What it Feels Like to Have a Helicopter Hover a Foot Above Your Head
Just another tree planting task.
It was planting season and I was given a ‘special mission’ by my supervisor. I was needed to crew boss three planters to close-up a block. It was helicopter access only and working with a pilot was new for me, so I needed a quick lesson on etiquette.
Heli work is common in Northern British Columbia because the areas you are needed to go can be difficult to access. I have flown in them for work before, but I didn’t have to do much besides hop in and buckle up. In this circumstance the heli was being used to fly planters into the block, deliver the trees, and fly out the garbage.
Being a passenger requires training and you need to be organized. As the crew boss I was expected to lead my planters towards the heli, load up the gear, open and close the door, and communicate with the pilot. Sounds relatively easy, but all this is happening while the blades are still spinning, so your main concern is not getting your head chopped off. Heli’s are also very expensive, so you can’t afford to waste time. The logging companies shell out thousands of dollars a day to provide a helicopter.
My supervisor told me that at the end of the day the pilot will “sling out” our garbage. I needed to fill a large net with the empty tree boxes and our gear. Then I would clip it to the long line hanging from the helicopter. She mentioned that the line might give me a little zap, but it’s nothing to worry about. After she showed me how the clip worked, I felt confident that I could do it.
We landed in our portion of the cut block and began planting. At the end of the day we were the first crew to finish, but we don’t get to leave until the pilot picks us up. As we are waiting, I start to load up the net with the tree boxes and our gear so that I am organized when the pilot arrives.
Eventually we can hear the low beating pulse of the helicopter approaching in the distance. The pilot comes on the radio and asked who is ready for their garbage to be “slinged out”. I immediately respond and tell him that we are ready. The pilot had just flown from town, so the long line was not yet attached. He told me that he would have to land first, attach the long line then fly over to us.
A minute later the pilot radio’s me and says, “Can we do a belly clip? I’ll attach the long line after your pick-up. It’ll save time.” It took my brain a second to process what he said. A belly clip? Hmm okay I’m pretty sure that means no long line. I respond with, “Copy that. I’m ready”. But, was I!? I couldn’t let one of the planters do it, they were all rookies and I had the most experience working with helicopters. I guess the best way to learn something is to do it. Plus, I had watched my supervisor perform a few belly clips.
I made sure my high viz was on, I took my hat off and stood beside the net ready to clip it to the belly of the helicopter. The pilot flew overhead and slowly started to lower this massive flying machine towards me. All at once a wave of wind hits me, causing the wood debris and gravel to fly up everywhere. I had to squint in order to keep my eyes on the heli. The noise is deafening and the only way to communicate with the pilot is using hand signals.
As he gets closer, I am no longer in the wind tunnel, so I could property open my eyes. The heli was damn close and I could see him looking at me through the window on the floor. I scan the bottom of the helicopter looking for the spot to clip the net. I find it, attach the net and double check that it’s secure. Goddamn I hope its secure! I took a few steps towards the nose of the helicopter, knelt down, buried my face and threw the pilot a big thumbs up. He ascends and I was knocked over by the force of the wind.
I stood up and my heart was racing. That was quite the adrenaline rush! I just had a helicopter hover a foot above my head and my planters were just casually chatting about 500 metres away. I walked over to them and exclaim, “Holy sh*t! That was probably one of the craziest things I’ve ever done.” They laugh and say that it looked cool from their end.
I suppose I could have told the pilot over the radio that I had never done a belly clip before, but for whatever reason I decided not to. Was it a pride or egotistical reason? Maybe. At the time I told myself it was for the field experience. Over the past few years, I had purposely been pushing myself out of my comfort zone, so this was no exception. While it may sound extreme to some, I didn’t feel unsafe. I was loving field work and all the crazy tasks that came with it. Stepping outside my comfort zone had become very important. The feelings that arose when I was uncomfortable made me feel the most alive.
