Has anyone else noticed a regular appearance of helicopters in the weekday afternoons at Oaks? I've seen these guys quite frequently. More than one style of chopper (so its not just fire, or police, etc... though the most recent one looked like a cop chopper), just cruising around, hovering, circling, etc. They get pretty low in the main valley and in Deer, often below the elevation of the ridge. Does anyone know, or have a theory, as to what they're up to?
practicing is my guess, but they should have some official reason to be there because they are flying below minimums. I've seen them out there too. Oaks isn't exactly uninhabited where you can be buzzing around 20 ft off the deck legally.
I just assumed that they were using the nose mounted camera to poach some free footage of me flying down Yucca. In all seriousness, though, if it were for training, it would seem to make sense to maneuver in/around hills instead of buildings and over populated areas. Perhaps they consider Oaks less "protected" than some of the other more strictly regulated, inaccessible parts of the hills to avoid run-ins with environmentalists?
I saw Anaheim PD out there on Friday afternoon buzzing around. I have a family member who is retired APD and said they often use that area to do training.
...but heaven forbid we strap on little lights and quietly enjoy a ride after sunset. Carry on, low altitude helicopter training!
Sorry those are my helicopters.....They are taking footage of me riding.....Il tell the guys to fly a little higher from here on out
My bringing this important issue to the attention of the public, via this thread, has stopped the evil whirlibird menace. I've seen no choppers in over a month. Now if I could only install a "ONE WAY" sign to stop bikers from going down Coachwhip.
But it is such a great downhill.....nothing says downhill like having to pedal to keep your momentum going.
Thank you! As we were climbing it a few months ago, we had a descending guy screech up on us and tell us that we should stay on the right--going UP on a s/t. Nice... BTW- the sheriff's helo was flying really low in Emerald Canyon yesterday. I used to see them out there pretty regularly, but it's been awhile.
After back surgery, 9/10 doctors recommend avoiding stess or exertion and routinely suggest bed rest or going down Coachwhip.
legally? Airplanes have to stay above minimums, helicopters are allowed to fly under the minimums as long as they don't put persons or property in danger. /helicopter pilot
What about those going UP old chutes? Even being an XC geek who gets left behind on descents can't figure out why anyone would want to go down Coachwhip...even for Strava.
That's part of why helis are so fun, we get to break the rules. hehe. we're also 3 times more likely for a crash to be fatal... doh