{"id":402,"date":"2003-03-04T15:59:34","date_gmt":"2003-03-04T20:59:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/burgwinkel.com\/blog\/?p=402"},"modified":"2011-09-11T22:43:17","modified_gmt":"2011-09-12T02:43:17","slug":"helicopters-coming-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/burgwinkel.com\/blog\/?p=402","title":{"rendered":"helicopters coming"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>I woke up, started the coffee, and heard a helicopter go over my house.&nbsp; I folded the futon and heard a helicopter go over my house again.&nbsp; I poured my first cup&mdash;oh! that first cup is always so glorious&mdash;and my windows and walls shook from a helicopter again passing over head.&nbsp; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"javascript:opWin('\/img\/imgPopup.htm?i=\/img\/MassStatePoliceHelo.jpg&#038;w=1074&#038;h=0676', 'imgPopupWin', 'toolbar=no,menubar=no,status=yes,left=5,top=0,width='+(screen.availWidth-20)+',height='+(screen.availHeight-30)+',scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes');\" onmouseout=\"return nd();\" onmouseover=\"return overlib('This morning\\'s helicopter above my street. 333kB',CAPTION,'click=fullsize');\"><br \/>\n<script TYPE=\"text\/javascript\">\n imgRsz(354,223,25,\"\/img\/MassStatePoliceHelo.ico.jpg\",\"imgleft\",\"\");\n<\/script><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\nI became curious.&nbsp; <\/p>\n<p>\nYou know a helicopter is close when you can hear a ringing whistle sound from it in addition to its throbbing bass.&nbsp; Such high frequency sounds do not travel as far as the lower pitched sounds, and are usually drowned out by them.&nbsp;  As I took my first piss I heard that shrill ring from the air machine, and I thought, &#8220;I have to get outside.&#8221;&nbsp; I grabbed my new camera.&nbsp; <\/p>\n<p>\nIt made seven more passes after I got outside.&nbsp; It had probably made twice as many flyovers while I was puttering indoors.&nbsp; I must say the best photo is the <a href=\"javascript:opWin('\/img\/imgPopup.htm?i=\/img\/MassStatePoliceHelo.jpg&#038;w=1074&#038;h=0676', 'imgPopupWin', 'toolbar=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=5,top=0,width='+(screen.availWidth-20)+',height='+(screen.availHeight-30)+',scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes');\" onmouseout=\"return nd();\" onmouseover=\"return overlib('This morning\\'s helicopter above my street. 333kB',CAPTION,'click=fullsize');\">very first one<\/a> I took.&nbsp; I didn&#8217;t even know how to set the camera for a daylight shot&mdash;or for any shot for that matter; it&#8217;s brand new.&nbsp; I just spun the mode dial to the symbol of the little green camera as I ran through the front door.&nbsp; I looked up and shot.&nbsp; <\/p>\n<p>\nMy house was on the southern extent of a small circular pattern which the helicopter was following repeatedly.&nbsp; At its furthest from me, it was only about a quater mile, and it was banking to the left throughout its course.&nbsp; I thought I would feel awkward, standing on a street pointing a camera in these code orange days.&nbsp; I suppose if it had been marked clearly as a police helicopter, I might have felt naughty photographing its surveillance&mdash;but I would have anyway.&nbsp; <\/p>\n<p>\nBut it was not marked clearly, and in these post 9\/11 days the unexpected behavior of aircraft gains a whole new significance.&nbsp; I felt almost patriotic, standing in the street, camera braced against a no parking sign, brazenly setting up for a <a href=\"javascript:opWin('\/img\/imgPopup.htm?i=\/img\/MassStatePoliceHeloUnder.jpg&#038;w=1048&#038;h=0974', 'imgPopupWin', 'toolbar=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=5,top=0,width='+(screen.availWidth-20)+',height='+(screen.availHeight-30)+',scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes');\" onmouseout=\"return nd();\" onmouseover=\"return overlib('Do you think they were taking my picture, too?<br \/>MassStatePoliceHeloUnder.jpg 468637&#8242;,CAPTION,&#8217;Image&#8217;);&#8221;>telephoto shot<\/a> of the underside of this loitering helicopter.&nbsp; <\/p>\n<p>\nIt made still more passes after I went back indoors to see what the images might reveal.&nbsp; After transferring the photos to my PC, I was able to read the registration number of the aircraft, <a href=\"http:\/\/162.58.35.241\/acdatabase\/NNumSQL.asp?NNumbertxt=824AH\" onmouseover=\"return overlib('N-Number Inquiry at faa.gov',CAPTION,'162.58.35.241');\" onmouseout=\"return nd();\">N824AH<\/a>, and after some web searching, I was able to locate still other photos of my mysterious airborne visitor&#8217;s siblings:&nbsp;<br \/>\n<br \/>\n<a href=\"javascript:opWin('\/img\/imgPopup.htm?i=\/img\/policeHelo2.jpg&#038;w=0400&#038;h=0262', 'imgPopupWin', 'toolbar=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=5,top=0,width='+(screen.availWidth-20)+',height='+(screen.availHeight-30)+',scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes');\" onmouseout=\"return nd();\" onmouseover=\"return overlib('A similar Massachusetts State Police aircraft visiting a local high school. policeHelo2.jpg 66233',CAPTION,'Image');\">policeHelo2.jpg<\/a><br \/>\n<br \/>\n<a href=\"javascript:opWin('\/img\/imgPopup.htm?i=\/img\/policeHelo5.jpg&#038;w=0400&#038;h=0262', 'imgPopupWin', 'toolbar=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=5,top=0,width='+(screen.availWidth-20)+',height='+(screen.availHeight-30)+',scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes');\" onmouseout=\"return nd();\" onmouseover=\"return overlib('The emblem I could not identify in my own photos is clearer in this photo. policeHelo5.jpg 97945',CAPTION,'Image');\">policeHelo5.jpg<\/a><br \/>\n<br \/>\nAnd lastly, this <a href=\"http:\/\/www.helispot.com\/photos\/03011.html\" onmouseover=\"return overlib('Helispot - Photos - Photo #03011, Eurocopter AS355N TWINSTAR',CAPTION,'www.helispot.com');\" onmouseout=\"return nd();\">very informative page<\/a>.&nbsp; <\/p>\n<p>\nIn <a href=\"javascript:opWin('\/img\/imgPopup.htm?i=\/img\/MassStatePoliceHeloUnder2.jpg&#038;w=0586&#038;h=0494', 'imgPopupWin', 'toolbar=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=5,top=0,width='+(screen.availWidth-20)+',height='+(screen.availHeight-30)+',scrollbars=yes,resizable=yes');\" onmouseout=\"return nd();\" onmouseover=\"return overlib('Seeking a radiosonde? MassStatePoliceHeloUnder2.jpg 158131',CAPTION,'Image');\">this image<\/a>, a dangling square structure beneath the body of the helicopter, directly in front of the floodlight, seems to me to be perhaps the airborne equivalent the directional antennae arrays I see on the roofs of some police cars used for locating stolen cars.&nbsp; <\/p>\n<p>\nNeed I say more?&nbsp; I love my <a href=\"http:\/\/www.dpreview.com\/reviews\/sonydscf717\/\" onmouseover=\"return overlib('Sony DSC-F717 review: Page 1. Introduction \\[Digital Photography Review\\]',CAPTION,'www.dpreview.com');\" onmouseout=\"return nd();\">camera<\/a>.&nbsp; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I woke up, started the coffee, and heard a helicopter go over my house.&nbsp; I folded the futon and heard a helicopter go over my house again.&nbsp; I poured my first cup&mdash;oh! that first cup is always so glorious&mdash;and my &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/burgwinkel.com\/blog\/?p=402\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[794,793],"class_list":["post-402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-web-searching","tag-www-helispot-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/burgwinkel.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/burgwinkel.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/burgwinkel.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/burgwinkel.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/burgwinkel.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=402"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/burgwinkel.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1153,"href":"https:\/\/burgwinkel.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402\/revisions\/1153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/burgwinkel.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/burgwinkel.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/burgwinkel.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}