Nobody was as great as Jordan, I didn’t mean he was THE all time great but A all time great. He was top 10 for sure.
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Put me in the camp of people that thinks that just because you can do something cool with a ball, it does not make you a good person.
That said, the thing that really irritates me about his death is that now the Lakers - the best team that money can buy - is now a team of destiny. Now we are going to hear commentators and players say dumb things like “It is like Kobe was out there with them/us tonight.” They have appeared more vulnerable lately, but with this, they now have something to play for. Go ahead and flame me now.
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No need to flame. But I do think going down in small aircraft must be just an awful way to go. I could be wrong but I have a distinct feeling they were absolutely aware how horrible things were going.
I guess I feel the same for anyone irregardless of their stature, who has their life suddenly taken unexpectedly. If he was in fact a role model and taking steps to contribute to the community at large then, that’s perhaps more tragic. Particularly if it winds up being something that could have been avoided - like using instrument rules or just putting the chopper down gently before they trying to ascend into cloud cover.
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I disliked Kobe for years because it seemed to me that his celebrity allowed him to get away with assault. I have to say, though, he became less hateable over the years as he consistently did/said impressive things off the court.
Anyway, as long as Kuzma is an integral part of that team, I have no problem with the Lakers being a team of destiny. Go Kyle! Get a ring!
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Kobe made at least one huge mistake in his life – which caused me to lose respect for him for a long time. Still, the available evidence is that as the years passed he became a good family man with 4 daughters he loved and was devoted to, was serious about his religious faith, and gave a lot back. He was in the process of giving even more back when he died. IMO, athletes and celebs get too much undeserved attention and credibility, but Kobe seems like the real deal. RIP, Kobe, and the 8 other people who lost their lives with you.
I’ve noticed that too many people have become self proclaimed experts on Kobe’s sexual assault case. It sickens me that this was a topic of discussion on the day of his death. Granted that that incident was before the me too movement, he still had to go through quite a bit of criticism and his career was in jeopardy (I remember it well). If anyone does their homework on the case, the woman in question was pretty much discredited and he was acquitted. Many people, who happen to be bitter because their teams could not beat Kobe, refer to him as a rapist (tacky). Obviously it is clear where I stand on this issue. Regardless, I hope some day people can pay their dues to society and move on with their lives. In my eyes that is just what Kobe did.
Also, even though I claim that Utah Jazz as my NBA team, I continue to be disappointed by their fans behavior.
When I talked to my wife, she was in this camp. When I met, then married her, she was a widow with a 7 year old. She lost her husband and a 5 year old son in a family plane flown by her father. They did not find the wreckage until 9 years later (2 years after we met) while they were looking for another plane that went missing. So understandably, she was not into the big media story on the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash simply because he was a famous athlete. Tragic yes and sorry for their loss, nothing more.
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I’m so sorry that happened to her. You know, it seems like there are a fair amount of private pilot’s in Utah that have tragic endings like this. Tough flying out here I imagine
She’s moved on with life. I’d like to think I had a big role in that. But you never forget.
There was time she was refinishing an old oak desk/table she uses in her office and I came in and she was crying. I asked her what was the issue. She was sanding the legs to this table and on the inside her deceased 5 year old son Grant had printed his name. She just stopped and cried and never finished sanding that leg. I just hugged her. Yeah she’s been through a lot, but she’s tough and a survivor.
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That’s great, feel however you do. I wasn’t trying to tell anyone how to feel. I was just trying to explain why it matters to so many other people. Because I’ve seen greiving people being mocked for grieving. I never rooted for Kobe but I understand the grief. People die every day but grief isn’t a comparative commodity so I wouldn’t mock anybody for their’s.
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Autorotate is one of the first maneuvers you master. It can save your life. The most common reason for crashing is complacency not equipment failure, unless you were complacent about maintenance. Like I mentioned, that pilot shouldn’t have been VFR in those conditions. Most likely did that route 100 times and thought he could do it again… in thick clouds.
Honestly the most dangerous aspects of flying a helicopter are unforeseen forces of nature, pressure changes and wind sheer. They have a great effect on the machine but with training and better whirlybirds easy to overcome.
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Sounds like you fly them.thats awesome.
Makes me wonder how much pressure is on these private pilot’s to get their high-profile client where they want to go…
and for some strange reason I’ve never really like felt that helicopters were all that safe but, amazing to be in.
I actually spent a number of times in a Bell helicopter that we used to bring supplies into a remote mountain Lodge in Upstate NY.
So, I’d been in this helicopter, maybe like 10 times in my life. We were hanging supplies from a net on a (I think it was an 80 foot cord). One, time the guy accidentally caught the net full of supplies in the top of a tree as we were hovering the DZ. He was an ex-Vietnam pilot and he fought with the tree for about a minute. Seemed longer. He got real quiet, real fast. He wound up not jettisoning the load, but he almost did. You could feel the tree tugging on us. It was windy…
When we got down, he said that was the closest he came to augering in for quite some time. He said even if he had jettisoned the load, we were still at risk of screwing the pooch. Creepy.
I’m sure if nothing else, you’re a super safe pilot. Take care.
Very interesting video and explanation.
I don’t fly any more. I got my pilot’s license and everybody came back from Iraq with 20,000 hours of flying and took all the jobs. I was looking at 6-7 years for a stable job, otherwise bouncing around from training facilities to overseas jobs…just wasn’t going to work for my life.
I enjoyed it while it lasted, still paying for it, no regrets just wish it would’ve been a career somehow. Maybe another life.
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Thrill, I’m so sorry. I imagine you to be an excellent pilot. It always seemed safest for those with more than less hours and eccellent maintenance on the aircraft. Aircraft running often enough to have reliable maintenance records and a pilot that recognizes changes and nuance… Which if course favors commercial or high-end private craft. Otherwise, it seems like a thrilling, but risky endeavor. Especially a mountain profile with 3 ecosystems in our valley.
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Thrill, I don’t know how many hours you have or how old you are, but there is now an extreme shortage of pilots and airlines are begging for qualified pilots. I’m a commercial pilot and am astounded by the experience the new hires have. If you still have the desire to make it a career there are many opportunities out there
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