I know this is a strange photograph, but the story is interesting... I went to an FAA Safety Seminar tonight, all the way up in Stratford, Connecticut. It was about "Communication in the Real World" for pilots. But the highlight of the evening was that the meeting was held at Sikorsky Aircraft! And... The deal was, that there would be a tour of the factory where the famous Sikorsky helicopters are built! That's why I drove three hours round-trip to attend! And the tour was everything I expected and more. The only "problem" for me, a photographer, was that no cameras were allowed, of course. They make both military and civilian aircraft. So it was slightly frustrating to have this incredible tour, and see so many astounding things, and yet not be able to photograph any of it. So in desperation, so I would have something to post, I took this quick, blurry snapshot out my front window of the Sikorsky logo as I drove out of the parking lot. Oh, one more thing... We all got free Sikorsky baseball caps!
I think I have mentioned to you in the past that I visited Sikorsky Aircraft several times when I was selling coated fabrics, which Sikorsky used for fuel cells and acoustical interior fabrics. It was always a treat walking through endless halls and manufacturing areas and seeing helicopters in various stages of production. The big H-53's were indeed impressive but the Blackhawks were my favorites. The company representative probably mentioned that Igor Sikorsky's mission was was to build military helicopters mainly for search and rescue and not combat. A very cool experience for any "12 Year Old Kid" to wander the halls of this legendary company!
ReplyDeleteThe tour guide last night mentioned that since their inception, helicopters all over the world have rescued something like five million people since they were first built. I may not have the number right, but it is an impressive statistic. Yeah, the Blackhawks were VERY cool.
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