Service engineers and vendor specialists on short platform visits
A day or two offshore for a pump overhaul or a control-system check still means a helicopter transfer.
Course snapshot
CourseTropical Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (T-HUET)
OPITO code5195
Duration1 Day
Fee₹25,000
Validity4 Years
OPITO code5195, T-HUET
Duration and fee1 day, ₹25,000
Certificate valid4 years
Experience neededNone; medically fit
Mumbai to KochiAbout 2 h by air
Why Mumbai has a real use for a helicopter-only course
Mumbai is unusual because the helicopter operators and the offshore fields share one city. Juhu aerodrome, in a residential suburb, opened in 1928 and now handles all of Mumbai's helicopter flying alongside the Bombay Flying Club. Pawan Hans uses it as its hub for flights to ONGC's installations, and Global Vectra Helicorp, a private operator, has its operational headquarters there and has flown offshore charters since 1998.
The fleet is being renewed. In December 2024 Pawan Hans announced a ten-year contract, worth over ₹2,141 crore, to supply four HAL-built Dhruv NG helicopters to ONGC for carrying offshore personnel, with crew-change flying planned from 2025. A newer aircraft does not change what the passenger must be able to do: wear the life jacket, wait for motion to stop and leave by the exit you were briefed on.
That is why a Mumbai-based person may need only the helicopter element. A service engineer who flies out for a day, an auditor, a surveyor or a vendor's commissioning specialist may not stay on the platform and may already hold other safety training. The operator decides what that person must show before boarding. For most Mumbai jobs the answer is the full T-BOSIET. For a smaller group it is T-HUET, in one day.
Juhu aerodrome
Opened 1928; the base for helicopter operations out of Mumbai, with two paved runways.
Global Vectra Helicorp
Private operator headquartered at Juhu, flying offshore charters since 1998 with a Bell 412EP-based fleet.
Pawan Hans and ONGC
Juhu hub flying ONGC personnel offshore; a ten-year, four-helicopter contract was announced in December 2024.
OPITO T-HUET (5195)
Two mandatory units, 8 hours 20 minutes of guided learning, certificate valid four years.
Mumbai roles that end up with a standalone T-HUET
Inspectors, auditors and surveyors
They often fly out and back the same day, and the operator wants proof they can escape from the cabin.
Marine crew who already hold sea survival and fire training
Ask whether your client will accept those certificates and want T-HUET only for the helicopter transfer.
Returning offshore workers with a lapsed helicopter element
OPITO describes T-HUET as suited to people new or returning to the energy industry.
Project and planning staff in Mumbai head offices
Someone who joins a field visit twice a year is better prepared with one day than with three.
T-HUET or T-BOSIET: the first question is what you already hold
T-BOSIET includes a tropical helicopter escape module, so a valid T-BOSIET or T-FOET means you do not need T-HUET. If you are starting from nothing and the contract says T-BOSIET, take the three-day course. T-HUET makes sense when the client asks for helicopter escape only, or when your sea survival and fire training come from elsewhere and the operator accepts them. It will not stand in for T-BOSIET, since it leaves out the safety induction, first aid and firefighting. Check the water too: T-HUET is the tropical form, and colder-water operators usually name the standard HUET. OPITO also publishes a T-HUET variant with initial sea survival that drops survival-craft boarding. If your client names that variant, ask our team before you book.
Tropical Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training (T-BOSIET) →
You are a first-time offshore worker, or the contract asks for the full tropical induction.
Helicopter Underwater Escape Training with EBS (HUET with EBS) →
The client works outside warm water or names the standard version with the breathing system.
Tropical Further Offshore Emergency Training (T-FOET) →
You hold a valid T-BOSIET and are close to the four-year point.
The day, read against a Juhu-to-platform flight
A short briefing leads into practical drills in an indoor pool, where a Modular Egress Training Simulator stands in for the helicopter cabin. Each exercise is judged against the OPITO standard.
- 01
Life jacket and crew instructions
Wearing and inflating an aviation life jacket and following the aircrew's emergency instructions, the same sequence a passenger follows after boarding at Juhu.
- 02
Dry-land and ditching evacuation
Leaving the helicopter in a controlled emergency on land and in a water ditching, so that the exit routine is familiar before it is needed.
- 03
Underwater escape
Escaping from a partly submerged or capsized cabin using push-out windows. Warm Arabian Sea water is the setting the tropical standard was written for.
- 04
Life raft and safety equipment
Boarding an aviation life raft, keeping it intact and supporting others, plus using a spray visor and handling emergency gear before, during and after a ditching.
For Mumbai contractors, inspection firms and vendor teams
Companies that send visiting specialists and project staff offshore often hold a mixed roster: some people have a full induction, others need only the flight element. Booking T-HUET for the second group saves two days of travel and fees per person.
Standards that shape training in Maharashtra
OPITO T-HUET standard (5195)Two mandatory units on helicopter travel in a tropical environment and escape after ditching; the certificate lasts four years.
Medical fitness before the practical exercisesEvidence of fitness is needed first, for example an offshore medical, a sea-service fitness certificate, a diving medical, or the centre's own screening form.
Renewal windowIf the old certificate expires within 90 days before enrolment, the new one can keep the old expiry date unless the operator says otherwise.
Operator and helicopter-company rulesThe platform owner and the helicopter operator decide what a passenger must hold. Your contract or visitor procedure sets the wording.
What employers commonly ask for
| Course | Requirement note |
|---|---|
| Tropical Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (T-HUET) | Often asked for when the person is a passenger only, such as a visiting engineer or inspector. Confirm with the operator. |
| Tropical Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training (T-BOSIET) | Covers the helicopter element and the rest of the induction; usually asked for anyone who will stay on the installation. |
| Tropical Further Offshore Emergency Training (T-FOET) | Renews a T-BOSIET, helicopter element included, before the four-year point. |
Planning a group booking
- Set up a company account at portal.imostacademy.in/register to get team logins, rate-card pricing, group bookings and certificate tracking in one place.
- Sort your roster into three lists before booking: valid T-BOSIET holders, T-HUET only, and full induction. Only the middle list belongs on this course.
- Indian companies are billed in rupees with GST, and purchase orders are welcome. Credit terms are decided after an assessment.
Operators and clients set their own requirements; confirm with your contract or HSE department.
Mumbai to Kochi for a one-day course
Juhu handles helicopters and light aircraft, not airline flights to Kerala. For Kochi you fly from Mumbai's main airport (BOM) or Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMI), about two hours.
BOM or NMI to Kochi
IndiGo, Air India and Akasa Air list direct BOM to COK flights, and IndiGo and Akasa Air list NMI services. Check the airline for your month.
Cochin airport to Njarakkal
From Cochin International Airport the campus on Vypin island is a taxi ride of about 40 km, usually an hour. Coming from Ernakulam Junction, the Goshree bridges shorten it to about 15 km.
Konkan route
The overland trip takes around a day each way, which rarely suits a one-day course.
Sizing a trip for a one-day course
- 1
Ask the operator what you must show
Get the exact wording for your visit: T-HUET, T-BOSIET or a standard HUET, ideally in writing from the project office that books your seat.
- 2
Arrange the medical route
Pick one of the routes OPITO accepts and carry the paper. The centre can also have you complete a screening form.
- 3
Book through our team
Write to us on WhatsApp (+91 8075 787307) or at info@imostacademy.in and ask which dates are open.
- 4
Fly the evening before, return after
Plan one night in Kochi. Fly home that evening, or the next morning if you want a margin for a second attempt.
- 5
Send the certificate on
Share it with the operator, your employer and your client contact, and set a reminder before the fourth year ends.