Helicopter ride?

[Ralph]

Hey Bud...
We're ready to hear about your helicopter ride... unless of course it was actually a Coast Guard rescue operation from something comparable to your infamous duck ride!

Ralph

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[Bud Cline]

OK but later.:)

[Bud Cline]

OK this one wasn't near as funny (to me) as the Duck ride but hey...they can't all be good.

The icing on the cake was when they all three wet their pants, I know I know Bud y'all weird.

So I'm with the family at Royal Gorge Colorado years ago and this guy is giving heliocoptor rides not too far from the entrance.

My wife had been there before and my kids (about seven and ten years old at the time) had never been there.

So anyway this area is heavily wooded and it's full of deer and other wildlife. You can't see the gorge from here and have no idea where it is. So I asked the pilot to take us up to treetop altitude and hold that elevation all the way to the gorge which is about three (maybe two) miles from lift off. I did this knowing that when we finally and suddenly flew out over the open space of the gorge that it would be a great thrill for everyone.

As we are cruising at treetops level we can see plenty of deer and ground squirrels and stuff like that. This is what is holding everyone's attention. I was the only one that had ever been on a helicopter (heliocoptor) before so of course my wife and daughters where thrilled but very apprenhensive.

Well the pilot being a suiciddal thrill seeker himself begins to increase our speed while staying along the treetops. If you know anything about helicopters then you know that to do this (post hast) the craft must be pitched/tilted forward just a little. More power, more prop pitch, more thrust, more tilt. Well pretty soon this guy is running full bore out across the tree tops and I'm watching the leaves of the trees being shredded as they are blasted off of the tree limbs.

Now everyone is nervous but having great fun, when suddenly we cross over the rim of the canyon at the same time this damned pilot points our bird to the stars and begins to climb altitude as fast as that bird will climb. Then he felt it necessary to do a hard right bank which about put me out the door. By the way there where no doors.

I heard a noise that I hadn't been hearing until now and it startled me just a little bit under the circumstances so I looked over at the pilot and he had tears rolling down his cheeks he was laughing so hard. This guy was laughging his ass off and that is what I was hearing. The girls are screaming and I'm not really sure what the hell is going on. So after a few seconds he calmed things down some and we did some normal sightseeing for a few minutes before returning to the landing spot.

Upon landing I thanked the pilot and gave him a tip and we went to the car where everyone's first words were "Take me to a restroom".

It wasn't until we stopped at the restrooms and the girls all three had to get into their suitcases before going into the restroom that I realized what had happened.

A good time was had by all.

[Sonnie Layne]

:D

I'll never forget that story. You are a meany, tho'

[Hobbit]

I just love a good helicopter story!:D

In my last previous life, I was a pilot for the U.S. Army. My trusty steed of choice was an AH-IS FMC (Cobra). I can certainly sympathize with your ladies, Bud. Helicopter rides can be unsettling!;)

I'll tell you a story about a Air Force joint exercise.........later. :)

:):)