When I woke up this morning, I had no idea I would spend part of my day flying across the city in a helicopter. It’s simply not part of my routine. Dressed in a business suit on a 102 degree day, the thought of intentionally moving closer to the sun seemed insane. A photo assignment was thrust upon me and the best way to achieve my objective was from the air, so I had to roll with the rotors.
Fortunately, despite being consistently needled by my wife about it, I almost always have a variety of clothes in the back of my car. While, sadly, I had no shorts; I did have a white polo-style shirt and a couple of ball caps. So, I changed clothes as best I could and at least I was somewhat comfortable from the waist up.
I received a thorough and thoughtful pre-flight briefing from the pilot, who had no idea if I had any helicopter-riding experience. Fortunately, my salad days as a local TV sportscaster served me well. Many a fall Friday was spent hopping from small town to small town, football stadium to football stadium, in a copter much smaller than today’s ride. So, there wasn’t a moment of trepidation during the flight. In fact, it was kind of a thrill. I wish I hadn’t had to concentrate so much on shooting photos so I could soak in the experience. Then again, if not for the job at hand, I wouldn’t have been flying at all.
We were airborne for an hour or so and the photos turned out kind of nice, so the morning was a success. I need to reserve the images for their intended purpose, but I did squeeze off a few for fun along the way. So, here you go: Beautiful Downtown Shreveport on a blistering August morning.
Who knows what tomorrow will bring?
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