Pretty much everybody knows TMZ is a scummy and trashy news organization. But they are also very good at what they do, which is being the first to break some really big scoops.
Just because TMZ shouts out news like this doesn’t mean they were the first to break the story - they were just first to break protocol. More respectable organizations respected the process of giving families of the deceased time to be officially notified. TMZ saw it as an opportunity to make a profit.
I don’t know what to say. ATC radar and N72EX aircraft-to-ground communication is already on YT. Looks like interference from terrain cut off communication in the last several seconds.
When I wanted to learn to fly, I opted out of helicopters precicely because they seemed more like a constant battle against gravity and mechanical realities as opposed to fixed wing’s gracefull motion. And they cost twice as much to learn…
I apologize if it seemed like I was trying to defend them - I think they are a despicable organization that profits on being the first up to glorify human suffering and sensationalism.
That’s what they do. They are anything but a “respectable organization”. They may have broken protocol but they also ended up being the primary source as a result which of course drives traffic and $$$. Their motive isn’t ethical news coverage, it’s money. About the only thing I can say is at least they are up front about it.
I will say, helicopters are indeed dangerous. Any vehicle in which pretty much the sole emergency situation response is disconnecting the thing that spins around to make you fly from the motor that normally powers it, is a bit sketchy.
They are pretty awesome, though. I took a little over 20 hours in an R-22 a number of years ago, and it was a really fun time. Once you grok hovering (usually around 10 hours of flight time), it’s just this insanely cool thing that feels like nothing else. I imagine it’s how piloting a Gundam might feel.
Now, during the time I was taking lessons, there was a crash that killed one of the school’s instructors, and two passengers. The school had another fatal crash a few years ago. These things often happen when even an experienced pilot pushes the boundaries too far in less-than-ideal weather. Power lines are often the thing that does it.
Yeah one article said they were flying in heavy fog when they crashed.
Closing this post in no way is a show of support for people who rape people. This conversation is getting enough complaints to need deeper moderation than I can provide at the time. Perhaps when another moderator becomes available.
Mod Note:
I’ve left Kobe’s own words regarding the sexual assault in the topic because they are relevant. It’s clear from them that he believed the accuser. Rape is not about law, it’s about consent, and Kobe himself stated that he believes that the victim believes they did not consent. That’s definitive enough in my book.
As a result, posts suggesting otherwise will be considered victim blaming which is against or community guidelines.
As with the George HW Bush topic, it may be uncomfortable for some folks to focus on the negative aspects of someone’s life at the time of their death. I recommend reading other discussions if you are in the “remembrance should only be positive and respectful” camp, as that has never been the BB (or BBS) norm. Reality is reality.
Thanks.
Not sure what was so important to require a helicopter trip when local police were grounding their choppers because of fog. A senseless tragedy.
That’s what also got Stevie Ray Vaughan. Helos+fog are a disaster waiting to happen.
It’s what caused the fatal crash when I was taking lessons. Fog + power lines + helicopter = a really, really bad scene.
It may be the unwavering self-belief of pro athletes at play here, belief in one’s own inherent exceptionalism. It works out well in one’s chosen field if one is in fact at the tippy top of the sports-skill bell curve (and not a replacement-level player), but can get you into dangerous territory quickly in a different domain.
Same thing that led Curt Schilling to run his video game company into the ground.
Some people are snowflakes when faced with facts…
Death threats… For posting information that is easily available. I just can’t imagine ever being that angry.
I wonder if the fact that Kobe avoided a rape conviction makes him even more of a hero among some of his supporters?
Before we got the phone call telling us that my cousin was killed in a car accident my mom heard it on a radio station’s news broadcast. They gave out my (teenage) cousin’s name on air. My father heard the same broadcast on the car radio.
(R.I.P. Gary, I still miss you.)
