Originally Posted by
John Eacott
It's a shame that Blancolirio references a photo of an AS350 instead of the EC130 B4 in that video...
I agree, and numerous comments in response to his video also point out this issue. Still, the thrust of what he says regarding blind spots for both helicopters probably remains reasonably valid.
Another commenter on YouTube, 'Speed Bird', also mentions the current four southern pads vs only the single one Blancolirio was aware of. But 'Speed Bird' has dug a fair bit deeper, so I will copy his message here:
"Great breakdown of events. The Google map of that area [used by Blancolirio] is from 2017, if you use Google earth and timeline it to the most recent there are 4 concrete helipads south of where the 'island' pads are located. The southern island pad is closed, but the northern one is operational, so you are spot on with the departure point of the ascending heli. However looking back through the timeline on Nearmaps (low altitude photo images) it shows both those island pads closed at the beginning of 2019. By November 2021 they are still closed and remained closed on each snapshot between those dates. The northern pad shows open again on the next snapshot on Jun 7 2022. so there was a lengthy period where those island pads were not in use and the pilots were accustomed to only looking for traffic from the 4 pads (all adjacent) that the descending heli was landing on. Also check 'QLD Globe' for time lines when the pads were closed."