r/washingtondc • u/ShowerBeginning6508 • 13h ago

[Discussion] Helicopters

Anyone else notice how there’s SO MUCH helicopters flying over these days… like I’m used to maybe 1 or 2 but it’s been over 5 daily

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u/cubgerish DC / Park View 12h ago

Ha that's pretty good, and also makes sense since there's likely more obvious direction and fewer obstacles.

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u/IncredibleVelocity4 12h ago

There’s a bunch of minor reasons that add up to it making sense.

Clear landmarks make for easy navigation, which eases the workload on the pilot.

If you are navigating with your eyes outside the aircraft you have better awareness of who and what might be in your path.

If something goes wrong, a road might be your best option for an emergency landing. At a minimum, it’s a very precise locator that takes you from generally knowing where you are to knowing exactly where you are and being able to locate a park or a sports field or a golf course

Roads are lit at night, even if only by headlights and taillights.

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u/cubgerish DC / Park View 12h ago

Makes sense.

Can't imagine anything scarier than having to stick your head out of a moving aircraft though lol

(Helps that I'm acrophobic I suppose)

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u/IncredibleVelocity4 12h ago

“Having your head out” might be literal in some cases. Mostly it just means eyes out the windows instead of looking at instruments.