fuel control).

Tip: Perform a good seating check prior when landing in areas with large snowpacks. Reduce the throttle slowly.

Tip: After parking outside overnight, be sure to check that your skids are not frozen to the ground (i.e. give the stinger a shake if you're in a light -- I don't think that'll do much good in a Bell 205).

Any tips/advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[cap]

Rotorboy ------

1) Some companies have a limit for temps flown and some don't. With Labour rules and Unions involved nowadays, they also have their own standards. As a result of those rulings, you will find increasingly that they'll be shutting down before you will. Personally, my limits are -40 to -45, but ONLY for a medical emergency. Other than that I'm loosing interest at -35 because if you have to 'camp out' for the night or longer, someone's loosing some digits or worse. Passengers do not fly with me in the wintertime dressed like 'Philadelphia lawyers'. I've had customers 'walk on me' because of it, but that's the way it IS period. Brogue shoes or Rockports are no good 50 miles north of Wabbasca, AB at -30.....nor is your $1,500 cashmere overcoat.....and maybe my fancy new a/c battery just went flat and "how well can you gather firewood for the fire tonite?"

2) Transmissions just love heaters overnight also because they got oil in them too and seals, etc., etc..

3) Survival gear? Your company should have one and the list of what's supposed to be in there you should know. Other than that, look at the list and make pretend that this next flight is going to result in you not making it back home and you are going to spend at least 7 days down in the bitter cold. Weigh the extra and compromise on what you can't take.

4) Concerns about the skids freezing to the ground? Do what your F/W peers do with their a/c skiis......lay down some boards or small logs...and still lift off gently in the AM.

5) I'll say nothing about Jet A, Prist or dirty tailbooms..........because that will put me on a rant and show more of my age again.

6) Lastly, DO NOT skip breakfast or that first warm meal before you go. I did once upon a time and lived to think about that missed meal for 10 days....all day long.

 

[Angry Egg Driver]

In our winter seismic ops we work in temperatures down to -35 all the time.I always let the machine warm up for a few extra minutes on the first start.And I like to put the buddy heaters in between cycles to keep things warm.On ferry flights I always have my sleeping bag in the back.

 

[Auto Relight]

Having some heaters in the cockpiit is important too, saves wear and tear on the intsruments and at anything less than -35 or so, N1's and the like seem to misbehave.

Somebody mentioned the dress code of your clients - I consider this one of the MOST important things in winter, especially when operations are a long way from civilization. No one gets in the machine without proper winter attire, and if they're not wearing it, it doesn't count. Having long John's, snow pants and a good coat do you no good with two broken legs and a broken arm - you'll never get them on with a femur that's splintered. I'm not about to pull the heorics of that Canadian Forces Herc driver in the Arctic a few years ago and give up my own clothing.

I have a question to add, how do you most effectively warm a tail rotor gear box?

ar

 

[MagSeal]

"I have a question to add, how do you most effectively warm a tail rotor gear box?"


the little Temro (SP?) heating pads work well, and I believe there are applications out there for most makes by now. If that fails....hold your morning pee long enough to squirt some mellow yellow juice on it. May not warm it up much, but every little bit helps.

 

[cap]

If available, I prefer my a/c to go out the door of the hangar on bitter cold mornings and STAY OUT until the day is done. I've seen too many radio problems result from pushing a/c in and out of the hangar on bitter cold days. I've pulled King radios out and seen the frost that had developed on the contact points at the back and since that time, if it goes out, it stays out and weird, cold morning radio problems disappeared for me. ONE Master for the radios also helps this problem because little plastic/bakelite knobs and 'thingys' don't like -30 degree temps either. In-cockpit heaters are great also, but usually I'm lucky to have an outlet for the one by the tranny AND one for the FC. Also if I have any kind of APU available, that first start in the day is ALWAYS an APU start and if I can arrange it, I prefer it to be like that year 'round. I've yet to put a heater anywhere near the T/R gearbox and never had any problems. The joke used to be that you could tell what kind of temps a/c operated in during the winter, by the 'weeping' of T/R gearboxes that went on in the warmer days of spring.

 

[MagSeal]

how many of you have gotten frostbite on your finger from holding the start button? Warm it up too with a heater, or wear some gloves to help protect your booger digging finger.

As for seals....magseals...(no personal affiliation of course) handle the cold much better than rubber lip seals. I wouldn't worry as much preheating an A-Star TRGB as I would a 206 or 500.

 

[GoldMember]

I always take two heaters with me on winter camp jobs, one for the transmission and one for the engine placed so that it warms the fuel control. In the morning, about an hour or so before liftoff, I put both heaters on the floor in the front angled up at the instrument panel so as to warm up all the spinny thingies. Also, I keep the battery warm with a battery blanket or by taking it inside overnight. I once had to curl up overnight in the backseat with the battery and my sleeping bag, I was in Ft. Ware, I'm still in therapy.

With respect to survival gear, a well appointed kit is of course essential, but what happens if you distribute heli-parts all over the bush/tundra/mountainside and are lucky enough to walk away but can't get to your survival kit? My Helly Hansen pockets are big enough to hold my mitts, touque, space blanket, lighter/matches, and a couple of energy bars, all that coupled with my Leatherman on my belt makes for a bulky profile (and I ain't skinny to begin with) but I'd rather have that stuff than nothing at all.

Ditto to the folks who mentioned the passenger's clothing, a windbreaker and running shoes would just identify who gets eaten first.

Be very aware that it gets dark fast and the weather can be very crappy, don't push fuel limits ever but especially not in the winter.

 

[downwash]

Good stuff, Gold one, but I thought you were losing weight??? B)

 

[cap]

My parkas for the bitter cold nights/days have always been rather heavy because the seams of the lining get unstitched and all manner of goodies get put in with the eider down. That was an old trick passed on by an old bush pilot of Canadian aviation fame who I worked for one time.......Tom Lamb. Helps too, on other occasions of 'need'.


Downwash ---- don't tell me you have another 'Baby Huey' in training?

 

[Angry Egg Driver]

Losing weight are we GoldMember.Ah.......... what it's like to be single again

 

[lamanated]

As the guy who fixes little buddys,let me give you a few also..Get the heaters close to something like a case and you will cause the heater to overheat and burn the one time fuse.Then someone fixes it with lockwire to get it going,or the one you have probably has already been done.and you could risk burning a ship up.I wouldn't get close to a fuel control as IT has fuel in it,,At least place it above it.fuel drips down..heaters are rated in watts,older ones were 1500 then 1200 then 900 and now 650 so divided by 120 to get amps.and therefore 4 little buddies on one 14 guage wire extension cord 100 ft long allowing voltage drop also obviously wont work or will blow the breaker as soon as you walk away..and after you plug them in,listen for the fan running,as the fan can be seized,the connection bad also..placing the little buds upside down will allow the fan to drop down to touch the body and make that lovely buzz.if you have the receipts take them so you can return it to can tire etc for a year with that receipt..I took a hair dryer to put in the blade sock to open them up, so get get them soaked in silicone before winter,and throw those nylon ones in the garbage.get something like tarp material.we had black ones at NMH on the 212's and they worked great in the cold,as they stiffened up.. when the guys get in,let the ship warm up inside or she will fog up real quick also..

 

[Sisyphus]

Magseal's suggestion to urinate on the tail rotor gearbox is highly objectionable. Even though it is meant in jest, it does nothing to promote the 'profession' of helicopter pilot or engineer. He reveals himself to be a buffoon.

 

[twinstar_ca]

it would be appreciated if that crap wasn't started again, sisyphus... mag is neither a buffoon or whatever... :down:

this has been a great place to hang out the last while and i, for one, would like to see it stay that way...

 

[cap]

Sisyphus --------In YOUR opinion!......... He did what he did, whether you or I agree, WITHOUT derogatory 'name-calling'. That still keeps him on 'higher level' than you, but keep working because you might just get up there with him.

In my military days, you would have automatically found your bedsheets "Frenched" tonite, with potato chips included, for a comment like that. Say it again and 30 guys would have put you in the ice cold showers for 30 minutes.