Volume 9
of the most dangerous and demanding operations undertaken by military and civilian helicopter aircrews .
Usually conducted at night or in bad weather over water or rough terrain , crews are often searching for small specks among massive waves , rocks , trees or snow .
Every moment counts . Situational awareness is paramount and requires high levels of vigilance , efficiency and coordination among crew members .
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Often they take place at night and can be subject to high winds and sea states , which can make locating people difficult , even with emergency beacons that provide GPS coordinates .
On land , mountainous terrain or jungle and forest canopies can obscure the location of a downed aircraft or people in need of rescue .
In wartime , aircraft must operate stealthily to avoid detection , thus increasing the potential for both accidents and damage due to enemy activity .
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Current technologies for locating people in distress and for inter-crew communications can sometimes lead to potential delays , mistakes and even disaster .
However , advancements are becoming available to greatly improve crew situational awareness and the ability to locate persons in distress .
These capabilities include wireless communications equipment and new satellite constellations designed to detect and locate emergency beacons with greater speed and accuracy .
Noise , Darkness and Wind Challenge Crew Safety
Many search and rescue operations occur in dangerous weather situations .
Visibility and real-time communications are crucial factors for situational awareness .
Helicopters must hover over an area and deploy rescue personnel by cable in a carefully choreographed maneuver of pilot skill and coordination with the winch crew .
At the same time , rotorcraft are noisy , requiring the crew to wear noise-reducing earphones while using intercom equipment to communicate with each other . Even with complete coordination , accidents can occur .
For example , an acquaintance of mine , a former Royal Air Force medic , was a winch operator on a mission to recover a climber stranded on a hillside in the United Kingdom .
As she was being lowered to attend to the climber , high winds slammed her into the hillside with enough force to break her pelvis . She had to retire on a medical discharge due to the extent of