Shake, Rattle, and Roll

Okay, no roll…

Friday, 25 March

A dream has come true; I flew the Huey. I sat in the left seat, and I actually got to get an idea of what it feels like to fly a helicopter. And wow, was it different!

We were flying to the east of the Steenbras dam in order to drop water on a few spots that might flare up and burn the rest of the mountain (fires have been burning in that area for days). After we left Stellenbosch, I was given permission to follow on the controls.

So I wrapped my right hand loosely around the cyclic, and I rested my toes on the (anti-torque) pedals. Uhm, what am I supposed to be following? Sure we’re going straight and level, but the controls are hardly moving.

I know that flying helicopters is all about small movements. But I didn’t realise just how small they had to be. When he gave (almost) full control to me, I soon learnt that my small movements weren’t small enough. And every now and then I could see him still the cyclic out the corner of my eye.

I slowly figured out how to correct any mistakes I made, and I managed to keep us level… for about 10 seconds. When we crossed the mountains I was expecting the wind to have some sort of effect on the helicopter, but it was as if the air was as smooth as glass.

It was at this point that the pilot took control once again so that I could take photos. I got my first look at the fire-damage, and it made my jaw drop. The ground is black and grey, the rocks blackened, and it looks like a wasteland.





We landed near where he would be working, and the Bambi Bucket and I were thrown out (not literally, of course). I took photos from the ground while he worked, and I got to see a helicopter picking up water for the first time.


After about an hour of bombing (+-19 000l was dropped), the chopper pilot, Spotter pilot, and guys on the ground decided that the fire shouldn’t flare up, and if it did, it wouldn’t burn for long because there was nowhere for it to go (it was surrounded by rocks).



After thanking the guys that helped from the ground (gave advice as to where to drop the water), the bucket was put back in the Huey and we jumped in. After waving good-bye to the guys on the ground, we routed along the coast where I got some fantastic photos.

After we passed overhead Gordon’s Bay, I was given partial control once again (my left had stayed far away from the collective), and this time I managed to keep us level for most of the flight back to Stellenbosch.



I followed lightly on the controls during joining and landing. There was very little cyclic movement once again. I’m going to have to practice keeping my hands very steady.

So now that I’ve actually had the opportunity to fly a helicopter, I’m starting to see what they’re all about. In a way, it feels a bit like I’m experiencing all of these wonderful things now, so when I experience them when I’m older and wiser, it won’t be as awesome. But I’m still extremely grateful that I’ve been able to experience these things.

Maybe I’ll leave the skydiving and shark cage diving for when I’m in my 20ies.

;)

Saturday, 26 March

My way of giving back and showing that I’m thankful for what people have done for me, is by volunteering to fly ‘youngsters’ around. Today the Young Falcons were getting flips, and I was one of the volunteer pilots. While I didn’t fly a massive amount of people around, I did give two young ladies the opportunity to experience the wonders of flight. Judging by the smiles on their faces when we landed, I think they enjoyed it.