Flying High
Topic: Musing
When I worked down by the airport along the South Ramp, I was asked to be an "extra" in a promotional video. It was for a helicopter tour company, and they didn't want their helicopter to look empty while they were filming so I got to sit in the back seat and just enjoy the ride.

It was a thrill. We flew over the green lush mountains that separates the airport from the windward side of the island, and I remember feeling like I could reach out and touch the mountain. We weren't really that close, but we weren't too far away either.

The pilot, Mark, explained to me that since we weren't paying passengers he could fly a little closer to things we could crash into, like mountainsides. How nice. We made our way into a gorgeous and green rain forest area and at one point hovered beside a cliff while a second helicopter took their shots of us.

After we were finished doing our bit, we started to head back to the airport when a little static and a voice came over the radio. A radio controlled helicopter was lost in a field nearby and the controller on the ground was calling out for help. We took a little detour over the field and spotted the crash site in some swampy land next to the field with grass that must have been growing at least 5 feet high. We hovered over the downed toy to mark its position then headed back to the airport.

We must of been off the ground for a little over an hour. I still recall the feelings of excitement and wonder. It was my first and last helicopter ride and I was flying high even after I returned to solid land.