Sage-Tips

Can you stand under a helicopter?

Never walk behind a helicopter, and avoid approaching a helicopter from uphill if the rotors are engaged. Additionally, only approach when the pilot gives you the okay to do so. Never stand directly below the helicopter.

Why should you not walk in front of a helicopter?

THE ROTOR SYSTEM OF THE HELICOPTER Many helicopter rotor systems can dip well below 6 feet from the ground level, which can potentially contact a person or object on the ground. Never carry anything above your head such as an umbrella while walking under the rotor system.

Why do you crouch when approaching a helicopter?

The main rotor blades of a helicopter act as a wing. If a gust of wind to come along, it would lift up one end of the blades, while pitching the other end down. That is why you should crouch within view of the pilot when approaching… so that he can control the blades should a gust of wind come along.

Can a bullet take down a helicopter?

You can certainly shoot down a military helicopter with a machine gun, or even a rifle. But you would be foolish to target the rotor blades. Most bullets would pass without hitting anything, and critical damage would probably require two or more hits on the same rotor to weaken it enough to fail.

Why do people bend down when leaving a helicopter?

Because decapitation is a hell of a way to go. Helicopters can and do decapitate people on a regular basis—often because rotor tilt (possible in some types of craft), mechanical failure, or an inopportune gust of wind, brings a rotor tip down to head level—just for an instant.

How safe are helicopters?

Still, helicopters are a relatively safe mode of transportation — except when it comes to personal and private flights, which “account for just 3 percent of flight hours but more than a quarter of fatal accidents,” NPR reports. Why such an enormous discrepancy? Different degrees of oversight is a huge part of it.

What should you do if you see a helicopter landing nearby?

Give the helicopter space to land: If you are on the ground and a helicopter is landing nearby, do not approach it. Stay far back and give the aircraft plenty of space to land. Never stand directly below the helicopter.

Do private planes and helicopter accidents increase the risk of disaster?

It’s true that if you look at the news alone, private planes and helicopters seem to be involved in a disproportionate number of disasters. A number of celebrities have died in high-profile aviation incidents over the years, from the singer John Denver, to members of the band Lynard Skynard, to, in 2017, the Hall of Fame pitcher Roy Halladay.

How dangerous is private air travel?

Actor Harrison Ford is famously lucky to be alive after all his airplane and helicopter mishaps. In some ways, it’s surprising that private air travel remains so dangerous, especially seeing as flying on a commercial plane is now one of the safest things you can do — safer even than even walking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqwDgLkOf7Q