CHC Helicoptor Corporation
When the CHC Helicoptor Corporation purchased a Soft Landing fall arrest system from Forest Safety Products they could not have envisaged how important this decision would turn out to be.
CHC operates approximately 250 aircraft in 35 countries. The company’s Aberdeen-based UK division is the leading helicoptor service provider in the North Sea, offering support to the offshore platforms operated by the world’s major oil and gas companies.
Realistic and rigorous training is crucial in such a dangerous environment and the company has installed a flight simulator in order to test crews to the limit.
During 2009 CHC were seeking to install additional safety equipment around the simulator and ordered two 2400mm long, 1650mm wide, 600mm high Soft Landing Lorry Bags from Forest Safety Products. The bags provide an energy absorbing area around a vehicle and were originally developed to protect workers from falls during loading or unloading. However an increasing number of customers such as CHC are discovering that the Lorry Bags can be used in a range of alternative situations.
Two months after installation in Aberdeen, CHC’s Soft Landing system was tested in a real situation. During a manufacturer’s test flight, the helicoptor flight simulator motion system stalled in an upright position and four crew members had to evacuate immediately. They all landed safely on the bags and sustained no injuries. CHC Team Leader Paul Mills was extremely pleased with the outcome.
“The distance the crew had to fall would definitely have resulted in injuries if we hadn’t had the bags in place. They proved to be very effective and the representatives from the Civil Aviation Authority who came to inspect the simulator were similarly impressed. The bags were a total success and have certainly proved their worth.”