Page 20 - InterPilot 2019 Issue 3

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What Went Right BY CAPTAIN JIM HEDEDAL NIELSEN

The Viking Sky Rescue Mission through the eyes of the Crew

IFALPA INTRODUCTION BY CAPTAIN DAVID ABAD
Helicopter Committee Vice-Chair

We don’t hear a lot about helicopter pilots in the media. Often, when we do, it’s because of a tragic accident. Because
of the hyper connected world we live in, we can sometimes follow the terrible events of an incident or accident in real-
time, while one of our colleagues fights for their life. The other time we hear about helicopter pilots is when one of the
crew has done something “exceptional”. Two sides of the same dramatic coin.

Despite IFALPA’s long history of supporting the helicopter pilot community, many MAs still do not count any helicopter
pilots within their membership. This could be one of the reasons why we often operate in obscurity and are unknown
within the larger IFALPA community. Unlike within airlines, there is not one central activity or operation in helicopters.
We often operate in unusual, exceptional, and unique scenarios. Helicopter pilots require a great deal of flexibility, a
high level of specialization, and rigorous training.

I am therefore pleased to present this story (straight from the crew) of one of the most unknown and rewarding spe-
cializations for helicopter pilots, Search and Rescue (SAR). I invite the reader to consider all the factors that went into
this amazing feat and the flexibility and competencies this crew displayed in order to achieve what they did, the largest
helicopter rescue ever!

David Abad served as FO on the helicopter Pesca 2 rescue of the cargo ship Modern Express in 2016. The crew of this re-
markable mission was presented with IFALPA’s Polaris Award for heroism and exceptional airmanship in 2017.

This is the story of the Viking Sky: a cruise ship carrying 1,373
people which lost power off the coast of Norway, and the helicop-
ter rescue mission that captivated the world on March 23, 2019.
The strong winds and high waves made the rescue operation CREW OF RESCUE 9
exceptionally dramatic. A second ship in the vicinity which ran into Photo: Christian Ferrer - Own work, CC BY 4.0,
trouble in the fierce weather added stakes to the already-challeng- Captain - Jim H Nielsen https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74930709
ing situation.
Copilot - Stian Nagelsen
The world watched with distress as images of the cruise ship
emerged. They followed the (social) media coverage of the awe- Hoist Operator - Ivar Lobrot
inspiring hoisting operation as it unfolded throughout the after- Rescue Man - Erlend Birkeland
noon and the into the evening, lasting the entire night. By 10:30
the next morning, 479 of the 1,373 passengers were successfully Medic - Alte Skrede
evacuated by helicopter. This makes it the largest passenger ship
rescue operation to date.

The question for the Viking Sky ship owners was undoubtedly,
“What went wrong?”. The rescue mission, however, deserves the Editor’s Note: This article was originally published by the European Cockpit Association (ECA),
opposite discussion, focusing on “What went right.” Here is the in May 2019 (www.eurocockpit.be). While the article text is the same, the introduction by
first-person account from Captain Jim H Nielsen and the crew of
Rescue 9, highlighting the impeccable organisation behind the Captain Abad has been added by IFALPA, and images and layout have been changed. Please
mission which owes its success to the competence and skills of a contact [email protected] for more information.
well-rested crew, as well as rigorous training.