Helicopter Pilots Are A Strange (wonderful) Breed

[BBall]

Hey guys,

 

Sorry for more word vomit from yours truly, but after penning the piece yesterday about my father, I remembered a truly cool/strange/amazing thing that happened regarding him, and I thought you might like to hear about it.

 

A few years ago, I was finishing up an airline trip with a leg from Anchorage to Minneapolis/St. Paul. The month was August, and the "dog days of summer" had set in. Hot, humid, and miserable was the only way to describe the weather in the upper midwest of the USA during that month, but that's not what this story is about.

 

In our cockpit that day, we had a visitor as it were. He was one of our senior Boeing 747 Captains (at the time we had a crew domicile in Anchorage flying our "Whale" freighters to the Orient), he lived in Wisconsin like me, and was commuting home at the end of his work stint. Since the cabin was full of paying customers, the only seat available for him was up front with the First Officer and myself on the miserable little thing we call the "jumpseat".

 

After an hour or so, our talk turned from "airline stuff" (a merger was pending) to the more benign subject of the weather. He had been on the road for several weeks, and casually inquired about what had been the meteorological happenings while he was out of town. I replied that it had been miserably hot and humid, and finished the sentence with, "you'd swear you were in North Texas." This is where it began ....

 

B747 dude: "Really? I spent some time flying in North Texas years ago."

 

Me: "No kidding... flying what?"

 

B747 dude: "Helicopters."

 

Me: "Fort Wolters?"

 

B747 dude (with a bit of quizzical look on his face): "Yep."

 

Me (now getting much more interested in the conversation): "What year were you there...my Dad was an I.P. at Wolters."

 

B747 dude: "1971"

 

Me: "Were any of your instructors civilian types like my Dad?"

 

B747 dude: "ALL of my I.P.s were civilians."

 

Me (very interested now): "Did any of them look like this (me turning around to face him), only they WEREN'T a dickhead like me?"

 

B747 dude: "What did you say your last name is?"

 

Me: "Ball"

 

B747 dude (eyes very wide open): "Holy shit! Your Dad was my instructor!"

 

Me (eyes even wider open): "WOW! No kidding....."

 

B747 dude: "Did you know there were a few of us at his funeral in '93? Your Dad was one of our favorite guys to fly with."

 

Me (totally in shock now): "Holy shit. Why didn't you guys come up and introduce yourself to my Mom?"

 

B747 dude: "I remember you were there in your airline uniform and all, but we just thought it was a family time, and we didn't want to intrude."

 

Me: "Wow...thank you, but I promise you would've made the worst day in her life a little easier....wow."

 

To say that the hair on the back of my neck was standing up would be an understatement. We went on to chat about his time in Vietnam, etc, but the idea that he had met my Dad, and flew with him, was almost more than I could comprehend.

 

This man too had been touched by my father, and he promised that when he made it home, he would search his old photo albums for some pictures that he thought he had of my Dad from when he was a student at Ft. Wolters.

These two photos were in my email box the next day:

 

My Dad in the white shirt. The gentlemen from the story is far left (I loved the "rabbit ears" the dude to the right was photo-bombing on my Dad).

 

and...

 

His sense of humor was legendary.

 

I'm not ashamed to say that tears filled my eyes when I opened that email. They still do when I see these pictures.

 

It's said that just a few "degrees of separation" keeps us all from knowing each other on this big blue rock in space, but this was truly a unique experience. I knew that my Dad (and his crazy profession of flying things that don't wish to be flown) was something special...it's just nice to see that others thought so too.

 

'till next time,

BBall

Edited May 9, 2013 by BBall

[outlawal2]

I just noticed that are from Wisconsin! I currently live in Woodville Wisconsin about 30 minutes East of Hudson...

 

Small World!

[Krebs20]

Great story bball! Have to say, from Wisconsin as well.

[FZG_Immel]

Ball, thank you for all of his stories. I love my Dad, but im sure yours was a real luck to have !

[jay43]

Quality another great story BBall keep them coming i enjoy reading them in the morning before my first attempts at landing lol.

[Robert1983NL]

Great story, great photo's, but what makes helicopter pilots strange?? :)

[BBall]

outlawal2 and Krebs20...wow two more Wisconsinites, it certainly is a small world! Outstanding! I'm over on the western frontier just south of St. Croix Falls. FYI, we have a big LAN fly-in every year in November, and if you guys are interested, you're sure invited to drive up!

 

FZG Immel, yeah, my father was in many ways, what we refer to as a "real piece of work". LOL....that basically means that he was ALWAYS ready with a story, a joke, a smile and hearty laugh. Many times as a teenager I remember thinking, "Oh God no...please Dad don't tell that story! I'm embarrased enough that you're actually talking to my friends, don't make it worse!" Funny thing....I think that my three kids have thought the exact same thing about me as they passed through those teen years! LOL...

 

Robert1983NL, lol.... don't get me wrong, I didn't mean "strange" as in bad, but stange as in ...well....different than your "normal" person. I know you're a pilot in R/L, and I'm sure you know lots of other pilots (both real and virtual), but the fact is, we are a bit different than most folks. Have you ever noticed how those of us that fuel our passion in low Earth orbit, will always look up (no matter what we're doing) when a plane or helo flies over? I've seen Arnold Palmer (a real life pilot) do it on the golf course in the middle of a tournament! I do it, my Dad did it, we all just HAVE to see what machine is over us, and 99% of the time we can tell you the make and model.

 

We look at the weather differently. I see thunderclouds and want to dance around them in a jet, my wife sees them and wants to bring the flower pots inside. I see snow (and I saw a TON of it this last winter) and I think of de-icing fluids and contaminated runways, my buddies think of snowmobiles and warm run drinks (well, me too there actually...lol). A windy day to me means crosswinds, windshear and turbulence. To non-pilots it means blowing leaves and flying kites.

 

Now, take all that pilot thinking, and put it into the brain of someone that can hover like a humming bird. My Dad (obviously) was a chopper pilot, his best friend (my uncle Wade) was a chopper pilot, all of his "Army buddies" flew helos, I personally met many of my father's Ft. Wolters students, and over the years, I've logged many an hour in the airliner cockpit with those that flew rotary-wing in an earlier life, and to a man (and woman) they were a bit different (even from us of the non-fling winged community). They walked with a little different bounce to their step, always had that ready smile to their lips and a "movie star" glint to their eyes. It was almost like when you give a man the ability to hover, he feels like he knows something the rest of us not only don't know, but don't have the ability to even fathom... like he knows a secret that only those in his fraternity know.

 

Maybe I should've used the word special....

 

BBall

[outlawal2]

outlawal2 and Krebs20...wow two more Wisconsinites, it certainly is a small world! Outstanding! I'm over on the western frontier just south of St. Croix Falls. FYI, we have a big LAN fly-in every year in November, and if you guys are interested, you're sure invited to drive up!

 

Absolutely, Count me in...

 

Have you ever noticed how those of us that fuel our passion in low Earth orbit, will always look up (no matter what we're doing) when a plane or helo flies over? I've seen Arnold Palmer (a real life pilot) do it on the golf course in the middle of a tournament! I do it, my Dad did it, we all just HAVE to see what machine is over us, and 99% of the time we can tell you the make and model.

 

HaHa.. My wife and kids always shake their heads at me because I ALWAYS do this and have as long as I can remember... :thumbup:

 

BBall

 

South of St. Croix falls... Sounds like we are about 30 minutes to an hour apart... You mention snowmobiles but would you happen to ride motorcycles? I have a Ducati and would love to meet up sometime for a ride in the countryside.. Always looking for someone to share an afternoon blast thru the corners...

[hreich]

After reading this, i have fuzzy warm feeling in my stomach...:)

[BBall]

South of St. Croix falls... Sounds like we are about 30 minutes to an hour apart... You mention snowmobiles but would you happen to ride motorcycles? I have a Ducati and would love to meet up sometime for a ride in the countryside.. Always looking for someone to share an afternoon blast thru the corners...

 

Sadly, no motorcycles in my life at the moment. I did indeed grow up on them, but I sold my last one in '95, and miss it to this day. Ducati is a wonderful machine, and I've told my wife many times, that when they outlaw automobiles (I've had far too many "close calls" between my bike and an auto), my arse will be first in line at the motorcycle dealer!

 

Have a great day,

BBall

[enigma6584]

Great story and pics BBall! Another Wisconsinite here from Milwaukee.

[CyBerkut]

I *knew* I recognized this writing / subject when I read the other thread... then this one confirmed it. :)

 

Folks, if you haven't read BBall's December, 2011 article over on SimHQ, "Going to Work with Dad" .... well, you should go check it out. Definitely worth the read!

 

http://www.simhq.com/_air14/air_515a.html

 

BBall, thanks for sharing. :thumbup:

[Lucas_From_Hell]

Great story BBall, really heartwarming :)

[Yurgon]

Have you ever noticed how those of us that fuel our passion in low Earth orbit, will always look up (no matter what we're doing) when a plane or helo flies over? I've seen Arnold Palmer (a real life pilot) do it on the golf course in the middle of a tournament! I do it, my Dad did it, we all just HAVE to see what machine is over us, and 99% of the time we can tell you the make and model.

 

Haha, that is just so true even though I'm just a PC pilot. :)

 

Another great read, thanks for sharing. :thumbup:

[Napa]

Haha, that is just so true even though I'm just a PC pilot. :)

 

Another great read, thanks for sharing. :thumbup:

 

So true! My house is directly beneath the localizer capture and I remember one time I was running outside the house looking up to this Transaero 747 flying around 1500-1800 feet to line up on final and misstepped on the pavement hurting my knee really bad :lol: That teached me never to run while looking up :megalol:

[Yurgon]

So true! My house is directly beneath the localizer capture and I remember one time I was running outside the house looking up to this Transaero 747 flying around 1500-1800 feet to line up on final and misstepped on the pavement hurting my knee really bad :lol: That teached me never to run while looking up :megalol:

 

Fortunately, such a thing hasn't happened to me in a long time.

 

But I know my fellow pupils kept going insane when there was a chopper from the nearby Heeresflieger Waffenschule (Army Aviation Weapons School) and I told everyone the model just by the sound of it. There were CH-53G, UH-1D, Alouette II and Bo-105, and it was really easy to distinguish them by their sound. But apparently, noone else cared. :lol:

 

Nowadays, about twice a year there's a Ju-52 or an An-2 flying over Hannover and I keep rushing from window to window once I hear them just to catch a glimpse of those beautiful aircraft. :)

[Cookie]

I live a little north of Hannover (Neustadt, you probably know it Yurgon), which is kind of aviation heaven. Just a few clicks south of the NIE VOR, which has a LOT of traffic going over it while also doubling as IAF for the Hannover airport when rwys 09L/R and 27L/R are in use, plus it is part of the SID and STAR of every single runway. So yeah, you can see quite a lot of neat traffic here, especially when one of the big fairs is taking place (Hannover sports the largest fairground in the world and is host to huge fairs like the CeBit).

 

Also, right next door we have the Lufttransportgeschwader (Air Lift Wing) 62 with a number of helicopters and of course the good old C-160 Transall. It´s a real treat to see them practice low level flights over the city and nearby countryside. I remember one time sitting in the line of a drive-thru at McDonald´s, waiting to place my order, when all of a sudden I hear this typical low growl of the Transall. Apparently it used the McD´s as a fix of some sort, because it was circling right around it at maybe 300ft. I was actually unbuckling my seat belt and opening the sunroof so I could stick my head through it and watch that beautiful machine. I don´t know how long I watched it, but when people behind me started hitting their horns and yelling certain not-so-nice words towards me I figured I better get my head back inside. :D

 

Btw, LTG 62 has one of the funniest patches I have ever seen. I really wonder what the story behind it is. Can´t wait for them to receive the A-400M soon, just so I have yet another type to stare at. ;)

[Yurgon]

Btw, LTG 62 has one of the funniest patches I have ever seen. I really wonder what the story behind it is. Can´t wait for them to receive the A-400M soon, just so I have yet another type to stare at. ;)

 

Oh crap. When driving on Autobahn 2 near Wunstorf, I always try to see as much of the Transalls on final approach as possible. It's gotta become outright dangerous when they show up with A-400M as I haven't seen one IRL yet. :D

 

Then again, lots of people drive as if they're watching... dunno... anything except the road most of the time, so it won't make that much difference. :doh: