Helicopter extractable cold weather/water liferaft

In an improved liferaft having a base supporting a continuous side above and a water filled ballasting chamber below for protecting survivors from exposure, an improvement therefor is provided comprising:

• means extending beneath and across the base and terminating above it for cradling the base, sides and survivors;
• means coupled to the cradling means at its termination above the base and sides for positioning a portion to engage a lifting hook;
• means disposed on the ballasting chamber for providing at least one opening for dumping water from the ballasting chamber as the liferaft is lifted from the water by the lifting hook;
• and
• means having three radially extending inflatable ribs supporting a covering which is coupled at its lower edge to the sides to form a protective enclosure for creating an aerodynamically stable body as the liferaft is being towed through the air after it has been lifted from the water, the covering is provided with an internally exposed layer that reflects heat in the interior to help prevent hypothermia, the cradling means has portions radially converging beneath and across the base and radially converges at the termination above the base and separated from and above the aerodynamically stable body creating means and the portion positioning means is an inflatable structure locating a hoisting eye connected to the radially converging termination in a position prominently above the liferaft, the hoisting eye sized to present a viable hook-up target for a helicopter borne lifting hook.

In an improved liferaft having a base supporting a continuous side above and a water filled ballasting chamber below for protecting survivors from exposure, an improvement therefor is provided comprising:

• means extending beneath and across the base and terminating above it for cradling the base, sides and survivors;
• means coupled to the cradling means at its termination above the base and sides for positioning a portion to engage a lifting hook, the portion positioning means is a painter line attached to the radially converging termination and coupled to an at least partially buoyant hoisting eye disposed at the water's surface some distance from the liferaft and sized to present a viable hook-up target for a helicopter borne lifting hook;
• means disposed on the ballasting chamber for providing at least one opening for dumping water from the ballasting chamber as the liferaft is lifted from the water by the lifting hook;
• and
• means having three radially extending inflatable ribs supporting a canopy covering which is coupled at its lower edge to the sides to form a protective enclosure for creating an aerodynamically stable body as the liferaft is being towed through the air after it has been lifted from the water, the canopy covering is provided with an internally exposed layer that reflects heat in the interior to help prevent hypothermia, the cradling means has portions radially converging beneath and across the base and radially converges at the termination above the base and separated from and above the aerodynamically stable body creating means.