A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to shoot touch and goes at the Naval Observatory in DC. These are the choppers used to ferry the President. While most people will associate them as Marine 1 and 2, those call signs only occur when the President or Vice President is actually occupying the chopper. Their call signs were Night Hawk 5 and Night Hawk 6.
I arrived as Night Hawk 6 was finishing up their last round of touch and goes. The Sikorsky UH-60 was what I had envisioned I would be shooting, as I see them flying all over the DC area all the time.
But Night Hawk 6 was a Sikorsky VH-3D Sea king.
I have had an affinity towards flight since I was young. My Brother is the pilot but I think I'm more caught up in the romance and the fantasy of flying and especially its visual impact. This was certainly the closest I have been to helicopters taking off and landing. At one point on its approach I was directly under Night Wing 5 balancing precariously on a knee when its down wash blew me on my backside. I kept shooting but I couldn't help but wonder if the pilots were laughing.
And while I never had the opportunity to meet the pilots, they were kind enough to maneuver and hover the chopper so I could get some decent shots. Have to say a big thank you to my buddy/Neighbor Thom for setting this up. In fact it was his idea to begin with!
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