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Emergency float system tested on Chopper 7

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RENTON, Wash. — For those viewers who love choppers, here’s some interesting video of a test of Chopper 7’s emergency float deployment system.

If an in-flight emergency required the helicopter to land in water, the pilot can trigger the system which causes floats on the chopper skids to inflate.

Chopper 7 mechanic Terry Parrish and pilot Jamie Hansen provided some facts about the system.

  • A test of the system is conducted every three years.
  • As part of the test, the floats must hold pressure overnight.  They are deflated and put back in the "float bags" attached to the helicopter skids the next morning.
  • The float system has never been used for a real emergency on Chopper 7, but given the surface area that water covers in Western Washington, it is essential for safe operation of KIRO 7's helicopter. 
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