A-ArtDesign - LETY VRTULNÍKEM V USA

PHILADELPHIA - helicopter flights

Blue sky, sun, sometimes fluffy clouds and three helicopters all the same on wooden platforms. Today we will fly in the helicopter on the left. I take pictures and document the pre-flight training, the pilots duty is to carefully check the machine and record it‘s status. Pilot Jiří is controlling everything from the propeller to the rudder and the quality of petrol in the tank. The last repeat instructions before the flight and finally we get the command to fly. Adrenalin pumped he pulled my stomach and shook my knees. In the heat of the preparations for the flight I forgot about my fear of heights and flying.

Click on photo to enlarge view:



The propeller over me creates a wind, I am almost squatting as i climb into my seat, turn to my right for the belt, because the door has been removed for a better view and for better use of the camera, I put on the headset, and must not touch the lever to my left (which is the pilots controls!), I now have a short time to set the camera, check whether the polarizing filter is tight... 

And we are flying...

Fortunately for me we are in the air before I even realise that we have left the ground ... great headphones absorb the engine noise, the pilot confirmed only communication with the control tower, which they hear. When I finally dare to look out we are pretty high. Wind blows through the open helicopter, but due to the hot sunny day it is nice and refreshing.

"So how are your emotions?" Asked Jiří, who knows about my phobia of flying. The smaller the machine, the greater the fear.

"I try to convince myself that everything is OK, but with the headphones on i can only hear my voice telling me all is OK.

"I knew you would be OK," laughs Jiří, as he turns the helicopter towards Philadelphia.

Jiří and I speak about the type of shots i would like to take and he shows my the capabilities of the helicopter. Circling in one place and leaning slightly to my side, so that below me is only the opening without the door, a long way down i see a house with a big swimming pool ... At that moment I grab my camera and struggled with the feeling that i will bring up my lunch, the perfect steak that our other pilots at the airport prepared. Fortunately Jiří does not look at me. We cease circling and continue on to Philadelphia.

It is a really lovely afternoon for a sightseeing flight. Visibility is excellent and we navigate using the typical skyscrapers in "Downtown" Philadelphia. The "N95" below is bustling with traffic for a Sunday and I completely forget that i am actually afraid of flying.

I enjoy the city below us and have an absolutely amazing feeling of freedom and a new dimension. Seeing Philadelphia from a new angle is a really wonderful feeling. Skyscrapers in the air all seem to be so different from when you are lost between them on the street. All Philadelphia looks so small friom the air that I am suddenly not at all clear why I always get lost at the exit to downtown, is it left, right, straight and right, because from here it looks really easy.





So I take more and more pictures and begin to realise a whole new feeling: this time with Jiří I like and I would have survived to fly further and see more!

(This experience we offer to you, no problem to arrange any flight, it is possible to fly to New York, Washington or anywhere else as desired and it is possible to fly in helicopters of various sizes.

EUROWEEKEND No.10 - download (pdf 1,2 MB)