Steve. I've been following you for quite some time. Your productions are becoming epic. I was somber watching this in light of the incident in March. Your enthusiasm for everything GA for all the right reasons keeps me watching. Keep up the good work. Looking forward to the follow up. Your pilot/host was very professional.
Nothing beats seeing the smiles on kids faces when flying. Beautiful little girl. As much as we get caught up in our own world, I really liked and appreciated the moment of silence at the end. Great way to acknowledge the tragedy.
I can't say it any more eloquently than anyone else, but I'll say it anyway: You are a true aviator, a true film maker, and a true family man with a passion that surpasses most. You are an inspiration to many, including me, and I have absolutely no idea how you aren't famous yet.
Wow - I don’t know how to respond to this one, other than to say thanks for the encouragement - feedback like this keeps me going when I am sometimes overwhelmed.
Thank you for making this video, my wife was good friends with one of the people in the one that went in the water and I have been trying to wrap my head around how their operations work, this gave some good insight. And as always, great video!
Thanks for this comment - I really appreciate you letting me know that you thought I handled it well, and hat it offered some degree of insight for you.
videos like your guys' convinced me to start flight training... even though I chose helicopters. I might do my fixed wing add on after I get my helicopter certificate
I can't imagine that feeling of seeing that knife on Evelyn's harness Steve. My daughter Lindsay is the same age and knowing how seriously you take safety just like myself means that I know you will continue to do your best to show an honest and real assessment of what safety looks like. We at the end of the day have to trust the airlines, charter company or heck even museum that we choose to send our family members up flying with. I trust/really hope that flynyon was doing their best when it came to safety and honestly it is clear that even experienced aviators have felt this as a wake up call when it comes to harnesses. Keep up the great work Steve and team! We know you will do your best to present a full and real story.
Definitely got a little emotional watching this one. Steve, thank you for always keeping things in perspective for your viewers and never shying away from discussing the tough topics in aviation. I genuinely hope this video goes viral and thereby highlights how incredibly fun aviation is, but also the respect it deserves from pilots and non-pilot passengers alike.
Once again a great video. Was a helicopter crew chief in the Army, we flew doors open or off quite a bit, and I still remember how much fun it was almost 40 yrs later. As in all flying there is some risk every time you leave the ground. It was indeed a tragedy that happened in New York ,and hopefully the cause can be addressed and people can continue to enjoy the thrill of flying with the doors open.
Steve, Excellent video. I felt that the charter operator and your pilot in particular were very safety conscious. Your pilot did an excellent job of explaining every action she was doing during each segment of your flight and made sure everyone on board was comfortable and enjoying the flight. I agree that your daughter would not be able to cut herself free if needed, heck one of the victims was a member of Dallas Fire Rescue. I'm sure he had plenty of training and real world experience cutting accident victims free in automobile crashes, but he was unable to free himself. People take flying too much for granted, they don't take the safety briefings to heart, they don't pay attention, we had another perfect example of that this week with SWA1380. I'm sure you saw the pictures of most of the passengers with oxygen masks only covering their mouths. Come on people pay attention, the life you save just might be your own. The crew of SWA1380 did an excellent job of managing a multiple emergency situation.
"Tragedy" is self explanatory . No up side other then lessons learned. (please, my comment in no way meant to downplay)This video makes me want to return to the big apple, its been way to many years. The sights are incredible. Also very impressed with your girls with their smiles, hanging their feet out the door was incredible. This was a trip your family will not soon forget. As always Steve, thanks for taking us along !
Steve, thanks for keeping the episode up mostly as it was intended to be. I always like hearing the "learn from mistakes" attitude your channel has. Aviation online can be filled with armchair pilots, your channel is always a breath of fresh air.
This is a great video. I remember in 1969 flying over NYC heading to allentown in a cessna 150. Had ATC on the radio the whole time. This was a great pilot and her professional attitude. Keep these videos coming. Awesome.
You have earned tremendous respect from me for handling this in a very factual, non inflammatory way in either direction. Great job and thank you. Even without the unfortunate context, it was a great video.
Very chilling watching this video in retrospect. You subtly picked out some of the really relevant points, without making a big deal of them, leaving your viewers to process them. Well done.
Great video. Beautiful footage of New York. Cute professional pilot. I'm a non current PPL SEL and got to fly a helicopter a few years ago in Las Vegas. It was a tiny Schweizer 300. The instructor said I was a natural, haha, I think he wanted to sell me lessons. It was fun, but I will always gravitate towards fixed wing, I'd rather glide than auto rotate in an emergency.
Having been a scout in the US Army, I have some experience flying in helos (UH-1s) with the doors open - while sitting in door seat facing out. At altitude and nap of the earth. Most. Fun. Ever. Made me smile ear-to-ear to see your little girl have the same reaction!
I miss New York. Lived there for 12 years of my life. I'm 15 now. Loved the snow and cold during the winter (for a while anyways) and the pond hockey was always a bonus.
Thank you for releasing this. If anyone can create a story about this topic at this time in a way that is constructive, calm, emphatic and beautiful, that would be you. A moment of silence, with just the sound of a helicopter departing. Looking forward to the follow-up. Also, the company in general and Christi in particular displayed the best things in aviation: safety conscious, professional, responsible, and, well, nice and approachable. Mistakes happen, sometimes with tragic consequences. As Jason Miller always reminds in his Aviation Safety Sessions, the point is not to blame anyone, the point is to learn and to avoid the same mistakes in the future.
Back in 2002 right after the 500,000 acre Biscuit Fire in Southern Oregon and a tip of Northern California, I spent 2 hours flying a good deal of the fire as a photographer in a helicopter, taking photos of specific areas so that the Forest Service could use the photos in a contract that would provide slope stabilization. The areas of work to be performed were marked on the photos and used in the contract. Someone decided I needed to have the door off the helicopter. Not open. Off. We spent 2 hours at 10,000 feet with an outside temp of 28 degrees. It was the coldest I’ve ever been in my entire life. It took hours to warm up after landing. I had no harness, just the seat belt.
What an awesome job she’s got! Probably has a nice schedule too compared to airline work and actually get to fly vs monitoring the systems while on AP.
I have flown open door in combat and training operations, U.S. Army. I have never experienced a problem, however, I know of soldiers that fell out or were shot and fell. Thank you very much for your great videos, you do a wonderful job of making people aware of what is happening in aviation.
Steve, I think you've really done a service here. I feel that I have a much clearer understanding of how these flights are operated having seen your video. Thanks.
Amazing day in the big Apple, unbelievable views, great smiles, terrific pilot to lead you through it all. You sure take us on some rides in the sky that we could otherwise only dream possible. Thanks for all the joy you bring to the world of flight in an atmosphere of professional recognition to the many complexities that give us the ride.
Epic flight Steve as always never is enough from your review-practice-improve videos they are as always so informative entertaining and full of aviation passion as I told you a genius in aviation AND YES GUYS HIS FAMILY IS THE BEST THEY ARE REAL CUTIES!!!, Thanks for all the Love and passion in what you do keeps us walking high HUGZ FOR J AND EVY
Awesome video! Thank you for posting it. As a G.A. pilot it seems a bit overwhelming to think about the airspace requirements in that area. Most of my flying is in Class E or G airspace. It is good to see that the operation isn't as reckless as some have made it sound. The rapid egress harness, while helpful, may not have helped if the person is not only in shock from fear, but hypothermia too. The bigger issue may be to devise a method where the passenger's harness doesn't snag the fuel controls. Sadly, safety changes are usually a result of an accident. It is great that your family seemed to enjoy it.
Ah, "My city which Never sleeps!" Great seeing you guys had a wing-rockin' fun time while in town. Hardcore aerial shots! I flew the NYC tour multiple times at the helm, both day and night. Good times!
I have a flight booked with Fly Nyon in a few months - this is the most informative video I have found so far.. curious to know what changes have been made... going to be looking out for your follow up video.. Thanks Flight Chops
Nothing wrong with releasing this when you did, people need to see its not all bad and lessons will be learned and changes made as in aviation accident. The fact that during the safety briefing people were not paying attention is just astounding, as part of this companies policy maybe they should force people to put away all devices till the safety talk is done and all questions answers. I'm sure you had a few, I know I would. Always a pleasure watching your content and great work on this one, she was very professional and genuinely enjoyed her job. Looking forward to the follow up and also the final report on the accident.
Yeah, hold all phones and make the entire thing interactive to force peoples attention. Tell them to get some tips from big Army on how to accomplish this.
The whole knife on the shoulder thing is an interesting point. That's the sort of thing that most people would completely forget about in a moment of panic. First you need to have the presence of mind to remember it's there. Then, unless you had practiced and had some muscle memory you'd never really be able to utilize it. I carry a pocketknife all the time and generally can get to it very easily but it's because I use it all the time. If I grab a different knife or put it in a different spot it completely throws me off. That's the sort of thing that you'd almost want to practice a few times before you go just to make sure you knew what to do. Not unlike when I went skydiving and we had to hang in a harness and do several practice rounds of cutting away our parachute and pulling our reserve just to make sure we knew the motions. Something to think about I guess.
Thank you for deciding to go forward with publishing. Your content is always amazing and I love your channel but deciding to do the hard things - publishing mistakes, videos like this which might be topically sensitive and the very real honestly you put into your work is why I also decided to become a Patreon of your channel today. It's not much but it's what I have and it was you or Netflix and I find myself enjoying FlightChops more than Netflix so.... Really appreciate what you're producing for those of us who can't fly to get the best experience of flying on the net/youtube.
Thanks for this feedback, and your support via the Patreon campaign is appreciated! Every little bit helps add up to a respectable amount to augment the production budgets! Watch for a “welcome / thanks” email soon. I am currently travelling home from “Sun n’ Fun” and will have a lot of backed up email to catch up on this week :)
Well done video and you respectfully addresses the March accident. As you said, aviation learns from our mistakes/mishaps and I hope you get the opportunity to do a follow-up video in 12-18 months when we can discuss what we will learn from this.
Great video! Happy you published it. So sad for the accident. I thought it very interesting that she mentioned the floats and checking that they fully inflate during auto-rotation, as it seems in the crash one of the issues was a partial inflation. It does show that the training and knowledge is spot on, wether it can be applied during a real event of course is not always in their control.
Nice video. I did a fair bit of open door work in Hueys during my time in the RAAF. I was a groundy for a SAR unit, flying in the chopper was always great fun.
This was a really great video, with some tough content. Heart goes out to the families of the doomed flight. I feel terrible for the pilots, too. I won't drag into off topic details, but to me that's an example of a business taking risks with other people's families, having a predictable outcome, and essentially getting away with it. Anywhere but NY there would have been an indictment.
Amazing video. As always your videos are top notch. This one stirred a few different emotions. I am a proud Patreon supporter and I recommend all who enjoy your videos to sign up as supporters. This level of quality deserves acknowledgement. To those who lost their life, may they rest in piece. One last thought - what a great country, America. With 3 class bravos abutting each other, presidential TFR, the events of 9/11 and the recent accident, one can jump into their plane without filing a flight plan and cruise some of the busiest airspace anywhere just for the sake of enjoyment speaks to the level of freedom we enjoy here.
Wow! Thanks for having the courage to put this out there. You handled the topic with respect. The aviation community is better having this information out there. I can only imagine what was going though your mind going back though these videos of your family. Please do the follow up.
This is a really weird and unique video, thank you for releasing it with the explanation and context and all. Your knowledge of GA / flight safety + having your NYC family vlog + the context of the accident at that exact company offers an extremely rare and interesting perspective. Beautiful video. Also: Christy's awesome.
Just another outstanding video Steve, the twin star is an outstanding aircraft. Looking forward to the follow up video on the accident. I have long suspected the flotation skids are more of a danger than the life saver and I think this accident is strong proof of this. That aircraft was upside-down as soon as it hit the water because of the skid floats.
Floats or no floats, it’ll allways tend to turn on it’s back, due the top heavy design that helicopters are. The floats makes a difference, the helicopter does’nt drop like a stone in water, but gives passengers a chance of escape close to the surface. - Dennis
Yes myself and many others in the industry disagree with this, without the floats light helicopters tends to sink side on giving passengers more time to get out, the floats (on light helicopters) immediately invert the aircraft just like in this incident. Inverted harnessed and underwater gives almost no chance for escape unless the passengers have gone through immersion training.
I base my experience on my time as a military rotary wing aviator. The military and coast guard have their own versions of "Dunker" training and each of these programs train rotary wing aviators to expect the helicopter to flip over immediately upon landing in the water. This knowledge has been put together as a result of data put together from various crashes. While I do not know how easy it is to find all of the data associated with this conclusion, I do know that this something that has been instilled in military aviators for years. While most of our helicopters are pretty large, we do have a few small birds. The Kiowa (now retired) TH-67, TH-57? ect. It appears you have quite a few helicopter videos on your page, and you are probably very knowledgeable. Do you have a collection of data put together to support your opinion? To further support what I am saying, which has been backed up by military dunker training, I did a quick you tube search of "Helicopter water crash landing" These show a helicopter without floats pretty much instantly flipping over. ruclips.net/video/iy9wSmqGrjQ/видео.html ruclips.net/video/tkBBVkVFcaM/видео.html This is a helicopter, that is slower to flip over, but still flips over. I suspect the water was fairly shallow. ruclips.net/video/-wBgviMXKDE/видео.html These show a helicopter floating upright on floats. ruclips.net/video/qy8Omelv_MI/видео.html ruclips.net/video/7g-rFwJwtiw/видео.html ruclips.net/video/wxOFqx1PUBU/видео.html I will be the first to admit, as a doctoral student, those videos really do not go far to prove anything, as a sample size of 6 is far to small for any real conclusion, but they do help support my argument. I do not mean for my reply to come off as a personal attack, or demeaning in any way, but I am curious how you come to your opinion, and what data you have to back it up. I am always a fan of exploring new conclusions and possibilities, but I always want to see some type of systematic way that a conclusion is made. The internet is a wonderful place to share idea's and knowledge, but also a very dangerous place as misinformation can be spread just as easily. -Bendall
The pants make the pilot right? Personally I'd prefer some girl wearing flight suit gear with a helmet with some experience flying Blackhawks out of Afghanistan. However that's just me. ;)
Blackhawk pilots aren't all they're cracked up to be, just speaking as someone who has seen several of them transition to civilian flying jobs, some of that is simply because flying a fully loaded blackhawk as 12,000ft is nothing like flying a 206 or an AS320 at sea level with a total payload of 4 passengers and some cameras. Also, when your pilot shows up in nomex wearing a Gentex and then doesn't offer you the same, wouldn't you be a little worried? That would be like an airline pilot stepping on board with a g-suit and a parachute.
Great to see the passion of the pilot and you sharing yours with your young family. Will look for you in OSH. I'll be the guy with the fast golf cart... 😎
Congested class B flight, running radios, and flying a rotorcraft single pilot. I think my head would explode -- Christie makes it look easy. I have done the SFO bridge tour a couple of times in fixed wing and that was hard enough with a second pilot to help run the radios.
I wish I could go up in a plane or heli or even learn to fly but just never would have the time, this looks awsome, and looks like fun. Awsome video dude.
I can see why it would have been difficult to make this video in light of what happened in March. I too am interested in what the NTSB is going to say. I'm hoping that other operators take that incident as an impetus for better safety briefings, or at least making sure people like that one guy in your video, are paying attention. However, above and beyond that, this was a fantastic video and I would have no issue flying with this young lady. She appeared to be very professional, as well as caring about her passengers. Plus, the sights were seriously cool! You did a nice job here, Steve, especially in light of the accident in March.
The same company that they flew with, AFTER this video was made, had an accident and several people died. Flight Chops talks about how difficult it was to make the video starting at 1:45 into the video.
Well done! Hats off to you for bringing such interesting content in such a tragic time. You handled it with utmost respect and I commend you for your approach. Kudos and keep up the good work! Very much looking forward to your follow-up!
Great footage & production on this one! Nice work Steve. That's about the only way I wish to see NYC these days - from far up above the chaos. :) Glad you got to experience that with your family. On a more serious note, may God comfort the families of those lost in that accident. With every incident, we learn, and we improve (if there can be any bright side to this situation), so that it may never happen again. A prime example right there of the "chain reaction" of failures compounding a situation. We're getting better, but no human can predict the infinite ways problems can present themselves. Looking forward to the follow up on this incident. Thanks for posting!
What a Fantastic way to see a mega city. Great video effort. Must be difficult to take it all in while filming all those angles. Appreciate the pilot incites. Memory for you family they will treasure for sure. I did not know this aircraft was a twin as I would have just said it was a chipmunk! Doh! Been too long since I flew in a chopper.
I think of all the doors off flying I did as an Aeroscout observer flying in the OH-6 Loach. It was the most incredible flying. It was the Army so rules didn't apply. I can't remember how many times your loosening the belts and hanging out looking. Treetops were the norm plus with that type of flying your really looking out for the tail boom. There were no harnesses involved and we flew with all 4 doors off probably 9-10 months out of the year.
Yes, but you are a crew chief with training and experience (meant totally as a compliment). Remember that "regular" people text and walk into traffic, walk into poles and even into water fountains. Whether you recognize it or not your experience makes you "think" about things differently and focus on the task at hand in a way that most people don't understand. I was a technician and then an engineering officer in the air force for 27 years and constantly marveled at the focus and professionalism of all aircrew that I met and flew with (as a passenger). Thanks for your service!
Beautiful video Steve. Very respectfully done. The company seems to be professional run it's unfortunate that accidents happen. I hope it didn't hurt there business.
Thanks Steve for shooting this video it was epic with a capable pilot like Christy love successful women in aviation. Will be looking forward to your follow up.
that was a tough one. well done. it was already highly interesting to see all the procedures that where in place... and your remark about the knife on the harness of your doughter. i'm looking forward to learn more in a follow-up... stay safe
It would be even nicer to have a clean cockpit environment, where the cockpit and controls are separated from ordinary folks who just walk in off the street.
I know you didn’t necessarily get into this to be an investigative journalist, but appreciate you taking this on. When you do your debrief I think it would be interesting to get your perspective on some of the NYT, Wired, Vertical Mag etc reporting that’s out there on this in relation to your experience as well.
Obviously there is a difference between theory and reality. When the two clash we often have unfortunate consequences. Of course, it doesn't help when management tries to cut corners as is accused in this case.Very well done on the video.
I had a similar experience in Hawaii; my dad and I went up with a CFI for his BFR and flew around Maui, Molokai, and Lanai. Even though we had life jackets and a personal locator beacon, I think it was in the back of our minds that if the engine of our 172 died, we would all struggle to extricate ourselves from the cabin, especially whoever was in the back seat. But that's a part of the risk that comes with flying. The flight itself was incredible, and we finished it by flying over the grave of Charles Lindbergh. The risk is sobering, to be sure, and that's why we all strive to be better pilots, smarter pilots, and safer pilots.
Nicely done, as always. Hope you enjoyed your stay in NYC, wish I knew you were in town, would love to put the handshake on you one day. Thanks fer takin' us along...
Nicely done Steve! Thanks for sharing. I could imagine how difficult it was for you to do this, especially knowing your precious family was with you. But you summed it up nicely and we all benefitted from watching it. As is the case with all your videos. Not to speculate but I couldn’t help noticing where the fuel cut off switches were. I don’t know if the accident aircraft was the same but I guess it makes sense they would be on top where the engines are. The pilot involved in the accident said one of the passengers accidentally shut one of the fuel cut off switches off causing the accident. It’s hard to see how that’s possible. Looking forward to the NTSB report.
I believe the aircraft in said accident was the single engine AS350 where the fuel cutoff switch is on the floor next to the collective, which makes more sense that it was hit with the bag.
As an A&P and helicopter veteran of 21 years I will say this about the pilot on this flight: She was very professional yet engaging and friendly. These are good qualities for both pilots and tour guides. That said..."The money shot is my favorite shot". I had to point that out. XD
Fantastic video as always. So sad to see what happened. There are definitely gonna be changes made and new rules implemented. However, it seems like she had a ton of knowledge of flying, what to do in event of emergency etc.... We will have to see what the FAA does.
I'm looking forward to the follow up discussion about the accident. I noticed two things right away in your video: 1) the pilot uses a quick release multipoint harness while the passengers are in harnesses meant for construction and they used locked carabineers. 2) the operations room seemed to act like a silicon valley start up and they were bragging about rapid growth. Since I'm a software engineer and a pilot these are both huge red flags to me.
Steve. I've been following you for quite some time. Your productions are becoming epic. I was somber watching this in light of the incident in March. Your enthusiasm for everything GA for all the right reasons keeps me watching. Keep up the good work. Looking forward to the follow up. Your pilot/host was very professional.
Appreciated!
Mark Harris ii
Was there ever a follow-up episode? I am thinking about taking this flight myself this month?
Nothing beats seeing the smiles on kids faces when flying. Beautiful little girl. As much as we get caught up in our own world, I really liked and appreciated the moment of silence at the end. Great way to acknowledge the tragedy.
I can't say it any more eloquently than anyone else, but I'll say it anyway: You are a true aviator, a true film maker, and a true family man with a passion that surpasses most. You are an inspiration to many, including me, and I have absolutely no idea how you aren't famous yet.
Wow - I don’t know how to respond to this one, other than to say thanks for the encouragement - feedback like this keeps me going when I am sometimes overwhelmed.
True....but he balances all that out with the ‘Chops. I think it says more about the saintlihood of his wife that she’s puts up with them. :)
Thank you for making this video, my wife was good friends with one of the people in the one that went in the water and I have been trying to wrap my head around how their operations work, this gave some good insight. And as always, great video!
Thanks for this comment - I really appreciate you letting me know that you thought I handled it well, and hat it offered some degree of insight for you.
FlightChops I think Tent and you should go flying together some time. Trent is also putting out some nice videos, having fun off airport... :-)
Always like seeing all the aviation RUclipsrs support each other's work.
videos like your guys' convinced me to start flight training... even though I chose helicopters. I might do my fixed wing add on after I get my helicopter certificate
I can't imagine that feeling of seeing that knife on Evelyn's harness Steve. My daughter Lindsay is the same age and knowing how seriously you take safety just like myself means that I know you will continue to do your best to show an honest and real assessment of what safety looks like. We at the end of the day have to trust the airlines, charter company or heck even museum that we choose to send our family members up flying with. I trust/really hope that flynyon was doing their best when it came to safety and honestly it is clear that even experienced aviators have felt this as a wake up call when it comes to harnesses. Keep up the great work Steve and team! We know you will do your best to present a full and real story.
Definitely got a little emotional watching this one. Steve, thank you for always keeping things in perspective for your viewers and never shying away from discussing the tough topics in aviation. I genuinely hope this video goes viral and thereby highlights how incredibly fun aviation is, but also the respect it deserves from pilots and non-pilot passengers alike.
Once again a great video. Was a helicopter crew chief in the Army, we flew doors open or off quite a bit, and I still remember how much fun it was almost 40 yrs later. As in all flying there is some risk every time you leave the ground. It was indeed a tragedy that happened in New York ,and hopefully the cause can be addressed and people can continue to enjoy the thrill of flying with the doors open.
Great video, the pilot is an amazing ambassador for women in aviation! My girls were in awe of her the whole video! Keep the awesome content coming.
Steve, Excellent video. I felt that the charter operator and your pilot in particular were very safety conscious. Your pilot did an excellent job of explaining every action she was doing during each segment of your flight and made sure everyone on board was comfortable and enjoying the flight.
I agree that your daughter would not be able to cut herself free if needed, heck one of the victims was a member of Dallas Fire Rescue. I'm sure he had plenty of training and real world experience cutting accident victims free in automobile crashes, but he was unable to free himself.
People take flying too much for granted, they don't take the safety briefings to heart, they don't pay attention, we had another perfect example of that this week with SWA1380. I'm sure you saw the pictures of most of the passengers with oxygen masks only covering their mouths. Come on people pay attention, the life you save just might be your own. The crew of SWA1380 did an excellent job of managing a multiple emergency situation.
"Tragedy" is self explanatory . No up side other then lessons learned. (please, my comment in no way meant to downplay)This video makes me want to return to the big apple, its been way to many years. The sights are incredible. Also very impressed with your girls with their smiles, hanging their feet out the door was incredible. This was a trip your family will not soon forget. As always Steve, thanks for taking us along !
Steve, thanks for keeping the episode up mostly as it was intended to be. I always like hearing the "learn from mistakes" attitude your channel has. Aviation online can be filled with armchair pilots, your channel is always a breath of fresh air.
I have done a few open door photo flights on a R44, and know how much fun they are. Cheers from Western Canada and thanks for this AWSOME video Steve.
This is a great video. I remember in 1969 flying over NYC heading to allentown in a cessna 150. Had ATC on the radio the whole time. This was a great pilot and her professional attitude. Keep these videos coming. Awesome.
She is such an awesome pilot! She did a great job & was very entertaining!
You have earned tremendous respect from me for handling this in a very factual, non inflammatory way in either direction. Great job and thank you. Even without the unfortunate context, it was a great video.
Thanks for this feedback
Very chilling watching this video in retrospect. You subtly picked out some of the really relevant points, without making a big deal of them, leaving your viewers to process them. Well done.
I appreciate this comment - this one was a hard balance for sure.
This is one of the best channels found over RUclips. The realistic use of lens in air.
Great video. Beautiful footage of New York. Cute professional pilot. I'm a non current PPL SEL and got to fly a helicopter a few years ago in Las Vegas. It was a tiny Schweizer 300. The instructor said I was a natural, haha, I think he wanted to sell me lessons. It was fun, but I will always gravitate towards fixed wing, I'd rather glide than auto rotate in an emergency.
I am less than 15 mins from flight nyon and until now i never thought of doing this. thanks for showing how amazing this can be.
Thank you for a wonderful video. I must say. The pilot needs to have her own tv show. She was amazing and very informative.
Having been a scout in the US Army, I have some experience flying in helos (UH-1s) with the doors open - while sitting in door seat facing out. At altitude and nap of the earth. Most. Fun. Ever.
Made me smile ear-to-ear to see your little girl have the same reaction!
I miss New York. Lived there for 12 years of my life. I'm 15 now. Loved the snow and cold during the winter (for a while anyways) and the pond hockey was always a bonus.
Make sure to give Evelyn a camera man, she's into it :D.
Lovely pilot by the way! She seems like a really pleasant person to be around.
Thank you for releasing this. If anyone can create a story about this topic at this time in a way that is constructive, calm, emphatic and beautiful, that would be you. A moment of silence, with just the sound of a helicopter departing. Looking forward to the follow-up.
Also, the company in general and Christi in particular displayed the best things in aviation: safety conscious, professional, responsible, and, well, nice and approachable. Mistakes happen, sometimes with tragic consequences. As Jason Miller always reminds in his Aviation Safety Sessions, the point is not to blame anyone, the point is to learn and to avoid the same mistakes in the future.
Back in 2002 right after the 500,000 acre Biscuit Fire in Southern Oregon and a tip of Northern California, I spent 2 hours flying a good deal of the fire as a photographer in a helicopter, taking photos of specific areas so that the Forest Service could use the photos in a contract that would provide slope stabilization. The areas of work to be performed were marked on the photos and used in the contract. Someone decided I needed to have the door off the helicopter. Not open. Off. We spent 2 hours at 10,000 feet with an outside temp of 28 degrees. It was the coldest I’ve ever been in my entire life. It took hours to warm up after landing. I had no harness, just the seat belt.
What an awesome job she’s got! Probably has a nice schedule too compared to airline work and actually get to fly vs monitoring the systems while on AP.
I have flown open door in combat and training operations, U.S. Army. I have never experienced a problem, however, I know of soldiers that fell out or were shot and fell. Thank you very much for your great videos, you do a wonderful job of making people aware of what is happening in aviation.
Steve, I think you've really done a service here. I feel that I have a much clearer understanding of how these flights are operated having seen your video. Thanks.
Excellent - thanks!
Amazing day in the big Apple, unbelievable views, great smiles, terrific pilot to lead you through it all. You sure take us on some rides in the sky that we could otherwise only dream possible. Thanks for all the joy you bring to the world of flight in an atmosphere of professional recognition to the many complexities that give us the ride.
Epic flight Steve as always never is enough from your review-practice-improve videos they are as always so informative entertaining and full of aviation passion as I told you a genius in aviation AND YES GUYS HIS FAMILY IS THE BEST THEY ARE REAL CUTIES!!!, Thanks for all the Love and passion in what you do keeps us walking high HUGZ FOR J AND EVY
I've flown doors off in a Huey, in the back. GREAT fun! I was a mechanic, so I got to do some fun stuff like that.
Awesome video! Thank you for posting it. As a G.A. pilot it seems a bit overwhelming to think about the airspace requirements in that area. Most of my flying is in Class E or G airspace. It is good to see that the operation isn't as reckless as some have made it sound. The rapid egress harness, while helpful, may not have helped if the person is not only in shock from fear, but hypothermia too. The bigger issue may be to devise a method where the passenger's harness doesn't snag the fuel controls. Sadly, safety changes are usually a result of an accident. It is great that your family seemed to enjoy it.
Ah, "My city which Never sleeps!" Great seeing you guys had a wing-rockin' fun time while in town. Hardcore aerial shots!
I flew the NYC tour multiple times at the helm, both day and night. Good times!
I have a flight booked with Fly Nyon in a few months - this is the most informative video I have found so far.. curious to know what changes have been made... going to be looking out for your follow up video.. Thanks Flight Chops
Professional and respectful. Thank you Steve.
Nothing wrong with releasing this when you did, people need to see its not all bad and lessons will be learned and changes made as in aviation accident. The fact that during the safety briefing people were not paying attention is just astounding, as part of this companies policy maybe they should force people to put away all devices till the safety talk is done and all questions answers. I'm sure you had a few, I know I would. Always a pleasure watching your content and great work on this one, she was very professional and genuinely enjoyed her job. Looking forward to the follow up and also the final report on the accident.
Yeah, hold all phones and make the entire thing interactive to force peoples attention. Tell them to get some tips from big Army on how to accomplish this.
The whole knife on the shoulder thing is an interesting point. That's the sort of thing that most people would completely forget about in a moment of panic. First you need to have the presence of mind to remember it's there. Then, unless you had practiced and had some muscle memory you'd never really be able to utilize it.
I carry a pocketknife all the time and generally can get to it very easily but it's because I use it all the time. If I grab a different knife or put it in a different spot it completely throws me off. That's the sort of thing that you'd almost want to practice a few times before you go just to make sure you knew what to do.
Not unlike when I went skydiving and we had to hang in a harness and do several practice rounds of cutting away our parachute and pulling our reserve just to make sure we knew the motions.
Something to think about I guess.
Thank you for deciding to go forward with publishing. Your content is always amazing and I love your channel but deciding to do the hard things - publishing mistakes, videos like this which might be topically sensitive and the very real honestly you put into your work is why I also decided to become a Patreon of your channel today. It's not much but it's what I have and it was you or Netflix and I find myself enjoying FlightChops more than Netflix so.... Really appreciate what you're producing for those of us who can't fly to get the best experience of flying on the net/youtube.
Thanks for this feedback, and your support via the Patreon campaign is appreciated! Every little bit helps add up to a respectable amount to augment the production budgets! Watch for a “welcome / thanks” email soon. I am currently travelling home from “Sun n’ Fun” and will have a lot of backed up email to catch up on this week :)
Should of done this on my visit. Beautiful city. Stay strong New York ✊💪
Well done video and you respectfully addresses the March accident. As you said, aviation learns from our mistakes/mishaps and I hope you get the opportunity to do a follow-up video in 12-18 months when we can discuss what we will learn from this.
Nice, you have a beautiful family, enjoying the flight together, your daughters smile is captivating.
Great video! Happy you published it. So sad for the accident.
I thought it very interesting that she mentioned the floats and checking that they fully inflate during auto-rotation, as it seems in the crash one of the issues was a partial inflation. It does show that the training and knowledge is spot on, wether it can be applied during a real event of course is not always in their control.
Nice video. I did a fair bit of open door work in Hueys during my time in the RAAF. I was a groundy for a SAR unit, flying in the chopper was always great fun.
This was a really great video, with some tough content. Heart goes out to the families of the doomed flight. I feel terrible for the pilots, too. I won't drag into off topic details, but to me that's an example of a business taking risks with other people's families, having a predictable outcome, and essentially getting away with it. Anywhere but NY there would have been an indictment.
What an awesome flight. Thanks for taking us along!
Amazing video. As always your videos are top notch. This one stirred a few different emotions. I am a proud Patreon supporter and I recommend all who enjoy your videos to sign up as supporters. This level of quality deserves acknowledgement.
To those who lost their life, may they rest in piece.
One last thought - what a great country, America. With 3 class bravos abutting each other, presidential TFR, the events of 9/11 and the recent accident, one can jump into their plane without filing a flight plan and cruise some of the busiest airspace anywhere just for the sake of enjoyment speaks to the level of freedom we enjoy here.
Wow! Thanks for having the courage to put this out there. You handled the topic with respect. The aviation community is better having this information out there. I can only imagine what was going though your mind going back though these videos of your family. Please do the follow up.
This is a really weird and unique video, thank you for releasing it with the explanation and context and all.
Your knowledge of GA / flight safety + having your NYC family vlog + the context of the accident at that exact company offers an extremely rare and interesting perspective. Beautiful video.
Also: Christy's awesome.
Hopefully the NTSB and FlyNYON will save more lives in their attempts to keep flying safer. Great video.
Oh wow, that’s really insightful. Thank you for tackling this tricky subject.
Just another outstanding video Steve, the twin star is an outstanding aircraft. Looking forward to the follow up video on the accident. I have long suspected the flotation skids are more of a danger than the life saver and I think this accident is strong proof of this. That aircraft was upside-down as soon as it hit the water because of the skid floats.
Thanks Nick! And I continue to enjoy your stuff!
Any helicopter crash into water the helicopter is going to turn upside down. all the weight is on the top.
Floats or no floats, it’ll allways tend to turn on it’s back, due the top heavy design that helicopters are. The floats makes a difference, the helicopter does’nt drop like a stone in water, but gives passengers a chance of escape close to the surface. - Dennis
Yes myself and many others in the industry disagree with this, without the floats light helicopters tends to sink side on giving passengers more time to get out, the floats (on light helicopters) immediately invert the aircraft just like in this incident. Inverted harnessed and underwater gives almost no chance for escape unless the passengers have gone through immersion training.
I base my experience on my time as a military rotary wing aviator. The military and coast guard have their own versions of "Dunker" training and each of these programs train rotary wing aviators to expect the helicopter to flip over immediately upon landing in the water. This knowledge has been put together as a result of data put together from various crashes. While I do not know how easy it is to find all of the data associated with this conclusion, I do know that this something that has been instilled in military aviators for years. While most of our helicopters are pretty large, we do have a few small birds. The Kiowa (now retired) TH-67, TH-57? ect.
It appears you have quite a few helicopter videos on your page, and you are probably very knowledgeable. Do you have a collection of data put together to support your opinion?
To further support what I am saying, which has been backed up by military dunker training, I did a quick you tube search of "Helicopter water crash landing"
These show a helicopter without floats pretty much instantly flipping over.
ruclips.net/video/iy9wSmqGrjQ/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/tkBBVkVFcaM/видео.html
This is a helicopter, that is slower to flip over, but still flips over. I suspect the water was fairly shallow.
ruclips.net/video/-wBgviMXKDE/видео.html
These show a helicopter floating upright on floats.
ruclips.net/video/qy8Omelv_MI/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/7g-rFwJwtiw/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/wxOFqx1PUBU/видео.html
I will be the first to admit, as a doctoral student, those videos really do not go far to prove anything, as a sample size of 6 is far to small for any real conclusion, but they do help support my argument.
I do not mean for my reply to come off as a personal attack, or demeaning in any way, but I am curious how you come to your opinion, and what data you have to back it up. I am always a fan of exploring new conclusions and possibilities, but I always want to see some type of systematic way that a conclusion is made. The internet is a wonderful place to share idea's and knowledge, but also a very dangerous place as misinformation can be spread just as easily.
-Bendall
Christie's flight pants are on point
Yes - both my wife and daughter were impressed with Christie’s fashion sense.
The pants make the pilot right? Personally I'd prefer some girl wearing flight suit gear with a helmet with some experience flying Blackhawks out of Afghanistan. However that's just me. ;)
Blackhawk pilots aren't all they're cracked up to be, just speaking as someone who has seen several of them transition to civilian flying jobs, some of that is simply because flying a fully loaded blackhawk as 12,000ft is nothing like flying a 206 or an AS320 at sea level with a total payload of 4 passengers and some cameras. Also, when your pilot shows up in nomex wearing a Gentex and then doesn't offer you the same, wouldn't you be a little worried? That would be like an airline pilot stepping on board with a g-suit and a parachute.
Relevant and insightful video. You do great work FlightChops.
Thanks!
Great to see the passion of the pilot and you sharing yours with your young family. Will look for you in OSH. I'll be the guy with the fast golf cart... 😎
Thanks! And if you really have a fast golf cart at Osh, we need to talk :)
Congested class B flight, running radios, and flying a rotorcraft single pilot. I think my head would explode -- Christie makes it look easy. I have done the SFO bridge tour a couple of times in fixed wing and that was hard enough with a second pilot to help run the radios.
I wish I could go up in a plane or heli or even learn to fly but just never would have the time, this looks awsome, and looks like fun. Awsome video dude.
Absolutely amazing! These videos never fail to make me smile at some point, New York City is just a fantastic cite from the skies!
That pilot....kudos on everything...smarts,looks,ppls skills.
Great episode. Flying copters is so much fun. Such a different perspective on flying.
I can see why it would have been difficult to make this video in light of what happened in March. I too am interested in what the NTSB is going to say. I'm hoping that other operators take that incident as an impetus for better safety briefings, or at least making sure people like that one guy in your video, are paying attention.
However, above and beyond that, this was a fantastic video and I would have no issue flying with this young lady. She appeared to be very professional, as well as caring about her passengers. Plus, the sights were seriously cool!
You did a nice job here, Steve, especially in light of the accident in March.
Thanks - and agreed - Christi is awesome!
Gary C what happened in March
The same company that they flew with, AFTER this video was made, had an accident and several people died. Flight Chops talks about how difficult it was to make the video starting at 1:45 into the video.
Gary C thanks budd
Thank you for the awesome work. Makes understanding the crash a lot easier.
Well done! Hats off to you for bringing such interesting content in such a tragic time. You handled it with utmost respect and I commend you for your approach. Kudos and keep up the good work! Very much looking forward to your follow-up!
Great footage & production on this one! Nice work Steve. That's about the only way I wish to see NYC these days - from far up above the chaos. :) Glad you got to experience that with your family.
On a more serious note, may God comfort the families of those lost in that accident. With every incident, we learn, and we improve (if there can be any bright side to this situation), so that it may never happen again. A prime example right there of the "chain reaction" of failures compounding a situation. We're getting better, but no human can predict the infinite ways problems can present themselves.
Looking forward to the follow up on this incident. Thanks for posting!
Seemed like a Very professional flight. Good footage man🤙🏼
What a Fantastic way to see a mega city. Great video effort. Must be difficult to take it all in while filming all those angles. Appreciate the pilot incites. Memory for you family they will treasure for sure. I did not know this aircraft was a twin as I would have just said it was a chipmunk! Doh! Been too long since I flew in a chopper.
I think of all the doors off flying I did as an Aeroscout observer flying in the OH-6 Loach. It was the most incredible flying. It was the Army so rules didn't apply. I can't remember how many times your loosening the belts and hanging out looking. Treetops were the norm plus with that type of flying your really looking out for the tail boom. There were no harnesses involved and we flew with all 4 doors off probably 9-10 months out of the year.
side doors were always open on during my time as a crew chief on Huey. never lost anything out the door.
Thanks for your service.
That was my thoughts too, even standing out on the skid no one fell
Lost Cloud true that. NOE standing in the skid a few times.
Yes, but you are a crew chief with training and experience (meant totally as a compliment). Remember that "regular" people text and walk into traffic, walk into poles and even into water fountains. Whether you recognize it or not your experience makes you "think" about things differently and focus on the task at hand in a way that most people don't understand. I was a technician and then an engineering officer in the air force for 27 years and constantly marveled at the focus and professionalism of all aircrew that I met and flew with (as a passenger). Thanks for your service!
Except for those M60 rounds?
Amazing work on this one Steve - especially with the recent events.
Brilliant video - I would love to fly a chopper. Your pilot is very cool and it looked like your family enjoyed the open door action!
Beautiful video Steve. Very respectfully done. The company seems to be professional run it's unfortunate that accidents happen. I hope it didn't hurt there business.
Thanks Steve for shooting this video it was epic with a capable pilot like Christy love successful women in aviation.
Will be looking forward to your follow up.
Wow, really powerful Steve, it's always sad to hear when people have lost their lives. Good on you for making this video they way you have.
that was a tough one. well done. it was already highly interesting to see all the procedures that where in place... and your remark about the knife on the harness of your doughter. i'm looking forward to learn more in a follow-up... stay safe
6:43 When she pointed out the emergency fuel cutoff valve... damn.
Yup
It's always nice to know or show other passengers the orange or yellow or red knob what not to touch.
It would be even nicer to have a clean cockpit environment, where the cockpit and controls are separated from ordinary folks who just walk in off the street.
@@bridgecross Sounds like a good idea
I know you didn’t necessarily get into this to be an investigative journalist, but appreciate you taking this on. When you do your debrief I think it would be interesting to get your perspective on some of the NYT, Wired, Vertical Mag etc reporting that’s out there on this in relation to your experience as well.
Obviously there is a difference between theory and reality. When the two clash we often have unfortunate consequences. Of course, it doesn't help when management tries to cut corners as is accused in this case.Very well done on the video.
On the bucket list!
I did a lot of my training on R22 with doors off. Great fun. Nice looking pilot
Wow, what a great flight with an outstanding tour pilot. I always enjoy your videos!
I find the way you have dealt with the issue very appropiate. Just so that you know. Thank you.
Steve, tremendous video. Well done.
Appreciated
"3 pax and 1 crew"? Didn't you have 4 passengers?
Well done and very respectful...great video!
I had a similar experience in Hawaii; my dad and I went up with a CFI for his BFR and flew around Maui, Molokai, and Lanai. Even though we had life jackets and a personal locator beacon, I think it was in the back of our minds that if the engine of our 172 died, we would all struggle to extricate ourselves from the cabin, especially whoever was in the back seat. But that's a part of the risk that comes with flying. The flight itself was incredible, and we finished it by flying over the grave of Charles Lindbergh. The risk is sobering, to be sure, and that's why we all strive to be better pilots, smarter pilots, and safer pilots.
Nicely done, as always. Hope you enjoyed your stay in NYC, wish I knew you were in town, would love to put the handshake on you one day. Thanks fer takin' us along...
Nicely done Steve! Thanks for sharing. I could imagine how difficult it was for you to do this, especially knowing your precious family was with you. But you summed it up nicely and we all benefitted from watching it. As is the case with all your videos.
Not to speculate but I couldn’t help noticing where the fuel cut off switches were. I don’t know if the accident aircraft was the same but I guess it makes sense they would be on top where the engines are.
The pilot involved in the accident said one of the passengers accidentally shut one of the fuel cut off switches off causing the accident. It’s hard to see how that’s possible. Looking forward to the NTSB report.
I believe the aircraft in said accident was the single engine AS350 where the fuel cutoff switch is on the floor next to the collective, which makes more sense that it was hit with the bag.
Great vid as always Steve! Still looking forward to seeing you at Spectrum soon!
what a great flight over NYC..thanks
What a fantastic video Steve. Well done.
I was waiting for this one. Fantastic job! I really enjoyed it, it looked like a lot of fun.
As an A&P and helicopter veteran of 21 years I will say this about the pilot on this flight: She was very professional yet engaging and friendly. These are good qualities for both pilots and tour guides. That said..."The money shot is my favorite shot". I had to point that out. XD
When are you going to get your instrument-heli rating, Steve?
This was a rad RUclips! I couldn't find the follow-on episode though!
Fantastic video as always. So sad to see what happened. There are definitely gonna be changes made and new rules implemented. However, it seems like she had a ton of knowledge of flying, what to do in event of emergency etc.... We will have to see what the FAA does.
I once Sat in the door runner's seat of a Huey with the doors open on a fun flight at Fort Gordon.
I'm looking forward to the follow up discussion about the accident. I noticed two things right away in your video: 1) the pilot uses a quick release multipoint harness while the passengers are in harnesses meant for construction and they used locked carabineers. 2) the operations room seemed to act like a silicon valley start up and they were bragging about rapid growth. Since I'm a software engineer and a pilot these are both huge red flags to me.
Catness Everdeen is a pilot??
Thanks I really enjoyed it Never been to NY , if I ever go there Im sure to take this Heli Flight .Cheers from Canada .
Reg
Well done, sir.
Definitely one of the best episodes so far! Well done!