Narrative:

My aircraft (helicopter) was in a parking position assigned to me by hilton head air service FBO. I departed at approximately XA30 for a local flight and returned before XB00. Upon landing, but before entering the ramp, I noted that there were people beginning to assemble everywhere. I waited in a hover, on centerline outside the ramp area, until guides could lead me to my parking position. I then sat the aircraft down and guarded it, as I always do, until the blades had fully stopped turning. After securing the aircraft I surveyed the ramp and made a mental note of the unsupervised and unrestr movement of people. I prepared to depart again at approximately XD15. This time, however, because of the obvious unpredictable nature of people, I installed the ground handling wheels and pushed the aircraft across the ramp to a spot that would safely allow me to get under way, yet would not restrict ingress/egress of other aircraft. Before starting my aircraft, I personally walked the perimeter asking people to be alert, and only after I had assigned 2 guards a position at the front and rear of the aircraft, did I start up. No problem, everyone seemed happy. I then air taxied approximately 2 aircraft lengths to the intersection, did a clearing turn and departed without fanfare. About 40 mins later I landed again, was in a hover taxi (on the taxiway) preparing to enter the ramp stub. Prior to entering this area I made a clearing turn, for orientation and wind effect, and only then proceeded to move in, slowly. Nothing different from my normal procedure. My objective was to park at exactly the same spot I had started from. I am situated on the centerline and moving toward that position when a man on my left (located on the grass) and later idented as mr X of tucson, az, begins moving toward me. He is extremely animated, waving his arms furiously and shouting. My immediate reaction is, he must be attempting to alert me of some imminent danger. I immediately stopped my forward movement and looked to my right, but there was nothing out of the ordinary that I could perceive. As I attempted to inch my way forward, the man remained furiously waving me back and shouting. I was totally stunned by this and began to motion for him, with my left (collective) hand, to stay back -- pointing to the spot where I was attempting to go. So here I am, with a mad man in a restr area, interfering dangerously with the safe operation of my aircraft, in a misguided attempt to dissuade me from landing. This entire episode (which of course took less time than it does to write about) was witnessed by many, most notably a corp jet crew, waiting patiently to proceed. They have offered their support of this report as have others. Ramp personnel/management later addressed mr X sternly and asked him to leave the field. Finally, as I waited in the aircraft for the blades to stop turning, mr X remained doggedly and persistently, shouting at me. Fearful that he was going to run right into a turning blade in his angry attempt to get over to me, I motioned strongly and shouted for him to 'stay back until the blades had stopped turning.' this in turn seemed to anger him even more. By the time the blades had come to a full stop I was equally furious and a verbal altercation ensued. During the next several mins I could not impress upon mr X how outrageous his actions were. Another man, later idented as mr Y, attempted to intervene by saying to me 'I had better watch out. These guys had a lot of money and could make a lot of trouble for me.' in my opinion mr Y is obviously more salesman than conscientious pilot, willing to compromise his own integrity in the hopes of making a sale, but I digress. I later took this unpleasant event up with the organizers of the event. They informed me that mr X was prone to that type of behavior, apologized for his bravado, and added that he was not even a malibu owner. Finally, I am not an alarmist and I do not like writing letters. I would have enjoyed the week even with its shortcomings had it not been for this unpleasant personal experience. In the future, however, people need to know to remain in designated areas and should be escorted by responsible and knowledgeable volunteers when on the ramp. Causal factors: lack of proper preparation by the organizers. Lack of supervision by airport authority/authorized. Lack of common sense by some individuals. Possible solutions: better preparation and supervision by/for everyone involved. Posting temporary operating suggestions/rules for visiting airmen. Courtesy briefings for visitors (noise sensitive areas and local anomalies, etc). Warnings to the general public before entering secure areas. No viable solution comes to mind for egomaniacal types looking for attention.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PERSON ON GND INTERFERED WITH LNDG HELI.

Narrative: MY ACFT (HELI) WAS IN A PARKING POS ASSIGNED TO ME BY HILTON HEAD AIR SVC FBO. I DEPARTED AT APPROX XA30 FOR A LCL FLT AND RETURNED BEFORE XB00. UPON LNDG, BUT BEFORE ENTERING THE RAMP, I NOTED THAT THERE WERE PEOPLE BEGINNING TO ASSEMBLE EVERYWHERE. I WAITED IN A HOVER, ON CTRLINE OUTSIDE THE RAMP AREA, UNTIL GUIDES COULD LEAD ME TO MY PARKING POS. I THEN SAT THE ACFT DOWN AND GUARDED IT, AS I ALWAYS DO, UNTIL THE BLADES HAD FULLY STOPPED TURNING. AFTER SECURING THE ACFT I SURVEYED THE RAMP AND MADE A MENTAL NOTE OF THE UNSUPERVISED AND UNRESTR MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE. I PREPARED TO DEPART AGAIN AT APPROX XD15. THIS TIME, HOWEVER, BECAUSE OF THE OBVIOUS UNPREDICTABLE NATURE OF PEOPLE, I INSTALLED THE GND HANDLING WHEELS AND PUSHED THE ACFT ACROSS THE RAMP TO A SPOT THAT WOULD SAFELY ALLOW ME TO GET UNDER WAY, YET WOULD NOT RESTRICT INGRESS/EGRESS OF OTHER ACFT. BEFORE STARTING MY ACFT, I PERSONALLY WALKED THE PERIMETER ASKING PEOPLE TO BE ALERT, AND ONLY AFTER I HAD ASSIGNED 2 GUARDS A POS AT THE FRONT AND REAR OF THE ACFT, DID I START UP. NO PROB, EVERYONE SEEMED HAPPY. I THEN AIR TAXIED APPROX 2 ACFT LENGTHS TO THE INTXN, DID A CLRING TURN AND DEPARTED WITHOUT FANFARE. ABOUT 40 MINS LATER I LANDED AGAIN, WAS IN A HOVER TAXI (ON THE TXWY) PREPARING TO ENTER THE RAMP STUB. PRIOR TO ENTERING THIS AREA I MADE A CLRING TURN, FOR ORIENTATION AND WIND EFFECT, AND ONLY THEN PROCEEDED TO MOVE IN, SLOWLY. NOTHING DIFFERENT FROM MY NORMAL PROC. MY OBJECTIVE WAS TO PARK AT EXACTLY THE SAME SPOT I HAD STARTED FROM. I AM SITUATED ON THE CTRLINE AND MOVING TOWARD THAT POS WHEN A MAN ON MY L (LOCATED ON THE GRASS) AND LATER IDENTED AS MR X OF TUCSON, AZ, BEGINS MOVING TOWARD ME. HE IS EXTREMELY ANIMATED, WAVING HIS ARMS FURIOUSLY AND SHOUTING. MY IMMEDIATE REACTION IS, HE MUST BE ATTEMPTING TO ALERT ME OF SOME IMMINENT DANGER. I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED MY FORWARD MOVEMENT AND LOOKED TO MY R, BUT THERE WAS NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY THAT I COULD PERCEIVE. AS I ATTEMPTED TO INCH MY WAY FORWARD, THE MAN REMAINED FURIOUSLY WAVING ME BACK AND SHOUTING. I WAS TOTALLY STUNNED BY THIS AND BEGAN TO MOTION FOR HIM, WITH MY L (COLLECTIVE) HAND, TO STAY BACK -- POINTING TO THE SPOT WHERE I WAS ATTEMPTING TO GO. SO HERE I AM, WITH A MAD MAN IN A RESTR AREA, INTERFERING DANGEROUSLY WITH THE SAFE OP OF MY ACFT, IN A MISGUIDED ATTEMPT TO DISSUADE ME FROM LNDG. THIS ENTIRE EPISODE (WHICH OF COURSE TOOK LESS TIME THAN IT DOES TO WRITE ABOUT) WAS WITNESSED BY MANY, MOST NOTABLY A CORP JET CREW, WAITING PATIENTLY TO PROCEED. THEY HAVE OFFERED THEIR SUPPORT OF THIS RPT AS HAVE OTHERS. RAMP PERSONNEL/MGMNT LATER ADDRESSED MR X STERNLY AND ASKED HIM TO LEAVE THE FIELD. FINALLY, AS I WAITED IN THE ACFT FOR THE BLADES TO STOP TURNING, MR X REMAINED DOGGEDLY AND PERSISTENTLY, SHOUTING AT ME. FEARFUL THAT HE WAS GOING TO RUN RIGHT INTO A TURNING BLADE IN HIS ANGRY ATTEMPT TO GET OVER TO ME, I MOTIONED STRONGLY AND SHOUTED FOR HIM TO 'STAY BACK UNTIL THE BLADES HAD STOPPED TURNING.' THIS IN TURN SEEMED TO ANGER HIM EVEN MORE. BY THE TIME THE BLADES HAD COME TO A FULL STOP I WAS EQUALLY FURIOUS AND A VERBAL ALTERCATION ENSUED. DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL MINS I COULD NOT IMPRESS UPON MR X HOW OUTRAGEOUS HIS ACTIONS WERE. ANOTHER MAN, LATER IDENTED AS MR Y, ATTEMPTED TO INTERVENE BY SAYING TO ME 'I HAD BETTER WATCH OUT. THESE GUYS HAD A LOT OF MONEY AND COULD MAKE A LOT OF TROUBLE FOR ME.' IN MY OPINION MR Y IS OBVIOUSLY MORE SALESMAN THAN CONSCIENTIOUS PLT, WILLING TO COMPROMISE HIS OWN INTEGRITY IN THE HOPES OF MAKING A SALE, BUT I DIGRESS. I LATER TOOK THIS UNPLEASANT EVENT UP WITH THE ORGANIZERS OF THE EVENT. THEY INFORMED ME THAT MR X WAS PRONE TO THAT TYPE OF BEHAVIOR, APOLOGIZED FOR HIS BRAVADO, AND ADDED THAT HE WAS NOT EVEN A MALIBU OWNER. FINALLY, I AM NOT AN ALARMIST AND I DO NOT LIKE WRITING LETTERS. I WOULD HAVE ENJOYED THE WK EVEN WITH ITS SHORTCOMINGS HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THIS UNPLEASANT PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. IN THE FUTURE, HOWEVER, PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW TO REMAIN IN DESIGNATED AREAS AND SHOULD BE ESCORTED BY RESPONSIBLE AND KNOWLEDGEABLE VOLUNTEERS WHEN ON THE RAMP. CAUSAL FACTORS: LACK OF PROPER PREPARATION BY THE ORGANIZERS. LACK OF SUPERVISION BY ARPT AUTH. LACK OF COMMON SENSE BY SOME INDIVIDUALS. POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS: BETTER PREPARATION AND SUPERVISION BY/FOR EVERYONE INVOLVED. POSTING TEMPORARY OPERATING SUGGESTIONS/RULES FOR VISITING AIRMEN. COURTESY BRIEFINGS FOR VISITORS (NOISE SENSITIVE AREAS AND LCL ANOMALIES, ETC). WARNINGS TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC BEFORE ENTERING SECURE AREAS. NO VIABLE SOLUTION COMES TO MIND FOR EGOMANIACAL TYPES LOOKING FOR ATTN.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.