25 January 2008

Please Return Your Seat to the Fully Upright Position


With the ethereal glow from the interior lights, we board a C17 Globemaster for the trip back from Qatar.

I'm dedicating this posting to air travel in Iraq. No long commentary, just some good photos and the video below. Enjoy.



The port M240-H gunner keeps a watchful eye as we pass low and fast above a Baghdad neighborhood.

Every exciting trip starts in a waiting room much like this. That's not shadowing you see on the tent's canvas sides, that's probably no more than 2 days worth of dust accumulation.


Helicopters, like figher jets, always travel in pairs. Here is our wingman with the expanse of desert sand below on a recent trip from Coalition Operating Base Speicher back to Baghdad.


Waterfront property anyone? The Tigris winds its way through a neighborhood outside of Taji.

An Australian Royal Air Force C-130 Hercules sits on the tarmac being loded for take-off. With a cruising speed of 336 mph, that is one long ride from Australia.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

What, no slippers and champagne? I'm proud of you for flying commercial with the peeps. Nicole

A said...

Yay! I knew my Aussie boys would make an appearance somewhere! Aussie! aussie! aussie! Oi! Oi! OI!! Bring it home boys! :)

Anonymous said...

So that's what it's like to fly in the daytime...

And without receiving ground fire.

Man, I'm really missing out...

Nathan said...

I recall something my old dad told me once, he said, "Son it's bad news when your wings are going faster than the fuselage." I think of that everytime I get on a helo.

Lara Hopwood said...

Bob,

Love to see your grin and the thumbs up!

Take care.