Private Pilots in NC

[TaperPin]

There was no restricted airspace at the time and 2 days later the same pilot was asked to return and help.
The pilot had acquired radio frequencies that emergency services were using.
He did what he was required to do to that point.

And I’ll admit that I have zero experience as a pilot or knowledge of what the requirements are for obtaining or retaining a license to fly a helicopter or airplane.
And I will say that I am thankful for the people who willingly volunteer (in a lot of scenarios) as first responders to deal with these situations.

But, when you have a situation that is being described as “apocalyptic” and “never seen before” sometimes protocol needs to tossed to get shit done before more people die.
If people’s lives are at stake, I’m not waiting on permission.

The guy didn’t check in with anyone. He fuel up at an airport and since they we’re only selling fuel to those responding to the emergency he wrongly assumed the kid selling fuel somehow vetted him and gave permission to do whatever he wanted. That alone shows he had poor judgement in my mind. Did he make contact with a volunteer group and keep working, or just fly home mad?

FEMA is about broke. All the money spent on undocumented immigration. Billions upon billions sent to Ukraine and elsewhere around the world...even to countries that hate America. Nothing left for US citizens in serious disasters. Insurance companies allowed to rip off natural disaster victims. Who the heck has been running this country and is allowing this? Maybe it's time for a shake-up in Washington DC. Guess what next month is. My heart goes out to these victims who feel left behind by their government. Now we need to do something about it.

Guess who is in charge of funding agencies - the House of Representatives. I agree with you on voting those responsible out of the House! Lol

 

[IdahoElk]

Rogan was talking about this. Some idiots post some fake stories about a current event. The media jumps on it and screams DISINFORMATION!!! Then the 50% of the country that has some kind of political bias against the issue dismisses the entire thing as nonsense. It's pretty genius really. It doesn't help when Marjorie Taylor Green starts talking about how "They" can control the weather and that's why only red counties were affected. I like her, but I think she might have been smoking crack that day.

This was 70yrs ago

https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hurricane_blog/70th-anniversary-of-the-first-hurricane-seeding-experiment/

 

[BLJ]

@TaperPin. I may have to watch it again to see about the fuel kid giving him permission to do what he did.
He did check in with someone after he rescued a victim. That’s when he was threatened with arrest and told he couldn’t go back for his son.

ETA. I believe he did fly home after that.

 

[gbflyer]

I saw that vid yesterday and I am still pissed. If I was there I would be helping. I’d have invited that Jr Fire Marshall feller to go **** himself and landed somewhere else.

 

[BLJ]

@TaperPin. I may have to watch it again to see about the fuel kid giving him permission to do what he did.
He did check in with someone after he rescued a victim. That’s when he was threatened with arrest and told he couldn’t go back for his son.

ETA. I believe he did fly home after that.

I watched it again. In the video I posted it states that the pilot received radio frequencies from SAR/Fireman that was from Michigan.
It also stated that “airport officials” were who was in contact with when he got fuel.
I didn’t hear any mention of a kid selling fuel.

 

[Bugger]

Watch closely, he actually pokes his head out while his girlfriend is defending him, then quickly scuttles back under his rock.

That’s the best part!
“He was unavailable at the time”… looks pretty damn available to me! What a douche.

The pilot should have kept shuttling folks and having them hop off without landing. a fire chief has zero authority to make an arrest and the public would have paid his bail in a second anyway.

 

[BLJ]

A little more information in this video.

 

[gbflyer]

That’s the best part!
“He was unavailable at the time”… looks pretty damn available to me! What a douche.

The pilot should have kept shuttling folks and having them hop off without landing. a fire chief has zero authority to make an arrest and the public would have paid his bail in a second anyway.

Agree. I have a big, big problem with someone who gets a title and assumes authority.

 

[maxx075]

Agree. I have a big, big problem with someone who gets a title and assumes authority.

 

[TaperPin]

I watched it again. In the video I posted it states that the pilot received radio frequencies from SAR/Fireman that was from Michigan.
It also stated that “airport officials” were who was in contact with when he got fuel.
I didn’t hear any mention of a kid selling fuel.

It’s normally a young person doing the fueling and running the credit card. Not exactly a very official official.
I wouldn’t feel like an out of state fireman was a very good source of information. I thought the story was he showed up and landed without contacting anyone beforehand.

You can go over the details saying, “Yeah, but what about this?,” all you want and assume all sorts of things, but on the surface it smells like the guy was in over his head, and none of the details have changed my mind. I’m sure he meant well. Even bringing his kid was probably well meaning, but making off airport landings in less than ideal conditions with the kid also makes me question his risk assessment.

These two graphs put a personal helicopter and low hour pilot at the top of the fatality list.

 

[Jmort1754]

Taper the Assistant chief was in the wrong. He was on a power trip, and it was evident as what happened over the next day or so. In my experience working a few different disasters the last people who should be given power are guys like him. You can post about all the low pilot hour and fatality list you want I give zero shits about that because the elderly without food and water would be a guaranteed death not an assumed risk. I guess some people are a bit more risk adverse than others.

 

[BLJ]

It’s normally a young person doing the fueling and running the credit card. Not exactly a very official official.
I wouldn’t feel like an out of state fireman was a very good source of information. I thought the story was he showed up and landed without contacting anyone beforehand.

You can go over the details saying, “Yeah, but what about this?,” all you want and assume all sorts of things, but on the surface it smells like the guy was in over his head, and none of the details have changed my mind. I’m sure he meant well. Even bringing his kid was probably well meaning, but making off airport landings in less than ideal conditions with the kid also makes me question his risk assessment.

These two graphs put a personal helicopter and low hour pilot at the top of the fatality list.

View attachment 773812View attachment 773813

I haven’t assumed anything. Just stating what’s in the video.
It said airport officials. Not gas boy. And I don’t think there is a lot of “normally” down there right now.

Why would the out of state fireman be giving out radio frequencies to pilots if it wasn’t intended for them to use for communication with the first responders? Why wouldn’t the out of state fireman say ‘You need to talk to this guy before you fly’. Do you think that if out of state fireman didn’t have authorization to give that information he would have done it anyway? Or even had access to them?

Once again, I’m no pilot. But it looks like he did a good job of setting it down twice in less than ideal conditions when he brought the first victim out and again when he got his son. I bet he could have went 3 for 3 at that LZ had he not been threatened with arrest.
So I guess I will make an assumption about that.

And 1400 hours of flight time wasn’t enough initially, but it was more than enough to be asked to help a couple days later?

Thanks for the charts.

 

[Crowmangler]

FEMA is about broke. All the money spent on undocumented ILLEGAL immigration. (fixed it for you)