The Air Up There
The who is going to to fly him how to where to do what??? I had trouble processing the words, but once they sank in, I enthusiastically agreed. I’d never been on a helicopter before, what better way to experience it for the first time than flying in a beefed-up Black Hawk?It wasn’t until I hang up that it really hit me. I have an extreme fear of flying, so much so that I have to be sedated when I board a jet airliner. Did I really agree to go up in what is basically a minivan with a propeller on top? I was immediately queasy.
Later that day, I received a call from Colonel Terry Knight, who was putting this whole field trip together. In order for me to even go near this piece of military machinery, he needed my Social Security number so I could be cleared. I have to admit, for a split-second I considered refusing the request so that my participation would be quickly canceled. But I gave my digits up anyway, and after I was advised to wear something warm (“It gets chilly up there”), I then voiced my nervousness about this mode of travel.”Oh, you’re gonna love this!” the Colonel enthusiastically assured me. “I tell you, it’s a lot safer than driving in L.A. traffic. In fact, the Black Hawk is so safe that if it dropped out of the sky from 100 feet, you would walk away without a scratch.”Well, that didn’t exactly assuage my fears, either, but the next morning (which was thankfully sunny), I arrived at the executive terminal of the Santa Monica municipal airport as planned. Also present (besides Lorenzo, Eva and the Colonel) were Aaron the photographer, Tony the Web master for B&B’s official fan Web site (www.boldandbeautiful.com) and the three-man flight crew. On the tarmac, we were given very serious instructions on how to fasten our four-point restraint apparatus (yeah, the seat belts) and in what direction to always exit the helicopter. I then noticed a member of the flight crew carrying a clear plastic bag of what looked like green Gummi bears. Oh, yum, a mid-air snack. At that point, I wasn’t hearing the all-important directions anymore as I obsessed over what flavor could be in that bag. Lime? Green apple? Oh, I hope not mint. Oops. No such luck. They were ear plugs. Apparently, it was going to be so loud during the flight that we had to wear them. Now, it was time to board.The snug configuration of seats inside this bird was interesting. There was first, of course, the cockpit with two seats for the pilot and navigator. Directly behind them were two jump seats that each looked out sideward (Lorenzo rode in one, and the third member of the flight crew was in the other). Next was a long bench seat for four passengers, where Colonel Knight and Eva settled in. Finally, there were two more bench seats (that together would hold eight more passengers) facing each other. Aaron, Tony and I were directed to sit there, where we discovered that there were no headphones, which meant no audible communication for us during the flight. Yep, we decided this area was coach class.Since we would be flying north up the California coast, Aaron had wisely claimed the right side window seat so that he would have the shore to look out at instead of the open sea. Wanting the same view, I took the seat directly across from him, but facing the back of the helicopter. We strapped ourselves in (actually, one of the Army guys had to do it for me; those four-point fasteners were trickier than I thought) and we squished the green Gummi bears into our ears.Once ignition of the engines began, it took almost five minutes for the blades above us to reach full power. As the roar got louder and louder, the vehicle was soon bobbing on the ground, anxious to be set free. Once we were given clearance, we took off.
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