Kobe's Pilot Was Flying Using Special Visual Flight Rules; Other Details About Aircraft Explained More info coming out about the flight: Read it here: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7934407/Helicopter-crashed-killing-Kobe-8-circled-15-minutes-Burbank.html As for the mystery of the color of the aircraft (wreckage shows a blue/white helicopter, but Kobe's was black/gold), reports now say Kobe had the craft "wrapped" (so LA gangsta), and the fire burned off the vinyl to reveal the actual paint on the helicopter. Now let's consider the owner/operator of the aircraft.  Records show the helicopter was owned by Island Holding of Fillmore CA,  The helicopter was based in Van Nuys CA.   This would indicate that Kobe had some sort of lease agreement with Island Holding co.   As the Daily Mail reported today, the aircraft flew from Van Nuys to pick up Kobe and 7 others, the flight taking 8 minutes to get to Orange County from Van Nuys (makes sense).   If this is true, then the aircraft was sitting in Van Nuys prior to the takeoff and Van Nuys is smack dab in Adam Schiff's congressional district.