New Gig

[Darcy]

Hey Guys, gave up on the Canadian Arctic job, servicing the remote radar sites along Baffin Island's coast that keep the Ruskies from sneaking across our border. Working at -40 and colder wasn't bad when I was twenty but thirty plus years later, it's a bit harsh, and I wasn't flying much either. I did try to get back into Africa (Mali or NE Nigeria) with GHS, German company, but the licensing kept holding things up. A good friend started up a Canadian company doing utility works and they bought some older Super Pumas, and needed guys, so looks as if I'll be staying in Canada awhile chasing forest fires. I did lots of this type of flying in my 20s but it should be much more fun with a Puma... 11,000 pounds on the hook! 1000 gallon buckets

Youtube video, this is a Europena operation but we'll be doing exactly the same with the same aircraft type. We've got belly tanks ordered and will be fighting fires at night on NVGs, but for this summer, good old bucket on a 150 foot line:

https://youtu.be/XDXEp6fcSQA

We've got a few heavy lift jobs in Northern Manitoba to keep us busy until the fire season starts.

Doing hero shots yesterday...

[Kurt]

I was literally giddy when i saw that you had a new job.
Cant wait for updates.

[Darcy]

I was literally giddy when i saw that you had a new job.
Cant wait for updates.

I figured everyone was sick with worry that I'd lose some toes in the cold

[ReptilianKittenEater]

but it should be much more fun with a Puma...

I'm reading alot into that line

[el3so]

Looking dapper, Darcy!

[Darcy]

If anyone gives a crap, I haven't been travelling outside of good ole Canada at all (fuck, I miss Africa) but been doing some cool shit nevertheless.

First gig was to try and sell our product, so flew to a dog & pony show to show off our massive 1100 gallon bucket (for forest fires that aren't happening yet), then we slung a bunch of huge culverts to a remote Northern community that had their main road washed out in flooding (the tree tied to it is for drag, so it doesn't spin too much. By the way, we found out afterwards we rigged it all wrong. If you sling it from one end, it goes WAAAAY faster). Then we had a major maintenance issue that grounded the bird awhile so they asked me to fill in on their air ambulance contract. Smaller helicopter but sexy AF and all on NVGs, so I'm having fun and earning until the heavy lift bird is back in the air.

[Darcy]

By the way, in case anyone was wondering, we have these big bubble doors so we can look down and see what we're lifting

[Chimborazo]

This is awesome. Thank you for sharing.