Kobe Bryant: Pilot was high skilled with thousands of flying hours

Kobe Bryant: Pilot was high skilled with thousands of flying hours

By Dhanjay Deo
Wednesday 29/01/2020

The pilot in the foggy-weather helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant was well-acquainted with the skies over Los Angeles and accustomed to flying celebrities.

50-year-old Ara Zobayan had spent thousands of hours ferrying passengers through one of the nation's busiest air spaces and training students how to fly a helicopter.

Friends and colleagues described him as skilled, cool and collected, the very qualities you want in a pilot.

His decision to proceed in deteriorating visibility, though, has experts and fellow pilots wondering if he flew beyond the boundaries of good judgment and whether pressure to get his superstar client where he wanted to go played a role in the crash.

Jerry Kidrick, a retired Army colonel who flew helicopters in Iraq and now teaches at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona, says there can be pressure to fly VIPs despite poor conditions, a situation he experienced when flying military brass in bad weather.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators have said Zobayan asked for and received permission from air traffic controllers to proceed in the fog. In his last radio transmission before the helicopter went down, he reported that he was climbing to avoid a cloud layer.

Investigators have yet to establish the cause of the crash and have not faulted his decision to press on or explained why he chose to do so.

[Source: Stuff.co]

FNRL
FEATURE NEWS
TD09F likely to develop into a cyclone within the next 24-48 hrs – Fiji Met
Tropical Depression 09F lies to the northeast of Fiji and the chances of the system to become a Tropical Cyclone in the next 24 to 48 hours is moderat...
9 minutes ago
LATEST NEWS
Vancouver 7s: Sauturaga delivers at extra time as Fiji beat Spain 26-21
Filipe Sauturaga scored in extra time to give the Fiji Airways Men’s National 7s side three wins out of three at the HSBC Vancouver 7s, defeating ...
1 hour ago

MGM 2024 Dux Sumit Kumar driven by his desire to challenge himself academically
Hard work has paid off for 19-year-old Sumit Kumar as he attained the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial High School’s Dux Award for 2024. In an interview ...
4 hours ago

Fijian Drua goes down fighting against the Hurricanes 38-34
The Swire Shipping Fijian Drua went down fighting against the Hurricanes 38-34 in a thriller this afternoon in round 2 of the Shop N Save Super Rugby ...
15 hours ago

TD09F lies towards Northeast of Fiji – Fiji Met
Tropical Disturbance TD09F is expected to enter Fiji waters from the Northeast of Fiji by later tomorrow possibly as a Tropical ...
15 hours ago

Any form of price gouging or unethical conduct will not be tolerated – FCCC CEO
The Fijian Competition and Consumer Commission is reminding all traders that any form of price gouging or unethical conduct will not be tolerated, ...
16 hours ago



fijivillage Straight Talk with Vijay Narayan
Latest Videos

Stay tuned for the latest news on our radio stations

CFL radio frequencies
yb
IN DEPTH
World Radio Day
Radio remains one of the best mediums for news and information for a number of reasons and in situations such as natural disasters and political ...
10 days ago

Health Minister Dr Lalabalavu on fijivillage Straight Talk with Vijay Narayan
Health Minister, Doctor Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu on fijivillage Straight Talk With Vijay ...
18 days ago

PM Rabuka on fijivillage Straight Talk With Vijay Narayan
Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka on fijivillage Straight Talk With Vijay Narayan. The in-depth interview will focus on many issues facing the ...
22 days ago

TOP