CASA’s helicopter passenger information exists because the aircraft has parts you must not befriend: the tail rotor, the main rotor disc if you are tall and the ground is sloped, and the blast of downwash that turns a hat into a projectile.
Wait
The line on the ground is not a suggestion. Children hold hands. Dogs do not belong on the pad. Selfies wait.
Be seen
Pilots need to know you exist. Approaching from the front or the side they briefed is how they keep you in the windscreen. The tail boom is a quiet murderer of good days. Do not take a shortcut behind the tail to “stay out of the photo.”
Downwash
Rotor wash lifts dust, water, unsecured tripods and the picnic rug someone thought was cute. Hold the child’s hat. Better: no hat.
After landing
The ritual repeats in reverse. Belts on until told. Walk the same path. The next group’s excitement is not a reason to recross the disc.
Read the long sequence in what to expect. This article is the one paragraph you should still hear in your head when the headset is not yet on.
Questions people ask
Which way do I walk to the helicopter?
The way the briefing and the marshaller say — typically in the pilot’s view, away from the tail. If you have not been waved, you do not walk.
Sources and further reading
Facts on this page were checked against these primary and official sources. Conditions change — confirm before you travel or buy.
- Scenic and joy flights — CASA
- Rules for scenic flights — CASA
- ATSB — Australian Government
