Tag Archives: autumn

Helicopter Flight: Autumn at Rock Island Creek

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A cockpit POV video from the FlyingMAir YouTube channel.

COME FLY WITH ME as I take my Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter (Mr Bleu) and Penny the Tiny Dog for a flight over the fall colors at Rock Island Creek, north of Wenatchee. This is a narrated cockpit point of view video that starts and ends at Wenatchee airport. Along the way, I’ll be cruising at about 100 knots and flying close to treetops in a deserted canyon.

This video was shot after recording some footage for other videos about helicopter flight controls, so I’ve already got the engine running as I’m sitting on the taxiway at the beginning of this video. Although audio was recorded using the camera facing me, that camera also cut off the top of my head — I think it shifted during my final adjustment — and you don’t need to see me anyway, so I didn’t include much of that video. (Except at the end, for those who watch the whole thing.) Instead, I use all footage from a single camera mounted over the passenger seat with a new camera mount. I had a little trouble with the cameras before the start of the flight so they’re not aimed quite the way I like them to be. Sorry.

About Me and the Helicopter

  • I have been flying for about 20 years. My nearly 4,000 hours of flight time is in Robinson R44, Robinson R22, and Bell 206L (Long Ranger) helicopters.
  • The helicopter is a 2005 Robinson R44 Raven II — the same one that appears in the photo at the beginning of the video. You can learn more about them here: https://robinsonheli.com/r44-specifications/ I own this helicopter. It is the third helicopter I’ve owned since 2000.
  • My helicopter has ADS-B Out and is picked up by radar facilities. You can see my track for recent flights on Flightradar24: https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n7534D This is a great site for tracking any almost any flight, including the airlines.

About the Video

  • The video was recorded with a pair of GoPro Hero 7 cameras (https://amzn.to/2Lxyzwl), one of which is connected to the helicopter’s intercom system with an NFlightCam audio cable (https://amzn.to/31syLTm). Both cameras record audio, but I dialed down the helicopter sound to about 25% of normal volume so it wouldn’t be annoying.
  • The camera mounts are new in this video. They are MyPilotPro Spider Mounts (https://amzn.to/2BnbcQv and https://amzn.to/2Muou3N) which are made specifically for aircraft operations. Utilizing 3 suction cups, they make it possible to mount cameras on rounded surfaces. You can see one of the mounts in the video near my vertical compass. For more information about camera mounting options for aircraft, visit https://mypilotpro.com/; I will be reviewing these mounts in an upcoming video.
  • The video was edited on a Macintosh using Screenflow software. Learn more about it here: https://www.telestream.net/screenflow/overview.htm
  • The intro music is by Bob Levitus, famed “Dr. Mac.” You can find him here: http://www.boblevitus.com/

I try to drop cockpit POV videos every Sunday morning and “extras” with more info about owning and operating a helicopter midweek. (Some channel members get early access to some of these videos.) I also host occasional livestreams with Q&A chats. Subscribe and turn on the notification bell so you don’t miss anything new! And tell your friends. I’m trying hard to deliver good videos and grow my subscriber base.

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Out My Window

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How do I get anything done?

Today was probably the last nice day of autumn. After an early morning drizzle, the sky cleared and the sun came out. I came out, too — I had a bunch of work to do in the yard and inside my big garage in preparation for moving my RV.

But time and again I found myself stopping just to look out at the view from my shelf in what I’ve taken to calling “Malaga Heights.” The fall colors are peaking right about now with yellow aspens and willows and red and orange orchard trees. The sky was blue with white clouds, the Columbia River was that incredible blue it so often reflects from the sky.

Small View
Here’s the cropped view of what I saw today. Click it to see the full panorama. It’s big.

I remembered what a friend said to me the other day. She’d come to keep me company while I worked on my wiring and wound up helping me run wires from the circuit panel to the second floor. We worked until around 2 PM that day, then stopped for the day. We both wanted lunch and I needed to vote and visit Home Depot. While I took care of a few things inside to prep for my trip into town, my friend wandered down to the bench at Lookout Point. I met her there a while later. She was sitting on the bench, looking out over the view.

“I don’t know how you get anything done,” she said. “If I lived here, I’d be looking out at this view all day long.”

I get things done because I have to get things done. My home won’t be finished by itself.

But I can’t tell you how much I look forward to sitting up on my deck with a cup of coffee in the morning or a glass of wine in the afternoon — or maybe both — just taking in the view in front of me.

In the meantime, I’m enjoying these final days of autumn. The weather will turn cold on Tuesday and there’s a chance of snow on Thursday. At this point, I’m planning to spend the winter here, working on my home, spending time with my friends, and maybe even getting in a little skiing. It’s nice living in a place with four seasons and such beautiful scenery.

I’m so glad I’ve made this my home.