Posted By Reg Currently I am working in the Gulf of Mexico on a vessel and our crew changes are being conducted by helicopter. It has been observed that the pilots are rotating the aircraft at a short distance off the heli-deck, maybe up to 180 degrees at times. I find this practice to appear unsafe as the tail rota could possibly hit some of the vessels substructure or cranes etc. I have worked at sea for coming up to 10 years now and this is the first time I have experienced pilots carrying out such a manoeuvre and it concerns me. Can anyone advise me on whether this is normal practice, safe and is within guidance/legislation etc? Kind regards to all Reg

Posted By Dee Not sure if you have already done this but you might want to post your question on the STEP Change in Safety website/disccussion forums - this is the main forum I am aware of that O&G folk use. If you type STEP Change into your web search engine it should find it easy enough. Dee

Posted By Reg Thank you for the Reponses folks. I think Ian might have the right idea with the heli-deck design but the manoeuvre is still a worry! What if there was a gust of wind or the aircraft developed a technical problem? I do understand the reasoning for such a manoeuvre but would expect the aircraft orientation to be in place upon approach. We have no radio operator & the Russian HLO’s ability to speak English is limited to say the least... he makes up his own words so asking him is a none starter! I am registered with STEP Change in Safety but never thought about there discussion forum... thanks Dee. Regards to all Reg