Would'ya?

[catan man]

I report of Helo's droppin H2O over the meldown might work, if they had a conveyor belt of water, slingin' and droppin on a constant basis.

I would contribute if only, we had enough planes to continuously drop. Of course until containment is, and all that shit... How's everybody doin? Honestly, to me, it's another reminder of like, "knocks on the door."

[BE20 Driver]

Absolutely.

I'm a fixed wing guy but if I flew a water bomber or something I'd be volunteering for that too. I have been watching the news. My heart breaks just watching the devastation over there. If there were any way I could help out I would. I wish there were something I could do above donating a couple of days pay to the Red Cross. The way I see it, we are all citizens of one planet.

Without hesitation.

[The Mole]

Just to put things perspective, there have been 900+ nuclear explosion on american soil. NOBODY worried about those. THis doesn't include other counties nuclear tests.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada_Tes ... _Test_Site

I don't think the heli crews form Chernobyl, lived very long after. And the air drops of sand made no difference. Running into a fire to play hero is stupid way to die.

http://blog.kievukraine.info/uploaded_i ... 739503.jpg

[catan man]

You rock!


This brings me to 2 options.

Begin a new way, or the other is, to sit around and see what happens next. It kinda kills me too. Wouldn't it be great to know, in this site and how much the whole of Canadian pilots have a root here in this site, and we were able to help?

Running into a fire to play hero is stupid way to die.

This is the other side I feel as well.

[Beefitarian]

I was packing a duffel bag until The Mole got here.

[BE20 Driver]

I'm not saying that I would run into a burning building just to see what it is like on the inside. I do advocate for trying something rather than sitting around and watching the plant melt down. If they're at the point where they need helicopters then it's because someone further up the chain has decided that this is the next most viable way to keep the plant cool until they can get alternate cooling systems up and running.

In this particular case, we're no where near Chernobyl levels. I was listening to CBC on the way home from the airport yesterday. They're saying that the amount of radiation is about the amount any normal person would receive from the environmental background over a two year period. Some radiologist was estimating that it would raise the chance of developing a cancer by 2%.

One thing that definitely sets Japanese people apart from their western counterparts is the concept of society. From birth they are taught that they are a part of a bigger group and that everyone works together to help each other out and move the team forward. Here in the west, I am guessing that most people would say no way man - I've got too much to loose. Over there, someone would likely think about what they as an individual can do to help their neighbours out and prevent a bad situation from getting worse.

Perhaps I'm odd but as I get older, I start to consider my contribution to my society. I have been to Japan before and as I age, I understand where they are coming from on this one. If I could take a calculated risk to assist my brothers and sisters out I'll do it. I don't want to be a hero, just someone who makes a useful contribution.

[Beefitarian]

Darn it BE20. Who's got a 182 water bomber? I'll get my headset, knee board and some clothes. I'm ready to get on this thing before it splits wide open. Let's roll!

[catan man]

Darn it BE20. Who's got a 182 water bomber? I'll get my headset, knee board and some clothes. I'm ready to get on this thing before it splits wide open. Let's roll!

Cute.

Guy who flys the 200, has a passion. *****

[Inverted2]

If you ever get the chance, watch a documentary on the Chernobyl disaster, its 2 hrs long and I got it off bittorrent. It talks about the helo crews who dropped the sand and stuff on the reactor. Within a month hundreds of the guys were dead from radiation sickness. Was quite an eye opening show.

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-battle-of-chernobyl/

[Beefitarian]

Well of course I'm kidding around a bit Catan but...

Check me out on the plane (I said 182 because that wouldn't take long) and set it up so I can legaly volunteer and I'd go for three weeks. I need a cot, two squares and a lunch per day. Four year old day care and 8 year old before and after school supervision would be a welcomed bonus.

[cdnpilot77]

In this particular case, we're no where near Chernobyl levels. I was listening to CBC on the way home from the airport yesterday. They're saying that the amount of radiation is about the amount any normal person would receive from the environmental background over a two year period. Some radiologist was estimating that it would raise the chance of developing a cancer by 2%.

They also said the air quality was good at ground zero in the post 9/11 aftermath, but:

The dust from the collapsed towers was "wildly toxic", according to air pollution expert and University of California Davis Professor Emeritus Thomas Cahill.[2] The thousands of tons of toxic debris resulting from the collapse of the Twin Towers consisted of more than 2,500 contaminants,[3] more specifically: 50% non-fibrous material and construction debris; 40% glass and other fibers; 9.2% cellulose; and 0.8% of the extremely toxic carcinogen asbestos, as well as detectable amounts of [4] lead, and mercury. There were also unprecedented levels of dioxin and PAHs from the fires which burned for three months.[5] Many of the dispersed substances (asbestos, crystalline silica, lead, cadmium, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) are carcinogenic; other substances can trigger kidney, heart, liver and nervous system deterioration. This was well known by the EPA at the time of collapse.[3]

Here was a statment released from the EPA on Sept. 18th

Early statement by Christine Todd Whitman
On September 18, 2001, EPA administrator Christine Todd Whitman told the public, via a press release, "We are very encouraged that the results from our monitoring of air-quality and drinking-water conditions in both New York and near the Pentagon show that the public in these areas is not being exposed to excessive levels of asbestos or other harmful substances" and that "Given the scope of the tragedy from last week, I am glad to reassure the people of New York … that their air is safe to breathe and the water is safe to drink."[12]

Net result:

An ongoing Pennsylvania State University/Monmouth University study reported that respiratory illnesses grew by more than two hundred percent in the year and a half after the September 11 attacks. (This was the first study that monitored police officers at the Ground Zero site. It was published in the "Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.") In this study of 471 police officers, 19 percent of the officers in October 2001 experienced shortness of breath; 44 percent of the officers experienced shortness of breath in April 2003. The percentage of the 471 officers coughing up phlegm increased from 14 percent in October 2001 to 31 percent in 2003.[20]

[sanjet]

In all seriousness, I feel for the workers at the plant knowing it might be a suicide mission to prevent a total meltdown. I hope the country will take care of their families.

[cdnpilot77]

In all seriousness, I feel for the workers at the plant knowing it might be a suicide mission to prevent a total meltdown. I hope the country will take care of their families.

Agreed!!!

[SII]

If only there was a place that trained crazy pilots that would set off on a one way mission. kinda like kamakazies

[catan man]

In all seriousness, I feel for the workers at the plant knowing it might be a suicide mission to prevent a total meltdown. I hope the country will take care of their families.

Agreed!!!

*****

[BE20 Driver]

Passionate? Maybe. I'm actually quite disappointed in myself for not having reacted with the same level of passion to the earthquake in New Zealand. To me, Japan is on a whole other scale though.

I spent a good part of my early career flying medevacs so here's an example that I'm familiar with. You have had a busy day. You've been up since early morning because you couldn't sleep. You have flown earlier in the evening when another call comes in at 11 PM. There's an atopic pregnancy that has ruptured. You have just enough time in your duty day to get this patient back to civilization and duty out there. It means flying all night and staying awake for 30 hours. Guess what. The weather is crap. 1/2 mile vis with 100 ft VV. Just to make things worse, the winds are a direct crosswind and are over the limit. To boot, the CRFI is really low. Both the baby and the mother will not live unless you get them to a surgical hospital.

There's clearly an increased risk that the crew will be in an accident. Is this situation all that different than the one in Japan? It's a risk but a calculated one. Instead of helping two people though, you're helping 150 000 people who have already suffered quite a lot.

It's a person's deeds, not their words that will tell you about that person's character. I'm putting my money where my mouth is on this one because it's all I can do. I donated a few days pay to the Red Cross. I'm encouraging everyone on here to do the same - even a few dollars will make a difference. Let's all show some compassion for our fellow man.

[r22captain]

I spent a good part of my early career flying medevacs so here's an example that I'm familiar with. You have had a busy day. You've been up since early morning because you couldn't sleep. You have flown earlier in the evening when another call comes in at 11 PM. There's an atopic pregnancy that has ruptured. You have just enough time in your duty day to get this patient back to civilization and duty out there. It means flying all night and staying awake for 30 hours. Guess what. The weather is crap. 1/2 mile vis with 100 ft VV. Just to make things worse, the winds are a direct crosswind and are over the limit. To boot, the CRFI is really low. Both the baby and the mother will not live unless you get them to a surgical hospital.

In the above you're trying to kill 2 innocent people because you;re trying to be a hero, and not manning up and calling in sick due to insufficient rest. Any good EMS operation will not tell you what you're going for beyond a weight of pax.

The pilots in Japan are on a different scale of disaster.

[The Mole]

Passionate? Maybe. I'm actually quite disappointed in myself for not having reacted with the same level of passion to the earthquake in New Zealand. To me, Japan is on a whole other scale though.

I spent a good part of my early career flying medevacs so here's an example that I'm familiar with. You have had a busy day. You've been up since early morning because you couldn't sleep. You have flown earlier in the evening when another call comes in at 11 PM. There's an atopic pregnancy that has ruptured. You have just enough time in your duty day to get this patient back to civilization and duty out there. It means flying all night and staying awake for 30 hours. Guess what. The weather is crap. 1/2 mile vis with 100 ft VV. Just to make things worse, the winds are a direct crosswind and are over the limit. To boot, the CRFI is really low. Both the baby and the mother will not live unless you get them to a surgical hospital.

There's clearly an increased risk that the crew will be in an accident. Is this situation all that different than the one in Japan? It's a risk but a calculated one. Instead of helping two people though, you're helping 150 000 people who have already suffered quite a lot.

It's a person's deeds, not their words that will tell you about that person's character. I'm putting my money where my mouth is on this one because it's all I can do. I donated a few days pay to the Red Cross. I'm encouraging everyone on here to do the same - even a few dollars will make a difference. Let's all show some compassion for our fellow man.

What kind of 1970's medivac out fit you work for. The condition of patient shouldn't be the deciding factor or passed onto the pilots. If you crash then the you the co-pilot, medics, mother, baby, all die. Sooooo think about that. Medivacs are not about hero shit.

BTW I do long ling rescues in the mountain routinely and shock trauma medivacs for BCAS. I watched Kelwona burn down and counted my money. I've also slung a few Body's out of the woods. Call me a psycho path, but its all about me first, when im flying. If its beyond my limits. Sorry mate, natures cruel and death is part of life.

Bucketing on a reactor is a calculated risk, absolutely. Im sure they where advised by a few people.

[r22captain]

What kind of 1970's medivac out fit you work for

^Thanks!
that's what I really wanted to say

[BE20 Driver]

I don't see this as a heroic kamikaze mission. I would do it because it needed to be done. I would do it because I possessed a set of skills that could help my neighbours and my countrymen. I have no motivation beyond helping out.

There's an interesting article in the Japanese news indicating that officials decided that spraying had to be done. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/17_24.html
Here's another one that gives more info on the precautions taken and the potential long term affects. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/18_12.html

The information may not be complete but from what I can read online, it seems as if enough precautions are being taken and therefore the benefit to the people of Sendai definitely out weigh the risk. I know not everyone will agree with me.

My example, while clearly the worst case scenario, was only to illustrate that we all take calculated risks every day. I have a family to go home to on my time off. This is the basis of my decision making and if you ask the people I fly with I'm quite conservative. It was just an example of any number of things that can increase your risk on any given flight.

I have worked at two outfits that did medevac flying. Only one of them ever pushed crews to get'r'done. I didn't stay there very long. Neither company gave out patient info beyond gender and number of escorts. Not only can it affect decision making but it is confidential medical info. I was just making a point. On a side note though, if anyone called in sick because the call came in past their bed time, he or she wouldn't last long as a medevac pilot. Most medevac flights come in around 9 PM to 1 AM (that was my experience).

I found medevac flying in the north to be real challenging. I'm glad I got my start doing it though as I really found it rewarding. At the end of the day, I can say that we made a real difference in people's lives.

[r22captain]

....edited....

Best of luck to the drivers in Japan......unimaginable circumstances

http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/C ... ?id=137625

[cooty monster]

I remember when I did my first medevac...

[2R]

They should ask the beancounter who did not approve the earth quake proofing of these reactors to volunteer to stand next to the reactors until they stop poisoning the world.And send his family into the plant as well and apologise to all those people who will die because of his/her stupidity.