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I don't know much about helicopters, but to me, it looked like they had lots of room to land and just put her onboard. Not sure why they felt the need to treat her like a human fidget spinner.
I don't know much about helicopters, but to me, it looked like they had lots of room to land and just put her onboard. Not sure why they felt the need to treat her like a human fidget spinner.
I thought this too. There must have been room in that helicopter to carry the stretcher empty. Why not bring the woman and stretcher inside?
Wow, that was crazy. Most helicopter rescues cost around $12,000, and insurance won't cover it.
I'd like to see the breakdown on that. Around here helicopter rescues are performed by on duty Coast Guard members. They are very fast. They fly out, pluck somebody out of the water or off a cliff, drop them on the nearest highway for an ambulance to pick them up, and fly back to their base. It takes one hour tops. The only direct cost I can see would be $500 or $600 for fuel. If they want to throw on a bunch of miscellaneous costs, maybe they could run it up to $1,000. But if anybody is charging $12,000 for a basic helicopter rescue, it's just a money making scam.
{{{ Two days after a helicopter rescue from Piestewa Peak went viral when the basket began spinning uncontrollably, the 74-year-old woman is still feeling the effects, her husband said in a public Facebook post Thursday.
George Metro said his wife of almost 50 years, Kati, is still experiencing adverse effects from the spinning.
“As the husband of that 74-year-old woman, I can state that she was more then dizzy after her helicopter ride,” Metro said in the post.
In the post, Metro spoke of his wife’s terror during the airlift from the mountain after she was injured while hiking.
“She told me that she thought that she was going to die and that she tried to control her breathing because she felt that she was going to pass out,” Metro said in the post.
According to Metro, his wife still is recovering in the hospital, but her complications are far from nonexistent. Her face is black from the blood vessels that broke from the spinning and her arms and legs were also affected by the events.
Metro said that despite what happened, he is grateful to the Phoenix Fire Department rescue crews for helping rescue his wife, and hopes they will find a way to resolve the problem.
“I only hope that they can find a way to avoid this type of spinning in the future,” he said.
Metro said that despite what happened, he is grateful to the Phoenix Fire Department rescue crews for helping rescue his wife, and hopes they will find a way to resolve the problem.
“I only hope that they can find a way to avoid this type of spinning in the future,” he said.
It is nice to read about someone who was grateful for a rescue, even it it did not go smoothly (to say the least). I bet many people in the same situation would have hired a lawyer by now.
I'd like to see the breakdown on that. Around here helicopter rescues are performed by on duty Coast Guard members. They are very fast. They fly out, pluck somebody out of the water or off a cliff, drop them on the nearest highway for an ambulance to pick them up, and fly back to their base. It takes one hour tops. The only direct cost I can see would be $500 or $600 for fuel. If they want to throw on a bunch of miscellaneous costs, maybe they could run it up to $1,000. But if anybody is charging $12,000 for a basic helicopter rescue, it's just a money making scam.
You have to break down all of the direct & indirect costs of operating the aircraft by the number of flights it makes. If it doesn't pull very many missions, then the per flight cost are going to go way up. It's more than just fuel costs. Helicopters are one of the most expensive types of aircraft to maintain, and require more maintenance man-hours than most fixed wing planes. For recuse services (private or otherwise), there are also costs involved for keeping crews on duty and ready to respond quickly. Added to all of that is the initial cost of the aircraft itself. The UH-1 Helicopter that saw heavy use as a medevac chopper in Vietnam cost the US Army just shy of $250,000.00 in 1968 dollars.
I do think the $12,000 figure thrown out here may be a bit high. But It wouldn't surprise me if it weren't in the 3 to 5,000 dollar range.
Also keep in mind that someone is going to foot the bill for the rescue. If not the individual or insurance, then who's left. The taxpayers.
As to the comment supposedly made by the pilot that spinning at the end of the hoist is rare..... Either he's isn't experienced with helicopter hoist dynamics, or the media were putting words in his mouth (I'm betting on the latter). Single point lifts below a hovering helicopter will most certainly spin, and there's very little you can do to stop it once it starts. It's the rotor wash off of the blades that causes it, because that's at it's greatest downward turbulence at a hover. They would have been better off to do a lift with the patient/basket in a vertical position. I'm surprised they didn't. What's shown in this video is one of the reasons those basket litters weren't used in Vietnam as a rule.
Last edited by catdad7x; 06-13-2019 at 06:24 PM..
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The taxpayers.
