RNAS Culdrose - HMS Seahawk
Posted: Fri Jan 17, 2020 10:08 pm
Helicopter In Flight Refuelling - HIFR
Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose
Vital training on the RNAS Culdrose ‘Dummy Deck’ with students being taught how to safely refuel a helicopter whilst in the hover.
Royal Navy Aircrew, Aircraft Handlers and Air Engineering teams must all be able to conduct Helicopter In Flight Refuelling (HIFR). This type of refuel may occur if an aircraft requires fuel but a ship does not have a flight deck, or if the flight deck is full or damaged.
Here are the steps...
The winch cable is lowered from the helicopter by an aircrew member, and earthed at ground level with a metal hook attached to a cable which is, in turn, attached to a metal plate in contact with the deck. This ensures that any static electricity, which has built up in the helicopter during flight, is discharged to avoid the risk of fire or electrical arcing.
The fuel line is then winched up to the aircraft door adjacent to the fuelling point. Another aircrew member connects an earth plug attached to the fuel line to the earth socket on the aircraft, then connects the fuel line.
Fuelling can now safely begin, hand signals from the aircraft indicate when the fuel flow should start and stop – when complete the process is reversed and the fuel line is returned safely to the deck.
None of this is easy under the downwash from a Merlin helicopter, especially for the air engineers holding the hose, as the video shows!
Video at - https://www.facebook.com/rnasculdrose/v ... 590542501/
Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose
Vital training on the RNAS Culdrose ‘Dummy Deck’ with students being taught how to safely refuel a helicopter whilst in the hover.
Royal Navy Aircrew, Aircraft Handlers and Air Engineering teams must all be able to conduct Helicopter In Flight Refuelling (HIFR). This type of refuel may occur if an aircraft requires fuel but a ship does not have a flight deck, or if the flight deck is full or damaged.
Here are the steps...
The winch cable is lowered from the helicopter by an aircrew member, and earthed at ground level with a metal hook attached to a cable which is, in turn, attached to a metal plate in contact with the deck. This ensures that any static electricity, which has built up in the helicopter during flight, is discharged to avoid the risk of fire or electrical arcing.
The fuel line is then winched up to the aircraft door adjacent to the fuelling point. Another aircrew member connects an earth plug attached to the fuel line to the earth socket on the aircraft, then connects the fuel line.
Fuelling can now safely begin, hand signals from the aircraft indicate when the fuel flow should start and stop – when complete the process is reversed and the fuel line is returned safely to the deck.
None of this is easy under the downwash from a Merlin helicopter, especially for the air engineers holding the hose, as the video shows!
Video at - https://www.facebook.com/rnasculdrose/v ... 590542501/