[tomesaiote]

Eurocontrol posts skysail warning
By John Croft

Eurocontrol is alerting aviation authorities worldwide of potential new collision threats due to ships that have begun experimenting with large high-flying kites or sails for auxiliary propulsion.

The action comes after a 15 September incident in which an aircraft descending over the southern North Sea reported seeing a kite or sail flying at approximately 305m (1,000ft) height "just below the clouds" ahead of a ship as it headed into port. Eurocontrol has not revealed the type or operation of the aircraft involved.

"It was attached to the vessel and was in the flight path of the aircraft as it headed towards a nearby installation," the agency reports in a safety warning message issued today. "The 'skysail' was extended on a long cable and was moving around the vessel in an erratic manner."

Officials later determined that the ship in question is "the first in a line of experimental vessels using skysails to supplement the traditional propulsion units".


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[SarPilot]

CHC Helicopter Safety Alert Area:
Southern North Sea Date of Incident: 15 Sep 09
Operation: CHC Netherlands Incident
Location: Offshore
Title: Threat to Aviation from Skysails Brief Account of Events: The aircraft was descending to the operating area in the Dutch sector and identified a large kite/skysail flying ahead of the vessel and at around 1000 ft (just below the clouds). It was attached to the vessel 'Theseus' (operated by the Wessels company) and was in the flightpath of the aircraft as it headed towards a nearby installation. The 'skysail' was extended on a long cable and was moving around the vessel in an erratic manner. The vessel can be seen in the picture below with the skysail circled in red. The approximate line of the cable has also been marked on the picture. Details of the vessel, its location and the potential threat to aviation posed by the ‘kite’ were passed to the local ATC unit and onwards to the Coastguard. The crew advised another nearby platform that the vessel was moving towards their operating area and also informed base operations as soon as possible. Further research has shown that this is one of the first in a line of ‘experimental’ vessels using ‘skysails’ to supplement the traditional propulsion units.
Findings: Root Cause(s) (Preliminary Findings): The introduction of new, ‘environmentally-friendly’ propulsion methods posing a potential threat to aviation.
CHC’s Response: The following actions must be adhered to: The issue has been raised with the Dutch Coastguard and the Regulatory Authorities to allow them to consider the issue in broader terms. Interim solutions will be explored to identify the potential threat posed by this specific vessel when operating under Skysail within the Southern North Sea. For now, all crews are to be aware of the existence of this threat and should report any sightings through the local ATC frequency to allow other aviation assets to be made aware. In addition, events such as those described are to be reported using the CHC Safety & Quality Integrated Database (SQID). For absolutely every decision we make, safety must be the first consideration!" Sylvain Allard, President and CEOThis information does not supersede any Company or OEM manual Safety Information Only
CHCSA-200X-0X

Cumprimentos,
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