In my time I have known a few fellows who fly those darned ol' whirlybirds. Yeah, I am talking about helicopters. It's certainly a unique way to get around. They do make "spot to spot" flying an easier task since there is no need for an elongated piece of pavement or an open field.

Of course, one of the physical attributes that make a helicopter so nimble in the air is also the reason they can be a handful to fly. Maybe the threat of a simple flight becoming a handfull of a flight is what a pilot had in mind yesterday in Lake Charles.

Shortly after lunchtime, yesterday reports started coming into law enforcement agencies and media companies in the Lake Charles area about a helicopter flying extremely low near the I-210 bridge. At first many thought this could have been related to ongoing construction but when the aircraft dropped below the bridge that's when the concerns really started to mount.

It turns out that beneath the I-210 bridge are some small islands. Having never travelled on the water below the bridge I wouldn't have known that. I bet a lot of you didn't know that either. The helicopter pilot sure knew it. He chose to set the aircraft down on one of those islands beneath the bridge.

Why?

A spokesperson for the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's office confirmed that the aircraft had landed safely and that the pilot was just fine. In fact, the pilot told CPSO he had landed the helicopter beneath the bridge to wait out some weather. Meteorologist Wade Hampton with KPLC said in a story published on the TV station website that at the time there was a very low ceiling at the Lake Charles airport.

 

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