Aser
7th Dec 2007, 11:36
Helicopter pilot who crashed in Gainesville was training for license.
By NATHAN CRABBE
Sun staff writer
A helicopter pilot who crashed Tuesday in Gainesville said he was still in training to get his license, but he said that training helped him escape serious harm.
Continue to 2nd paragraph
Tony Soldano, 38, of New Port Richey, crashed his helicopter at about 11 a.m. in the parking lot of the Gainesville Raceway, 11211 N. County Road 225. He suffered just a scraped arm and bruised knee.
Soldano said he's an experienced airplane pilot who is seeking a license to fly a helicopter. He said he works with a company building the roof on the raceway's new tower and needed to come to Gainesville to sign a permit.
He said the license process requires him to take a 50-mile solo flight, so he decided to take the flight from St. Petersburg to sign the permit.
"I figured I might as well kill two birds with one stone," he said.
He said he was headed to the Gainesville Regional Airport, passing the raceway to look at the job, when he experienced problems. He said he was about 400 feet in the air when he felt vibrations, and the helicopter lost power.
He said the raceway's grassy parking lot provided a good place to land. He said the training for his helicopter license was fresh in his mind, so he knew how to land without major problems.
The helicopter hit the ground, bounced and landed on its side. The helicopter rotors were mangled, and the aircraft lost about five to 10 gallons of fuel.
Alachua County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Keith Faulk declined comment pending a possible investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration or National Transportation Safety Board.
Soldano said the accident won't dissuade him from again flying a helicopter.
"Get back on the horse is all you can do," he said.
Nathan Crabbe can be reached at 352-338-3176 or crabben@gville sun.com.
http://gsimg.ny.publicus.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=GS&Date=20071205&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=712050323&Ref=AR&Profile=1002&MaxW=590&border=0
Good job :ok:
By NATHAN CRABBE
Sun staff writer
A helicopter pilot who crashed Tuesday in Gainesville said he was still in training to get his license, but he said that training helped him escape serious harm.
Continue to 2nd paragraph
Tony Soldano, 38, of New Port Richey, crashed his helicopter at about 11 a.m. in the parking lot of the Gainesville Raceway, 11211 N. County Road 225. He suffered just a scraped arm and bruised knee.
Soldano said he's an experienced airplane pilot who is seeking a license to fly a helicopter. He said he works with a company building the roof on the raceway's new tower and needed to come to Gainesville to sign a permit.
He said the license process requires him to take a 50-mile solo flight, so he decided to take the flight from St. Petersburg to sign the permit.
"I figured I might as well kill two birds with one stone," he said.
He said he was headed to the Gainesville Regional Airport, passing the raceway to look at the job, when he experienced problems. He said he was about 400 feet in the air when he felt vibrations, and the helicopter lost power.
He said the raceway's grassy parking lot provided a good place to land. He said the training for his helicopter license was fresh in his mind, so he knew how to land without major problems.
The helicopter hit the ground, bounced and landed on its side. The helicopter rotors were mangled, and the aircraft lost about five to 10 gallons of fuel.
Alachua County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. Keith Faulk declined comment pending a possible investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration or National Transportation Safety Board.
Soldano said the accident won't dissuade him from again flying a helicopter.
"Get back on the horse is all you can do," he said.
Nathan Crabbe can be reached at 352-338-3176 or crabben@gville sun.com.
http://gsimg.ny.publicus.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=GS&Date=20071205&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=712050323&Ref=AR&Profile=1002&MaxW=590&border=0
Good job :ok: