Ocean alexander with helo

Well just came across this on yacht world, name seems appropriate.LOL

Very interesting for sure. Are you sure that's not a photoshop?
I know I don't want to be anywhere nearby when that thing lifts off or lands Just not enough room for error for me.

Not sure, actually saw it awhile ago and had saved it. Yeah there's ZERO room for any error, for sure!

Apparently it has a hydraulic hardtop, which I would interpret as meaning it is lowered whenever the chopper is coming or going.

But even so, I as well would not want to be anywhere near while the helicopter and vessel are tangling or disentangling themselves from each other.

Probably owned by an old Coastie pilot.
Those rotor jockies can do dang near anything!

Off Duty said:

Probably owned by an old Coastie pilot.
Those rotor jockies can do dang near anything!

Click to expand...

true....

That top would definitely have to come down almost flush as I would guess you would need at east 10 - 20 degrees rotor tilt forward to even attempt an open water landing.

Had someone not mentioned hydraulic top....I would have voted photoshop as that would seem a crazy way just to dead transport a helo....

I had not seen this on yachtworld but given the fact that it has a hydraulic hard top, I would assume they are talking about the hardtop the helo is sitting on in the photo. My thoughts would be that the top would go UP for take-offs and landings. This would make the hydraulic hardtop flush with the fly bridge hardtop making for a bigger landing pad with no obstructions to dodge.

checked yachtworld...it's the flybridge hartop that drops....the radar arch stays.

Off Duty said:

Probably owned by an old Coastie pilot.
Those rotor jockies can do dang near anything!

Click to expand...

Hydraulic top or not...that takes some nifty flying to land on that aft area...

Love to see him land in 4-6 footers, good thing those Robertson's are a lightweight pos.

maybe the pilot got some good practice like all "REAL"piots get...

210" cutters on a rough night were always my favorite...

This one doesn't even need a landing platform. Looks like some kind of hull with bilge keels and a rudder.

That sucker would probably flip right over if it was on the water and didn't have a lot of power to the rotors....

This is what a decent boat hulled helo looks like....note the LARGE floats...what it takes to stay upright in any sea....

Always felt secure flying the HH52A...with a Danforth behind one pilot and a sea anchor behind the other...even single engine from pole to pole didn't really ever bother me...

When I was on the Big "E" for her first cruise, we had a lot more room to operate the helos. (That's my ride on the right.)

That's not a real helo... this is a REAL helo.

psneeld said:

maybe the pilot got some good practice like all "REAL"piots get...

210" cutters on a rough night were always my favorite...

Click to expand...

Those photos bring back vivid memories as I was tapped to do the initial landings and flight envelope expansion for the HH65 on the 210'cutter. We pulled the operational flight envelope in about 20% as a safety margin from what we defined during those tests (fully instrumented aircraft with strain gaged struts, sink rate radar, flight control position indicators, on board data recording, etc). I coined the term "Ship/Helicopter Interface Tests", as the acronym was the most commonly used expletive after most of the landings at the edge of the envelope....pitch black, wet deck, huge seas, high winds, maximum gross weight, and aircraft ballasted to extreme limit centers of gravity.

healhustler said:

This one doesn't even need a landing platform. Looks like some kind of hull with bilge keels and a rudder.

Click to expand...

Nice work. Would that be a "planing" hull....

skidgear said:

Nice work. Would that be a planing hull....

Click to expand...

Wadaya mean "nice work". I doubt it would be a planing hull with bilge keels, but I guarantee it wouldn't be limited to hull speed. Obviously, the stabilizing sponsons have been removed for transport.

You are right. We close on this boat next week. Hardtop lowers for landng and takeoff.

Gordon

Gordon J said:

You are right. We close on this boat next week. Hardtop lowers for landng and takeoff.

Gordon

Click to expand...

Is it being sold with the Robinson helo?

No hell

FlyWright said:

Is it being sold with the Robinson helo?

Click to expand...

Unfortunately no.