Helicopter Ride

I don't know what model of chopper this is but it had room for two passengers, the pilot and the gurney (stretcher) which extended into the front compartment. We were waiting for quite some time for them to come back from a mission. We were just about ready to go home when I saw the helicopter coming over the horizon low to the ground. We watched it land from inside our van. We were just totally pumped up that we would get to ride!	Father and son getting into the contraption.	The pilot insisted that one of his crew be with us and I wanted to be with Jonathan just in case he got scared. So I volunteered to ride on the gurney. It was a bit tricky climbing in but I managed. Those are my feet in the photo!
I don't think he was scared at all. Just totally pumped up to ride.	This is the flight nurse. He was really great and sat next to Jonathan during the flight. Right before we took off he gave me some instructions about emergency procedure just in case we made a hard landing. "Wait for us before you try to get out", he said. "And if we can't help you, wait for the rotors to stop before you get out." Oh that's just what I wanted to hear as the engine started.	Helmet on, ready to go!
Our pilot was very disciplined. He did not allow me to talk directly during the flight but only by making a request to the nurse who would then turn on the comm. But once we were up, he explained the controls to me with examples. The collective (which controls the thrust) was very noticeable and the cyclic also could change the attitude of the helicopter quite drastically. These things are so much more maneuverable than anything I have ever been in. Just incredible really.	I only took this one photo as we were lifting off. It was near dusk and I really couldn't get a good shot up in the air. I also didn't want to use the flash as that might distract the pilot. I was just a little spooked on take off. There is so much glass and you can see so much from a helicopter. You really do almost feel like you are flying in the air. It was quite a thrill.

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