Getting away from the Kobe thread,

I've always thought these were dangerous. Used to take the TRE train from Ft Worth to Dallas, Loved going right by Bell when they had a few out testing.

They just seem like rocks to me

I love flying in a helicopter. One of my favorite things to do.


something about it is very freeing, and the views are spectacular

Helicopters do not fly. They just beat the air into submission.

When the engine goes out the only way to control the crash is to perform an autorotate maneuver. For that to work you need enough altitude to keep the rotor spinning, as you fall, at a sufficient velocity to allow you to use the stored energy to provide enough downwash to limit how hard you are going to hit the ground.

I'd be willing to bet that they are safer than motorcycles.

No doubt. I've flown in a few, and shot out of a few. They are awesome. I know several airplane pilots, and they will NOT fly in a helicopter. The reason is, when you have a problem in a copter, you drop like a rock. In an airplane, you can recover and still fly (generally) even with engine failure. When I do fly in them, they do make me nervous for that reason.

On a side note, the Kobe crash appears to be pilot error. Low visibility and flying too low in hills/mountains. They were about 1100 to 1400 elevation. The hill they crashed was about 1200 elevation and fogged in.

helicopters are very dangerous.

I think like 18 crashed in the grand canyon and some more in Hawaii
It barely makes the news
Too much money involved
They are a pita to maintain

Only been in a couple in my life.

I wont get in one, and I am also an airplane pilot. For some reason, I cannot trust them, especially those little Robinsons that look like they have go kart parts on the.

I understand the maintenance schedule for a chopper is much heavier than that of a fixed wing aircraft. I also had a guy tell me a chopper is designed to pull itself apart, meaning it cannot fly without opposing, internal forces.

Sikorsky S-76 is supposed to be one of the good ones. Like a flying limo.

I was a helicopter pilot. The whole time you are flying one they are trying to kill you, lol.

I once saw Chuck Norris drop from a helicopter to the roof of a car to save a beautify cowgirl.

Well, any helicopter would obviously be way too scared to try and harm Chuck.

My hat is off to you.

I am a licensed pilot, but have only flown in two helicopters - and both times I was...nervous. Small planes - no problem, but helicopters unnerve me a bit.

When in HS, a buddy's dad was telling us stories about his brief time in the Army. He mentioned that he had flown in helicopters exactly 3 times in his life, and on two of those flights the helicopter crashed. One was shortly after he arrived in Viet Nam and he was injured (ultimately discharged for medical reasons) just days after arriving in country. Not shot down, but an outright mechanically caused crash. His next flight was on a site seeing trip and no problems. His third flight was to be to an offshore drilling platform and it crashed just after becoming airborne. Again, mechanical, and thankfully no significant injuries. He told us that he did not like the odds and would never board another.

I loved riding in helicopters and jumping off or airplanes....did both in the Army over 30 years ago....ready to do either again tomorrow...

I don't like flying in planes and ive never been in a helicopter. I do not like being not in control. Your car dies you coast to the side of the road. Your plane dies you glide... till you crash land? Choper dies you splat.

Nope I don't like being off the ground much.

Yes, I prefer a form of travel where you can easily pull over on the shoulder should you encounter a problem.

As the late Louis Grizzard, the well-known southern humorist once it put it, "I have nothing against flying, it's crashing and burning that I fear most."

Always had fun watching the new guys board the plane for their initial jumps. Would walk along the catwalk acting like I was throwing up. Them boys would drop like flies and start heaving into the barf bags we gave them.
The best part is when they would jump holding the bags.

I miss those days of doing airdrops with the Rangers and Seals. Those boys are awesome.

To me it sounds like they had problems with the helicopter. They were doing 185 and going down a 4000 FPM. when they crashed. They had climbed to 2000 which would have cleared the hill. And a helicopter like a S-76 is not like a Robertson where you can only fly VFR.

Its the life of the rich and famous. Only them will make a decision to take a copter instead of a car for a 72 mile ride.
It happens all the time. The death of the “rich and famous crashing list” is endless, but obviously, they pile way more flying hours, yet increasing their odds.

By far. I've been flying in helicopters for 22 yrs, working in the Gulf of Mexico I'm in one every two weeks. I love flying, I get my best sleep in choppers.
We almost always fly in either the Sikorsky S-76 or the S-92. They are both twin engine aircraft and pretty reliable, even though one will still go down on occasion because of either a mechanical issue, bad weather, or a bird strike. I've been through Helicopter Underwater Egress Training many times, but of course that won't do you any good if you crash hard.

Might be true, but if I could afford it, I'd undoubtedly fly, weather permitting, over driving. Don't have to mess with traffic, etc.
Saw a billboard on i20 yesterday that said 65 deaths on Texas roads this year, and we're not even through January. Basically 3 a day, just in Texas.


I've flown with my boss twice in his helicopter, and I love it. It's fun and convenient.