# Oil rigs **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 18, 2014, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-rigs/701692 "2014-10-18T09:10:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sallyallyoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@sallyallyoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sallyallyoo)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2014, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-rigs/701692/1 "2014-10-18T09:10:27Z")
Can an engineer leave a rig for a family emergency if way out in the middle of an ocean.:smack: ---
**Author:** ![sallyallyoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@sallyallyoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sallyallyoo)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2014, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-rigs/701692/2 "2014-10-18T09:11:52Z")
[quote=“sallyallyoo, post:1, topic:701692”] Can an engineer leave a rig for a family emergency if way out in the middle of an ocean.:smack:] ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2014, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-rigs/701692/3 "2014-10-18T10:06:34Z")
> [@sallyallyoo](#): > > Can an engineer leave a rig for a family emergency if way out in the middle of an ocean.:smack: I can only speak for the North Sea: there are regular flights to and from the rigs. ---
**Author:** ![desertmonk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@desertmonk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/desertmonk)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2014, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oil-rigs/701692/4 "2014-10-18T10:21:36Z")
Are there oil rigs located really far from land? I thought they are usually within helicopter range.