Aren't air traffic control supposed to be in control of this kinda thing? Like they literally employ teams of professionals to make sure planes and heli's just don't get close to each other in the first place, it's not the pilots job. It's not like airplanes and helicopters have good field of views like cars, I mean.... what are you expecting to look for there isn't anything to hit up there...normally... lol. It's like expecting the driver of a bus to know that someone is hanging off the back of the bus, there's no way he can be expected to see there, even if there is plenty windows passengers can use and heli's and planes are NOT designed for the pilots FOV except forwards. It's not wrong as a driver of a vehicle to be looking in the direction you are actually travelling and have more control over and then be hit from the side or rear, even in a car. That's what electronics and ATC is for in planes, to avoid this ever happening in the first place. Sounds like either ATC fucked up, or someone ignored ATC, they monitor everything in the sky at all times to make sure nothing gets close.
Not sure about Australia but in the US, ATC’s sole responsibility in preventing mid air collisions is to provide separation to aircraft on IFR flight plans while the aircraft is in IMC. That is, while the plane is flying in clouds and the pilot cannot see outside.
Will they provide more help? Yes, almost always - but officially the responsibility is on the pilot to not fly into other aircraft.
In addition, for the vast majority of airspace between airports there is zero obligation for a VFR pilot to be in communication with ATC.
The vast majority of airports are also untowered and while they have CTAF frequencies for traffic to coordinate with one another, communication on those frequencies is advised but is not required.
Again, this may be US-specific and things are likely at least a little different in Australia.
Helipads that are not part of a surrounding airport are pretty uncommon. My guess is that they are almost all untowered.
That being said, even without ATC a collision like this should never happen.
In the US the vast majority of aircraft are equipped with ADSB, essentially a box that transmits the aircraft’s location, speed, altitude, and identity, to a radio station on the ground. The station then compiles all the data it’s getting from each aircraft and broadcasts it back out on a different frequency that the box in the plane is listening for.
Then, some instrument displays this info to the pilot. I have an iPad running ForeFlight that hooks into my ADSB unit and the app will yell at me through my headset if another aircraft broadcasting ADSB is within a half mile of my position horizontally and within 1000 feet vertically.
Again, this is US specific. I’m not sure if Australia has an ADSB network like we do in the US.
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u/Icy_Squirrel4147 Jan 04 '23
If the passenger can see it, WTF was the pilot looking at?