Helicopter Cowboy Image
I would like to start a discussion in reference to Deep C's thread called "Exessive Rotor Downwash". Deep C is not a pilot, but rather represents the common public and their opinion about us. I guess he was not the only one witnessing the two scenarios. There were probably hundreds more, all of which did not come on this forum and get answers to their questions. Unlike Deep C, they probaly walk around at this very moment and think that all helicopter pilots are just shortsighted cowboys. Even if non flying observers don't know all the facts and the decision making process in a busy cockpit (especially where a crew is preparing for a low level - off airport op), nevertheless they are forming the public opinion and also anti helicopter lobby's. Now it's these very same people that stand for the majority of our helicopter industries market.
Not a single one of the posts took an angle at what we can/should do to better our image and thereby increase the market we operate in. Is this maybe because we really do not care about how we affect our surroundings??
Time back I instructed out of a medium sized airport in Florida. One day 2 Army helicopters came in for gas. Before they set down they managed to flip a Cessna 172 upside down, and when they left they hovered for ages over the most dusty spot at the airport - upwind of the ramp - kicking up a cloud of dust/grass and trash. All of which settled nicely on all the airplanes parked on the ramp (there were Citaton 10's and the like with open doors). It took us (the few helicopter pilots there) weeks to calm down people because of this incident. Another example (which probably many of us have seen in the news) happened 3 weeks ago in Italy where 4 or 5 US helicpoters flew so low over the beach while beeing ferried, that they turned a entire beach restaurant upside down - injuring several people with flying debris.
I hope for the pilots sakes that they in hindsight have learned their lesson, but the damage to our image will take a lot longer time and also effort of all of us to balance.