Monday, July 31, 2017

They actually land sometimes!!

 The phrase that came to mind last night and early this morning was "the drone of helicopters," but that phrase nowadays will lead to misunderstanding.  These helicopters have real human pilots inside.  Their flights are constant.  I wondered if they ever land.  Reminded me of certain insects that never seem to land, especially when I'm trying to photograph them.  Then there's the albatross, a bird that many people throughout history perpetuated the belief that they never land.  Exciting to contemplate, but I've seen albatrosses on the ground in the Galapagos Islands.  They have to lay their eggs near the edges of cliffs because they cannot take off from flat ground from a run.  Their first flight begins when they and/or their moms believe they are ready; the first flight begins when they jump off the cliff.  The sport of hang gliding must be something like that.  Not for me.
These pasta few days I've taken lots of photos of the helicopters in flight, but this morning I saw one on the ground at the airport, so they do land.  I drove closer for some photos.  Very impressive.  They're huge.  My son Googled this model and found that they can carry 10 tons!  Click on either photo for a closer view and to see them in relation to the size of humans on top and nearby.  A fuel and maintenance stop, and maybe a few moments for the pilot to rest, eat, drink, whatever.
AS far as I'm concerned, this is heroic work, and a brief chat with one of the guys confirmed my positive opinion of them and their work.  I'm grateful that our home seems relatively safe for now.
But I'm still opposed to this so-called heliport that's been approved over in Genessee Valley.

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