TM 5-5420-278-100040 000040 00-1RECOVERY BY HELICOPTERWARNINGAll bridge personnel must wear approved life jacketswhile on the bay. Failure to comply may result in injuryor death to personnel.Do not place fingers under transverse upper couplingswhen opening them, or serious injury to personnel mayresult.NOTEUnit commanders are cautioned of the necessity toanticipate requirements for an airlift operation andarrange for timely delivery.Recovery by helicopter is performed under conditionswhere it may be advantageous to use helicopters torecover and transport bays or where site conditionsmake it impossible to recover bays by any other means.Use IRB lifting sling only to lift IRB bays.IRB-Is can be flown at air speeds up to 80 knots andIRB-Rs up to 100 knots, but must have a drogueparachute attached to prevent the bay from spinning.When transporting bay at air speeds greater than40 knots, a 15 ft (4.6 m) diameter drogue parachute(NSN 1670-01-052-1548), 60 ft. (18 m) extraction line,and 3 ft (91 cm) adapter are required. Drogueparachutes are readily available from the GM RiggingUnit (Parachute Maintenance), Area Resupply Co., allAirborne units, and all Air Force Cargo Wings.Use the roadway tool and crowbar to close the gapbetween inner pontons when upper couplings cannot befully closed in receptacle blocks.
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