Unintended IMC - An Evening with Claude Vuichard

The topic of unintended flight into IMC (UIMC) conditions is a key safety topic for the rotorcraft community. On 16 December 2021, EASA's Together4Safety hosted a fantastic discussion with Claude Vuichard on this subject as part of the launch of a new video from the Vuichard Recovery Aviation Safety Foundation. A huge thanks for Claude, the foundation and also VRM Switzerland and Air Zermatt for their support. 

One of the key things that came out of this conversation is the importance of training to proficiency. This is especially true in the case of the UIMC recovery manoeuvres talked about in this video. Ideally, you would best do this in the simulator. This is where the possibilities of virtual reality simulators help hugely increase the access to such training devices. 

Recording of the Webinar with Claude

Over 400 people joined the webinar live. If you missed it, you can view the recording again below or via the link here. Some additional resources for UIMC were also discussed during the webinar and these are also posted below to help offer as many resources as possible on this important topic. 

In January 2022, we will finalise the notes from the Q&A during the webinar and will also add them here. In addition, the Safety Promotion Team of the Vertical Aviation Safety Team (VAST) will further discuss and collate the different resources available at global level. 

56 Seconds to Live

One of the most famous videos on the topic of UIMC is this one below from US Helicopter Safety Foundation titled "56 seconds to live". This video serves very well to highlight the risks of getting into a UIMC situation. If in doubt, better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air than in the air wishing you were on the ground. 

Other Useful Resources 

Other useful resources to include are linked below:

• EHEST Video on UIMC.
• ICAO Information on Point in Space Approaches. 
• Imminent IMC by Bruce Webb.
• Pre-Flight Risk Assessment Tools including NGFT highlighted by Christian Muller during the Webinar. 
• Simulation of the Kobe Bryant accident by Robert Denny.