OT: Coconuts of steel helicopter landing

[pRICE cUBE]

A rescue helicopter perches precariously on a pinnacle Tuesday during the rescue of a hiker who fell into a slot canyon in Washington County. (Lt. Cory Pulsipher, Washington County Sheriff's Office)

[ztirffritz]

I respect the talent it takes to land there, but I think that it was foolish of the pilot to even attempt it. Helicopters can react really strangely when hovering over unusual terrain. It can create down drafts or weird gusts that will suck the chopper down into the ground or fling it into the hillside. He/she risked the chopper, the crew, the rescuers on the ground, and the injured victim.

[cbelt3]

Rescue chopper pilots are truly brave people. I have a buddy who was on the ground during the famous rescue chopper crash on Mt. Hood. The tales he told were hair raising. The chopper stopped about 50 feet upslope from where he was climbing.
Matt's site

[davester]

ztirffritz wrote:
I respect the talent it takes to land there, but I think that it was foolish of the pilot to even attempt it. Helicopters can react really strangely when hovering over unusual terrain. It can create down drafts or weird gusts that will suck the chopper down into the ground or fling it into the hillside. He/she risked the chopper, the crew, the rescuers on the ground, and the injured victim.

Unless you're a chopper pilot yourself, I'd say you are unqualified to judge that. I've spent a fair amount of time in a helicopter in desert terrain and the pilot was quite able to land with little fuss in all sorts of situations I, as a layman, wouldn't have thought would be that easy.

[M A V I C]

ztirffritz wrote: He/she risked the chopper, the crew, the rescuers on the ground, and the injured victim.

That's part of the job that the crew and the rescuers signed up for. And for the injured, it's part of the risk involved in hiking in such areas.

[OWC Jamie]

the daily crashes are a testament to the lack of concern for public safety

[ztirffritz]

The Search and Rescue class that I took taught us that the first priority is the safety of the rescuer. The victim is already at a disadvantage, so don't put anyone else at risk and complicate the issue. You're correct that I'm not a helicopter pilot, and I'm sure that the pilot in the photo is aware of the potential problems. I'm just saying that my training indicated in that situation we should not expect a helicopter rescue, or at best we might expect them to lower a basket for the victim.

[AAA]

some hikers really put others at risk.

[AlphaDog]

AAA wrote:
some hikers really put others at risk.

I posted a disagreement to something you'd said in another thread, but I agree wholeheartedly with this statement. I understand that experienced hikers can accidentally find themselves in a rough spot, but I've also wondered how many dangerous rescues are being done because of an amateur hiker's stupidity. No, I don't know the numbers, but I'd be interested if somebody else has some.

[Jimmypoo]

Where are the steel coconuts?