CCX of a lifetime...

[phrogpilot73]

Just got back tonight, I'm exhausted - but I have memories to last forever.

4 days, 22.7 flight hours. Route of flight: Fallon, NV - Nampa, ID, - Pocatello, ID - Cody, WY - Rapid City, SD - Sioux City, IA - Ames, IA - Lafayette, IN - Charleston, WV - Norfolk.

Here are the pictures:

Ominous Start to the CCX:

Weathered in at Nampa, ID and our Hoopty crew car:

Might as well have a beer at... Denny's?!?

Weather breaks, but so do we...

Doing a little TERF on a river just north of Boise, enroute to Pocatello:

Craters of the Moon National Park, outside Idaho Falls:

Badlands of South Dakota:

Crazy Horse Monument:

Mount Rushmore:

426 (problem child) sporting her new artwork on engine armor. No problems after that. I'm convinced she wanted to get back and show the others...

Manning up for the last leg home. The sticker says it all.

 

[yodaears]

Beautiful!

 

[BACONATOR]

Beautiful pics on the river-run, Cory! Badlands look BAD, Mt Rushmore looks awesome! I'm jealous. I haven't seen much more than NATOPS in the past couple days or so...

 

[Ken_gone_flying]

Cool pics, looks like a fun trip. Lot of flying though for 4 days...

 

[MattWSU]

Absolutely awesome pictures.

 

[MasterBates]

Looks like it was a blast..

I'm wheels in the well for MI at 0900, so I'll have to check it out more when I get back.

 

[llnick2001]

Mt Rushmore looks ripe for some pinacle practice.

 

[phrogpilot73]

Cool pics, looks like a fun trip. Lot of flying though for 4 days...

That's about standard for getting the helicopters across the country. We flew south on the way out (via Memphis, Albuquerque, Las Vegas) and it took 22.4 hours. So, what does that REALLY mean? I'm at almost 70 hours for this month...

Mt Rushmore looks ripe for some pinacle practice.

I think someone else might have thought about it. It's inside the wildlife refuge, but we got permission to come in lower. Their only stipulation was remain outside the perimeter road (which is 1/2 mile away).

Oh, and I was at the controls through Yellowstone (working my ass off as it turns out, lots of weird wind + high altitude) so when I get my hands on those pics, I'll post them here.

 

[picklesuit]

That's some motivation right there...some good Wyoming zappage.

 

[Alpha_Echo_606]

I'm so jealous, I did that tour on OLR West with LSI back in 1999. Only difference was I was working on Army CH47s and UH60Ls at the time.

+1

 

[DanMa1156]

Beautiful pics!

 

[usmarinemike]

What goes on when you're in the middle of nowhere (say Idaho) and you have maintenance issues that require parts?

Way cool pictures btw. You remind me of Clark Griswold crossing the country in the Family Truckster.

 

[phrogpilot73]

What goes on when you're in the middle of nowhere (say Idaho) and you have maintenance issues that require parts?

We spread load the most common parts among the two divisions. In our case, one of the aircraft in the other division had the part we needed. They flew over with the part, and we were on our way.

If we didn't have the part, that's where FEDEX comes in...

 

[KCOTT]

those are some cool pics, nicely done

 

[LazersGoPEWPEW]

Great photos Phrog. Sounds like you all had a good trip.