Still Flying

I have been flying several times a week and having a blast. I even was able to get on the July 4th flyover crew. I was able to be at the controls while flying over parade routes and literally see the people waving flags below...pretty cool.

I have also been flying all over the Northwest and tomorrow I am flying some people to California so they can breathe in some clean, fresh air. I also flew an over water mission last week that was off the Oregon and Washington coast.

We flew by Mount Hood...

...Mount St. Helen's and other nice scenery.

When I wasn't flying, I was manning the drop zone and watching crews drop loads out the back. I would report the winds, clear the area, and locate the dropped objects. In the first picture you can see the CDS load leaving the aircraft. On a CDS drop we lower the tailgate, pitch up, and then at the right time cut the restraints and let the load slide out the back on rollers. Once out, a static line opens the parachute and it falls to the ground.

Other than that we have found time to continue going to the lake for wakeboarding, we have floated the local rivers, and I have found time to golf a little. The weather is warm and we are trying to enjoy it since we don't have humidity with it for the first time in two years. That is all I have for now.