Way Back Machine

You can see it all, the wall of flame rising. Palm trees ablaze in a plume of napalm as The Doors "This is the end" blares from the speakers. That opening scene of Apocalypse Now runs thru my head as the rotors spin up on the Hughes helicopter. You rise into the air, but instead there are only Texas cattle pastures below as we fly over the "target". It turns out that we are only taking pictures of a corporate campus but we are doing it from a beautifully restored 1968 Vietnam era helicopter. AS simple as the craft is, just a bubble and two seats, it is perfect for shooting aerials since there are no doors and the three blades makes it a much more stable platform than the typical 2 rotor Jet Rangers I have been in. Great fun flying in a classic machine, especially when you are supposed to be working.