Article

2007-06-01 Afghanistan

Taliban attack kills 16 Afghan policemen

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Posted by Fred 2007-06-01 00:00|| || Front Page|| [4 views ] Top

#1 I really wish we had a better heavy helicopter than the ancient Chinook. Even their pilots are fatalists because of the inherent dangers of that aircraft. It is early 1960s technology.

Posted by Anonymoose 2007-06-01 00:22|| 2007-06-01 00:22|| Front Page Top

#2 'moose,
I feel fatalistic every time I climb on board any helicopter; it's just not natural that they should be able to fly.

Posted by Glenmore">Glenmore 2007-06-01 07:12|| 2007-06-01 07:12|| Front Page Top

#3 Glenmore I recall you're in oil? Ever have to go thru the helicopter dunked in the pool training?

Posted by Shipman">Shipman 2007-06-01 10:29|| 2007-06-01 10:29|| Front Page Top

#4 Sure did, Ship. Fortunately only in the pool, and not in the Gulf. The crew of a field I was working did fish a Shell helo & crew out with our rig crane once though. Good pilot auto-rotated down right next to the (not Shell) platform.

Posted by Glenmore">Glenmore 2007-06-01 13:24|| 2007-06-01 13:24|| Front Page Top

#5 Ugh,
reason 10,394 not to get into a helicopter.

Posted by Shipman">Shipman 2007-06-01 15:22|| 2007-06-01 15:22|| Front Page Top

#6 Helicopters are the best way to get on an offshore platform. The ONLY alternatives are to jump on a 'basket' (ring with rope web) and get jerked off the deck of a heaving boat (while sometimes personally heaving) and lifted 100 feet or more up to the rig floor, or grabbing a knotted rope and swinging from that same heaving boat to a steel grate 'landing' and climbing 100' of stairs. And by 'heaving' boat I mean 4' waves are a calm day. In the Gulf - I can't even imagine the North Sea.

Posted by Glenmore">Glenmore 2007-06-01 18:02|| 2007-06-01 18:02|| Front Page Top

#7 Oh - want to learn a good trade? Become a crane operator. I worship the ground a good one walks on (because a bad one will kill you.)

Posted by Glenmore">Glenmore 2007-06-01 18:04|| 2007-06-01 18:04|| Front Page Top

#8 I'll take my chances with the heaving boats. :>

The Lord didn't talk about walking out of a Bell. Altho that would be a damn fine cartoon.

Posted by Shipman 2007-06-01 20:09|| 2007-06-01 20:09|| Front Page Top

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