Helicopter Buzzes Wal-Mart

I was shopping at a Wal-Mart on December 17, 2004, when I noticed
outside a helicopter flying just over the tops of the parked vehicles
in front of the store. It was flying towards me, about 20 feet above
the ground and climbing. I got a photograph of it when it was about 50
to 70 feet in the air. It quickly flew up past me and over the top of
the building.

I realize that helicopters have a lot of flight freedom, but it is
still shocking to see one flying directly towards oneself like this.

Coincidentally, an assistant manager at that store told me last week
that I was not allowed to bring my camera inside the store. He cited
security risk, and made a vague reference to the cameras they sell in
the Electronics Department. So, it may be difficult to get photos like
the one I took, at least from that store.
http://members.aol.com/rekgallery/WM_Heli/WM_Heli.html

wrote:
I was shopping at a Wal-Mart on December 17, 2004, when I noticed
outside a helicopter flying just over the tops of the parked vehicles
in front of the store. It was flying towards me, about 20 feet above
the ground and climbing. I got a photograph of it when it was about 50
to 70 feet in the air. It quickly flew up past me and over the top of
the building.

Looks more like 1000+ feet to me.

Also, I take my pda / phone / camera in there all the time.

"Looks more like 1000+ feet to me."

I know it wasn't, because I was there. But, I must admit that the
photograph initially makes the helicopter look much higher than I
remember it. I believe this is purely a matter of optical perspective,
though. The helicopter is small (and even smaller in the photograph),
so you assume it is very far away. Actually, it is fairly close in that
photo, about as close as it is off the ground.

"Also, I take my pda / phone / camera in there all the time. "

I have worn my Olympus C-3040s around my neck for the last 4 years (and
had another camera on my hip for a year prior). I try to have it with
me at all times. I've taken it into several Wal-Marts in several cities
in two states. I have never before had a Wal-Mart representative tell
me that I cannot bring my camera inside the store. Now, though, they
tell me I can't shop there if I have my camera.

I called 1800-Walmart and complained. They simply passed my complaint
back to the store. I got a message on my answering machine from that
store, repeating what they had just told me the previous day. They say
it is Wal-Mart policy. The manager even said that if I would tell him
which other Wal-Marts allowed me to bring in my camera, he would get
that straightened out, because it is not permitted.

"Also, I take my pda / phone / camera in there all the time. "

I have worn my Olympus C-3040s around my neck for the last 4 years

The difference is mine is in my pocket.

(and had another camera on my hip for a year prior). I try to have it
with me at all times. I've taken it into several Wal-Marts in several
cities in two states. I have never before had a Wal-Mart
representative tell me that I cannot bring my camera inside the
store. Now, though, they tell me I can't shop there if I have my
camera.

Well, now you know. No more wearing the camera in the store.

"Sam O'Nella" wrote in message
...

"Also, I take my pda / phone / camera in there all the time. "

I have worn my Olympus C-3040s around my neck for the last 4 years

The difference is mine is in my pocket.

(and had another camera on my hip for a year prior). I try to have it
with me at all times. I've taken it into several Wal-Marts in several
cities in two states. I have never before had a Wal-Mart
representative tell me that I cannot bring my camera inside the
store. Now, though, they tell me I can't shop there if I have my
camera.

Well, now you know. No more wearing the camera in the store.


They do that because they don't want other companies taking photos of
products placement, pricing, etc.

Always been that way far as I have ever heard.

wrote

I got a photograph of it when it was about 50
to 70 feet in the air. It quickly flew up past me and over the top of
the building.

I realize that helicopters have a lot of flight freedom, but it is
still shocking to see one flying directly towards oneself like this.

I think your altitude estimation skills need a bit of practice. It looks to
me like the chopper is at least 200 feet up. Anyone else have an opinion?
--
Jim in NC

"I think your altitude estimation skills need a bit of practice. "

Could be. My vision is distorted, and I only had a few seconds to grab
this shot.

"It looks to me like the chopper is at least 200 feet up."

I believe the helicopter was within 100 feet of me when I took the
photo. It looks small, so you might think it is farther away.

In article .com,
wrote:

"I think your altitude estimation skills need a bit of practice. "

Could be. My vision is distorted, and I only had a few seconds to grab
this shot.

"It looks to me like the chopper is at least 200 feet up."

I believe the helicopter was within 100 feet of me when I took the
photo. It looks small, so you might think it is farther away.

The apparent width of the helicopter, which looks like a Hughes
500, seems to be at most 1/8 that of the back of the SUV, which
should be roughly the same size (allowing for measuring
imprecision). That means it's at least 8 times further
away. Presumably you could measure the distance from where
you were standing to the third parking space. At the stores
I've been at, that would be on the order of 100 feet. That
would put the helicopter at around 800 feet away. It would
be a simple matter to determine the altitude by measuring the
height of the apparent position on the light pole and
multiplying by the appropriate factor (since for government
work the pole and the SUV are the same distance from the
camera). It looks like maybe 30 feet, which would give an
altitude of 250 feet.

Of course, if it was one of those Dangerchopper things that
only hold a single pilot for a brief shining moment until
they wind up in a field, it would be probably four
times closer and lower. That might be well under a hundred
feet up (remember that I tried to estimate the *minimum*
altitude and distance).

In either case, his estimation skills seem like they might at
least plausibly be good. It would be interesting to carry
out more precise measurements, but what would be the point?
Maybe the pilot is on the group and can tell us how high
he was.

As for Walmort, the camera thing seems like a good reason
not to shop there. They're probably worried about competitors
checking their prices (they'll throw you out if you're writing
down prices too, I bet) and as a dinosaurian company they're
too slow and stupid to realize that ten percent of their
customers have cameras in their cell phones.

Mike Beede

The apparent width of the helicopter, which looks like a Hughes
500, seems to be at most 1/8 that of the back of the SUV, which
should be roughly the same size (allowing for measuring
imprecision). That means it's at least 8 times further
away. Presumably you could measure the distance from where
you were standing to the third parking space. At the stores
I've been at, that would be on the order of 100 feet. That
would put the helicopter at around 800 feet away.

I have several advantages over you in these estimates. I already
mentioned one, that I was actually there, and I have first-hand
knowledge of the store, parking lot and event. But, I also have a
larger photo on my home computer. The original photo is 2048 x 1536
pixels. I resized it to 800 x 600 for the Web.

There is no way the helicopter is 800 feet distant in the photo. It had
already crossed more than half of the parking lot by the time I took
the photo, and you should be able to see that the parking lot is not
800 feet wide. You might notice the corner of a gas station canopy in
the lower left-hand corner. That is Wal-Mart/Sam's gas station, at the
far end of the parking lot. I would say the gas station is about 300
feet away.

I believe the helicopter is a little closer to the store than is the
white pickup truck that appears directly below it in the photo.

As for Walmort, the camera thing seems like a good reason
not to shop there.

Unfortunately, most of the grocery stores in this area close early.
Wal-Mart is the only 24-hour grocery store within several miles, as far
as I know. I usually work evenings, so the only store open when I get
off work is Wal-Mart.

LOL, I bet they are confused why I visit their store at all hours of
the day and night!

Mike Beede wrote:
The apparent width of the helicopter, which looks like a Hughes
500, seems to be at most 1/8 that of the back of the SUV, which
should be roughly the same size (allowing for measuring
imprecision).

Take a closer look. It's either a Hughes 269 or 300. They are about the
only thing outside an R44 or a Brantley that use a 3 blade rotor
system. The forward section of the cabin and the skid are definately
Hughes. The 269/300 has a cabin width of only about 4 feet.
Craig C.