Up, Up and Away!

October 8, 2008 | Filed Under New Experience | Leave a Comment

Dave takes his first helicopter ride in a Blackhawk.

After being asked Friday morning by the Baltimore Examiner if I was available Saturday evening to take some photos from a Blackhawk helicopter — it didn’t take long to answer “YES.”

Even though I had an already busy weekend schedule — Parkville Soccer Team & Individual Saturday morning, Henry’s birthday Saturday afternoon and the Ravens game on Sunday — squeezing in a 1-hour flight from 6p-7p seemed easy-peezy.

After shooting 14 soccer teams, I got home around 2:30 and was pretty beat. Did I make a mistake squeezing in this assignment?

Henry’s party was getting underway and after wolfing down some pizza, and chicken wings, I felt a bit better.

I arrived at the airfield in Edgewood at about 5:15p and signed my life away in case of a crash. Then was issued earplugs and a headset. I was then able to sit in on the preflight meeting with the three pilots, copilots and navigators. The mission was to fly over Fort McHenry at exactly 6:30p for the Michael Phelps Celebration.

They flew doors open so I would have the best opportunity for photos, and I had my own private seat in the back of the helicopter. Whoever, no one came by and asked me for my choice of dinner — or even got me a drink. Heck, I didn’t even get a bag of peanuts. I guess accommodations on this flight were different than I was used too.

The helicopter ride was one awesome experience.