Air Station Atlantic City Contract Training Vessel

The contracted training vessel for helicopter hoisting and recovery training shall have the following characteristics:

• No shorter than 38 feet and no longer than 50 feet

• Have a beam of no less than 11 feet and no greater than 16 feet

• Have a gross vessel weight of at least 10 tons

• Have a minimum draft of 4 feet (an extremely shallow draft vessel is undesirable due to drift characteristics when subjected to rotor downwash)

• Have no permanent structures protruding higher than 25 feet above the water line which cannot be quickly stowed (e.g. antennas)

• Must have a minimum deck area of 64 square feet on the aft (fantail) portion of the vessel to allow two crewmembers to safely conduct training/hoisting operations with a basket lowered from the helicopter. Deck area must be free of all obstructions.

• Must be capable of maintaining of heading of +/- 10 degrees at a speed of between 5-10 knots for a period of 1 hour while operating under a large helicopter producing 90 knots of rotor downwash in varying sea states and winds.

The vessel(s) must also meet the following characteristics regardless of training evolution:

• Must be capable of easily recovering personnel or floating equipment from the water

• Must be capable of maintaining at least 10 knots transit speed for minimum of 3 hours; 15 knots for 3 hours is desired.

The vessel shall have, at a minimum, all equipment required by law including a fathometer, radar, VHF-FM multiple frequency capable 2-way marine radio with specified frequencies/channels (13, 16, 21, 22, 23, 81, 83) and minimum ranges (20 NM), a cellular phone for secondary communications to the Air Station Atlantic City Operations Center, GPS, and a long-distance high-beam search light (fixed or hand-held). A radio headset or other equipment/technique is required to demonstrate that the operator can hear radio communications between the training boat and helicopter while a helicopter is directly overhead the vessel. In air temperatures between -2 degrees C to 0 degrees C (28 degrees F to 32 degrees F), the crew must be able to operate for 30 minutes then receive 15 minutes of “warm up” in the heated cabin before resuming training exercises.

The vessel shall be outfitted with a contractor-furnished first aid kit and approved Type III personal flotation devices for crew and passengers. Survival suits shall be provided by the contractor as needed for crew members allowing them to operate on the weather deck/under rotor downwash continuously in cold temperatures. The contractor shall provide helmets, goggles, and hearing/ear protection, for use by crew members during helicopter hoisting operations.

The contractor will also be responsible for providing docking/mooring facilities for their vessel. The vessel shall be located within a one-hour transit time from the geographical area of operation (Atlantic City, NJ)