No Wonder the 'Defence' budget Skyrockets

[makapaaa]

Posted on 05 Apr 2012
Why use heavy-lift chopper Chinook to rescue just one person?

A Chinook helicopter landed on a field at National University of Singapore (NUS) yesterday (Apr 4) after evacuating one man off a ship in the South China Sea. This got STOMPer GeeWunSandStorm.wondering why the Chinook was activated for just one casualty.

According to a report on mypaper, the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) aircraft was activated to evacuate a man on board a commercial vessel in the South China Sea before making the landing on a field at the university at around 9.08am.

A person on stretcher-like equipment was then seen being transferred to an ambulance nearby, which drove off towards the National University Hospital (NUH).

The STOMPer, who came across this news report, was baffled as to why the RSAF would call up a Chinook for such a mission since the smaller Super Puma helicopters are the ones usually used for rescue missions like these.

STOMPer GeeWunSandStorm wrote:

"I can't say for sure, but my understanding is that for rescue missions, the Super Puma chopper is usually the aircraft most likely to be activated unless there's a massive amount of casualties or injuries.

"In this case, there was only one injured personnel so was there really a need to send a Chinook helicopter down?

"Touch wood but what if there was a more dire situation with a high amount of casualties elsewhere and there wasn't the standby Chinook to fly there?"

According to online sources, a RSAF Super Puma helicopter would only be used in sea rescue missions of up to 150 nautical miles from Singapore.

Check out the gallery below for photos of the Chinook in action in various operations.




Click on thumbnails for larger image

 

[CheongSam]

Maybe the chinook was near that area mah.

 

[breaknews]

Do you use an ambulance to pickup a sick person or you send an airbus 380?

 

[CheongSam]

Do you use an ambulance to pickup a sick person or you send an airbus 380?

What if it was one of your family members?

 

[Cestbon]

Just assume it as training since . If not they will not have any chance until chinook rusty.

 

[Papsmearer]

The only possible explanation is range. Perhaps the ship was too far off shore for a Puma to reach with the minimum fuel allowance. Chinook range is much further, especially if the weather is bad.

 

[chonburifc]

Stomper must be a RSAF pilot reject.

 

[johnny333]

I thought the Gecko is gone & the old man is confined to his bed. Maybe some minor bureaucrate got ill while holidaying nearby

 

[vamjok]

out in sea leh, that fellow think puma can reach ar talk cock

 

[Varuna]

The bill must be expensive. Who pays?

 

[Cestbon]

The bill must be expensive. Who pays?

Small matter just deduct cost from training budget.

 

[Varuna]

Small matter just deduct cost from training budget.

Looks like it. From the picture, the distress call came from a cruise ship. I wonder what kind of transport vehicle they would send if the distress call came from a small fishing trawler.

 

[wikiphile]

The bill must be expensive. Who pays?

Your tax dollars and mine bro. I want to reiterate this point, be glad our emergency services is funded by public money, you will feel damn fucked up when you need to fork out your own money for the same services that was supposed to be public funded (i.e. Indonesia/Cambodia/thailand)

 

[wikiphile]

Looks like it. From the picture, the distress call came from a cruise ship. I wonder what kind of transport vehicle they would send if the distress call came from a small fishing trawler.

If its within our territorial waters, a super puma/chinook/cougar. If its a Singapore flagged vessel off port limits, maybe a seahawk. But the seahawks we bought for the frigates were not originally configured for that Search And Rescue (SAR) role.

 

[steffychun]

Next time, when you are stranded and see a Chinook, will you complain?

 

[shenlong]

The bill must be expensive. Who pays?

I heard from my friend a heli evacuation from a malfunction cruise last time costs 30k to bring back to Singapore. If SAF cheaper, why not? Unless got insurance cover sia. If not, GG!

 

[looneytan]

Do you use an ambulance to pickup a sick person or you send an airbus 380?

Hooii, we used to send Big Top, Ok !

 

[Varuna]

Your tax dollars and mine bro. I want to reiterate this point, be glad our emergency services is funded by public money, you will feel damn fucked up when you need to fork out your own money for the same services that was supposed to be public funded (i.e. Indonesia/Cambodia/thailand)

But I heard call ambulance service need to pay ambulance transport service charge. ($40 or $50 like that?) That's why I am curious if this case the air lift is chargeable to the victim or caller. But I think this sort of thing better be public funded, else the victim if were too poor to afford, would rather immediately skydive off the helicopter and swim to shore than to foot the bill.

 

[scroobal]

By convention all countries absorb the costs when it involves rescue out at sea. There has been considerable debate over yachtmens who circumnagivate as their rescue in the Southern Ocean requires considerable costs such as spotting aircraft, ships and heli from ships due to range. It can go into millions. What is not known is sometimes Billionaires who have private jets with long range fuel for their trips are requested the use of their craft and this is normally given - no charge.

But I heard call ambulance service need to pay ambulance transport service charge. ($40 or $50 like that?) That's why I am curious if this case the air lift is chargeable to the victim or caller. But I think this sort of thing better be public funded, else the victim if were too poor to afford, would rather immediately skydive off the helicopter and swim to shore than to foot the bill.