copterkeith06 Posted July 27, 2011 Posted July 27, 2011 Hello to everyone. There were 2 ships down in the cherry drying community yesterday. 1 in a field I got called in to cover for, damage to the ship,( and cherries )but the pilot walked away. The other was 30 miles away, I was drying the field on the opposite side of the power lines from the S- 55 that went down. The power lines were on my side with tall trees on his side, the lines came out from behind the trees at the end of his field. It was raining at the time. I left to return to Brewster & a short time later I heard that the 55 clipped the wires. Both ships & pilots are from the company right next to the company I work for here in Brewster, I don't know either pilot, but, I did wave to & see them all the time. Stephen is the young pilot that died yesterday, his 4x4 truck is still in it's parking spot at the hanger, most of the time it has a dirt bike in it. I also seen him numerous times with a girl, girlfriend maybe, don't know for sure. What I do know for sure is this, I feel for that kid, his girl, his family & can't get him outta my mind. I don't know how I'm going to go to that field the next time it rains & have to look at the burned out spot on the ground, knowing that a young pilot I watched fly by a few times this season, is gone, because of the same dam wires I fly next to at the end of my field. To Stephen's family & the pilot's that worked with him next door, I'm sorry for your loss. Stephen W. Nelson rest in piece brother. To the rest of us, WATCH OUT FOR THE WIRES !!!!!!!!! Quote
jimbo2181 Posted July 27, 2011 Posted July 27, 2011 Same company had 58 go down in Iowa spraying. Pilot dead. Bad day. Correction was different company... Quote
Azhigher Posted July 28, 2011 Posted July 28, 2011 Stephen was a solid guy, knew him from flight school way back when. Sad day when I heard, RIP buddy. Quote
Goldy Posted July 28, 2011 Posted July 28, 2011 Wow, always sad to hear of these things. The S55 is such a big ship, with the pilot seat up so high, that fatals are not that frequent. We had one in LA that fell sideways off a building about 4 or 5 stories up and the pilot was up and around in a day or two. Kinda surprised that they use S55's...damn expensive to operate, just fuel alone! Condolences to the pilot friends and family. Quote
rollthbns Posted July 28, 2011 Posted July 28, 2011 Very sad. Thoughts and prayers to everyone involved. Quote
rick1128 Posted July 28, 2011 Posted July 28, 2011 Wow, always sad to hear of these things. The S55 is such a big ship, with the pilot seat up so high, that fatals are not that frequent. We had one in LA that fell sideways off a building about 4 or 5 stories up and the pilot was up and around in a day or two. Kinda surprised that they use S55's...damn expensive to operate, just fuel alone! Condolences to the pilot friends and family. Goldy, If you think the 55 is big, take a look at the S58. It really depends on how and how hard it hits the ground. Like they say, it isn't the fall that kills you, it's the sudden stop at the bottom. While the 55 and 58 are expensive to operate, it is all relative. Cherry growers get up to $40,000 and acre for their cherries. But they have to be in prime condition. While the 55 and 58 burn a lot of fuel, the operators fly maybe 20 to 35 hours a season. Plus they buy these helicopters very, very cheap. They buy surplus parts and the life limited parts last for years due to the low annual hours they fly. Plus most of these operators are on contract with various farmers. So the cost in relationship to the value of the cherries is actually fairly low. Quote
Nolapilot89 Posted July 29, 2011 Posted July 29, 2011 Stephen was a good guy, met him a few times out in AZ. Always a sad day when we lose a young guy who had a promising future. Quote
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