Ride of a lifetime!

I had a little down time on my days off, so I went to our local county airport. There is a rescue helicopter based there and sometimes we utilize them to fly patients out when their condition warrants services not offered at our local hospitals. Trauma centers, burn units, stroke centers, cardiac cath labs- those all take a long time to get to by ground, and sometimes flying saves time and lives. They allowed thrid riders. so I signed up! I had filled out the necessary paperwork, waived myself away, and went to take the prerequisite safety briefing. Then I was allowed to ride along with the flight crew. We waited. And waited. And waited some more. Other helicopters got calls. Other flight crews were dispatched to transports. Not me. The crew I was with might as well have been nailed to the ground. I was a giant anchor- ensuring that as long as I was there, they were not going to get a...n...y...t...h...i...n...g...! The stipulations for riding along included "no third riders after dark" and as the sun began to lower on the horizon, the pilot finally got stir crazy and took us up for an aerial tour of the county. I was so excited! I got my helmet on, and hooked in to their intercom system. (The "cotter/cauter/codder" box? No idea how it's spelled...) I secured my harness, tucked my feet under the seat, and tried to sit back as best I could, but the IV pump and ventilator were at my shoulder. The smell of fuel filled the cockpit as the pilot started the rotors. The aircraft started to shake and rumble, and dust and debris began to swirl around, then we were up in the air! We gained altitude and the pilot started to circle and bank left and right. We tilted and turned, and my stomach sank a bit like a roller coaster during a dip. My cheeks hurt from the stupid grin that I couldn't wipe off my face. It was so incredibly amazing. We headed north and were in the foothills of the mountains.

In under ten minutes we saw a waterfall off in the distance- a waterfall that usually takes about an hour to drive to!

We flew over towns and farms and lakes and reservoirs, quarries and railroads and treetops and houses. I saw the freeway, and the flight crew had me show them where my station was. It was a bit hard to identify from the air- I found a local neighborhood but trying to identify roads and landmarks from the air was challenging.

We tooled around for a little bit and then headed back. The ride was over far too quickly. I was anxious to go again, but it was starting to show signs that dusk was coming. As I was about to head home they finally got a call. "Do you want to come too?" the crew asked. (It wasn't quite dark yet, and they said "hey, if it 'happens' to be dark when we get back....") It wasn't even a valid question as that silly stupid grin was back and I had my helmet in my hands and was out the door in record time.

We all did the walk around inspection of the helicopter. The crew had done the safety presentation with me, and had said that anyone can ground the chopper for any reason. "It takes all of the crew to say 'go' and only one to say 'no' for a flight" they had said. We checked to make sure all the doors were closed and hatches were hatched, and were off. We flew to a local hospital to transfer a patient to a bigger hospital downtown. When we got him there, we transferred him and were back in the air. Our radio popped and someone asked the pilot questions about air alert and flight time. We had another call! A bad car wreck, reports of a patient ejected and another entrapped. The pilot got coordinates and typed them into his instruments. In a few minutes we were circling the wreckage. I could see flashing lights of firetrucks and police cars. I could make out the headlights of one car off the roadway. We circled for a few minutes but ended up getting cancelled. We headed back to our base and I took in the sights of the city all lit up. The sun had gone down, and one of the flight crew pointed out that I was getting a rare ride most third riders don't get to see. I was able to identify some roads and shopping centers as we headed back. The crew tried talking me into coming to work there part time. I have the background and base experience needed. I would have to get my critical care certification, but it's definitely something I'm contemplating. I'm not about to turn in my turn out gear, but flying would be an amazing part time job! I had so much fun and am trying to schedule a day to go back and do it again.