83 T ranspor tation Helicopt er Selection Helicopt er s are select ed based on the needs of an y giv en e xplo ration pr ogram It is im por tant f or com panies t o ref erence the air craf ts per f ormance section in the per tinent fight manual and discuss the air craf t capabilities with the operat or t o ensure that it can saf ely fulfll the needs of the e xploration pr ogram The type of t errain has an infuence on helicopt er selection F or instance a reconnaissancetype pr ogram ma y req uire man y land ings on irregular gr ound sur f aces with relativ ely confned landing sit es In such a case it w ould be prudent t o ha v e e x cess po w er a v ailable and a machine with relativ ely shor t r o t or blades and a high skid t o ensure suffcient gr ound co v er clearance Although similar hazar ds are present in the operation of all helicopt er s including light er models there are se v eral saf e ty im plications associat ed with the use of medium and hea vy lif ting helicopt er s Larger helicopt er s are used f or the de v elopment of v er tical ref erence slinging long line and the transpor tation of sophisticat ed e xt ernally carried electr onic eq uipment Due t o this increased r o t or do wn w ash and possibly more confusion in the landing or loading area is more common Some operat or s pr o vide loadmast er specialists as cre w member s who are giv en the responsibility f or organizing and positioning loads In the ab sence of a loadmast er it is essential that e xploration per sonnel ha v e clearly defned saf e ty responsibilities and authority A viation Threats t o Saf e ty Air craf t ca n be in v olv ed in accidents or incidents whe ther on the gr ound or in the air The f ollo wing hazards and mitigations are recommended Landing sit es airfeld inspections adeq uat e length of landing sit e A dv er se w eather VFR minimums cold w eather training w eather training Incorrect lo ading passenger w eights cargo w eights w eight and balance