Charging moose brings down hovering helicopter

[Baradium]

::

DonYan to Baradium: not a personal answer, just my poor opinion. I respect you very much, respect hely´s very much as their pilots as well. I respect wildlife too: I learned to respect nature as a hunter. It seems to me that bad decisions by inexperienced personel in the heat of the moment, where responsible for that accident. It sounds like the lake ditching...too low & slow

No offense taken.      And I respect you as well.

I've heard about them using helo's to herd horses and cattle in the midwestern U.S.   Of course, I don't have any rotary wing experience myself anyway.   I don't know what standard procedures are in herding animals, and I wonder if the helo pilot flat out didn't expect a moose to ever *not* go away from the helicopter.

[TheSoccerMom]

I know the COOLEST woman who uses her helicopter to herd cattle on their ranch in eastern Oregon.  She is awesome!!!   

[TheSoccerMom]

No, she has a little Hughes that is painted bright yellow, and she calls her "Woodstock", after the little bird in the Peanuts comic strip.  She is SO FUNNY, and SO FUN, just an amazing person.  When she tells stories, she has everyone in tears, and she's not even trying.   

That Blackhawk was from the Special Forces aviation regiment;  we were flying an Army project.  There was one on the Doug's other wingtip, too.  We were trying to take some good pictures on the way back to base, and they kept laughing at us, saying "Man!  Get some forward speed on that thing, we're too slow!"  and we would laugh and answer "But we're pedaling as fast as we can!!!!!!!"  Which we were.   

  

[cj5_pilot]

Moose do strange things ANY time of the year.  I've been out hunting grouse after moose season was over and had 'em (60"+ bull--2 weeks AFTER the season was over) charge my Ford Bronco.  I've seen a cow charge in to the drivers door of a Chevy Pickup, get up and walk off.  Phil can remember when the elderly gentleman up at UAF was trampled to death at the front door of the Phys Ed building.  We had a problem at a store I worked at in Soldotna where a moose figured out how to use the motion activated doors to get in to the produce department (he liked the lettuce).  Had one take out my parent's outdoor steps that he was sleeping under when the furnace lit and the sound startled him.  South Central Air lost a Navajo at SXQ when it hit a moose on the runway (believe with the starboard engine).  "Moose in vicinity of airport" is a common ATIS warning in Alaska.

Myself, I love watching moose, but I make no mistake that they are a wild animal and therefore unpredictible.  My hand hovers as close to the .44 when they are near as it does when there is a bear near.

[Frank N. O.]

No, she has a little Hughes that is painted bright yellow, and she calls her "Woodstock", after the little bird in the Peanuts comic strip.  She is SO FUNNY, and SO FUN, just an amazing person.  When she tells stories, she has everyone in tears, and she's not even trying.   

That Blackhawk was from the Special Forces aviation regiment;  we were flying an Army project.  There was one on the Doug's other wingtip, too.  We were trying to take some good pictures on the way back to base, and they kept laughing at us, saying "Man!  Get some forward speed on that thing, we're too slow!"  and we would laugh and answer "But we're pedaling as fast as we can!!!!!!!"  Which we were.   

  

Stories like that really really want me to become a special mission cargo-pilot like you (do you have a more precise title that the one I made btw?)

Frank

[TheSoccerMom]

Hello Frank, No, I certainly don't have any "title" but you did a fine job of that one you offered up, so I will adopt it if I can.   

Usually I am called some pretty inglorious things, some of them names, and not all of them printable here.   

So I am flattered by your terms.   

I have been very lucky to have some fun times in aviation, and I still think the best part is the people.  For instance, here in the Coop.