Guess what I did today? (120/365)

7

April 30, 2015 – I have been wanting to take helicopter safety training for a couple of years now, and I finally managed to swing it this week.

The training is mandatory in the federal government for anyone going up in one for work purposes and there are a number of things I have yet to be able to be involved in for lack of this skill. I want to be able to participate in things like in-river fish counts and bucket transports.

So after tomorrow, barring any unforeseen issues, I should be certified. Happy Happy.

The course is two days of pretty intensive training out in Chilliwack and Hope. I had to get up and leave before first light to be at the pool in Chilliwack for 7am this morning. Ouch.

Once there it was seven of us (I was the only woman) into the pool to rotate through a series of exercises for three hours. We started on underwater emergency breathing and then moved up to being flipped over underwater strapped inside a cage that we had to get out of, with or without air.

Heading out I wasn’t overly concerned about the water parts. I used to be (many, many, many….manymanymany years ago) a competitive synchronized swimmer, and though I certainly know I can’t hold my breath even remotely close to what I used to be able to, I know I’m not uncomfortable upside down in water. I also used to SCUBA dive, so wasn’t worried at all about using a breathing apparatus.

I don’t panic easily underwater.

However!

When doing sychro’, I had goggles and a nose plug, and when SCUBA diving the mask serves both purposes. I wasn’t completely prepared for the chlorinated water cleansing my sinuses were to receive.

Breathing with a regulator is easier when your nose is plugged. It’s not impossible without one, but a lot of water does get suctioned up there when you use a regulator without your nose plugged. Not much you can do about it no matter how well you are accustomed to using a regulator.

I think the instructor was probably a little concerned about me at the outset since he had us all demonstrate breathing with the regulator before going under water…..and I can’t do that, because I have a hyperactive gag reflex. I had to explain to him that as soon as my head was underwater it would be fine. I have a lot of experience in knowing that the second my face is in the water and I take the first breath, the subconscious kicks in and I don’t gag. Presumably on some level my nervous system recognizes the need for this thing in my mouth.

The only time I’ve ever gagged under water was a dive I once went on when I was extremely hung over. That was unpleasant. We’ll leave that story alone.

After a bit of time practicing that, we were given flight safety vests to put on, and a tiny emergency air bottle (about the size of a 350ml water bottle) with a short hose and a small mouthpiece clipped into a shoulder holder. We learned to dunk underwater, find the mouthpiece, yank the hose up and free, and get breathing.

It’s amazing how something you haven’t done in years, but that you did extensively at one point, has a muscle memory. A few people had trouble learning to purge breathe out before trying to suck air in. That was an automatic response that I was glad to have.

Other than a sinus flush, that station was basically fine.

The next station was a floating steel cage with a seat suspended in the middle. We donned a flight helmet, climbed in, and strapped in with a four point harness. We demonstrated our mantra: “Visor Down, Pull the Comm (pull the communication cord free), Crack the Door, Take a Reference (and hang on to it), Crash Position”

Then the instructor counted to three and flipped the cage over. Once underwater we had to free ourselves from the safety harness and swim free.

Then they upped the game and actually added a door that we had to knock out.

Then they didn’t count to three and flipped the cage at some random point before you were ready.

I think it was the second exit that I finally convinced myself to just get over the lack of goggles and open my eyes in the pool, I knew it would make things easier and, although I wasn’t in any real state of fear, that I’d be calmer if I could (sort of) see, regardless of the painful price I’d pay for it.

My next flip, on surfacing, the instructor asked if I’d opened my eyes and when I said yes, he said that explained how he’d not even seen me get the seat buckle opened because I’d gotten out so fast. I was told to slow down because a too fast exit isn’t necessarily safer.

Noted…it’s not a race…do it slowly and safely….check!

We all drank a lot of pool water and further flushed out sinuses.

The next station was even more exciting.

Put the safety vest with air bottle on, helmet back on, get in the PVC cage that did not have any flotation and had holes drilled in the frame so it would sink, and strap in with a different harness system.

Oh, did I mention that this one was sitting on the edge of the pool?

So get all ready to go…go through the mantra out loud, a count of three, and get flipped off the edge of the pool into the deep end, upside down, and start sinking while freeing oneself, amidst a wild screen of bubbles all around you.

Oddly, the knowledge that there was a small bottle of air accessible made me completely calm and the egress went well…I took a gulp of air and closed my eyes for the violent contact, then opened them and got my bearings for a moment before reaching for the regulator mouthpiece, pulling it free, putting it in my mouth, purging it, and taking a breath. Then, and only then, did I look around, reach down and undo my harness clip, pull it free, and pull myself out of the cage……except that on exit I (and several others) slammed headfirst into the pool wall. I was thankful for that helmet and got an appreciation for the debris that one could encounter on an underwater exit of a broken up helicopter.

I got a two thumbs up form the instructor and was told he was amazed how calm I was on that first dunk. I smiled and pointed to the air. I knew that was there and that it would give me at least a minute under water. And I’m not prone to panicking.

The last station was a two person cage complete with mock stick controls in the pilots side. So two of us helmeted and vested up, plugged in our helmet comm cords, and strapped ourselves in. As per earlier dunks, the final flip off the edge of the pool was unexpected.

Then, after three hours, we were done for the morning and headed for Hope to train at the Helicopter hangar. The only downsides were the burning sinuses and burning eyes.

The afternoon was filled with learning about flight gear and how to assemble and attach/detach gear to long lines and the helicopter belly-hook. We started inside with a stationary helicopter and then eventually moved outside to individually guide a helicopter into a hover 100ft above us, hook gear to a longline, and direct it to another location.

The final exercise was a bit intimidating and involved directing a helicopter to hover above us and drop down onto us until we were able to reach a small hook attached to the belly of the helicopter, while it hovered a foot above our head. We attached gear lines tot he hook and signalled the helicopter to lift it directly upwards until we were clear, and then we backed away before it flew to another location where another student carried out the same exercise. It was also intimidating because it was extremely windy and the pilot was clearly having a good challenge it the weather.

And then it was the long drive home to North Vancouver.

Tomorrow we learn entering and exiting during hovers and toe-ins….

Quite the day!

I’m wondering when my sense of smell will return….dinner had no flavour at all as a result of my damaged sinuses….

115 Photos in 2015 – 48. A Backdrop of Sky