Then This Happened...

First, Lithus is fine. His instincts are good.

However! Last week, he saw something (he could tell you what and he told me, but I don't understand it enough to tell you) that made him ask J, the mechanic (a good guy, very qualified, very solid), to check out the tail boom attachment. J looked it over that night and said it was fine. The next morning, though, Lithus still felt uncomfortable, so checked it himself and couldn't find anything. So, he had J look inside again. Still nothing. But Lithus looked inside himself again. Yep. Tail boom attachment was broken. This is a nonsurvivable situation from the air. Had he gotten up, which he could have in spite of this, he would've died that day.

We pretend that what he does isn't dangerous. And the vast majority of the time, we succeed in forgetting. Then, something like this happens. It's good to be lucky. It's better to be skilled. It's best to be both.

More than Helicopters

The Ducks.
Super Scoopers (or, as I have always seen it in my head Sooper Scoopers)
The CL-215.

I love this aircraft. In fact, I think since the Concorde is no longer flying, this is probably my favorite fixed-wing aircraft. (Yes, if there was any question, the fact that I do indeed have a favorite fixed-wing aircraft ~ and the implication therein that I have a favorite rotor aircraft ~ should solidify once and for all my awesome level of goobieness. Which is now a word. And my suitability for a life as a gypsy. Or pilot groupie, whichever you prefer.)

I wish there was some way to capture the elegance of these aircraft. On the ground, they just look like the boxy warhorses they are. But in the air...Man, they're beautiful. And the fact that they harken back to the romance of WWII or African explorers doesn't hurt.