Joy Ridin' with Presidential Airlift

We just completed the work week...today is our down day. That's Friday for the rest of the world. Thursdays are a half day and Friday is don't go to work day. It was a good week for some and a weak week for others...like ME!

It is still a mystery how this place operates...but we're adapting, which is different than 'understanding' but we have a place to sleep (and my bed has only come apart once while I've been sleeping) and food...but no ice. 

While we're on this subject, WHY DO the Europeans hate ice? What is wrong with them? It's not hard, you just freeze water. And yet so many silly Americans admire and adore everything European? 

Okay...I'm a little guilty of that, they know how to build a bar here in KAIA. That's pronounced Key-YA. It's the airport...anyway, the Dutch built the Holland House, it's awesome and the Italians built a Beach Pit. The poor Dutch get a raw deal though, no real beer, and they get paid in dollars instead of Euros...just LIKE US!

So back to the week in review....

I haven't gotten a chance to fly...except for riding in the back...and that SUCKS, when you're not driving...I just slept because after the brief, I was scared.

This is the Americans briefing up...after we made 'adjustments' to his brief (he briefed he was going to fly at all the altitudes you're not supposed to fly at...unless you enjoy being shot at)

This is me sitting in the back of President Karzai's  helicotper. We were taking it for a joyride. It had a nice leather interior, some wood paneling and a tv...it's no Marine One but it's pretty nice for a Russian helicopter! 

And this is 'Mater, he's um...been working on F-16's, and breathing lots of fumes...and ate a lot of paint chips as a kid. He usually wears a helmet. To cross the street. But he can put his seat belt on by himself, most of the time!

This is the bigman...in proper flying garb, 'cept for the empty magazine well on his GUU-5. Don't worry, we do have bullets, ...somewhere, I think. (just kidding, we traded our ammo for a ping pong table and a kiddy pool....okay, not really, it was for ice cubes)

Beaker was scared too...it sucks sitting in the back and letting someone else fly. So like a good helicopter pilot, he maintained diligent vigilance...and hoped to wake up in Baghram in one piece. This is a good technique we use, called 'sometimes its just better not to see it coming'.

We made it to Bahgram and back safely. But it was best to do it with your eyes closed. The nice thing about flying into an airport in and Afghan Air Corp helicopter, everyone gets out of your way because they think pilots have no idea what they're  doing...which incidently, described us pretty well.