Helicopter Pilot & Diving???

[BITE ME]

I'm thinking of a career change.... I want to know is it safe to fly a helicopter after diving?? I've heard yes & no... does anyone have a firm answer with a source??

 

[cummings66]

Depends on your dive. There's nothing different between your heli and my plane except that I might tend to fly a little higher than you, but you can fly higher as well if you so chose to.

I'd say the guidelines suggest 18 to 24 hours between diving and flying, it doesn't say plane or heli but it does assume you'll be higher than a few thousand feet. Keep it low and you'll be fine as long as you're not maxed out.

I'm not a doctor, so the best advice is to say follow guidelines and don't fly for 18 to 24 hours. My instructor is a medic on a heli and he flies after diving which is why I said the above, he's lived so far.

No guarantee's though.

 

[Falco]

There are two aspects of the question when regarding the time spent on surface before a flight from a pilot's point of view : the medical one and the legal one. Although you may be OK to fly from a medical stand point, it would be illegal for you to do so. This point becomes even more important if your flying commercially since the repercussions of your actions will not only affect you, but the passengers you are responsible for. You should look up the FARs regarding SCUBA diving and any possible further restrictions contained in the operation manual of your company.

 

[AmtrakEngineer]

How about driving choochoo trans? LOL

 

[DandyDon]

Removing my post on the grounds that I had no idea what I was talking about. :silly:

Skip to next post - very good.

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[Bill51]

To follow the letter of the law, you need to show you understand the FAA opinion of safe flying after diving which is summarized in the AIM 8-1-3 D

d. Decompression Sickness After Scuba Diving.

1. A pilot or passenger who intends to fly after scuba diving should allow the body sufficient time to rid itself of excess nitrogen absorbed during diving. If not, decompression sickness due to evolved gas can occur during exposure to low altitude and create a serious inflight emergency.

2. The recommended waiting time before going to flight altitudes of up to 8,000 feet is at least 12 hours after diving which has not required controlled ascent (nondecompression stop diving), and at least 24 hours after diving which has required controlled ascent (decompression stop diving). The waiting time before going to flight altitudes above 8,000 feet should be at least 24 hours after any SCUBA dive. These recommended altitudes are actual flight altitudes above mean sea level (AMSL) and not pressurized cabin altitudes. This takes into consideration the risk of decompression of the aircraft during flight.

If you’re just flying Part 91, you can use this as a guideline provided you can show you’ve taken appropriate safety steps for any deviation. I frequently fly between 6-8 hours after diving, BUT that is at an altitude not to exceed 2,000’ above the surface altitude of where I was diving, I can show that if I treated the dive as an altitude dive to the altitude I will be flying at I would still not have required a deco stop, and I use prophylactic O2 for at least 30 minutes during my surface interval.

If you’re flying Part 135, you will need to have your exception to the AIM published and approved in your operations manual. If you’re flying Part 121 – forget about getting an exception. As for flight under different FAA operational standards, I haven’t a clue, but I would assume if you were an instructor under Part 141 it would be about the same as a Part 135 exception.

The most dangerous part of the flight is probably that you’re in an aircraft where the wings are traveling considerably faster than the aircraft.

 

[Cap335]

The other part of this is the company requirment I think most of the companys, that work the gulf require 48 hrs.

Randy

 

[BITE ME]

thanks Bill51... looks like I'll ponder other careers so I can dive whenever I want.

 

[DandyDon]

thanks Bill51... looks like I'll ponder other careers so I can dive whenever I want.

Good attitude. Choose the career around the diving.

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