Cormorant helicopter

[nenya_kanadka]

This is the helicopter which evacuated Mucca on Thursday and took me along for the ride:


source

And this is what it looks like with humans next to it for scale:


source

It is fucking big, you guys, is my point. From inside it I was estimating space, and it's seriously the size of a Victoria city bus. One page I googled said it could hold 30 troops seated or 45 standing, when used as a military transport. This one was stripped down to just a few seats inside, and packed with search & rescue gear. 5 crew, I believe, a pilot, copilot, and 3 paramedics. All very competent and reassuring, and dealt really well with having a severely hard-of-hearing spouse of the evacuee on board.

It was literally so big it could not land on our lightstation's helipad; it would have warped the wooden supports for the pad and, like, crushed it. O.O

In order to get through the fog (which had earlier that day stymied delivery of groceries via smaller helicopter) they literally opened the side door and looked out while flying. While attached by very strong lines to the inside of the helicopter, BUT STILL.

By contrast this is the chopper we usually fly in:


source

And for scale:


source

I'm still quite croggled and impressed.

---

This entry was originally posted at Dreamwidth where there are comments.

Comments

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

This sounds like the beginnings of an awesome-ass memoir.

Just saying. :)

[nenya_kanadka]

I actually know some lightkeepers who have done that. :D I was actually in the middle of writing to this lady, who works a few lighthouses north of us, about the memoir of hers that we'd just picked up, when Mucca's mum came in to tell me that she'd fallen and hurt her shoulder. It was a really weird coincidence, as I was typing up a letter agreeing with her that we tend to get mild culture shock going back and forth between town and the lights...

I think the GIANT HELICOPTER might make an appearance in some story of mine someday though!

[lunabee34.livejournal.com]

Oh wow. That is a super cool coincidence. :)

[nenya_kanadka]

And then I didn't send the letter because "And now we can't be lightkeepers for months and months :(" wasn't a great note to end on, but at some point I may do it. Because yeah.