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

Thou shall not fly within 500 feet of any person, vessel, vehicle or structure.

500ft may be in UK but not in the USA !

Low Flier .... is that meant for the "flying surfer" or the pilot....? :}

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.

Hard to tell if the Surfer was near the Helicopter or not. The camera angle of attack makes it deceiving.

I bet it wasn't as close as it looked from that angle. I'd like to see the cameraman's shot though! Nice wave, nice air, nice helicopter and an awesome job!!

It looks like another helicopter was filming the clip from nearby as well.

That was nearly a free hair cut

I'd like to hear more about pressing "Snooze" on her alarm clock ;)

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d1.../Coconutty.jpg

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?

depends on the angle, we just re balance ours everytime that happens:8

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!

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

surfer versus heli
 

Here is another near miss:suspect:


http://img689.imageshack.us/img689/3...rfervsheli.jpg

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?

:ugh:

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 ;) :p

http://www.eacott.com.au/gallery/d/3...rchtold+06.jpg

and Dirk Nannes (another great Oz cricketer :ok:) was determined to upset my track and balance:

http://www.eacott.com.au/gallery/d/3...kNannes+11.jpg

http://www.eacott.com.au/gallery/d/3...kNannes+12.jpg

http://www.eacott.com.au/gallery/d/3...kNannes+09.jpg

Oops!

http://www.eacott.com.au/gallery/d/3...asGloor+10.jpg

Similar things are done when filming wakeboarding...
http://islerphoto.com/images/froggy-ronn.jpg

http://islerphoto.com/images/heli-500-behind.jpg

It's all in the camera angle and lens. Some are closer than others, but not jeopardizing the safety of both heli and athlete.

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!!

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...

The big story? Is this what makes the headlines in America?

It's the equivalent of the end segment on my national news show the other night which showed a squirrel watersurfing. The anchor said that the squirrel was hoping to enter some competitions.

Should I write to the station demanding that they clarify that the squirrel is in fact ineligable for said competition? How dare they present this midinformation!? It is clear that competition regulations will strictly specify that the competition is for humans only, and the squirrel's lack of opposable thumbs makes it impossible for him to compete on a high level!

Whilst Good Morning America wants to report news seriously, this is blatantly a tongue in cheek end-of-segment video that is designed to make you smile (as it did me), not whip out the text books. What consequence is the 'misreporting' here exactly.

Just lighten up.

Mmmm ....

.... Btw, I don't think (at least hoping) the average PILOT that still believe in Santa is roaming this forum...


You mean Santa is NOT real ...... Damn another illusion shattered :{

The piece is introduced with
"one very close call for a surfer" hardly a melodramatic introduction.

The underlying point is that it is pretty obvious they lifted the video from youtube where it is headlined as "!!AMAZING FOOTAGE!! SURFER CHEATS DEATH:NEARLY DECAPITATED BY HELICOPTER!!"

It would have been better TV journalism to titillate the audience with the video and then point out that the surfer was not in any danger and make a snide remarks about youtube videos.

That a national news programme from ABC NEWS is regurgitating youtube content without apparently checking its veracity is indeed shameful.
Something I would expect from FOX but less so from ABC.

Coincidently next week GMA are allowing email questions from viewers to be asked of the anchors.
Good Morning America Anchors Answer Your Questions - ABC News


MJB

I'm going to send in an email claiming I was the surfer, and that the rotors got so close to my scalp that I was shaved.

WHAT ? Santa not real :eek:

Skittles,

Yes, big news, or something that attracts viewers (facts doesnt work as good as lies does) "Tongue in the cheek"... right..!

A little of topic, but showing the same sort of storytelling.

Read this first:
Pictured: Three cheetahs spare tiny antelope's life... and play with him instead | Mail Online

Then click this link:
Bios - Phone nature : Agence Photographique spécialisée dans la Nature et l'Environnement

Enjoy

spinwing and iainms,

sorry guys.....

John,

If theres a video of from the same angle those photos have been taken, it might be the next "One very close call" on Good Morning America (as long as they can find it on Youtube that is...)

Nice shots by the way.

Single or twin ? :p

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d1.../Coconutty.jpg

People are surprised that the news media would mess up coverage of anything more complex than a two-car funeral?