So Long Dear Brother Kobe

[Airbrush]

Kobe Bryant, the star Laker who retired less than 2 years ago, his daughter, and 7 others were killed this morning when Kobe's chopper crashed in Calabasas CA.  I go bike trail riding at Malibu State Park, which is about a mile from where his chopper crashed.

Kobe was the kind of athlete that is likeable, a real nice guy, besides being poetry in motion.  See you later Kobe!  He's been immortalized in video.

Edited January 27, 2020 by Airbrush

[Airbrush]

To correct my error, Kobe retired less than 4 years ago, in 2016.

When I heard the news driving in my car it impacted me like hearing John Lennon was shot in the back and killed in 1980.  Hard to imagine that someone so agile as Kobe could not slip out of a tough situation. 

Do rich people really need to fly around in helicopters?  Is travel by helicopter safer than driving the 10 miles to and from the Staples Center in a car?  Was flying just to save time?

Edited January 27, 2020 by Airbrush

[Phi for All]

22 minutes ago, Airbrush said:

Do rich people really need to fly around in helicopters?  Is travel by helicopter safer than driving the 10 miles to and from the Staples Center in a car?  Was flying just to save time?

Have you ever driven in LA? I worked with some folks who lived less than 5 miles from the office, but because they had to get on the I-10 or the I-405, it took 45 minutes by car. Personally, I also think map apps in an enormous traffic system like LA's cause erratic tie-ups. You get notified that your route just went red, so you jump to an alternate route, but everybody else gets told the same thing, and your alternate is suddenly snarled leaving you with no better options.

This isn't about rich people in helicopters. This is about a tragic accident that happened to some famous individuals. There's a reason behind it, even if the loss seems senseless.

[Airbrush]

What I heard in the news yesterday from a helicopter pilot was that helicopter crashes are quite common and survivable.  This crash was not survivable.  Anyhow I would like to know the safety record of travel in that kind of chopper.  Jet airliner travel is supposed to be safer than driving a car.

The conditions for flying were unsafe, the LAPD grounded their choppers because of fog and low clouds.

"Between 2005 and 2009, there was an annual average of 1.44 helicopter fatalities  per 100,000 flying hours in non-military helicopters. Over the same period, there were 13.2 traffic fatalities per 100,000 population in the United States annually. Since the average American spends around 780 hours per year (PDF) in the car, that means the fatality rate per 100,000 hours of driving time is just 0.017. Based on hours alone, helicopters are 85 times more dangerous than driving.

https://fullfact.org/news/how-dangerous-are-helicopters/

Edited January 27, 2020 by Airbrush

[Phi for All]

13 minutes ago, Airbrush said:

What I heard in the news yesterday from a helicopter pilot was that helicopter crashes are quite common and survivable.  This crash was not survivable.  Anyhow I would like to know the safety record of travel in that kind of chopper.  Jet airliner travel is supposed to be safer than driving a car.

The conditions for flying were unsafe, the LAPD grounded their choppers because of fog and low clouds.

"Between 2005 and 2009, there was an annual average of 1.44 helicopter fatalities  per 100,000 flying hours in non-military helicopters. Over the same period, there were 13.2 traffic fatalities per 100,000 population in the United States annually. Since the average American spends around 780 hours per year (PDF) in the car, that means the fatality rate per 100,000 hours of driving time is just 0.017. Based on hours alone, helicopters are 85 times more dangerous than driving.

https://fullfact.org/news/how-dangerous-are-helicopters/

Aren't those figures using the driving rate for both forms of travel? Do helicopter commuters also spend 780 hours per year in the chopper?

[MigL]

The fog situation was extremely bad.
So bad in fact, that the pilot was flying low enough to follow the road.
 The Sikorsky ( formerly United Tech., now Lockheed-Martin ) S-76 is fully capable of instrument flying, and should have been flying above the fog layer.
It seems the pilot realised his mistake too late, and tried to climb just prior to the crash.
I'm still not aware whether he hit something like an electrical tower or wires. Or even an embankment.
( one of the last transmissions from the control tower was " You're still too low." )

I doubt very much a mechanical failiure, as the S-76 has an excellent record.

RIP to Kobe, his daughter, and the other 7 who lost their lives.

Edited January 28, 2020 by MigL

[Airbrush]

Maybe when they took off it didn't look too dangerous to fly in their particular location.  The LAPD helicopters were grounded because of unsafe fog.

It seems to me either Kobe convinced the pilot it was safe enough to fly, or the pilot convinced Kobe of that.

If I was wealthy, I would rather have a chauffer drive me in my limo, while I watch cable TV, to my destination in heavy traffic, rather than fly in a chopper or small plane.  But that's just me.  The only time I flew in a chopper was TERRIFYING!

Edited January 28, 2020 by Airbrush

[StringJunky]

1 hour ago, Airbrush said:

Maybe when they took off it didn't look too dangerous to fly in their particular location.  The LAPD helicopters were grounded because of unsafe fog.

It seems to me either Kobe convinced the pilot it was safe enough to fly, or the pilot convinced Kobe of that.

If I was wealthy, I would rather have a chauffer drive me in my limo, while I watch cable TV, to my destination in heavy traffic, rather than fly in a chopper or small plane.  But that's just me.  The only time I flew in a chopper was TERRIFYING!

Apparently, traffic flow in his area there is "glacial".

[Phi for All]

1 hour ago, Airbrush said:

If I was wealthy, I would rather have a chauffer drive me in my limo, while I watch cable TV, to my destination in heavy traffic, rather than fly in a chopper or small plane. 

Fantastic way to catch up on all the movies you've missed if you live in Los Angeles. Or you could binge-watch a Netflix series every day.

Unless, you know, you had other responsibilities. Average commute in LA is about 8.8 miles and takes 53.68 minutes. If you're wealthy enough to live in the surrounding hills, double or triple that. I suppose you could make that time work for you if your expertise can be expressed from the back of a limo somehow. Some people's expertise requires them to be in close proximity to what they're working on, like a basketball coach.

[Airbrush]

How many Lakers fly a chopper to and from practice and home games at the Staples Center?

In general, how many pro athletes in the USA commute by chopper for practice and home games?

My point is there can't be too many athletes doing this.  How many choppers can land on the Staples Center and wait until the practice or game is over?

Edited January 29, 2020 by Airbrush

[iNow]

None of that matters. Even if we knew the answers, who cares?

[Raider5678]

On 1/26/2020 at 9:29 PM, Airbrush said:

Kobe was the kind of athlete that is likeable, a real nice guy, besides being poetry in motion

And an alleged rapist apparently.

https://www.inquirer.com/news/kobe-bryant-death-basketball-helicopter-alleged-rape-20200130.html

[Airbrush]

16 hours ago, Raider5678 said:

And an alleged rapist apparently.

https://www.inquirer.com/news/kobe-bryant-death-basketball-helicopter-alleged-rape-20200130.html

That is true and I don't approve of that behavior.  But in my life it was always fun to see him playing basketball, and expressing his thoughts after games.  I have compartmentalized the rape episode.

I guess nobody cares, but I sure would like to know how many choppers can park on top of, or near, the Staples Center.  Do most Lakers, players and staff, commute by chopper to the Staples Center?  My guess is probably yes.

Edited January 31, 2020 by Airbrush