[NMCAVER] Helicopter charters?

[Mansur, Michael C]

Hi Donald,

 I was also on several of those flights from the Park Entrance to the
bluff overlooking the Lech entrance. We were shuttling rope and gear we
used in the rescue that was carried in a large cargo net back to the
caverns. I remember donning flights suits and that the pilot was proud
of being able to fly down into every canyon heading to the entrance. He
even was able to arrive at the site without anyone at the entrance
hearing the approaching helicopter.

Mike Mansur

-----Original Message-----
From: nmcaver-bounces at caver.net [mailto:nmcaver-bounces at caver.net] On
Behalf Of DONALD G. DAVIS
Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2008 2:39 PM
To: nmcaver at caver.net
Subject: Re: [NMCAVER] Helicopter charters?

>      Donald Davis said:
>
>>More recently I believe the rules are much tighter, but it has still
been =
>possible for authorized research teams to land in remote parts of the
Park
>
>      A few years ago Bill Stone and a small group of us considered
trying =
>to dive the sump at the back of Thunder River Cave in the Grand Canyon.
Bi=
>ll thought the only practical way to approach the problem would be to
have =
>a helicopter bring in the dive gear and a compressor.  Although we
never ma=
>de a formal application to do the dive, we got the impression from
people w=
>e talked with that a helicopter would never be allowed there.
>
>      On the other hand, extraordinary circumstances allow for
extraordinar=
>y privileges.  During Emily's rescue at Lechuguilla back in 1991, a few
of =
>us got flown from Carlsbad Caverns park headquarters out to the
Lechuguilla=
> entrance.  The feds picked up the tab for that one.  I remember
commenting=
> on the ride as we swept low over the ridges that that would be the
ideal w=
>ay to look for caves.
>
>Mark Minton

        Yes, I was on one of those Emily flights too (or properly post-
Emily, since my team was flown back out there to backpack out trash as
the
rescue event was winding up).  I don't recall that you were on the same
flight; I don't know how many flights there were.  The agencies, of
course, can always do this sort of thing if they deem it necessary,
whatever their rules for other folk.
                                                        --Donald


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