Hellichopters and Boundaries

[Shinra]

I was just re-watching season 4 and I noticed a few things in the finale.

The chopper's tank is shot by a bullet, and is leaking fuel. Yet they don't notice it until they're in the air. However, they don't take flight until well after the fight, when kate and sayid return form their little run with ben.
This hole makes them leak fuel and they barely make it to the boat from the landing site.

They then patch up the hole, and set off again. This time they run out of fuel before they even reach the beach. How exactly is it that the unpatched hole got them from the landing site to the boat, yet the patched hole can't get them from the boat to the island?

Furthermore, in the OLP the producers were asked how Jin was able to stay in the realm of the island, and they said that he was in the boundary. Yet the chopper was headed from the boat to the island, so wouldn't it be closer? yet it was able to escape when the island moved. Weird. Just thought I'd share my thoughts and see if anyone had heard anything about why the chopper escaped.

[spinaltumor]

Maybe the chopper was just outside of the Island bubble because it was above it. Or outside of a concave curvature.

[jacksloststepkid]

From what I remember: The copter barely had time to have enough fuel added to it on the boat because of the explosives they had to take off very quickly. . Presumably almost enough to make it to the island, but it disappears, and while they are trying figure out what to do the copter runs out of fuel.

[dharmashark]

Lighten up Shinra

The fuel thing is explainable but they kinda fudged the thing about Jin surviving.. Only explanation out there is what spinaltumor said about it being above the water. Weak, but oh well.