This R-44 routine happens terrifyingly close to bystanders. If a mistake were made it would get very messy, very quickly. You gotta hand it to the camera guy in the foreground, it would not be fun to stand there while that tail rotor keeps swinging your direction!
When I saw the video above, I remembered seeing this guy perform in a grainy video from a few years ago. It was in Brazil I believe, but it was at a much larger arena and it was not nearly as violent, although his rotors almost touched the audience at one point. I ended up finding that exact video:
Note to self, if going to a rodeo in Brazil and "helicóptero" shows up anywhere on the program, don't go.
Tyler Rogoway is a defense journalist and photographer that maintains the website Foxtrot Alpha for Jalopnik.com You can reach Tyler with story ideas or direct comments regarding this or any other defense topic via the email address Tyler@Jalopnik.com