Safety Guidelines

Here are some general safety guidelines for helicopter passengers flying with St. Lucia Helicopters, or any other operator. Delia Lewis, one of the Company's staff, demonstrates. If you would like to download a copy of the Company's approved passenger briefing card, click here.

The biggest fear helicopter operators have is of a passenger walking into the tail rotor blades while they are spinning. The tail rotor is low enough that even a small child could get struck, and they spin so fast that they are tough to see. As a rule, never, ever walk towards the back of a running helicopter.

In the picture, the main rotor blades are stopped and are drooping down a little. When they are running, they flatten out onto a level plane called the main rotor disc. With the AS350 AStar helicopter, you should approach and depart from the helicopter aware of the rotor disc. As long as you are on level ground, you needn't duck unless you are exceptionally tall. Nonetheless, never walk uphill away from a helicopter, never walk downhill towards a helicopter, and never carry anything over your head such as a Delia demonstrates. This includes children on your shoulders.
Should you be in a helicopter that is making an emergency landing, grab your knees to lower your profile and take some of the shock of a overly hard landing off of your spine. You should also remove eyeglasses and stow loose items (which was obviously not done with the glasses in this picture!).

You probably have heard of an Emergency Locator Transmitter. It is the orange thing in the nose of this helicopter. It is designed to switch on after a hard thump but can also be easily removed from its harness and switched on manually. Search and Rescue satellites operated by the Americans will pick up the signal and advise the St. Lucian Authorities where to look. If you are ever in an accident in the middle of nowhere, it is important to stay near the aircraft unless other hazards preclude this option.

A first aid kit, is located under the pilot's seat, and a fire extinguisher on the back of the pilot seat .

Not shown above are some other, simple safety concerns which virtually every traveller knows. They include, the use of seat belts, the inflation of life vests, the use of fire extinguishers, and how to open a door. They are demonstrated by ground staff prior to flight.