Stupid Helicopter Tricks

as long as they said GET TO THE CHOPPA! all is ok

What's differerce between this and dropping skiers on a mountain? We don't have the angle to show the true relative positions of the boats and the drops. ALSO, did this drop (not the pick up) create a hazard to persons or property on the ground?

I like the line about the operation of a helicopter to one of their lakes is a violation of TVA rules. Darn, I really hate TVA jail.

Maybe the unacceptable risk (if there was one) was to those surrounding boaters in that area who didn't sign on to be part of the act.

If they didn't sign up to be part of it they should have just kept on boating. Looks like plenty of lake to go around. Looks like a blast to me. Live life. Drink beer. Find new and interesting things to jump off of. The way we're going in this country, eventually everyone will have to be fed through a tube because of the choking hazards of solid food.

Wearing my professional pilot hat, I'd say this is ill advised. When I take off that hat, I'd say it looks quite fun.

You know what? Today I'm taking off my child leash and going for a walk completely free. Freeeeeeeeeeeee!

That red line hanging below the basket is a tag line. It's used to keep the basket from spinning or swaying around beneath the helicopter.

Usually, getting the basket into the water is enough to discharge any static build up. When I do water ops with my rescue unit, we try to put the rescue device far enough from the survivor so that they're not within arm's reach of it when it hits the water. One, to prevent them from getting shocked, and two, so that any kind of unexpected movement of the rescue device doesn't hit them and make your rescue that much more complicated.

Reminds me of the scene in "The Hunt For Red October."

Thanks Fez. I wouldn't argue the 'photographic distinction' between a tag line and a static discharge cable with you or any other active crew member. I know what you're referring to. But for the purpose of posting a photograph with a cable thick enough to show up in a photo, I chose that one to do the job. I hope you understand. It did the job for the purpose of a general pilot's forum I think.

http://www.uscg.mil/directives/cim/3000-3999/CIM_3710_4C.pdf . page 1-5 & 1-6

If I was posting on a USCG forum I probably would have posted an actual closeup of an SD cable. How's this?
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Static Discharge Cable (sometimes colored red)

Well, as far as I'm concerned, you just lost all credibility. I will ignore all future posts, since you obviously don't know what you are talking about!!

Just in case it doesn't come across, yes, that was a joke!

I think that is an excellent observation and a good decision on your part. More people should follow your lead.
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Now here's a really stupid helicopter trick, allegedly performed by Navy Pilots on Lake Tahoe. When I saw this a couple of years ago I really did not believe what I was seeing. Still not sure I believe this story.


Two Navy helicopter pilots from North Island Naval Air Station have been grounded over a YouTube video that allegedly shows them dipping the $33 million aircrafts into Lake Tahoe. Source: ABC TV News in San Diego


Navy Pilots Caught On Camera Grounded Over Lake Stunt......Damage to the helicopters was estimated at between $50,000 and $500,000, according to the newspaper, which reported that the grounded pilots had to land at Lake Tahoe Airport following the incident and a different set of pilots eventually flew the helicopters home. (News video discusses Navy Mishap Board)
http://www.10news.com/news/25143106/detail.html

The San Diego Union Tribune reports that two Navy pilots who accidentally dipped their choppers into Lake Tahoe during a stunt to take pictures for their squad’s Facebook page will lose their flying status permanently.
http://blog.sfgate.com/hottopics/2010/12/23/navy-pilots-disciplined-for-dumb-lake-tahoe-stunt-video/
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Well, obviously the real crime here is that they're flying a helicopter in the first place. That's just downright daaaaaangerouuuuussss.

Looks like a huge Memorial Day weekend success to me. But at the risk of losing my license, nope. People forget nowadays that video cameras are EVERYWHERE. We don't get away with stuff like this like they used to.

Unfortunately if you don't know what you are doing you can really mess people up. We did our helo casting from 10/10- 10' radar altimeter, 10 knots. There were cases where this was not done and people were hurt.

No problem Qutch! The only reason it stood out to me was because I was lucky enough to hop on a flight up to one of our local training lakes to see the whole operation from the back yesterday. Every time I sit in the back, I am reminded that I am simply the "chariot driver" and my only job is to get the guys to and from the fight as quickly and as safely as possible. I also don't feel as bad about pushing the swimmers all over the lake with the rotor wash, as the two very experienced guys up front were getting the same calls from the back as me in training, "Back 10...3. 2. 1. Stop back. Left 3. Stop left. Back 5...."

Dumb on the pilots part because of "how would this look on the accident report rule". Other than that, he/she accepted a risk that someone could be hurt. Having jumped from a cliff into water from about 62 feet myself, it's not that bad. In fact it's kind of fun.

As with many things portrayed in the news, we are missing context. Also, I think it was George Carlin who had a joke about...and I'm going to keep this PG because it's not the lav...but how today's parents would force their children to wear a helmet, knee and elbow pads for a certain self-pleasuring activity popular with teen males. Life is full of risks. Part of the fun is living through them. Live life to the fullest before you get snuffed out.