Any new thoughts on this subject?
The Danger Involved
Has any of you ever thought of quitting flying helicopters because of the higher danger involved in respect to say airplanes or a regular land job?
Please admit it, flying helicopters, doing other than say, VIP, ENG, etc. is more dangerous than average jobs.
In 1999 I left helicopters to go fly Beechjets for a fractional program, there I realized that the difference in safety is enormous, in the 1 year I was there, I was never in a situation where I was anything more than having fun, or plain bored while flying, I never felt there was much I could do, or not do, that could seriously endanger myself, on the other side . . .
In helicopters over the past few years I've had a couple of close calls, even being extra careful and thinking eveything twice, there are just some things that are out of your control.
One thing I will never forget is an accident few years back where a Bell 412 was brought down by fireworks from a fair that was below, 8 people died and the pilot was as carefull as there are, I have more examples but what's the use, you know already.
Anybody who's flown helicopters for a while is missing a friend or two today, this gets me thinking sometimes, after all I've never met an airline pilot or corporate pilot who feels this way.
Please share your thoughts/experiences/opinions.