RIP Kobe Bryant

[TNKen]

Pretty sure if you're a passenger in an air ambulance it's more than likely you're already fucked.

Just filed the ERISA suit against our health insurance company over my 65 minute helo ride with a price tag of $66,500.

[Ted Striker]

Though your quote was below the first one, neither of those quotes were directed towards you, Ted.

I was just riled up over some of the stupid shit posted (not by you).

Some of the media coverage indicated that the company was operating under part 135, but VFR only. If so, I'm guessing the pilot didn't fly real IMC IFR much (if ever). And it was reported that there wasn't TAWS/GPWS installed. I wonder if he even had Jepps?

[BmillsSkier]

Just filed the ERISA suit against our health insurance company over my 65 minute helo ride with a price tag of $66,500.

Ufda.

[old goat]

Just filed the ERISA suit against our health insurance company over my 65 minute helo ride with a price tag of $66,500.

It only cost Kaiser 25K to fly me from Reno to Sacramento, but that was fixed wing.

[cinnepa]

Wonder if Big Ben will get the same treatment when he goes to the other side?

[JimmyCarter]

If hockey groupies are puck-bunnies what are basketball groupies called?

Ball hogs

[iceman]

Ball hogs

I tried to come up with something but yours is better than those.

[Ted Striker]

lol, ftw.

[Core Shot]

Just filed the ERISA suit against our health insurance company over my 65 minute helo ride with a price tag of $66,500.

$1,000 per minute.

Should have spent that money heli skiing

[fatnslow]

Just filed the ERISA suit against our health insurance company over my 65 minute helo ride with a price tag of $66,500.

Just listened to a story on NPR about the pricing inequalities with air ambulance services. Good luck to you.

[Jumper Bones]

Special VFR in the LA area is routine, especially for helicopters. I issue it all the time, mostly to our helicopters at my airport (we got a bunch). It's a tool used to get into/out of/through the airspace of an airport that is below basic VFR minima (3 miles viz, 1000' AGL ceilings). There are some built-in restrictions for it, and you don't want just anybody doing it because of the obvious hazards, so it's generally used by professional/experienced pilots. Where I'm at, it's mostly County Fire/Sheriff helos in and out. We also have a hospital with a helipad, so the Medevac guys need in/out too.

One of the caveats of Special-Vee, IFR traffic has priority, special cannot cause delays to them and it's a one-at-a-time thing in most cases. So for those who have heard the tape, or who know about Kobe's helo being delayed and holding over Glendale, that's why - they were trying to cross the airspace for Burbank, who had several IFR departures and arrivals (likely airliners, bizjets) to accommodate first. Then, Burbank rerouted the helo north and around the airport, specifically to keep the helo away from possible departure traffic from both Burbank and Van Nuys airports - basically tracking the I-5 up to the 118 highway westbound, instead of the 101 westbound as they were requesting.

Another thing, in reduced visibility big roads like freeways are great to follow, fairly easy to see and they're also a useful separation tool - stay on your respective side and you can't hit. Once the helo were clear of Van Nuys airspace they were turned loose and beelined back onto their preferred course over the 101 freeway, I guess the eventual destination was supposed to be Camarillo...but that's where they encountered the deteriorating low ceilings/foggy weather, and rising terrain.

The coastal/offshore route, the marine layer comes from the ocean so the visibility could well be worse there, but the biggest issue are the LAX departures as well as those off of Hawthorne, Santa Monica and Torrance airports...that's pretty sanitized airspace. The LAX VFR corridor mentioned would be a definite no-go in those weather conditions, and I would think absolutely no way would you get Special Vee there...although I do have a friend who commutes to work via airplane, and he'll do special Vee to get into/out of Hawthorne sometimes, but that's not LAX.

[Jumper Bones]

As far as helicopters, I've seen way more accidents with general aviation fixed-wing types than I have with helicopters. Statistically Medevac has a high accident rate, but that's because those guys are asked to go into odd random places to pick up patients, in challenging weather, dealing with antennas, power lines, etc. Lots of hazards to work with at all hours of the day.

[SB]

[Benny Profane]

A life sentece for that shit is just a minor convinction. Stain forever.

[GeezerSteve]

Wonder if Big Ben will get the same treatment when he goes to the other side?

Nah. He's white

[SB]

[Benny Profane]

How appropriate.

Kobe Bryant Memorial Tickets to Sell for as Much as $224 https://nyti.ms/2u2wWkA

[fool]

"LOS ANGELES -- The pilot of a helicopter that crashed into a Southern California hillside and killed Kobe Bryant, himself and seven others was reprimanded five years ago for flying without permission into airspace while he had reduced visibility, according to a Federal Aviation Administration enforcement record."

From everyone's hated source - ESPN - but still interesting. Would be curious what the aviation experts think of this - I would guess these violations happy infrequently, but still do, with pilots like this. https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...violation-2015

[AdironRider]

Careful, I pointed out helo pilots tend to have a greater tendency for hot shoting and all the rich guys got offended.

[fool]

NTSB report apparently published (someone feel free to link another source).

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...riented-clouds

Nothing hugely surprising but...

Pilot Ara Zobayan likely became so disoriented that he could not discern up from down, investigators for the National Transportation Safety Board concluded.

The agency criticized Zobayan's decision to fly into the clouds, saying he violated federal standards that required him to be able to see where he was going before the helicopter crashed during a roughly 40-minute flight. Zobayan was among the nine people killed, including Bryant's 13-year-old daughter, Gianna.

The pilot went against his training and became spatially disoriented in thick clouds, a condition that can happen to pilots in low visibility, when they cannot tell up from down or discern which way an aircraft is banking, board members said.
[...]
NTSB member Michael Graham said Zobayan ignored his training and added that as long as helicopter pilots continue flying into clouds without relying on instruments, which requires a high level of training, "a certain percentage aren't going to come out alive.''

"What part of cloud, when you're on a visual flight rules program, do pilots not understand?'' added NTSB vice chairman Bruce Landsberg.

[Timberridge]

So it took a whole year for the NTSB investigators to determine that the pilot flew into a cloud and got disoriented and crashed into a mountain?

How do I get one of these investigative jobs?

[Ted Striker]

One of my best friends was an investigator, and he eventually quit and went back to flying. I asked him if it was because of the macabre nature of it, but he said it was the frustration of working for (or within) the government.

[jackattack]

I currently work for a publicly funded entity and I can say everything about it is great other than the red tape and bureaucracy BS.

I can’t imagine the pressure these private heli pilots deal with, I would not want that job.

[stealurface831]

Happy Birthday, Mamba.