The International Cessna^® 170 Association

Something else to consider about open water flying... HYPOTHERMIA.
I once was called upon to rescue people out of a fishing boat that went down, I believe the water was just under 60 degrees F, two people out of twenty-two succombed in less than two hours, the rest were in pretty bad shape.
When I sat SAR duty and the water temps were below 60 deg F, I was required to wear a dry suit with insulated underwear and some funky looking thermal shorty suit as well. Even with all of that, the predicted survivability time was only a few hours in 50 degree water. There are actually charts that predict this, but I don't have them.
My point about all of this is to provide something to chew on the next time anyone wants to fly out of gliding distance of land. I would think that you guys in the Puget area are still looking at some pretty chilly water.
Being prior Navy, I am sorry they were not able to provide services, looks like you have to be a Kennedy before you can rack up millions in a recovery effort.
Fly safe.
David

The salt water (and most lakes!) in this area is pretty much the same temperature year around--damn cold! In the incident you describe,I'm surprised that only two people were lost. Long before hypothermia actually kills you,it pretty much immobilizes you-- you're so cold you just kinda seize up. An SAR guy from the local Coast Guard Air Station gave our local pilot group a talk a few years ago about this stuff.
A friend of mine gave me some good advice years ago about ditching in the salt water around here--if you don't come down next to a boat,just swim straight for the bottom & save yourself & everyone else a whole lotta trouble!

Eric

Eric, you got it right! In the incident I was talking about, our aircrew basically had to carry everyone in towards the front of the helicopter where they just sort of collapsed like shivering blue jellyfish. From what I understand the shivering is a good sign! All I know is that I would feel awfully naked flying around over water in your area.
By the way, do the helicopters at Widby Island still assist with SAR around there, are did they get out of that business?
David

I fly over and adjacent to Whidbey NAS all the time and I don't think I've ever even seen a helicopter there. All the SAR around here that I know of is the Coasties. A frined of mine's son is a helo pilot based at their USCG Air Station Port Angeles,flies a Dauphin (?). I guess he's been involved in some pretty hairy stuff, it sounds like the worst of which is getting sick people off ships in bad weather & heavy seas. Or people offsinking boats & out of the water in the same conditions.
Sure glad I just fly when I feel like it,not when I have to.

Eric

I had a chance to be stationed at Whidby Island to fly station SAR back in the early 90's, back then they were pretty active, usually taking over when the Coasties were unable for what ever reason, or when time dictated using the Navy. The Navy flew H-3s, a fairly large and capable helicopter, but its primary mission was rescueing Navy guys. Things change, there may no longer be H-3s at Whidby anymore.
Just wondering.
David

Yes there is,, they have 4 SH3s

I'm not a big helicopter fan--don't quite understand how they work!-- but I sure like the old Sikorsky S-58/H-34. Known as the Choctaw to the army types & as the Seahorse to the navy types,it had a big radial engine in the nose (R-1820 or -1830?) & tailwheel gear. Never even seen one in real life,just photo's & film,but I like to compare it to the good old DC-3/C-47 Gooney Bird--just a cool old aircraft! Big,noisy,slow and expensive--doesn't get any better than that! I guess the navy used them for sub-hunting, and maybe for SAR?
I like UH-1 Hueys too,but they're not as cool as the H-34's.

Eric

Hey, Eric! Now THAT's a subject we completely agree on! Helicopters!
I saw one of those Sikorsky's arrive at downtown Kansas City airport just a couple years ago. It was genuinely working and looked in great condition!
It flew just like all the rest of 'em. It beat the air into submission. (Or maybe the earth just rejected it. I'm not sure either.)

gahorn wrote: It flew just like all the rest of 'em. It beat the air into submission. (Or maybe the earth just rejected it. I'm not sure either.)

Easy George, I'll take a helicopter any day over any fixed wing. Just love the short takeoff and landing. If only I could afford it on my helicopter pilot salary.

I like the old Sikorsky's but the Huey is my first love. Can't say much about the Black Hawk except they do have a tail wheel.

Ha! I'm only poking fun!
I nearly bought a Scorpion a few years ago. It was complete and ready to fly. But it had been completed about 15 years earlier, and the builder had hired a Guard pilot to check it out tethered for him. Reportedly, the test pilot picked it up and immediately set it back down because the rudders (?) were reversed. That is apparently by design but it caught the pilot off-guard. (get it?)
It had never flown since. The price was only $2K. It was powered by a 140 hp water-cooled Evinrude. That's what finally scared me off. A different engine might have kept my interest. The construction of the thing was pretty good quality, in my view.

Tom Downey wrote:http://www.komotv.com/stories/30649.htm

Thanks, Tom.