Mighty gem, you just miss the whole point. Pilots operating recklessly and/or beyond the obvious and documented limits have been creaming themselves and their pax in with tedious regularity.
in this case we have a helicopter, flying at low level in fog along a public road. That is not acceptable under any circumstances and NO ONE can ever be authorised to train in such conditions. If you are ex AAC authorising officer you would know this.
This thread should be a general vilification of a truly poor act of airmanship. Instead we have desire, ego and risky shift all collaborating together to try and convince sensible compliant pilots that such supremely stupid acts are really necessary to keep us safe in our beds. It’s lamentable and in the words of John Cleese, exactly how Hitler started!
Recently we had a SAR machine fly straight into a rock in the open ocean. And yet so many posters claiming that such risks are acceptable in SAR or indeed HEMS. They are not acceptable. The Commander is neither authorised or trained to operate beyond the limits.
several posters also completely misunderstand the rules believing ANYTHING goes if you are saving lives. This is also not true. This rule is applicable during an Emergency Situation relating to the aircraft operation and not the task in hand.
Its actually not that difficult to get right. Fly compliant and if you want to apply your own personal limits then make them greater FFS and give yourself a margin for error.
It sickens and disappoints me that when any attempt is made to suggest compliance or caution on Rotorheads is so often met by the wannabe hero’s pulling on the other end of the rope. If they have truly been there and really done that they would know how dangerous these actions can be and how so much ends up down to luck than skills or judgement.
As a member of the public first, an ex military pilot second and a professional helicopter pilot third, I want an explanation as to why the cream of the British Army is wazzing along a public road in fog. Only by demanding such answers will the truth come out and progress get made. Thankfully on this occasion no lives were lost. Luck, more than any other factor in play whem so low in fog.