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Apache Crash: When Density Altitude and Ego Collide

by Brandon Webb

I’ve been in a lot of Helos as a SEAL and Search & Rescue Crewchief (AW) in H60F & H’s, and this is a prime example of not having situational awareness to realize the effects of density altitude (thin air) and even worse– putting peoples lives at risk.

I’m a 500 hour instrument rated pilot and have just under a 1000 hours as an H60 Crew Chief.  I LOVE aviation and a bitchin low pass, but  it has to be well planned and thought out in advance.  All factors (temp, crowd, power lines, risk,etc).

That’s one of the things people don’t understand about SOF, we double and triple check to make sure we get it right.  Skydiving we get at least two Jump Master checks and then a final buddy check before we huck ourselves off the ramp at 20,000 feet.

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I’ve been in a lot of Helos as a SEAL and Search & Rescue Crewchief (AW) in H60F & H’s, and this is a prime example of not having situational awareness to realize the effects of density altitude (thin air) and even worse– putting peoples lives at risk.

I’m a 500 hour instrument rated pilot and have just under a 1000 hours as an H60 Crew Chief.  I LOVE aviation and a bitchin low pass, but  it has to be well planned and thought out in advance.  All factors (temp, crowd, power lines, risk,etc).

That’s one of the things people don’t understand about SOF, we double and triple check to make sure we get it right.  Skydiving we get at least two Jump Master checks and then a final buddy check before we huck ourselves off the ramp at 20,000 feet.

This bit of flying brings discredit to a lot of GREAT military aviators.

Brandon

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About Brandon Webb View All Posts

Brandon Webb, a former Navy SEAL sniper and Naval Special Warfare Sniper Course Manager, is renowned for training some of America's legendary snipers. He is a multiple New York Times Bestselling Author, Entrepreneur, and Speaker. Webb is the Editor-in-Chief of the SOFREP news team, a collective of military journalists.

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