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Big Brother Is Watching
So my wife and I are out backroading in the Sibbald Flats area west of Calgary, and I'm working my way over to a lookout ridge I know of, when I see a helicopter descending beyond the ridgeline some distance from my truck.
Knowing there's a Shell Oil presence in the area, I think it's going to land there as it is not a forestry helicopter. We get to where we are going, shut my truck off, and I can hear the sound of the helicopter engine quite close to our location.
With my wife in tow, I lead the way through the trees to where there is a ridge that presents a view of Little Jumping Pound creek beneath us, and I see the helicopter has landed in a open space surrounded by trees bordering the creek.
Soon the passenger exits the helicopter, followed by the pilot once he has allowed the engine to cool, and shuts it down completely. My wife ventures off on her own while I shoot a couple of photos of the helicopter. I soon realize the two guys are climbing the ridge towards our location, and they soon break out of the trees near my wife who has returned to the truck, the two guys not seeing me.
Now one of the guys seems to know his way around, as there is a backcountry outhouse located nearby, and the pilot makes use of it. Of course they have already run in to my wife before I stepped out of the trees returning to my truck. Once the pilot exits the outhouse, and as they return to the helicopter parked below us, they stop for a brief conversation before returning to the helicopter. Once the engine is started and the rotor engaged, the helicopter rises out of the landing area ringed with trees, the pilot skillfully maneuvering the helicopter to clear skies above the forest.
I found it interesting that what I believe is a privately owned helicopter landed in an area of Kananaskis Country not necessarily open to privately owned aircraft. Of course it made no difference to me, as it allowed me to shoot numerous photos of the Robinson R44 helicopter, a model you may have seen before, as Global 7's news helicopter that patrols the skies over Calgary happens to be the same model of Robinson helicopter as seen in my photo. If you’re interested in owning one, the R44 starts at $475,000.00 US for the basic model!
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