Rappelling from an Mi-24 or Mi-8...

[Chops]

Strange question I know but has anyone done it/heard of it being done? If so could you please pass on any details of the tie off method?

rgds

Chops

[OzMan]

Umm...specifically what are you talking about? Do you mean stopping in the middle of the rappel, tying off, and hanging hands-free? Or something else?

I have experience in rappelling, but nothing from a helo.

Hope I can help...

[GazB]

I've never actually seen anyone abseil out of a Hind or seen any photos of this being done, though I have seen them do it out the back of an Mi-8 (with the clamshell doors taken off) and out the side where the winch is on the rescue version. No photos clear enough to see where they are tied up to though sorry.

[Chops]

Thanks GazB, thats the kind of thing I was after. Was having a discussion on Friday night about the possibilities of rappelling from a Hind and then the discussion moved to the Hip when we realised none of us had seen that either. We were interested in where the rope mountings were on both helos or in other words where folks tied off their abseil lines.

cheers

Chops

[Royal]

Chops, I've seen both Czechs and Bosnian Serbs (VRS) fast rope and abseil from Mi18 and Mi8's respectively. Both used a winch mounting above the port fusilage door. Only time I've seen either fly without the clamshells is for jumps.

Can't help you any more than that.

[GazB]

The new Mi-8MTV-5 (sometimes called Mi-17-V5) have the rear clamshell doors replaced by a powered loading ramp and one of the side doors has been widened to improve abseiling or parachuting egress speed.