Pelagic Research Foundation takes research to the sky with Specialized Helicopters

Shark Boy (the pseudo-scientist) finding even more
new ways to waste money. Why don't you save up and
go back to school.

Does the fact that Van Sommeran has no university degree make him a research "hack?" It seems to me that the best degree is one gained from experience. He has spent more time in contact with sharks that most university researchers. I know a lot of people like to diss this guy but I wonder why?

Dough Bwoy wrote:

Does the fact that Van Sommeran has no university degree make him a research "hack?" It seems to me that the best degree is one gained from experience. He has spent more time in contact with sharks that most university researchers. I know a lot of people like to diss this guy but I wonder why?

Its because they want to take credit for his reasearch.

SCCF wrote:

Shark Boy (the pseudo-scientist) finding even more
new ways to waste money. Why don't you save up and
go back to school.

What's more valuable, Sean's work and passion or 100 students protesting at the library, UCSC students protesting the low wages of florida tomato farm laborers, vandalizing construction equipment, setting on a trust fund or setting in a tree for a year?

"Sponsors get to ride along in the helicopter on excursions to Big Sur, Carmel, Monterey and Santa Cruz. Total cost for each trip depends on the destination but ranges from $200 to $660 and can be split between three passengers."

$200 to $600!!! How come the trauma helicopter costs $5,000 for a ride???

We should help these guys defray costs by also providing the trauma helicopter at say $1,000 a ride!

Sean's been on the water all his life. He knows every friggin rock and current split along the entire coast. When you get those wide eyed Urban Outfitter dressed 'marine biologist' wannabe's to come along, they spend all day puking and switch their projects to counting mussels from the shore.

Sean can fillet my salmon any day.

The academic researchers love to criticize this guy but I think it's mostly because he's not in their academic "club". For example, can you imagine what would happen if there were a degree in surfboard design? They would totally write off someone who has been shaping full time for 25 years but didn't have a degree. Which would you get a board from?

re: medvac helicopters.... note that terrestrial ambulances aren't minivans, either.

The R44 is a great observation helicopter, but no way big enough for a flying ambulance, which is what a medvac is..

The R44 is one of the smallest/smallest and cheapest helicopters out there, and in no way suitable for trauma med-vac. the trauma helicopters include not only a pilot but an EMS technician/nurse and a half ton of medical gear.. they have to use much larger choppers, typically AStar 350's and such which sell for $2 million before they are equipped for life-flights. by comparison, a new R44 is like $375,000. The R44 has a max payload of like 900 lbs (including crew) while the AS350 carries like 2500 lbs.

As mentioned above, a Medevac helicopter is usually a twin-turbine helicopter, the R44 is a single piston helicopter. The R-44 has room for 4 people while a medevac usually has room for 5 or 6.

Essentially Medevacs are bigger, more powerful, and cost more to buy, so they have to charge more, not to mention the aircrew needs their share too.

Ok so the medivac's are $2M and change, the rides are $5K a pop and that's roughly $2.5M a year if 500 rides a year are passed out like candy at halloween. Not a bad investment.
I think a more exciting ride would be to buzz cartel pot farms in Big Basin, now that's a ride i'd pay for. Maybe fish and game will issue tags for growers and you could pull a Sara Pallin and shoot fair game from the air...

Sean is a great person and, besides his shark research, regularly volunteers his time on many worthwhile projects. Give me hands-on experience anytime.

Rocket J Squirrel wrote:

Ok so the medivac's are $2M and change, the rides are $5K a pop and that's roughly $2.5M a year if 500 rides a year are passed out like candy at halloween. Not a bad investment.

the helicopters cost $2M before you outfit them with air-ambulance equipment, and staff them with trained EMT personnel. As I understand it, both crew members on a medvac are pilot and EMT trained, so either can do both jobs.

clue: a regular ambulance ride to Dominican costs a lot more than bus fare, too.

Sean- we all gotta pay our dues dude
and not just on the water-if u want your opin to count

try not being so closed minded

I bet if you went back to school and got a grad degree, you'd be asking deeper questions, in a more profound format, that others scientists and regulatory bodies would listen too

i bet you'd have a lot more fun with cute coeds up on the hill, than a bunch of salty dog fishermen living on a prayer down at the harbor

until then , youre a diesel burning ,glorified tourist/amateur naturalist. Yes- your opin counts as little as joe on the street....sad...as u seem to have devoted your life to the sea....but not in a way that will effect much change

SCCF wrote:

Shark Boy (the pseudo-scientist) finding even more
new ways to waste money. Why don't you save up and
go back to school.

This "pseudo-scientist" has his name on quite a few high-quality research papers published in reputable, peer-reviewed journals.
If you doubt his credentials, go to one of his lectures and question him. His knowledge of sharks is well-known among those who are acquainted with him and his work.

way to go sean...I often wondered why people with the same goal would try to drag you down...the moron on post # 17 answered that question for me. Keep up the good work.

pseudosciencegonowhere wrote:

Sean- we all gotta pay our dues dude
and not just on the water-if u want your opin to count
try not being so closed minded
I bet if you went back to school and got a grad degree, you'd be asking deeper questions, in a more profound format, that others scientists and regulatory bodies would listen too
i bet you'd have a lot more fun with cute coeds up on the hill, than a bunch of salty dog fishermen living on a prayer down at the harbor
until then , youre a diesel burning ,glorified tourist/amateur naturalist. Yes- your opin counts as little as joe on the street....sad...as u seem to have devoted your life to the sea....but not in a way that will effect much change

http://www.pelagic.org/overview/mercurynews_2...

http://www.pelagic.org/topp/topp.html

\m/(>.<)\m/

I believe the air ambulance medical person is a paramedic.

Over the course of my career I have worked with both laypersons and people with higher educational degrees. I've found that most educated folk didn't know which end of a chain saw to pick up.

Experience is an education and education in experience. Didn't Einstein drop out of high school?

@Dan

It's like they say in the military.."Takes a College Major to fly one but a high school drop-out to fix one"

Referring to the differences between Enlisted and Officer Personnel

It would make a lot more sense to use Blimps or Zeppelins permanently anchored over various water ways. You could then do 24 hr assessments of wildlife and wildlife traffic. But then you would have to divert money from ridiculous bailouts and wars to something that is really important.

blimps and zeps don't work in high winds