13: You’re So Fine
––––––––
THE SECOND DAY DIDN’T start until night-time and was to be the most life-threatening of all training exercises: ditching in the dark.
Flipper, the former Navy SEAL operator, was in his element. Pacing back and forth, eyeing his team of Black Hawk pilots and crew, he preached to the converted.
‘Flying in a helicopter over water is potentially very dangerous. In a survivable ditching, potentially fifteen per cent of crew and passengers will drown in a daylight accident. This increases to at least fifty per cent in a night time accident.
‘I’ll say this, fail to heed my words, and you’re as good as dead. Be protected with a life jacket and a survival suit. Be mentally and physically prepared always. Strap yourself in correctly. Stow your equipment securely. Be
