[Magnum44]

Contrary to popular beliefs, helicopters hover near the ground ok, less so as the altitude increases. A helo can hover at, for example 1000 feet, but doing so may be outside the auto-rotate envelope to safely land if you lose an engine. higher still and to maintain control you have to have some forward speed. So its a control and safety issue.

This is on top of any issues about visibility and spatial disorientation.

[okkev68]

Thanks. Good info. I still think maybe hitting the mountain at 10mph instead of 170mph might have been a better option for them.

[Moonman62]

Thanks for the explanation.

That would explain why Kobe’s helicopter was flying in circles while it was holding.

I see police helicopters do the same. Now I know why.