401135
W. J. Stanley
H. Pratt, M.D,
1 December 1978
Page Two
Te speak more directly to the question that Harry Brown presented
yesterday, I am very much opposed to basing a light helicoptor aboard our
chartered vessel for the January-Sebruary medical survey.
I have a number of
_Yeasons for taking this position, but first I think it would be wise for me to
outline my qualifications for making these observations and recommendations.
_’ For 30 years I was a Haval aviator as well as a Haval physician and
flight surgeon.
For the first 11 years of that periodIL was solely a Naval
aviator and had rather extensive experience with helicoptors.
During my period
of shipboard duty aboard several Forrestaliclass carriers, first as a Junior
Medical Officer and then as a Senior Medical Officer, it was my responsibility
to assure safety of flight, particularly in helicoptor areas, both landing on
the flight deck of large carriers and in support of surface ships of the size
of destroyers.: I am thoroughly familiar with the problems associated with
light helicoptor support of small shipa. I have a long list of references of
accident reports involving attempts to support light helicopoors on small
vessels,
This is an extremely hazardous operation even under ideal conditions.
The period of the medical survey includes the rougheat weather of the
year and we can almost guarantee 30-knot winds and rough seas throughout the
entire survey.
Ssisthaleurvay leader and medical officer in charge of this
survey, I will not accept the responsibility for the hazards presented by
a helicoptor operating off the ship.
A compounding problem which I suggested to Harry and which apparently
has not been considered in the past, is the fact that Kwajalein, as a highly
restricted military area, has some very stringent rules concerning overflights
by privete aircraft.
There would have to be some very significant modi-
fications of their present security measures to allow any private overflights.
Agaiu, I have no advanca warning as to when there might be iucoming missiles
into the Kwajalein test range, and there would have to be constant conmunication
between the ship at sea and the Kwajalein operations center so that a
private helicoptor didn't stray into an area of tncoming missiles.
All of these problems I'm afraid would interfere with the basic mission
of this ship which is the support of the DOE Medical Program during this
tima frame. JZ would sugzest that if Mr. Otterman has potentially pressing
business obligations in some other area that he has two options:
(1) he can
appoint a suitable surrogate to solve those problems for him while he is
aboard the ship; or (2) he can wake arrangements for a private charter,
{ixed wing aireraft to pick him up landing in the lagoon of either Utirik or
Kwajalein.
As each dey unfoldd and we come face to face with new and more unusual
requests
(demands)
from Mr. Otterman regarding the details of this charter
arrangement, I find myself more and move skeptical about the future renewal
of this contract.
I assume that the previous administrative arrangements
concerning the control of the vessel, schedule, and the disposttion of the
veasel in port will be as it hag been in the past with our previous vessel
5008133
Gala
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