Tommy Shane Steiner, a mostly retired country singer, has been flying and landing his private helicopter at an Austin shopping center to “ward off” people who he said were breaking into businesses.

  • AbidanYre@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Steiner told KXAN that he likes to commute to work in a helicopter, a sentiment he has shared on Instagram as well.

    “Austin traffic is bad, so I’m doing my part to make it a little better by not being in it. #ecowarrior,” he said in a post of a video of him flying over downtown Austin.

    Ok, so he’s also a moron. In case anyone was wondering.

  • ChicoSuave@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    That dude hasn’t sung in 20+ years. Is it really true to say he’s still a somewhat active singer if he hasn’t been carried by a label or toured in multiple decades?

    He’s a Texan who found a worse way to travel than an oversized pickup truck.

    • FarFarAway@startrek.website
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      1 year ago

      Technically, it said he still occasionally sings at the family restaurant.

      Idk. So I look it up, cause it sounds ridiculous, and it says that Jet fuel produces an average of 21.1 pounds of CO2 per gallon and aviation gas 18.4, while fuel for cars is 19.6 and that (not the greatest source but) helicopters and airplanes use the same type of fuel he might not actually be wrong about saving emissions, considering Austin traffic nowadays…but im no expert, and it’s still a jackass thing to do, not to mention pretty dangerous, no matter how much the police block off the parking lot.

      • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        helicopters use vastly more fuel than cars. and they always will.

        This is one of the reason that “flying cars” never actually catch on- it’s horribly inefficient and most people can’t afford the fuel, never mind all the other associated maintenance costs.

        the amount of fuel being consumed by a helicopter depends greatly on it’s engine- piston engines like the bell 47 and Robinson r22 are 15 and 8, respectively. But turbine engines? the bell 206 jet ranger will use about 30+ (don’t get me started on the military birds- the black hawks are like 180, and go down hill from there.)

        • Bread@sh.itjust.works
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          1 year ago

          I am not defending this dumbass, but how much fuel are you using if you go directly back and forth compared to a car which has to take a variety of different directions to get there? It still is bad regardless as helicopters use avgas, which is leaded.

          • FuglyDuck@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            So, it kind of depends on fight paths and highways, and traffic in general. But if you’re talking about a ten minute flight, at (the low side) of 30 gallons per hour on a turbine helicopter, compared to the high-side of 5 gallons per hour in an suv (10mpg@50 mph), you’d have to be stuck in traffic for more than an hour to justify on fuel.

            if he really was concerned about the enviroment and not just being snarky… public transit is the way to go.

          • Honytawk@lemmy.zip
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            1 year ago

            You basically need the majority of the fuel to counter gravity, which with land vehicles is done by the road.

      • SatansMaggotyCumFart@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        The CO2 per gallon is pretty meaningless compared to fuel economy.

        Apparently helicopters take about four times the fuel for similar trips.