Coastguard helicopter rescues man...from forest!

[HowlingWind]

Saved his errant cockatoo also! (That's a bird, nowt norty there...)

A bloke got himself stranded in a tree 60 feet up in the Texas piney woods whilst chasing his pet bird (worth $2000 US) and couldn't get down.

He was too deep in the woods for the fire brigade to get their apparatus in. The Houston Police Department helicopter first lowered a sling (which looked a bloody risk had he tried to grab it, which he didn't) but that just got kicked around in the rotor wash.

So they called in the guys who know how to do this stuff, the US Coastguard, which lowered a "swimmer" to pluck the sorry fellow out of the tree. Well done, chaps! :ok:

Story and video here (http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=local&id=5180881).

A better video is available here (http://www.khou.com/), featuring some nice long shots of the USCG chopper on approach to the scene. However, that site might make you register, at least if you want to watch it more than once.

[HELOFAN]

I like the part where the guy says that he would pay the bill ( $7-$8 K ) for the rescue but my question would be ... why did you get a helicopter for the rescue , it wasnt life or death urgency..... get a tree climer/rescue/ type feller ( surely they have that sort of thing ) .

Not that I would bitch about a ride in a helo ( though it would have been 20 secs max LOL ) but the cost of such a rescue should not be an issue when its life or death I think.

Maybe just the need to bring in the guys for THAT job I can see PPL getting pissy.

I think its great , guys getting hours & training on something different.

HF

[MSP Aviation]

The USCG won't accept it. Their belief is that if one person is allowed to pay, others may be worried when it is a close call between Mayday/wait-it-out, people won't call for fear of being billed. Then, when it gets real bad and they do get called, the flight crews are at a greater risk.