My new friends in Aviation have been letting me hang out with them as they've worked on aircraft, so I've been learning a lot about helicopters. After having flown so often while I was in Iraq last year, I developed a real appreciation for the aircraft which moved me so safely and often around the battlespace.
Just the other day I found myself in the cockpit of one as my new friends towed a helicopter from a landing pad into a hangar so it could be serviced. They asked me whether I'd like to work the brakes, so I jumped at the chance. This gave me an opportunity to sit in the cockpit -- another first for me, and something I'd never imagined myself doing.
While I was inside the aircraft, other Soldiers walked alongside it, making sure nothing untoward happened to it while it was being moved.
Now, any real aviator would find simply working the brakes on a helicopter being towed to be merely trivial, but as it was something heretofore unexpected and unimagineable to me, I found it fun and interesting.
What a blast!
Blessings and peace to one and all,
Fr. Tim, SJ
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