I think the chopper was closer to the beach than the surfer was. The perspective tricks us to believe he was right over the surfer.
InvertedForce - 30-1-2010 at 03:12 PM
Still close enough to warrant a new pair of board shorts...kitesurfer - 8-2-2010 at 07:57 AM
i've had two personal encounters with helo's while kiting on the beach at MAYPORT NAVAL AIRSTATION. The first was simple. i lost my board, drug in
and got my other board. on the way back to the lost board, a navy helo lowered a hook and hoisted up my new lightwave orange board.
the second, i was the same place but in direct onshore winds just out past the breakers. 3 helos came out and started doing circling maneuvers up the
beach and down. 2 stayed clear of me but the third appeared to me (and bystanders) to be getting progressively closer to me with each pass. His last
pass i had had enough and i made it into the beach. my kite was low over the beach on the edge and i was seconds from hitting my release on my
Venom. Before i could react, the helo went from flying too close for comfort to a banking maneuver which sent his rotor wash directly into my kite.
the wind burst was hard but brief and took me off my feet and slid me on the sand on my side until the kite hit the sand or i released--i have no
idea which one. the couple spectators came over and confirmed to me what i expected. i was advised to turn them in as we all had the tail number.
but since there is a FAR regulation prohibiting kite flying within 5 miles of an airport, i chose to let it go. i never let that happen again. i land
and leave.rocfighter - 8-2-2010 at 08:45 AM
This is amasing footage but are the optics asque a bit? It seems as though he is right under the bades but from this angle he could be 20 feet away.
I am not trying to belittle this video I know if it was me and I was 50 feet from the blades I would need new shorts. I would like to see the footage
from the camera on the chopper.
In the end WOW lucky guy.PHREERIDER - 8-2-2010 at 09:04 AM
i see CG everyday North and south passes. usually 3-500 ft range and somewhere 500-1000yds out or so. sometimes twice a day on the return as
well. the military always higher and further out . locals or camera/video folks are the ones running odd courses and sometimes quite close. never
seen any "hanging around"
CG will practice drops in the sound, seems more at night.
