Copter landing surprises neighborhood (Resident opens fire on chopper)

(Hampton Roads, VA) Daily Press ^ | 7.19.02 | Brian Whitson and Patti Rosenberg

[mhking]

"Here, hold muh beer so I c'n shoot at that thar heliocopter..."

[Kerberos]

Now here's a guy who takes homeland security seriously.

[subterfuge]

Wouldn't you have to be a pretty lousy shot to miss a helicopter. Weird. And aren't they supposed to be black helicopters?

[RightWhale]

a pretty lousy shot to miss a helicopter

Downdraft. Shot could go anywhere.

[Atlas Sneezed]

Bang

[Freedom4US]

Well, guess what. If he had a "panel light" it was probably a chip light -- and ya can't really take off again without at least taking a look at the chip detector in the appropriate gearbox. Convenient excuse, though.

[CaptRon]

Sure could use a few more vowels.

[Jonah Hex]

Idiot (the shooter, I mean). Everybody knows helicopters are out of season this time of year in Tidewater. Naugas, on the other hand .........

[DETAILER]

Probably a short barrel pistol in a small caliber - not accurate as far as across the street.

[DoughtyOne]

Nubmer one, the copter pilot landed to pick up a friend. His butt's in trouble. Second, the homeowner should only shoot at someone when there is a direct and clear threat. There person getting on the copter didn't represent that as described here. Sorry folks, not every situation is "TERRORISM" and this is the reason why the government should back off just a tad. People are panicing.

[Movemout]

In a similar situation about 15 years ago I was working in my garage when a helo descended to the suburban intersection in front of my house. I didn't get my gun. It turns out that neighborhoods have designated helo landing sites for medevac services. That was the case here. The ambulance roared up moments after the landing and they loaded a stretcher with a sick guy and flew off. That doesn't seem to be the case in this article.

[steve in DC]

Idiot (the shooter, I mean). Everybody knows helicopters are out of season this time of year in Tidewater. Naugas, on the other hand .........

Well, it's not like he actually took one out of season. I mean, they can be pests and he really only scared it off.

[Jonah Hex]

Actually, he tried to pop it with an AR-15. Then he tried to cut up the weapon with a saw.

Idiot (the shooter,I mean).

[RolandBurnam]

maybe they should back off gate-rape of obviously non-terrorist individuals and concentrate the big fish

[TADSLOS]

The pilot of the helicopter insists a panel light came on and he landed as a precaution.

The passenger who was picked up lives across the street from where the helicopter landed

This is BS. The pilot's covering his butt for knowingly landing (presumably) illegally to pick up a passenger in a residential neighborhood. If he had to execute a precautionary landing because a caution/warning light came on he would have shut down (or, at least, I would have), and why did a guy in a business suit then board and the pilot take off if he had indications of a malfunction?

Some business exec just didn't want to make the drive to where the aircraft was parked and the pilot caved to his bosses demands, hoping that the FAA wouldn't be the wiser.

[William Terrell]

Downdraft affects path of round. Adjust elevation. Noted.

[tracer]

And hitting the windshield of a chopper or an automobile yields unpredictable results. Hitting at an angle could result in a richochet.

This dufus is lucky not to be sitting in jail awaiting arraignment for his "bravery" in firing at subjects who were not firing at him.........

[Willie Green]

"Here, hold muh beer so I c'n shoot at that thar heliocopter..."

Kinda reminiscent of Ernie Holmes who played on Pittsburgh's famed "Steel Curtain" defensive line back in the early '70s.
That kook took some pot shots at a state police heliocopter.
I forget what the outcome of that little escapade was.

[monday]

<>"His butt's in trouble. "

Why? Is it illegal to land a helocopter where you want? A helocopter landed in my front yard when my neighbor had a heart attack last year. No one cared then?

[piasa]

.