June 13, 2009

  • Learning to use the damn thing

    Figured out how to add targets or remove then from my radar screen.  Doesn't seem to difficult but I know theres still a lot for me to learn.  I can't believe the number of boats out here in just the 50 mile range.  and we're far from any ports.  Work going on al around us. 

    Getting a chuckle listening to all the boats jockying for a spot under the crane.  Evrybody has something important.  Guess the boat costing us 250K a day has the muscle to get in first.

June 12, 2009

  • hello all

    I was offline for the last 6 weeks taking care of business at home.  Good to be back online so it will take me a bit to read all the missed messages and postings. 

    also want to welcome the new friends.  i'll be happy to leave comments when i get a chance to.

April 24, 2009

April 16, 2009

April 9, 2009

March 31, 2009

March 26, 2009

March 25, 2009

  • Helicopters grounded

    There was a recent crash of a helicopter in which 17 people died and only 1 survivor.  My company uses the same helicopter and has grounded them..  Though we don't fly in waters as cold as offshore Canada, it still forces you to think about the possibilities.  The rumor going around is that a bolt was found with cracks in it.  On the same piece of equipment that the pilot of the doomed helicopter was describing in his mayday message.

      I haven't flown in this particular type helicopter before but I will be beginning in July.  When I was somewhat younger I never gave it thought that I was occassionally riding along on birds that some jokingly called "deathstars"  not because people had lost there lives in accidents with it but it was the times.  That helicopter had a high accident rate.  thankfully they have long since been phased out. 

    But with oil companies going futher offshore and using larger aircraft carrying more people to be more efficient,  It just seems to me that while the rate of exposure may be lower, the significance of an incident goes way up.  My heart goes out to the families of those impacted by this tragedy.  And for those unfamiliar with the industry, I saw that there was one 26 yr old female who died and whose body was actually found early during the search & rescue.  There could have easily been others.  There will be when I resume flying offshore!

March 23, 2009