HELICOPTER UNDERWATER ESCAPE – HUET

The Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (HUET) course provides all the personnel carried on helicopters with survival techniques and rescue techniques in case of fall in water.

Theoretical Aspects

• Helicopter flight
• Pre-flight briefing
• Pre-boarding: Arrival at the airport, suitable clothing, necessary documentation, prohibited articles on board, check-in operations, helicopter suits, life jackets.
• Safe boarding
• Safety belts
• Pre-flight video
• Operations to be undertaken during the flight
• Safe disembarkation
• Emergencies
• Operations in case of emergency (during the flight)
• Impact positions
• Shock mitigating seats
• Operations in case of an emergency landing or ditching
• Helicopters characteristics: flotation systems, escape routes, emergency exits, life raft
• Indipendent actions in case of emergency
• Survival operations : on rafts, in water (after evacuation due to ditching) and in case of an emergency landing
• EBS : versions, checks, use, duration, flotation
• Personal locator beacon

Practical sessions

• Wet suit wearing, life jackets, auxiliary emergency breathing system (EBS) and verification of its integrity
• Opening, operations and breathing using EBS in different weather conditions
• Operations to be executed before ditching or emergency landings
• Operations following a controlled landing, evacuation through a designated point of exit
• Opening, operations and breathing through EBS in the pool by using the own air before HUET exercises (the delegate must breathe in both negative and positive buoyancies which are created by different body inclinations in water)
• Operations after a controlled water landing (including EBS opening and window opening after following flight crew’s instructions) and evacuation through a designated point of exit (use of a life raft)
• Assistance in performing actions relating to a safe boarding on a life raft, including bow cables use, floating anchor use, boat awning installation and raft maintenance
• Underwater escape through windows after a partial sinking of the helicopter
• Without opening the EBS and without removing the window
• By opening the EBS and breathing through it, without removing the window
• By opening the EBS and breathing through it, by removing the window
• Capsize helicopter underwater evacuation
• Without opening the EBS and without removing the window
• by opening and using the EBS before the capsizing, without removing the window
• by opening and using the EBS before the capsizing and by removing the window
• lifejackets inflation and visor opening in the water
• Boarding on a life raft

Weekly frequency

OPITO Certification

None

To provide all the personnel involved in helicopter flights with knowledge of survival and rescue techniques in case of crash into the sea

Multi-year experience instructors

Theoretical Aspects

Procedures relating to helicopter flights.

Characteristics of PPE used during helicopter flights.

Procedures relating to helicopter emergencies.

Practical Sessions:

PPE wearing.

Techniques of evacuation due to emergency landing and ditching.

Basic survival actions after emergency landing and ditching.

Use of Auxiliary Emergency Breathing Systems (EBS).