WwW. J. Stanley H. Pratt, 4D. tte = . , . So! ‘ . . 1 Decambar 1973 eo. Raga Tuo - (5rentseta.dicectlyte to‘the: question. thar, Harry, Brown. prasentad om: h- opposed to-basing-a light: helicoptor abeard our --Gitarad vessél_ for the January-Sebruary medical survey. T havea nubar of .¥8asons for taking this poaition, but first. 1 think it would. ha. wisa for nz to outline my qualttications|forr making these observations, and recommendations, For 30 years 1.‘Was a: Hava. aviator|a3. ‘welt as 4 Haval physician and - flight surgeon. For the first 11 years of that period<I was solely.a Naval aviator and had rather: extengiva axperience with helicoptors. During ny pextod of shipboard duty aboard saveral Forrestaliclaas.carriers, firet as.a Junior Madical Officer and then as a Senior Medical Officer, it.was my responsibiit: to assure safety of. flight, particularly | in helicoptor areas, both landiz, on. the flight deck‘gilarge.carziers. and in pupport of surface ships of the sas Tt ; ax he mes : ar?Rttdent reports involving atteempta to support light: heliconhors on small Vessels. This is an extremelyhazardous operation even under ideal conditions, : eT The period of the medical survey includes the roughest weather of the year and-we can almost guarantee 30-knot winds and rough seas throughout the entire survey...Aiighe_surveyleadar and medical officer in charge of this survey, Igwill not accept the responsibility for the hazards presented by a helicoptor operating orf 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 vary astringent rules concerning overfl!shrs by private aircraft. There would have to be some very significant modifications of thelr present security measures to allowany private overfligh:s. Again, I hava no advance warning ag to whan there might be incoming missiles into the Kwajalein test range, and there would have to be constant conaunicitlon between the ship at sea and the Kwajalein operations center so that a private helicoptor didn't stray into an avea of incoming missiles. All of these problems I'm afraid would interfere with the basic mission of this ship which is the support of tha DOE Medical Program during this tine frane. I would suggest that if Mr. Otterman has potentially prassing 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 make arrangements for « privata charter, fixed wing aireraft to pick him up landing in the lagoon of either Utirik or Rwajaleina. As each day unfoldd and we come face to face with new and more unusual requesta (demands) from Hr. Otterman regarding the details of this chartor arrangement, I find myself more and mone skeptical about the future renewal of this contract. I assume that the previous administrative arrangements concerning tha control of the vassel, schedula, and tha disposttion of tha veasal in port will be as it has been in the past with our previous vossel 7