@trogdor yes, it's still called a flight if it's a helicopter. Helicopters do fly. Really. :-) (says a crusty old retired helicopter pilot)) And under FAA rules, it was technically a "revenue generating passenger flight"

@trogdor he was taking her to an event at a basketball camp. She's 13, I think, and a pretty good youth basketball player ... as a dad this one kinda hits me in the feels ...

You don't even have to be a parent, but i would guess its worse for a parent to hear for sure

I was actually talking to my dad about it yesterday and he was pretty upset by it, but he also said its "why he doesn't trust helicopters" (he's airforce but he only ever worked with winged planes )

Honestly i have to agree with him, I don't like flying to begin with but helicopters just feel less safe to me

Not to say a helicopter is a deathtrap or anything, if they were crashing left and right I'm sure we would hear it in the news a lot

But being lifted only by the rotors without wings and 4 engines is scary to me

XD

@trogdor The rotors are, strictly, speaking "rotary wings" and they are indeed wings/airfoils by design. And real expensive. Blackhawk (UH-60) wings are something like a million bucks apiece.

I realize I'm saying this in front of someone who's probably been up in a helicopter more times than I've been in a plane

@KorvinStarmast one other thing is, to be fair, they don't go as high up as planes typically do

Or at least i think they don't?

@trogdor Yes, my friend, but your dad isn't wrong about helicopters given his age. And in the US today there is a running debate in the US about safety and the private companies running HEMS flights. (Med flights) Helo safety could still use some improvements ....

@trogdor generally, yes.

So that's in thier favor too i would think

@trogdor But going high has never been what they were about

Yeah

The ability to be stationary is their main advantage over planes right?

Helicopters are very good at some particular things. And they are expensive.

Probably better especially for like, search and rescue

@trogdor The ability to hover and to fly at very low speeds is their niche, yes.

(we can even fly backwards)

The other thing is they can land almost anywhere.

Yeah

That last one is also reassuring to be fair

@trogdor But you have to be rich like Kobe to afford one, and he actually had sold that helicopter some years ago. (back in 2015, I think). The company he sold it to, though, is one that he leases from now and again. (I am guessing retiring from NBA changed his cash flow, so helicopter no longer in the budget)

The fact that a plane in distress needs some pretty specific places to land safely is one reason I'm a bit scared of flying

I'll get you a picture, it had a cool paint scheme back in the day.

@trogdor heh, it's one of the first things you learn as a pilot "keep an eye out for the next emergency field ..." all the time. You just do. (it becomes a habit)

@KorvinStarmast seems entirely fair yeah

X(

picture coming in a sec

That is the paint job when he owned it. And Kobe sure makes a suit look good; the man makes the clothes, and all that.

I wish i didn't learn he was into helicopters,... Because of this X/

he didn't fly them, he used them to get around the LA area, which is sick congested with traffic.

So do a lot of other wealthy people.

That's fair

But it worked enough for him for him to buy one for a while

Yeah, it did. Oh well, sorry to go all helo crazy on you, I am saddened by this crash for a number of reasons.

He must have liked it, to fly in them and such

No it's cool

I think that once you get used to it, you kinda like it.

I'm literally just saying i wish he didn't die like this

Me too. :(

Really i would prefer to wipe "crashed out of the sky" off the list of ways people are allowed to die

Hmm, I think I need to get onto a more cheerful subject, sorry to be a downer there ....

Aaaah, but ever since Icarus took wing people have wanted to fly ...

Flying is fine (well except I'm scared of heights) it's falling, and the idea of falling, that sucks

OK, no parachute lessons for Troggy! :)

I too have a mild fear of falling ...

I mean, the messed up part is, i would rather know how to use a parachute, but the same fear that would motivate me to do that is the reason i don't want to just go parachuting, even for the purpose of learning to use one

@trogdor I had to use one once, and I am glad I was trained, but I am not going to make that a hobby.

my room mate in college was fanatical sport skydiving guy. I guess once you fall in love with it, you love it.

Well and all my time up in the air has been commercial plane flights

Even in the event if a crash they don't give you parachutes for those

Here is hoping that all of your takeoffs and landings at airports equal each other! 8^D

in number

Thanks

@KorvinStarmast yeah, seems accurate. I know a Finnish guy online who basically puts all his disposable income into skydiving and skydiving accessories.

I love flying but am scared (or very nervous, at least) of heights

yeah they both translate pretty much to the same fear to me, so I don't enjoy flying even the worst I have been through is some moderate turbulence

@Miniman @BESW @kviiri @NautArch @doppelgreener @V2Blast @Rubiksmoose I'm taking the day off, just as a heads-up. See you tomorrow.

Enjoy!

Yea!

@nitsua60 Take care!

@nitsua60 <3