Anyone with experience of pontoon helicopters?

[reiver33]

A bit of a rarefied subject I know!

In a novella I have an Agusta 109 fitted with flotation pontoons land in Paddington Basin to pick someone up. As this is an impromptu mission the crew have to snag the jetty using a rope-and-grapple and pull themselves in close so that their passengers can climb aboard.

But is this feasible?

I used to sail and remember the difficulty in manhandling craft at close quarters, but at least the water was their natural medium. Would cumbersome pontoons make the helicopter too much dead weight to move?

Any feedback appreciated!

Martin

 

[ralphkern]

Look up RAST (recovery assistance) systems. They're how helicopters recover themselves to the decks of ships. Maybe some opportunity there.

 

[j.grey]

It would work. The pontoon is hollow, it's a float and the helicopter is necessarily light. It would take some physical strength so I'd emphasise the effort in your writing.

 

[AnyaKimlin]

You probably have already but when it comes to birds I find YouTube answers a lot of questions - it might be worth trying for you. I've also found most that post videos are happy to engage and answer any questions you might have.