Odyssey of the Seas Helipad

[jack168]

What is this new area behind the helipad on Odyssey? It looks like there are some daybeds there and also some stairs that lead up to there.

[twangster]

It's a crew only area.  Looks like the covered beds are to give crew an outdoor area they can visit without mingling with guests.  

[twangster]

Technically it's a winchpad since helicopters can't land on Quantum class ships. 

[twangster]

On the original Quantum class ships the area was open through a series of arches so crew could go outside but not be exposed to full sun.

On Spectrum and Odyssey they closed the arches so it's unknown what the new indoor area is used.  The day beds are new to this class but as far as we know this remains a crew only area.  

From an infrequent suite sail away party on Anthem:

The openings seen here on Anthem don't exist on the latest Quantum Ultra ships.

It's not known what this now indoor area is used for on Spectrum or Odyssey.

[jack168]

40 minutes ago, twangster said:

On the original Quantum class ships the area was open through a series of arches so crew could go outside but not be exposed to full sun.

On Spectrum and Odyssey they closed the arches so it's unknown what the new indoor area is used.  The day beds are new to this class but as far as we know this remains a crew only area.  

From an infrequent suite sail away party on Anthem:

The openings seen here on Anthem don't exist on the latest Quantum Ultra ships.

It's not known what this now indoor area is used for on Spectrum or Odyssey.

Interesting photos, thanks!

[sammy79]

@twangster What’s a winch pad?

[AshleyDillo]

34 minutes ago, sammy79 said:

What’s a winch pad?

Area where the helicopter can hover and lower down their winch line.  It can't land on the ship but it can move items and people between the helicopter and the ship.

[twangster]

38 minutes ago, sammy79 said:

@twangster What’s a winch pad?

It's common to find them on many ships, such as tanker ships so it's not a new concept or unique to Quantum class.

In many cases a helicopter pilot might prefer to use a winch line and hover even when a helipad is available.  Landing a helicopter on a ship at sea is a highly technical maneuver and pretty dangerous.  

[JLMoran]

2 hours ago, twangster said:

It's common to find them on many ships, such as tanker ships so it's not a new concept or unique to Quantum class.

In many cases a helicopter pilot might prefer to use a winch line and hover even when a helipad is available.  Landing a helicopter on a ship at sea is a highly technical maneuver and pretty dangerous.  

Any risk of massive static shocks from that? Or is that just a thing for drama in Hunt for Red October?

[twangster]

3 hours ago, JLMoran said:

Any risk of massive static shocks from that? Or is that just a thing for drama in Hunt for Red October?

I’ve seen a number of winch events and one landing.  I’ve never seen the Hollywood special effects so perhaps they have a way to manage that.  

In both cases the full fire team is readied and waiting.  It's not something taken lightly.

[wstephensi]

18 hours ago, JLMoran said:

Any risk of massive static shocks from that? Or is that just a thing for drama in Hunt for Red October?

Yes! 

You reduce the risk of static discharge by one of two methods.  First you can allow the winch cable to touch the pad/ground before a person touches it.  Second you can use an insulated grounding rod or hook to touch/hook the cable before a person touches the cable.