Ducking under helicopter blades - why?

[hwajones]

A man in our local town is severely disabled after getting hit while walking under a UDR Chinook blade...

[wildcat45]

Ducking just feels like the natural thing to do. I've always been taught to approach a cab from the pilot's 1 o'clock position. That way the pilot observer and crewman at the door can all see you. The one to watch is exiting or approaching a running Helucoptet on uneven ground. When you can walk up into the disk.

Usually when I have flown as a Civvy with the RN RAF and other nations military forces they have waited for the totors to stop before they get you out.

I had one appealing flight on a civvy aircraft where I got zero safety briefing. We took off with a door open (it was an old Eurocoopter pre EC135. The pilot asked me to I strap and shut the door for him as we were lifting away from the ground. When we landed he was shutting down and left me alone in the aircraft. He then turned to me and gave me the two thumbs sign which I wrongly took as a signal to go towards him.

What a stupid thing for me to do! Blades getting very low and 'sailing' I nearly shat myself. Pilot was very angry with me. Apparently two thumbs up and a gesture towards the chest didn't mean 'come to me'

It was my fault but I did think a pre flight safety brief would have been in order.

[IanMorewood]

To answer the OP reduces the chances of a splitting headache.

[Halmyre]

[shunt]

Seemed the obvious thing to do especially as it was landing on snow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwlL89JqpV8

[Zad]

I was just browsing around YouTube, and this thread sprang to mind. I should say first, that nothing nasty happens in any of these. Just a lot of me thinking "Jeez mate, don't stand there. No, REALLY don't stand there." especially at around the 2m40s mark here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQb0d7rYp9o

Assuming you had put together an "aircraft" (the air bit seems irrelevant with wings that small) and were testing it, where would be the last place you might want to test it? Maybe on a bumpy, dusty, field with a couple of hundred schoolchildren looking on? (This bloke has made at least 10 machines, every single one of which has tiny yet heavy wings)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJAZRLn0Hig

Back to rotary wing though, and the Russians do know a thing or two. I thought this one might have been faked at first, but looking closely, the machine has all the necessary flight controls, even if the tail rotor chain drive is a tad unsupported. When he taxis around at the end though, if I were one of those blokes I really wouldn't stand that close.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHgxd39Uqx8

[jshell]

http://www.apnewsarchive.com/1987/Novice-Parachuti...

Halmyre said:

[soad]

jshell said:

http://www.apnewsarchive.com/1987/Novice-Parachuti...

Halmyre said:

[Vipers]

soad said:

But she was cut up about that.

[jhfozzy]

Liveleak video reminded me of this thread, a stark reminder of why you always follow the pilot / copilot's orders, approach from the correct direction and NEVER approach from uphill.

• WARNING - The following video shows someone dying filmed from a distance. You can't really see much, but if you don't want to see it, please don't click on the link. You can't "unsee" things like this. - WARNING*

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=1d3_1443340323

[Vipers]

jhfozzy said:

Liveleak video reminded me of this thread, a stark reminder of why you always follow the pilot / copilot's orders, approach from the correct direction and NEVER approach from uphill.

• WARNING - The following video shows someone dying filmed from a distance. You can't really see much, but if you don't want to see it, please don't click on the link. You can't "unsee" things like this. - WARNING*

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=1d3_1443340323

Guessing he took off sharpish before he was lynched.

[jhfozzy]

Vipers said:

Guessing he took off sharpish before he was lynched.

That's what I think, normally if you get any damage to the blades you put it down as quick as possible.