Comments on: Hot refueling

By: Pete Pelayic

Pete Pelayic — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 08:35:14 +0000

Seeing as this is the 1st of Oct. I am a bit behind the response curve, but here goes anyway. I have hot-refueled both piston and turbine helicopters over some several thousand hours of fliying. During that time, utilizing proper grounding techniques and not spraying fuel all over the place, was able to successfully and safely accomplish this task. Similiar to hot-loading/offloading of a patient in the HEMS market, it boils down the operational “necessity” of the task. many arguments can be made for and against the practice. I can’t speak to the GOM but I can speak to remote are operations, that in the event you can’t get the aircraft started again, where you shut down is where you might just remain. However I must agree with the comments left by, “Grumpy, “CW” and “Emmett”, the risk of a passenger stumbling into a turning main/tail rotor is far more likely to happen.

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 23:26:18 +0000

Thanks for the NFPA resource Tim. It’s deffinitly a “hot” topic with some people about the safty Vs benefit of this practice.

By: Emmett Carson

Emmett Carson — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 03:59:29 +0000

After flying in the Gulf of Mexico since 1970 and rapid refueling hundreds of times, I have never seen an accident caused by this method of fuel transfer. The only catastrophic fuel spillages I’ve ever observed have been caused by single point pressure fuel nozzles separating from hoses; once on a North American Sabreliner that was shut down, and secondly, a Marine corps CH-46 helicopter that was also shut down. As “Grumpy” stated on 8-26-2011 the most dangerous part of the proposal is to deplane and enplane passengers in order to refuel. High winds and weather in the Gulf tip the scales in favor of keeping the engine running and the passengers on board. Could there be a catastrophe? Certainly. But the risks of confused passenger briefings and multiple startups in gusty winds far outweigh a dictum that relies on a pitifully anemic case study basis and a lack of history of events that this dictum is supposed to prevent.

By: CW

CW — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 21:55:58 +0000

Have been hot-fueling for years (turbine) and although not the preferred method, can and is done daily. I wonder if a true study was done to compare how many fuel fires occur with “cold” fueling v “hot” fueling or if there enough incidents to obtain accurate data. Or is this a “looks bad” therefore has to be. Sometimes the mission demands a quick turn-a-round and is best suited with a hot-fuel by those that have been trained. I have to agree with Grumpy as to more injuries will occur with all that activity around a running Copter…

By: grumpy

grumpy — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 21:01:43 +0000

Seems to me, the most dangerous part of the operation would be the de-boarding and re-boarding of the passengers with the rotors turning per item 2.

By: Robert (Bob) Pillion

Robert (Bob) Pillion — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 14:21:14 +0000

after 10,000 plus hours in helicopters with 15 years offshore where we always hot refueled if someone was available to pump the fuel and another 20 years in the Army where hot refueling was done on a selective basis, I can say that I never had or saw an incident where the refueling became dangerous.

By: pdxpilot

pdxpilot — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 14:14:26 +0000

Good info – just one more way to get in trouble in a helicopter. In our business Huma External Cargo is a hot topic – would be interested to hear your thoughts on this issue.

By: Jim Borger

Jim Borger — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 19:28:09 +0000

I have hot refueled since I started flying turbines in 66. It is safe and so simple that after a briefing by the pilot a passenger can do it. I sometimes fly in winds offshore that do not allow shutting down. After I started flying a crewed aircraft the pilot in the right seat would do the fueling but before that I flew several thousand hours using the passengers to refuel without incident. I could relate a story about a passenger, not mine, that screwed up but I can also relate a story about a refueler, who’s sole job was refuling helicopters, screwing up.