Helicopter Tours

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   emrldphxposted 13 years ago

   Cost aside, would you want to go on a helicopter tour while on vacation?
   
   If yes, where would you most like to go?
   
   If no, why not?

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      oldandwiseposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Haven't never had the opportunity to go in a helicopter it sounds like fun. I would enjoy flying over the ocean or mountains taking in the view from a different perspective.

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         emrldphxposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Some day(hopefully) I'll be a pilot, I'm just curious as to how people feel about them. I know some of my friends would never set foot in one because they are afraid it would break and die. I tried explaining to them that a heli can land with 0 engine power but they didn't believe me.
         
         Myself, I hope to be flying tours in 4-seaters, with the doors off, in Hawaii

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      paradigmsearchposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Now that you mention it, a helicopter ride is one that should be on everyone's bucket list.

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      Infobrowserposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I was close to going on a helecopter tour in Mauritius. It would have been a fantastic experience but it seemed rather expensive, so we decided to go on a submarine trip and had ourselves an unforgettable time. I wrote an article about Mauritius because I find the place beautiful in so many ways. I might be tempted to write some more on the subject

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         emrldphxposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Wow, it looks beautiful.
         
         Soon as I win the Powerball, I'm off to so many places... [/wishing]

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   knolyourselfposted 13 years ago

   I hate the noisy things. If I owned one I would park over the houses of some of these television station owners and see how they like it.

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   Lisa HWposted 13 years ago

   Too many helicopter crashes.  Too few good reasons for people to be in them in the first place.  I think they should be used for urgent, important and/or specialized purposes - not entertainment.  Someone I knew well (and his colleagues and the pilot) were killed in one for no reason other than avoiding an hour (or so) drive to a meeting.  This guy's three little kids got to grow up without their father.
   
   This guy aside, and medical flight- and news flight- accidents aside, I'd rather not risk my life for a vacation activity and a half-hour view of something I can easily live without seeing from that particular angle in person.  Civilian crash rates aren't good.
   
   I'd respectfully disagree with paradigmsearch on this one. I have my own stuff for a bucket list, and I'd like to life long enough to see some of that stuff through.

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      emrldphxposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I actually consider helicopters safer than driving. Statistically, they are about 2 times more dangerous than driving, but when flying, you don't have to worry about someone changing lanes into you on the freeway. In other words, there is almost no chance of you being killed(from a pilot's perspective) due to someone else's flying ability.
      
      The actual statistic for 2008(most recent I could find) is 0.5 deaths per 100,000 hours of flying, or 1 death for every 200,000 hours of flying. That's 68 years worth of flying 8 hours a day, every day.
      
      I used to think they were much more dangerous until I was bit with the aviation bug and started doing my research, but I definitely understand that point of view.

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         Lisa HWposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         You're going to think I'm making this up (and I can't help but kind of laugh as I post this in reply to your post, because no matter what any odds are, odds do seem to have a way of "finding me" somehow....)
         
         Anyway, that accident I mentioned involved the helicopter and a small plane crashing.    If I recall correctly (and understood correctly), the plane just clipped the helicopter, but it was enough to send it to the ground. 
         
         However, having added that gloomy note); and without having statistics or aviation knowledge, I am under the impression (based on reports I've heard) that so many aviation crashes involve some form of pilot error, rather than having something else come along and crash into you.

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            emrldphxposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            I definitely understand, when it's personal to you, the statistics don't matter. As an example, I haven't ridden a horse since the cinch-strap broke when I was a teen... a friend and I were racing, going around a corner, and the saddle just fell off the horse with me on it. Bruised some ribs and slightly cracked my hip... I've tried to ride since, but I just keep imagining it happening again.
            
            It is about 50% of all accidents being pilot-error. As for collisions, I've never seen a statistic on that, but I know that they almost never happen. Pilots are very good at looking around and knowing where everyone else is. I am sorry for anyone who loses a loved one for any reason.

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      paradigmsearchposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      
      I was doing so well, until I sneezed.

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         Infobrowserposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         I guess that's a good enough reason not to...

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            emrldphxposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Just like the 32,000 deaths in cars are good enough reason not to drive?

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               Lisa HWposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               The way I look at it, of all the car accidents that happen (and in spite of the numbers of fatalities - and I was in one that involved a fatality), a whole lot of people come out alive.  I'm not sure what the percentages are when the accident involves falling out of the sky.  Besides, we can't realistically stay out of cars, but staying out helicopters is a fairly painless thing to do for a whole lot of people.   

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                  emrldphxposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                  About 1 in 5 accidents involves one or more fatality. Those are, unfortunately, usually where someone is flying in weather they shouldn't be, or not following the instrument guidelines at night(flying too low and hitting a mountain).
                  
                  Thanks for sharing with me though. Honestly, I hate driving... and I get your point about attracting statistics. It seems like every week I have to swerve out of my lane or slam on the brakes to avoid someone who is texting and not paying attention.
                  
                  Another good thing about flying, cell phones don't typically work, so I don't have to worry about someone coming toward me in a cessna and being too captivated by texting to see me.

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   Arlene V. Pomaposted 13 years ago

   I had the chance a few times while in Alaska and Hawaii.  This year, I have another shot at photographing a Hawaiian volcano.  The major reason why I haven't hopped onto a helicopter for a spectacular view of glaciers and volcanoes?  I am too scared to get into one!  I hear about tourists crashing into some mountainside all of the time.  Plus, I don't want to spend money for an early death!

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   1. 61

      emrldphxposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      It's only because it doesn't happen very often, so when it does, the media gives it more attention. There were 75 deaths nationwide in 2008 from helicopter accidents. In 2008, there were 34,000 deaths from car accidents. If your news station gave 2 minutes to each of those crashes, it would fill 3 hours of news, every day.

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