- Joined
- Oct 28, 2014
- Messages
- 5,139
- Display Name
- Jack Fleetwood
Not my usual air-to-air photos, but when Cayla McLeod of Plane & Pilot Magazine reached out to see if I was interested in going along to watch the Tango 82 Aviation crew in action, there was no hesitation! What an experience. The first assignment was to follow the ground crew around. The animals are darted (sometimes netted) from the helicopter, then they back off and wait for the animal to calm down and fall asleep. It was impressive to see their skills. They back the helicopter away, but keep it in sight of the animal to keep it from running so much. The idea is to get them sedated, then into a truck where they reverse the sedation, and to do it as quickly as possible for the animal's health.
On the ground, we waited for the helicopter team to tell us the animal was down, then give us directions to find it. We hiked in through thick trees until we found it and then put a sling around it and called the helicopter back in to hoist it and carry it to the truck. I was impressed with their respect for the animals. They do all of this as gently and quickly as possible.
After doing this for awhile, I went up in the helicopter and I can say this was the most fun I've had in years. Hope you enjoy the pics... I really enjoyed taking them!
I think this is an Eland.
On the ground, we waited for the helicopter team to tell us the animal was down, then give us directions to find it. We hiked in through thick trees until we found it and then put a sling around it and called the helicopter back in to hoist it and carry it to the truck. I was impressed with their respect for the animals. They do all of this as gently and quickly as possible.
After doing this for awhile, I went up in the helicopter and I can say this was the most fun I've had in years. Hope you enjoy the pics... I really enjoyed taking them!
I think this is an Eland.
