| » Forum Index » The Friday Challenge » Topic: Challenge 764: Up, up and away |
|
Posted on 12/07/19 08:46:32 AM |
|
Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 7025 Reply  |
Challenge 764: Up, up and away
Some of you may remember my friend Giles, who was wrestling with a drain in a Friday Challenge now lost in the Big Hole of 2016. Last weekend saw the 60th birthday of his fabulous wife Sarah, who celebrated in style with a vast party at their house in France. One of the guests arrived by helicopter - and here are Giles and Sarah posing in it, displaying Giles's fondness for the local tipple. Of course, it would look much better if the chopper was flying. Can you oblige? High res is here.  |
Posted on 12/07/19 09:45:38 AM |
|
Mariner
Renaissance Mariner Posts: 3060 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 764: Up, up and away
Well well, Steve's old mate Giles Curtis is back. You can check him out folks at www.frenchfamilygites.com |
Posted on 12/07/19 09:48:23 AM |
|
DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5674 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 764: Up, up and away
A modest little place .......... _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 12/07/19 09:49:55 AM |
|
DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5674 Reply |
Challenge 764: Up, up and away
Hoping we are going to supply your birthday card are we Steve?  _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 12/07/19 10:24:31 AM |
|
DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5674 Reply |
Re: Challenge 764: Up, up and away
Unless I am mistaken that looks the tiny Robinson chopper. I spent many hours flying in in one of them in Texas filming cattle roundups. A cute but slightly scary beastie. _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 12/07/19 10:36:59 AM |
|
josephine harvatt
Gag Gadgeteer Posts: 2603 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 764: Up, up and away
O la la! _________________ I'm not really bad - I just draw that way |
Posted on 12/07/19 10:45:05 AM |
|
Mariner
Renaissance Mariner Posts: 3060 Reply |
Re: Challenge 764: Up, up and away
Yes, David, it's a Robinson R22 Beta owned by HQ Aviation Ltd. If it is still being beta tested then it could be a bit scary. 
|
Posted on 12/07/19 11:57:20 AM |
|
lwc
Hole in One Posts: 3227 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 764: Up, up and away
A chopper selfie quickie... "Fly lower... lower!"  |
Posted on 12/07/19 2:52:00 PM |
|
DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5674 Reply |
Re: That Giles is such a show off!!
I thought this was going to be a simple quickie. It proved much harder than I expected. One those 'seemed like a good idea at the time' ideas. Ended up very fiddly to try and get right.  _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 12/07/19 3:22:18 PM |
|
DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5674 Reply |
Re: Challenge 764: Up, up and away
I was flown by a big hefty six foot four Texan ex 'Nam chopper pilot called Rusty who flew in a stetson! He was a fixed wing crop sprayer most of the time. Even though I am only a little fellow, by the time we had loaded up my movie camera, spare rolls of film, spare battery and tripod (the latter strapped to the outside) we were at absolute limit for loading. We were shooting at 2000 ft above sea level and he had difficulties taking off with such a full load. We only had to get a little bit higher into the sierras and he could no longer take off. He would make me wait outside right beside the chopper and get into a hover just off the ground. Then he would start to move forward with me running desperately beside him until he had enough 'transitional lift' to carry the weight - at which point he would yell 'JUMP' and I would perilously scramble to hurl myself into the moving passenger seat. It's fun when you're just forty but I wouldn't want to do it nowadays .....  _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 12/07/19 3:31:57 PM |
|
DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5674 Reply |
Re: Challenge 764: Up, up and away
I forgot to mention that the only reason that this was even possible is that for filming the passenger door was removed entirely. _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 12/07/19 4:38:13 PM |
|
Mariner
Renaissance Mariner Posts: 3060 Reply |
Re: Challenge 764: Up, up and away
That's an interesting story David. Why don't you do a picture of you climbing onto/into the chopper? I only once flew in a helicopter without a door. It was so you could jump in and out quickly. I was a Royal Signals corporal serving in N. Ireland when the troubles were on. I had a great view from three hundred feet or so straight down to the fields below. Unforgettable days. No I don't want to use that for my challenge this week. Another time maybe. |
Posted on 12/07/19 5:43:58 PM |
|
DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5674 Reply |
Re: Challenge 764: Up, up and away
I had a special harness (improvised with rope and webbing) that allowed me to sit in the seat sideways with my legs hanging out of the side, and of course my camera (hand held with a gyro stabiliser) was attached with safety ties too. Rusty was bit of a joker and loved to do really steep right turns tilting the chopper so much to one side that I was left all but hanging from the straps facing the ground.  _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 12/07/19 7:23:18 PM |
|
lwc
Hole in One Posts: 3227 Reply |
Re: Challenge 764: Up, up and away
Same but different...  |
Posted on 12/07/19 9:14:34 PM |
|
srawland
Pixel Perfectionist Posts: 885 Reply  |
Re: Challenge 764: Up, up and away
So, it looks like this is a two-seater. So who is piloting the original? Giles? Sarah? Shouldn't someone's hands be on the steering wheel or whatever it's called? _________________ I'm still learning. |
Posted on 12/07/19 9:14:58 PM |
|
DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5674 Reply |
Re: Challenge 764: Up, up and away
Oh! Very nicely done! _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
Posted on 12/07/19 9:48:07 PM |
|
lwc
Hole in One Posts: 3227 Reply |
Re: Challenge 764: Up, up and away
Picky, picky, actually it's the new autonomous version of the Robinson R22A-XX Beta, she could reach the controls if necessary. Much like Uber's low emission version shown here... 
|
Posted on 13/07/19 01:36:43 AM |
|
srawland
Pixel Perfectionist Posts: 885 Reply |
Re: Challenge 764: Up, up and away
_________________ I'm still learning. |
Posted on 13/07/19 05:46:37 AM |
|
Mariner
Renaissance Mariner Posts: 3060 Reply |
Re: Challenge 764: Up, up and away
Loyd, I am increasingly impressed by your work, and I especially like your dusty helicopter, but shouldn't the tail rotor be spinning and should'nt there should be some sort of a shadow on the ground? |
Posted on 13/07/19 05:48:48 AM |
|
DavidMac
Director of Photoshop Posts: 5674 Reply |
Re: Challenge 764: Up, up and away
Three times the engine power on the right than on the left. Does this fly in circles Loyd?  _________________ The subtlety and conviction of any Photoshop effect is invariably inversely proportional to the number of knobs on it ....... |
| page: 1 2 3 4 5 last |