Posted on 06/23/2022 10:24:13 AM PDT by BenLurkin
Six people died on Wednesday when a tourist helicopter used in Hollywood movies crashed in West Virginia during a vintage helicopter show where guests without pilot licenses were allowed to fly the aircraft.
The Vietnam-era helicopter, which had previously appeared in movies including Baywatch, Die Hard and Outbreak, was being flown during the 7th Annual Huey Reunion, an event for historical aviation enthusiasts.
Guests at the event, hosted at the Marpat Aviation school in Logan county, could pay to fly the helicopter for $250 for a 30-minute session even without having a license, according to the event page.
The helicopter, advertised as probably the oldest Bell UH-1B helicopter in existence, crashed near Route 17 in the state’s south-west region...
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
Back in the 1990’s the NC Forestry Dept wanted me to fly their UH-1B water bombing fires.... for a 3 month contact,,, and I had to move to the county the Helo was based in....for $9.93 per hour!
Thanks, but I really don’t need the flight time that bad.
How blessed we are that Freeper has such an abundance of aviation experts. More’s the pity none of them have ever had their shirttail flown from a windsock.
“A collection of part flying in loose formation”
Helicopters are nothing more than 5000 parts flying in formation.
A helicopter doesn’t fly through the air.
It’s blades just beat the air into submission.
guests without pilot licenses were allowed to fly the aircraft.”
What could possibly go wrong?
Helicopters don’t fly. They’re so ugly the Earth repels them ...
(Spent my share of time in the back of a Black Hawk.)
How do you suppose flight students learn to fly?
Outbreak Helicopter.
With classroom hours about flight controls and maybe some simulator time before actually flying one?
I’ve ridden in a lot more helicopters than I’ve landed in, the Army has all kinds of ways to get back to earth from them or of getting you off the earth without landing them.
STABO is the most of fun of all helicopter involved activities.
LOL! Right you are sir! I love that description.
The basics of the flight controls don’t need hours of classroom. As for simulator time? You’re joking, right?
It’s not at all an unusual thing for a non-pilot to be given the controls (at altitude, well after takeoff and well before landing), with a competent pilot in the other seat ready to take back the controls instantly if the non-pilot starts to get over his head or do something dumb.
I have been that non-pilot a few times.
Not in a helo, though.
A camera man was killed during a shoot of the original Magnum PI’s Skin Deep. Although I think the helo was hit by a wave of all things.
And those are probably all “normal” vibrations; over time, a helo pilot learns to detect the abnormal vibrations, which come in three varieties: Low freq, med and hi-freq, and their causes. To fly is heavenly; to hover, divine.
Dang
I wonder if any passengers had back problems show up latter.
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