Donovan Kohl is the pilot for the shift. He has extensive South African Air Force experience and is a qualified aircraft maintenance engineer. He relies heavily on the ELO to operate the hoist safely while he maintains safe flight close to the mountain.


Kohl explains that due to the proximity of the mountain and varying heights, their operations fall out of the long-line type, where the pilot would have a clear view of the hoist cable or the short-haul line for the entire process. So the communication between the pilot and ELO throughout the operation must be clear, concise and unambiguous, with no errors or misunderstandings.


Each crew eventually builds trust and understanding for other members’ operating styles, including the pilot’s special trust in the watchful eyes of the ELO.


“They (ELOs) need to have the ability to paint a clear picture for the pilot as to what they are observing and doing outside the aircraft during these critical moments, such as clearance of the rotors and tail rotor from obstructions. Any unwanted movement by the pilot could place the operation in peril, but this is often difficult to avoid due to wind, weather, and microclimates. All this takes place while the ELO is operating the hoist, so they have an extremely difficult and important task to perform,” Kohl says.


54 Nov/Dec 2022


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