Surfer ducks decapitation
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 768
Likes: 45
From: Montreal
Surfer ducks decapitation
At least he didn't have to worry about the tailrotor too.
YouTube - Surfer Cheats Death/ decapitation by helicopter -Caught on Tape
YouTube - Surfer Cheats Death/ decapitation by helicopter -Caught on Tape
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 2,081
Likes: 189
From: Redding CA, or on a fire somewhere
Low Flier---
We do it ALL the time. We have an FAA approved motion picture manual with a Certificate of Waiver. That is how the movies are made....normal days work...nothing special.
We do it ALL the time. We have an FAA approved motion picture manual with a Certificate of Waiver. That is how the movies are made....normal days work...nothing special.
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 119
Likes: 4
From: England
Out of interest, if the surfer had managed to get his head cut off, what effect would it have had on the blades? Would they have broken or would there just be an inconvenient bump in the cockpit?
Last edited by Skittles; 29th January 2010 at 22:49.
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 13
Likes: 0
From: Qld, Australia
You've got to be kidding, that video is about 8 years old, the helicopter was filming the surfers and was about 200 to 300 meters laterally away from the surfers.
Those bone heads in the US media really have no idea do they!
Those bone heads in the US media really have no idea do they!
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 1,937
Likes: 28
From: UK/OZ
An embarrassing disgrace for Good Morning America (one hopes!)
So the cameraman was shooting the surfers... who were directly below the heli?
Nice shot of the skids then...!
And the heli doesn't appear to be tracking with the surfers.
These two points alone indicate that here is considerable displacement between helicopter and subject.
Then the aircraft banks toward the wave, hardly the reaction after a near miss especially if their is another surfer on the wave.
He probably banked to get closer to the wipeout.
Using knowledge of the size of the MD on can judge that the surfers size in frame is around 30% shorter than if he were adjacent the heli.
Since the video was taken with a long lens where for-shortening is the dominate characteristic this amount of size difference is a strong indicator that the two were not close together.
It is obvious a long lens was used, given the visual clues to the size of the wave and that we are not seeing much of the underside of the heli and that the camera appears to be well above the seal level height, so we can assume that the camera is either in another heli or on a dune or cliff and so probably 200 meters from the wave.
Can do the maths on what lens was used if someone knows the location of the beach.
Mickjoebill
So the cameraman was shooting the surfers... who were directly below the heli?
Nice shot of the skids then...!
And the heli doesn't appear to be tracking with the surfers.
These two points alone indicate that here is considerable displacement between helicopter and subject.
Then the aircraft banks toward the wave, hardly the reaction after a near miss especially if their is another surfer on the wave.
He probably banked to get closer to the wipeout.
Using knowledge of the size of the MD on can judge that the surfers size in frame is around 30% shorter than if he were adjacent the heli.
Since the video was taken with a long lens where for-shortening is the dominate characteristic this amount of size difference is a strong indicator that the two were not close together.
It is obvious a long lens was used, given the visual clues to the size of the wave and that we are not seeing much of the underside of the heli and that the camera appears to be well above the seal level height, so we can assume that the camera is either in another heli or on a dune or cliff and so probably 200 meters from the wave.
Can do the maths on what lens was used if someone knows the location of the beach.
Mickjoebill
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 119
Likes: 4
From: England
An embarrassing disgrace for Good Morning America? Oh give us a break. You go and lock yourself in your basement with your ruler and calculator, and the rest of us will just enjoy the light-hearted news story.
Maybe before you head downstairs you could go around the neighbourhood mocking childrens' belief in Santa Claus?
Maybe before you head downstairs you could go around the neighbourhood mocking childrens' belief in Santa Claus?
Joined: Aug 1999
Aviation Qualifications: ATP+Mil
Posts: 4,411
Likes: 83
From: Gold Coast, Australia
I agree with MJB: for a national news network (who will be believed by a vast majority of viewers) to put such an inaccurate piece of reporting to air is a sad reflection on their integrity 
I mean to say, I had all sorts of trouble getting this skier to stay out of my cabin
and Dirk Nannes (another great Oz cricketer
) was determined to upset my track and balance:
Oops!
I mean to say, I had all sorts of trouble getting this skier to stay out of my cabin
and Dirk Nannes (another great Oz cricketer
) was determined to upset my track and balance:Oops!
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 110
Likes: 0
From: The land of the cranberry
Some awesome shots there. Just more camera angles that make it look like that people are "dodging" rotor blades. It is a sad state of affairs when the news cant find more important stuff to talk about.
They should be getting much closer than that to be able to get news worthy attention. I think we should organize a competition and maybe it should even be part of the winter olympics. Out of the quarter pipe and try to dogde some rotors!!
Sure would be good TV!!
They should be getting much closer than that to be able to get news worthy attention. I think we should organize a competition and maybe it should even be part of the winter olympics. Out of the quarter pipe and try to dogde some rotors!!
Sure would be good TV!!
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 557
Likes: 27
From: At home
Skittles,
MJB is right in his statement.
'Good Morning America' and it's network is supposed to have some sort of seriousness in their reporting. If they would run a story about Santa, everyone would know what is facts and what's not. In this case, they deliberately run a (old)story which they know is not the fact, yet they still portray it as it is to make the BIG story.
Always the same when it comes to "sensational" aviation-news.... even worse helicopter-news
It does not make it any better that the clip is years old.
Btw, I don't think (at least hoping) the average kid that still believe in Santa is roaming this forum...
MJB is right in his statement.
'Good Morning America' and it's network is supposed to have some sort of seriousness in their reporting. If they would run a story about Santa, everyone would know what is facts and what's not. In this case, they deliberately run a (old)story which they know is not the fact, yet they still portray it as it is to make the BIG story.
Always the same when it comes to "sensational" aviation-news.... even worse helicopter-news
It does not make it any better that the clip is years old.
Btw, I don't think (at least hoping) the average kid that still believe in Santa is roaming this forum...