Non Sequitur by Wiley Miller for May 22, 2012

He went to school for a higher paying job.

Stephan just became the story being covered.

Ooh, ooh — I know, I know. Stephan decided to give up his day job as a helicopter pilot to become a traffic reporter.

The others will soon discover the folly of his ways.

On-the-scene reporting.

If you’re going to use your headphones as a harness, make sure they connect through your ears.

Too much in-depth coverage…

Film at eleven….

Never try to interview anyone from 2000ft in the air. When you step out to do it, it is even worse.

The first step in any job is always the hardest.

Ha! Ha! I can’t believe he fell for it!

he appears to have pulled the wrong cord

He misunderstood. It was supposed to be an on the spot interview, not hit the spot…

It’s a grave situation.

A bad toss to Amy the weather girl?

I think they just use the webcams mounted on traffic lights anymore. No helicopters.

Most people like spring, but he is really into fall.

Everything!!!

It’s corny joke day here at ol’ NS and the winner is….

“As God is my witness, I believed reporters can fly!!”

Got into an overloaded helicopter

He wanted a closer look at traffic and the pilot didn’t.

Watch out for that first step! It’s a lulu! Wyle E.? Is that you?

Getting in that flying bubble to begin with.

Didn’t keep his professional distance…

Wyile C. here. Did you know helicopters can’t fly? They’re just so ugly, the earth repels them.Did you know that roadrunners can fly?

seat belt????

I blame the teacher.

Last words heard were, “If I can just step out here for a littel better looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooook.”

Stephan’s fear of heights was promptly justified… His mistake was to step out for a cigarette.

Pastis? Stephan?Oh, Mr. Rat…

didn’t excuse himself before he went to take a pee….

" We have a new major accident on the I-5…"

Maybe it’s a British helicopter ;-)

He tried to get to the scene of the accident before the ambulance?

That looks like a Bell 47 but has too many places. However, helicopters have required seat belt and/or harnesses for all crew and passengers. looks like he did not like being strapped in. a Terminal error.

He forgot to flap his arms? He’s missed his landing in the swimming pool down there? I’m sorry, teach, I just don’t understand the question…

I would like to ask a serious question that has nothing to do with today’s strip: I don’t really know the rules here, so I’m not sure what happens if you “Flag” someone. What does it mean, and what happens? Anyone wish to explain it, or just direct me to the explanation? Thanks.

Professor O’Leary told him to;Turn on, Tune in and Drop OutHe did . . . ☻

Has anyone informed @Guard SGT ? I am amazed, reading his bigoted and hate mongering, vitriolic rants on Doonesbury and other politically themed strips, that he hasn’t been flagged ( or maybe it should be flogged ) many times over. We are a little more tolerant on those sites of free speech.

@Gokie5 also: Thank you. Some commenters seem particularly angry and abusive; and one dropped the “F-bomb” over at Calvin and Hobbes today. Wasn’t sure if I should do something. Is a polite warning to that poster a kindness, or just Flag them?

Some people fail to understand the gravity of traffic congestion.

On the ‘toon: Reminds me of days as a helicopter crew chief. It wasn’t always easy to get folks to actually FASTEN their belts. OOPS! Of course on a Chinook one time, had to crawl outside to remove a sandbag from an engine inlet. My “buddy” had forgotten to hook my “monkey strap” into the floor, I didn’t fall, fortunately, but we DID have an interesting “discussion”.

Les would have been doing the agriculture report, so just getting closer to the crop.

Never try for a closer look?

Well, he definitely made the top story of this evenings news.

I’m retired AF and all helicopters that I’ve known, civilian and military, have the pilot in the right seat. I never did find out why.

he leaned too far too the left.

He went to the scene of the accident. He’ll beat the paramedics and the ambulance by fifteen minutes!

Mightaswellbe: Aircraft commander in helicopters is right seat, crew chief behind him in a Huey. That’s also the side that the mirror is on for watching sling loads. In the event of a “hard landing” or crash, rolling the rig right, onto the pilot side is also “SOP”, heard that (protect the other guys) as part of the reason at one time, but as things kinda’ “come apart”, never saw a functional preference. In one case, we ended up with the mast between the pilot and copilot, which WAS interesting!

After ‘Nam, I liked to fly fixed wing from the left seat (I wasn’t the “official pilot”) only because I was pretty deaf in the left ear(things that went “boom”!"), and could only understand the radio on speaker with my right. Headphones cancelled that out.

It IS a teachable moment.

“Shot down” six times, but don’t panic, as your dustoff friend can attest, it’s not “pleasant” but doesn’t end (often) as in the movies, like the fuel bladders do a pretty good job of NOT having the classic, in the movies, fireball.

BTW, give a “welcome home” to “dustoff”. I volunteered to go to a CO dust off unit, but things changed, “violence-wise”.

Repeat (or darned close) from 6-18-98? Looks like it to me.

He wanted to get just a liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittle too close to the story…

Aiming for on the spot coverage, he becomes the spot….

Well, for starters, this is a rerun – which means this is the second time that Stephan has made this error…

I know! I know! He forgot his parachute!

He got too involved with his work. He forgot critical data.