Ever been in a helicopter? I once took a $25 helicopter ride at the

[applegrove]

Central National Exhibition in Toronto. We flew right around the CN tower. It was not scary because though I am scarred of heights I am not it seems when in an aircraft. Funny that I would never actually go up the CN Tower because of my fear of heights. I wonder why that is?

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

1. I know a couple retired airline pilots who don't like heights.

I assume it's two separate mental issues we're dealing with- I'm the same way. Hate tall buildings yet love to fly.

:shrug:

[applegrove]

2. Yeah. Strange how the brain works. I think I got my fear of heights

from a summer job I had on top of a mountain. There was a lookout right above the teahouse where I worked. It probably would have taken 1 hour to get to the lookout. I lived there for 10 weeks one summer and never went up the Big Beehive. I so knew it was not for me.

[MiddleFingerMom]

3. I spent a LOT of hours in helicopters in the Army -- providing medic coverage for...

.
.
.
... Air Cav Troop, 2nd Armored Cavalry in Germany.
.
.
I can not read in a car or a plane without getting sick eventually, but
I can read in a train and a helicopter -- part of the reason for the
latter was that we'd fly with the doors open... sometimes dangling our
legs over the edge. Many of the pilots -- and DEFINITELY the more fun
ones -- were Vietnam vets who knew that flying by the book on a regular
basis would rob them of the treetop-clipping skills needed in the real
world.
.
We clipped a LOTTA branches.
.
One of the most beautiful things I have seen in my life was when they
directed us (troops on the ground) to an ENORMOUS clearing and brought
in 45 helicopters in 3 columns for a night extraction. The flashing lights
and spinning rotors made for a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me.
It was vfsually stunning.
.
I would be concerned about taking a helicopter ride for $25. I remember
my last opportunity (which I respectfully declined, tyvm) was a helicopter
owned and maintained by an all-you-can-eat crabhouse on the shore in
Ocean City, Maryland. The crab house was fantastic, but you couldn't get
me up in that bird for all the crabs in the ocean.
.
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.
.
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Well... maybe -- those crabs were fucking YUMMY!!!!!
.
.
Hooper's -- an ENORMOUS barn-like joint -- now it's 27.99 for their
all-you-can-eat feast -- and these aren't king or snow crabs -- they're
Maryland blue crabs... VERY sweet.
.
.
The first time we went there, we were seated at the bar as there were
no tables ready. We were all ordering super-fruity frozen margaritas
and daiquiris with umbrellas and the bartender kept screwing up all of
our orders. Apologies and the round was on the house. He screwed up
FOUR rounds. Complimentary rounds at that point. We wanted to adopt
him and take him home so he could be our bartender FOREVER.
.
.
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The helicopter rides appear to be no more.
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[applegrove]

4. We had vietnam era helicopter pilots at the teahouse in Lake Louise when I worked there. Those

pilots would land perpedicular on a little foot bridge just before the waterfalls. They were incredible. I never flew then though. But the skills those guys have is something to behold.

[MiddleFingerMom]

7. I did a lot of drinking with these guys -- they were ANIMALS.

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.
.
I got myself assigned to provide medical coverage for the airfield and
these guys LOVED me. I, um... appropriated a big tank of oxygen
and would give them plenty of hangover-alleviating hits of it on rough
mornings.
.
We'd drink 'til 2... 3... 4... 5 in the morning needing to be up and
ready on the flight line at 6 AM. We were either incredibly brave
or incredibly stupid.
.
We were unanimous in our votes for the latter.
.
"TO STUPIDITY!!!!" (clink-splash-gulp)
.
.
.

[applegrove]

8. I've heard of people on the front lines doing that. Smoking too. Anything to make the pain of the

reality of war go away for a bit. Were you in the first Iraq War?

[MiddleFingerMom]

9. Bless you, child.

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.
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No, Vietnam was still in progress, but these experiences weren't war-zone so
much -- we were responsible for patrolling the East German border LONG before
The Wall fell.
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.

[era veteran]

10. I drank beer and smoked hash in a Huey at Hohenfels, ('73)

with a drinking buddy from the Rock. Fun, but not as much fun as tank night fire on Sandoz acid. No where else but the Army can you do shit like that.
Would have loved to have been in Berlin when the wall came down.

[IBEWVET]

17. Did the same in 70

Also was part of a tank target at Graf. I would place a 1/4 stick of tnt in front of the target tank and hunker down in a ww2 german bunker and listen on the radio for the order to set it off. The dust plume simulated the tank firing, and the tank going through the range would return fire, smoked some good hash there.

[MiddleFingerMom]

30. My first night ALONE as a medic was at the tank range at Graf...

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.
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... and about 2-3 AM there's a pounding on the back door of my ambulance (where
I was sleeping) and someone yelling that someone on the range had gotten hit in
the chest with a .50-cal machine gun.
.
I tore off towards the range, ready to face and deal with ANYTHING with confidence
and balls the size of twin Jupiters while at the same time being scared shitless of
what I might be about to have to deal with and wishing I were back home in The World
with my MiddleFingerMomMama tucking me in and getting ready to read me a story.
.
The GOOD news? I charged towards the nightmarish situation. That was my entire
raison d'etre at the time.
.
The BETTER news? The injured man had been hit by the RECOIL of some weapon --
not an enormous and deadly bullet. Instead of a gaping hole in his chest... I had
to deal with a cracked rib.
.
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.
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I've led a charmed life.
.
.
.
Also in Graf when I saw my first new-fangled microwave oven at a snack bar. We had
READ about these things. Wasn't carrying much cash, but had enough to purchase a
hard-boiled egg to warm up.
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An UNSHELLED hard-boiled egg.
.
.
.
After it FUCKING EXPLODED all over the inside of the microwave, witnesses reported
a young medic casually leaving the scene of the crime whilst whistling and looking
all about himself at absolutely nothing.
.
.
.

[era veteran]

31. I went to Graf 7 times in 39 months.

Camps Algiers& Tangiers, Pineview NCO/EM Club, Range 42, names from the past that come back.
Rode on one Chinook when my Tank Co, 3 3 33 Armor went on adventure training floating down the Rhine River for 10 days on rubber rafts. Summer of '73, took a new tape of a band had never heard and we had Steely Dan jamming on the Rhine. I did make the mistake of swimming in that sewer.
We waited to board the bird across the street from the airfield at the Rod & Gun Club. About all my stories of these days include the phrase " We were drinking beer "
Chinooks are as loud as a tank inside.

[HipChick]

5. I don't like heights...but I'm a Frequent Flier..

Planes don't bother me...

I had a room at at a hotel this week - found myself on 34th floor - legs turned to jelly - glass elevator..had to call the front desk to have some one escort me down...

[applegrove]

6. I'm not that bad. I used to just feel like I may fall and then have a fantasy where I

think oh why not just jump to get rid of the anxiety allready. Then I got harrassed and had real anxiety attacks for years. I still don't like heights but the anxiety I feel does not register.

[MrScorpio]

11. I've been up the CN Tower, but never in a chopper

So, we're opposites

[applegrove]

12. They now have tethers all around the roof of the CN tower so you can walk

around outside.....:scared: Count me doubly out!!

[murielm99]

13. I was taken to a hospital in a helicopter.

I sat up and looked around during the ride. I figured that if I was sick enough to need a medevac, I might not get to look around at interesting things for much longer. Maybe that would be my last chance.

Helicopters bob and sway while they are in flight. It is nice.

Obviously, I am still here, looking around at interesting things as often as possible.

[alphafemale]

14. Taking one next month as part of a Grand Canyon trip.

Getting a ride from the main park of the park to the Havasu Falls area. It's only a few miles away by air but over 200 by road.

Seemed worth it. Plus I'd imagine it will be a gorgeous journey.

[av8rdave]

22. You'll love it. I took one out of the canyon years ago, after rafting it for a week

It was a breathtaking ride. The helicopter ride was cool too.

[eyepaddle]

15. I took quite a few helicopter rides out to the oil rigs back when I was a

wellsite geologist (AKA mudlogger). And I got a couple of rides out to a field camp during my season in Antarctica.

[LibertyLover]

16. I rode one in Nepal in 1976 - July 27th to be exact

We flew up the Langtang Valley to see the Langtang glacier. And as a bonus I got to see Mt. Everest in the distance as well. While we were up, China had a huge earthquake in Tangshan. We heard about after the flight. The interesting thing was that the Nepalese Buddhist monks had been conducting a major ritual in the city of Pokhara to avert earthquakes. The day before we had gone to the city square to see the ritual sand mandala that had been created for the purpose. I guess it worked.

[oneshooter]

18. Damn things tried to kill me 3 times

Don't plan to give them another chance!


Helicopter= 10,000 parts flying in close formation. Lose one part and it becomes a rock!

[era veteran]

32. Pilot told me the name of the nut that holds the rotor on.

" Jesus Nut " if that comes off all you can do is say, 'Oh Jesus'.

[av8rdave]

19. When you're in an aircraft, there are no lines of perspective between you and the earth

Totally different on a tall ladder or structure.

I've been on helicopters a few times. It was OK, but not enough so that I want to take a rotary wing course.

[applegrove]

23. That makes so much sense. It certainly is my "ties to the earth" that go all wobbly

when I was at great heights in buildings.

[av8rdave]

20. Dupe...sorry

[sakabatou]

21. No

[RebelOne]

24. Nope, never been in a helicopter,

but I have jumped from a plane 6 times and have para-sailed over Acapulco Bay. I never had a fear of heights. But when you are sitting on edge of the plane before you jump, all of a sudden you have that fear.

[applegrove]

25. I'm not worthy!!

[whistler162]

26. Years ago at the GREAT New York State Fair Fair Fair;)

I hate open heights but I had no problems in the clear plastic cockpit of the helicopter.

I did the Seattle Needle on a rainy and windy day, a rarity in Seattle I understand;), now that made me nervous. The CN tower wasn't bad, had dinner up there one year. Going up it was a tad nerve racking but I made it.

[RushIsRot]

27. I have had three or four helicopter rides while being transported to the

hospital after a heart attack. The world looks quite different from that height when one is flat on his back.

[PufPuf23]

28. I have been in a helicopter 150 plus times.

Most were to get to job sites in SE Alaska. In the lower 48, I was looking at large tracts of timberland for appraisal, harvest planning, or insect/disease assessment. Some were as a firefighter when I was in teens and early 20s. Some were in large logging helicopters (Chinook or Sikorsky S-64) logging my own land or that of clients.

[BiggJawn]

29. Twice.

A Huey "Slick" and a Bell 47-G.
Didn't really care for either. They shake like they're going to come apart.