B757-200
ATC Issue All Types; Conflict Airborne Conflict; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Aircraft; Human Factors; Procedure
We were cleared for takeoff and advised a helicopter on upwind was 'no factor.' After takeoff; at approximately 500 FT AGL I saw a Robinson type helicopter at our 11:30 position and very close. I exclaimed 'Oh; my god!' At that point I should have taken the aircraft for an evasive maneuver to the right as the Captain had a very delayed response. I should have known better; my fault. I did not have the helicopter visually on the takeoff roll; but should have known this might happen. I feel that the controller assumed the helicopter would have been out of the way by the time we took off and it wasn't. I need to be more vigilant and ready to take evasive action as pilot not flying.The Tower should be more conservative and I should be ready to just take the controls and take evasive action and face the consequences later; my bad.
I felt the abeam distance with [the helicopter] at the far left edge of the runway would be too close to our left wingtip and; with the possibility of the helicopter drifting toward us or if it maneuvered toward the runway; I banked to the right 10 degrees to place our track between the centerline of the runway and the hill on the right side of the end of the runway to provide greater lateral and vertical clearance as we passed. The spacing obtained was less than 1;000 FT; but was much better than what would have happened without the heading change.
The flight crew of a B757-200 was forced to take lateral; low altitude evasive action with reference to a helicopter hovering at the far end of their takeoff runway. Tower had advised of the helo's presence; holding for clearance to cross; but the flight crew did not have it in sight until after lift off.