> I always like seeing them coming in to land over the water at the Marine Rescue Centre (helicopters in general, not Chinooks). It's so cool the way the water underneath them gets blasted by the downwash as they go past.
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> We had a really cool training session with the helicopter guys the other week, about winching people up or down between the boat and the helicopter. (Classroom, but we'll be doing it some time later also.) (Being on the boat to bring in or send up the person, I mean, not to actually GET winched up ourselves. DARN!) The helicopter is thirty feet above the water for that, and both the boat and the helicopter are moving quite fast.
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> I don't know why I love watching helicopters take off and land. I don't feel the same way about planes; I like being *in* them on takeoffs and landings but they don't look exciting doing it from the outside.
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> Brunnen-"it's just...the way they...you know...WHOO! THERE IT GOES!!ooh!"G

I live two blocks away from the Alberta Children's Hospital and have been treated to seeing the STARS (Short for Terms About Rescue Services) helicopter take off and land from the helipad a few times. The hospital is very old, so the pad is across the street in the center of the circle of an onramp (I kid you not) and they have controls to turn all the lights red nearby when the chopper lands or takes off. Watching it land or take off when there's a layer of snow on the ground is COOL... Amanda and I saw it one time while we were trying to get to my place. Helicopters RULE. (Although the early evening landing I had once flying in from Medicine hat on a tiny commuter plane was cool too... We crossed the city on our descent path and I saw so many things I recognized from a whole new angle... Also an amazing experience.)

Don