Warbird Information Exchange

Anyone see this one? Make big news locally. Med chopper on final into a hospital with a patient, hit a duck at 160mph at 700 feet. Good thing the pilot had a good helmet on!! Blown windscreen, some damaged instrumentation, and everyone shaken a bit! How many of you low altitude junkies wear brain buckets?

article
http://www.gainesville.com/article/2009 ... ike-hailed

Looks like another reason to wear that helmet - if you can afford it.

Ryan

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Aerial Photographer with Red Wing Aerial Photography currently based at KRBD and tailwheel CFI.
Websites: Texas Tailwheel Flight Training, DoolittleRaid.com and Lbirds.com.

The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD. - Prov. 21:31 - Train, Practice, Trust.

The pilot is being hailed as a hero, 700 feet is not a lot of room to regain control of an AC after an incident of this nature. Just what is the normal operating altitude for med evacs like this? I know locally they fly low, under the operating airspace of 2 major airports and an AFB, but that must really increase their bird-strike risk, as well as antenna danger. We lost a med chopper a few years ago that drifted on his flight plan and hit an antenna guy wire. Lost with all aboard. A real tragedy.

They suspect that that oilfield helo that went down in Louisiana in January was a bird strike..8 killed.


These guys sound lucky to be alive.

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Zane Adams
There I was at 20,000 ft, upside down and out of ammunition.
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The way I see it, it's more costly to NOT have a helmet. They're cheap compared to the consequences.

Gary

Agreed, but if it costs $600, and you've got $300... and need to fly in order to make the $600.

Ryan

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Aerial Photographer with Red Wing Aerial Photography currently based at KRBD and tailwheel CFI.
Websites: Texas Tailwheel Flight Training, DoolittleRaid.com and Lbirds.com.

The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD. - Prov. 21:31 - Train, Practice, Trust.

They can fly pretty low, and do, depending on the weather and the area. At the hangar next door they had an Astar in last week that was having a blade replaced because of a birdstrike.

Ryan

_________________
Aerial Photographer with Red Wing Aerial Photography currently based at KRBD and tailwheel CFI.
Websites: Texas Tailwheel Flight Training, DoolittleRaid.com and Lbirds.com.

The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD. - Prov. 21:31 - Train, Practice, Trust.