Helicopter Buzzes Wal-Mart

Typical chopper take off from a confined area is straight up vertically
until clear of the obstacles, then a horizontal acceleration to about 50
knots, then a climb out at 50-70 knots. Sounds like the chopper took off
and accelerated over the Wal Mart. The low, horizontal part is what looked
scary to you. Normally we avoid take offs like that for just that reason.

So, there would have to be a reason the chopper took off directly over the
Wal Mart if there was vacant land on three sides of the construction site.
If it was really windy that day, from the direction of the Wal Mart, the
pilot may have decided all things considered that it was safer to depart in
that direction. Downwind take offs are considered dangerous. Or there
might have been wires or other obstacles in the other directions. What I
would do is call the helicopter operation over at Addison, email the owner
the picture, and ask them if they know anything about it. They are the only
really active Schweizer operation around the Dallas area.


wrote in message
ups.com...
"It is well above 70', probably closer to 400-500' AGL. Is there an
airport
or hospital nearby?"

The nearest hospital in the direction from which the helicopter came is
several miles away. I don't know of any airport in that direction.

I had the impression that the helicopter took off from the construction
site across the street, about 500 feet away, though I did not see it
actually take off. The construction is building a road through a vacant
field. In fact, most of the land in that direction for several miles is
farmland or vacant fields.

The Wal-Mart in the photo is near the intersection of Ohio Street and
121 in Plano, Texas. It should not be difficult to find that on a map.

So, there would have to be a reason the chopper took off directly
over the
Wal Mart if there was vacant land on three sides of the construction
site.

Or there might have been wires or other obstacles in the other
directions.

I don't recall that day being very windy, but there are electrical
lines on all the other sides of the property. The pilot was travelling
along the line of greatest distance to an obstacle (other than the
Wal-Mart building).

What I would do is call the helicopter operation over at Addison,
email the owner
the picture, and ask them if they know anything about it. They are
the only
really active Schweizer operation around the Dallas area.

That was a good idea. I just got off the phone with one of the managers
at Summit Helicopters in Addison. He confirmed that is one of his
company's helicopters, and they have frequent operations in the area,
and they are the only operation in the area that flies the Schweizer
300 helicopter. He said that whichever of us bet closest to a height of
125 feet probably won. He also said it was a good picture (I sent him a
full-sized, 2 Meg copy).
He seemed like a really nice man. Maybe I'll take a helicopter flight
with them, sometime ($99 for a half-hour, and they offer Christmas
lights tours).

wrote in message
oups.com...

That was a good idea. I just got off the phone with one of the managers
at Summit Helicopters in Addison. He confirmed that is one of his
company's helicopters, and they have frequent operations in the area,
and they are the only operation in the area that flies the Schweizer
300 helicopter. He said that whichever of us bet closest to a height of
125 feet probably won.

I said it was 150 feet. What do I win?

"What do I win?"

I'm glad you asked.

I happen to have a nice bucket of propwash, which you can use to polish
your reference datum and vector grommet. I'll even through in True
North, very handy these days when you have Dull Company.