A blockbuster post today.

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(Edited)

Seven photos and two short videos to show you the fun.
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We were invited by a friend to meet for lunch at our local airfield today, as they have tasty food at the restaurant there. But a sad thing happened as the friend's brother in law died and he had to fly up north to another city to attend the funeral.
Seeing as a table at the airfield was booked, Marian and I decided to visit on our own and my camera was very excited.

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It was to be my lucky day, as the crews were boarding the front two choppers.
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Video 1. The start-up.

Now look at my battle with the wind in the video as not only did we have a strong natural wind, but the blades of the helicopters also whipped up their own winds. Remember that I shoot free hand, as I am not fond of tripods or other paraphernalia.

Video 2. The take off.

This video was more stable as the chopper lifted in it's take off.

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So it was almost as if, by the appointment of other forces that we had to go to the airfield to witness the scenes above.
For lunch Marian had a Pizza and I almost choked on my hamburger when I saw the crews coming out to board the choppers.
So a quick hop-along with my camera in tow I ran to the closest spot that I could find. It is such a thrill to be close to choppers and to hear their motors firing up.

Then it's first the tail blades that slowly start to spin and then the big overhead rotor blades start to do their thing. Gradually a whining scream starts followed by that familiar chop-chop-chop sound.
It felt like I was inside that chopper waiting for the signal to take off.
We can't always get what we want, and I have said before that it was always my dream to become a pilot.
Although I passed the pilot fitness test in the army, it was my eyesight that failed as I can only see primary colors.

I love heights and worked at great heights in my lifetime, but it was never the same as flying like a bird up there.
We simply have to accept the cards that we are dealt by life and try to make the best of things.

And That's All Friends.

Photos and videos by Zac Smith-All Right Reserved.

Camera: Canon Powershot SX60HS Bridge camera.

Thank you kindly for supporting a post on behalf of @papilloncharity

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82 comments
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I am sorry for your friend's loss. I am also glad you went ahead and enjoyed your time at the airport. Did they look like military uniforms on the men?

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Thank you Lady Denise, I know him since he was 8 years old and he died at the age of 55. Both his father and his grandfather also died in their 50s.
The strange thing is that my mom died in her 50s in a car accident in 1981 and the following year my estranged father also died in his 50s.

So I suppose being a bit over 50 our presence is not required in heaven yet !LOLZ

Just listened to the song thanks and time indeed slips into the future.

!PIZZA

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Oh yes, Zac, I can imagine you have had big fun there watching the helicopters. It is always very fascinating seeing them flying. It's much harder to fly a helicopter than to fly a airplane, I have heard.

Cool photos and videos of the helicopters 👏 and I am happy that you have had a great day.

I'm sorry for the loss of your friend.

Cheers with !PIZZA and !BEER or !WINE
!invest_vote

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Oh yes helicopter piloting is certainly a different kettle of fish when it comes when it comes to flying my friend. Those pilots are highly skilled and to watch them dodging the high flames of a forest fire is simply mind blowing.
One of the fire fighting helicopters were also there.
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So, after flying 5000 fire fighting sorties in one of these yellow ships, a pilot knows the chopper inside out.

Cheers and thanks.

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Yep, I have watched them before and we also have police rescue and other helicopters which sometimes land where I work.

!PIZZA and !BEER - sounds like a nice dinner :)
!invest_vote

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I don't know what happened to my reply? So I will try again.

So as a senior officer nothing prevents you from taking videos of them landing and taking off.
Unless they lock you up as a spy 🤣

Cheers and thanks.

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Good afternoon Zac,

true, I could take photos, but you know I don't like to shoot people or man made things.

And if they would lock me up I would smile because as a facility manager I have all the keys and the highest security level card 🤣 !LOLZ

Cheers with !PIZZA and !BEER
!invest_vote

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Good evening Hannes,

Sorry that I am late, but we are struggling with the power cuts again. I only finished my second post now.

Yes I know that your focus is always nature, but every now and then I like to post something different.

Ah in that case they would rather welcome your photos and promote you to their chief photographer. Your task will be to write nice stories about them 🤣 !LOLZ

Cheers and thanks.

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Good evening Zac,

never mind, I didn't have any time today anyway.

It depends on the situation that might make me wanna take a photo of man made things.

Nice stories? I wouldn't know what to write 🤣 !LOLZ

Cheers with !PIZZA and !BEER
!invest_vote

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Good evening Hannes,

So many funny situations arrive to tempt me here, but yeah I also try to avoid photos of people, unless it is interesting.

Love stories methinks 🤣 !LOLZ

Cheers and thanks.

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Good evening Zac,

I don't even like to go into town and do it only if I have to 😁

Love stories from police stations? Well, I have met my wife at work 😂 !LOLZ

!PIZZA and !BEER - sounds like a nice dinner :)
!invest_vote

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(Edited)

Hi again Hannes,

When we are in winter I wait in the car for Marian to do the shopping. In summer it get's too hot in the car, so Marian gets me the days newspaper and I sit on the patio of a coffee house to wait for her.
They have those nice big umbrellas and I enjoy the shopping as Marian stays away for a long time and I get time to read the whole newspaper 🤣 !LOLZ

So there you go, tell us in a novel the true love story of how you met your wife. Include details about your thumping heart when you saw her beauty and how much you had to pay your father in law to get her 🤣🤣🤣

Cheers and thanks.

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It's much better to read the newspaper than to follow my wife shopping, even if the news are bad 🤣

Short answer: I have paid 2 camels and one bee hive 😂 !LOLZ

!PIZZA and !BEER - sounds like a nice dinner :)
!invest_vote

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Hahaha, totally agreed and often I watch the people that walk past. I play a game by trying to think wat every person is thinking about as they walk past.
Sometimes it is so hilarious that I sit there giggling 🤣 !LOLZ

Sheez, you are a cheapskate as most probably it was two old and sickly camels and the bee hive was African killer bees 🤣🤣🤣

Cheers and thanks.

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Sometimes I also like to watch other people, how they walk and how they look.

Please don't tell her that she was so cheap, because she thinks I had to pay much more, but he was happy that at least someone has taken her 🤣🤣🤣 !LOLZ

!PIZZA and !BEER - sounds like a nice dinner :)
!invest_vote

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Oh yes, it is fun to while away the time and I also like to think what they do, one is a carpenter, another one is a banker, one is a hobo and another one looks like a thief 😉

Shame on you Hannes, so you convinced her that you paid a fortune for her and maybe it works the other way around, as she couldn't find a man and her parents were desperate for grand children, even if they are little mountain goats 🤣🤣🤣 !LOLZ

Cheers and thanks.

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I have never thought of the jobs they do, just watched their look and behaviour.

Yep, and they have got two little mountain goats 🤣 !LOLZ

!PIZZA and !BEER - sounds like a nice dinner :)
!invest_vote

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A guy came past talking loudly to himself and I thought shame that the guy needs to see a psychiatrist.
Then Marian returned and she said that she could also hear the guy talking to a hands free phone 🤣 !LOLZ

So the parents got the good side of the buy as two little mountain goats are always better than two old and sick camels 🤣
Plus they found a husband for their daughter. A bargain indeed 🤣🤣🤣

Cheers and thanks.

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Haha, I didn't see that coming, because I don't use such things and if I phone in public I try to lower my voice 🤣 !LOLZ

If you see it that way you are completely right, my friend, and I am sure one day I will get a few more young and healthy camels for the two little mountain goats 😎

!PIZZA and !BEER - sounds like a nice dinner :)
!invest_vote

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Hahaha, over here they call it "hands free" kits, so you can have your phone in your pocket and speak into a tiny microphone pinned to the inside of your shirt. Some people here put their phones on speaker so everyone can hear their conservations 🤣!LOLZ

In time you might have more little mountain goats and you can get more healthy camels so then you can become a Sheik 🤣

Cheers and thanks.

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I know these with earphones and the microphone in the cable and there must be similar as yours too, but as I amnot interested in such I don't know them 😀

I would probably be the first sheikh who sells goats for camels 🤣 !LOLZ

!PIZZA and !BEER - sounds like a nice dinner :)
!invest_vote

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Oh? I thought that you also had a microphone in your helmet like some of the Harley cruisers over here. They drive slowly and it looks like they are either singing old rock songs, or they are talking to themselves 🤣

Guaranteed that you would become a living legend and you can slowly build a harem like that 🤣 !LOLZ

Cheers and thanks.

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Oh yes, you are right, but because I have a full face helmet you don't see it and also not me talking, but I use it only if I get a call or for navigation because the sound isn't that good.

A harem of camels? 🤣 !LOLZ

Cheers with !PIZZA and !BEER
!invest_vote

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I used to hate those full faced helmets and it was bad after so many years to wear a helmet of any kind.
They said that it was meant to protect us against accidents, but then why are there still so many deaths on motorcycles?

Hahaha, I am glad that you understood that chirp as I was trying to get you to reveal your real thoughts when it comes to harems.
But you avoided it very humorously 🤣 !LOLZ

Cheers and thanks.

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Have you ever seen the injuries when someone dived into the asphalt with an unprotected face? I have and I would never ride with my helmet open.

The many deaths are because the people ride stupid and the car drivers don't see and don't care.

No camel harem 🤣 !LOLZ

Cheers with !PIZZA and !BEER
!invest_vote

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I have seen much worse Hannes. Remember that I was in the ward of death (Orthopedic ward) for a long time after my bike accident. The strange thing was that the most severe case was a youngster that died and he wasn't even on a bike. He was a passenger in a car.

You are so right and many motorists over here also don't care about bikers.

Rather a mountain goat farm 🤣 !LOLZ

Cheers and thanks.

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Oh yes, I forgot that - of course you have seen enough such injuries there.

Haha, a farm full of mountain goats, but it has to be on a mountain where they can climb all day long 😂 !LOLZ

!PIZZA and !BEER sounds delicious 😋
!invest_vote

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Oh yes there are many mountains there and you and your grand kids can try to fill them all with little mountain goats. Grandpa will look after all 🤣 !LOLZ

Cheers and thanks.

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(Edited)

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That sounds like a really great day! I always wanted to learn to fly too. I love being in small aircraft with a competent pilot. It's been a very long time since I was though. And it doesn't surprise me that you're not fond of "paraphernalia."

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Thank you and yes flying with a skilled pilot is always an adventure.
This is my favorite photo of a chemical fire bombing plane.
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I took the photo at a fire in the mountains in 2019 and the pilot dropped his fire retardant right at the root of the high flames. Imagine being in a run like this.
Hope that you will get a chance to fly again.

!PIZZA

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I can see why it's your favorite! That must have been quite a rush!

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Oh yes and it was great to watch them at work.
There was a spotter plane up very high that directed the operations via radio.
7 helicopters with large bags full of water were running up and down dumping the water on the flames.
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!PIZZA

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Woah! What a wonderful experience! Reminds me of an air show I was privileged to be taken to years ago. Really something else. And quite a different type of bird to the usual ones you photograph @papilloncharity

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Thank you and speaking of air-shows, the Falcons will be in action in an air show here at the following dates 25 and 26 March.
Hahaha, I love all flying things my friend !LOLZ

!PIZZA

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My condolences to your friends on their loss.
Those choppers take me back to the days I worked on the oilfields and that is how we got around!
Much better seen from the ground than to be in them in the buffeting winds lol

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Thank you.
Oh yes and the choppers also bring back the memories of my days in the army a long time ago.
You sound like you enjoyed your work in the oilfields?
The old Dakota planes also didn't like the buffeting winds and it could instantly bring your stomach up to your ears with its sudden drops during flight !LOLZ

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The oilfields in the UK, no far too cold in winter, the ones in Africa yes as it was warm lol
yeah been on enough old and small planes to know the stomach-churning of sudden drops!
Good times as we get to reminisce though:)

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Wow, you have certainly been around and I have also been around, but only on the African continent.
I hope to travel some day, but age is lately catching up to me and I don't know if I ever will actually get to travel.
But as they say, miracles happen every day.

!BEER

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