Like being in a movie!

Oh! Really? You don't get helicopters dropping into your local high street? Yeah............ we get them all the time, you know how it is.

Hello there! Yes, we had an air ambulance land in our high street this afternoon, so I'm abandoning my unfinished scarf reveal to bring you these photos hot off the press.

I'm thinking that exciting helicopter photos will make up for not having colourful photos, which is generally my preference these days.

I was in my studio, having just finished lunch, when suddenly I felt like I had stepped onto the set of an action movie. There was a helicopter hovering over our house, and would you believe, I did have a moment of madness and think  "have I done something wrong?" Which is ludicrous, but they say the innocent always think they're guilty (just made that up actually). Anyway, after that bizarre guilty moment passed, and I could see the helicopter had inched away from our house, but not much, it dawned on me that the helicopter was landing nearby. Now that was strange, because there's not really any free space for a helicopter to land around here. I raced out of the house, and tried not to run full pelt, in the direction of the helicopter. By the time I had turned the corner, there it was, parked in the middle of the street.
Just sitting there. And crowds of people were thronging the pavements, being kept at a short distance by the police.
Sadly, an old gentleman had had some sort of accident, and it was serious enough to get the air ambulance to land in the street. Poor old man, he was alive, and moving, but I don't know how serious it was.
For that helicopter to land in the street, the pilot must have been extraordinarily good at his job.

The pilot would have had to lower the helicopter down very precisely, between buildings, without touching anything with its huge spinning blades.

We all wanted to see something we could hardly believe possible. Noone amongst the huge crowds was lingering to ogle the poor man being carried to the ambulance, that wasn't it at all, and although we were all concerned for him, we lingered because we wanted to see the helicopter take off, in the narrow space.

And you too can watch this feat of take-off, in the next photographs.

 

 
 
 
 
 

And off the old gentleman went, to a hospital near Newcastle. I hope he makes a full recovery.

As the helicopter took off, it bagan to suck the air in around it, and I was close enough to be pulled towards it, which was an unnerving sensation. I found myself inching closer to the wall on my left, snapping away with my camera, mesmerised by the helicopter inching itself upwards.

Then it was gone, and as I finished snapping, I looked around, and everything was back to normal, people hurrying on, traffic moving, as though nothing out-of-the-ordinary had ever happened. That was strange.

Who would believe it, if you said you were stopped in traffic, because a helicopter had landed in your high street. As excuses for being late go, that could be one of the more unusual one's don't you think?

Well, our town will be talking about it for years to come no doubt. That may well be the closest we'll come to having an alien aircraft land in our midst.

Hopefully I'll have my Little Scarf reveal all sorted for you tomorrow. Fingers and toes crossed. See you tomorrow! Love Vanessa xxx

Comments

[Heather]

How exciting to have a helicopter land in your high street! I hope the man was ok too.

[melissa]

holy cow! that's tight quarters for sure. you're right. pilot obviously very skilled at his job.

[lucy]

Aren't those pilots clever? At the hospital I work at, the air ambulance lands in the road next to the car park. The field it used to land in is now a huge coronary care unit x

[Jennyff]

Who says our health service is no good, can't get better service than that. Well done you getting such great action shots, you really captured the excitement.

[Karen]

My boys loved this. We had one land next to us once in a car-park on the shore of Loch Maree in the Highlands. It came down so fast we nearly died of fright. Did Hugo miss all the excitement? Karenx

[Kymm]

Oh, that poor old man! Thinking good thoughts for him and wishing him a speedy recovery!

I know that sensation of guilt--I feel it every time a police car passes me, lights flashing or not. I didn't do it! I swear I didn't! ;-)

[Lululiz]

How very exciting! I have great admiration for those guys.

[wonderwoman]

wow, amazing pics! hope the poorly man is okay now.

x

[Liz T.]

That roundabout is obviously a heli-pad in disguise.

[maggie]

We were awoken in the middle of the night but a blinding light coming in through the bedroom window. Your mind, at that time and being jolted out of sleep, doesn't at first comprehend, then kicks into overdrive, with images of alien spaceships and the like. We gingerly opened the curtains, to see this massive beam of light sweeping around from a police helicopter.... they were looking for a missing person who they believed may have been hiding in the woods nearby. Then there was the night of the earthquake last year, when we were awoken by rattling wardrobe doors, slight movement in bed... did the earth move for you darling?!!!
But from the way the pilot skilfully handled the helicopter, you can see why our pilots are claimed to be amongst the best-trained in the world, and why other countries send theirs here to be trained. Good piccies Vanessa, but we'd expect nothing less!

[Magic Cochin]

Golly! you won't forget that in a long time!

In our little village we're still talking about the day the air ambulance landed in the graveyard between the church tower and a row of cottages. A boy had been knocked off his bike by a car which just drove off! His life was saved by a specialist in head injuries who was flown in to treat him as he was driven slowly and carefully to hospital.

The skill of the pilots is incredible - as you witnessed and captured in your amazing photos - bet your local TV/radio website would like to see them too.

We found out that our air ambulance is funded toatally by donations and has no government support! Needless to say it's now a very popular charity for evryone in our village.

Celia

[Charlene]

My hubby told me to tell you that your photos are awesome :) He loves aircraft of all kinds and was sitting next to me when I clicked on your blog...

[Gemma]

How exciting! And totally worth missing the scarf pictures for!!

[French Knots]

Goodness, you wouldn't have thought it was possible to squeeze a helicopter in there. What amazing skill on the part of the pilot.

[Mummy Boo Bear]

Whooo really dramatic stuff. I wonder what that man in the top window of one of the shop was thinking, being that close to those whizzing blades???!!!

Hope the poorly man is ok and well done on the pictures. Real good stuff.

MBBx

[Shelagh Campbell]

Unfortunately, we had a similar incident last year behind my house. I say "unfortunately" because it was a murder in a house one street over, although it was first described as a home invasion.

I was letting the dogs out at 6:30 for their morning necessaries when I heard the helicopter and felt the downdraft. It appeared to have landed somewhere behind my house so I quickly dressed, got the dogs on their leashes and off we went to have a bit of a nose around.

I didn't get far because the Life Flight helicopter had landed in a small cul de sac, where the police had taken a stop sign out of the ground to make more room for the rotor blades. Someone was loaded into the body of the helicopter and off it went with, it turns out, the husband. Apparently, Life Flight takes the person who has the most chance of survival.

It turns out this was not a home invasion but a husband who stabbed his wife many times while she was still asleep and then stabbed himself a couple of times (quite superficially) to make it appear they had been attacked. It was only a couple of hours before he confessed as is story was way too thin to be believable.

Apparently, the couple was having financial difficulties and this was his way of solving the problem, rather stupid really. The saddest part is that they had 9 year old twin boys who were asleep at the time. They are now living with their older half sister.

A very sad tale indeed but rather exciting at the time and yes, a lot of folks were late for work that day because of police blockades.

By the way, a trip like that in Life Flight here in Houston costs around $8,000!

[The Curious Cat]

Not something you see everyday eh? Cool! xxx

[Emma]

Hello from a lurker.

It used to happen a lot in Birmingham until A&E was moved from the hospital in the centre of town (then they used to land practically in my back garden instead - good for scaring off burglars).

I keep looking at your beach photos, and wondering, as a NE lass in exile, whether I've been there.

Emma

[penny]

Helicopter pilots are amazing! I do hope the old man makes a quick recovery, and your photo sequence was brilliant. Is your other job 'roving reporter'!?

[louise]

Wow, Awesome Magawsome, Well done Vanessa!!

[Alice Saltiel-Marshall]

Excelent photo essay, Vanessa. Wow ... I am sure it was nothing short of spectacular to watch a helicopter pilot lower (and then raise) his craft into a high street! Perhaps your local papers will reveal the outcome of the air rescue and you'll pass it on to us readers?
Alice

[Sarah - Jane down the lane]

Goodness me that was all very epic indeed! and distracted me from asking how the scarf is coming along!

Love Sarah x

[Erica K]

Exciting...that does look like a rather precarious place to land! Wait a second...you aren't trying to find excuses not to show us that beautiful scarf, are you? :D lol

I remember, many years ago, there was a police helicopter flying really low in our neighborhood with it's search scanning the ground (it was night). I was rather afraid, but my dad went right out on the lawn to see what was happening. (stupid thing to do really...)

I don't know who they were looking for, or if they ever caught anyone. But I'll never forget...

[Julie]

wow, those are amazing action shots. The skill of the pilots is just unreal. What a bit of drama. Hope that the person they took off made a good recovery. x

[Volunteer opportunities]

That is so amazing! I hope the poor guy will recover soon.

Have a nice weekend!

[Calico Kate]

Aren't they brilliant - I wonder if he used the roundabout as his 'bullseye'? My husb was airlifted to hospital in Glasgow and was in A&E before dad & I got home. I have nothing but praise for our NHS they do a magnificant job.
Great pics - our local chopper is a yellow one.
CKx

[Becks Shaw]

Wow, great photo's! And what skill from the pilot too. You know, I always wanted to fly a helicopter in the RAF as a little girl but back then girls didn't do things like that and I was actually talked out of it at the enrolment office........... Good job really as I love who I am now.
Anyhow can't wait for the scarf reveal. Thanks for yet another lovely post.