When we landed in Nairobi, I was walking across the ramp and saw a very clean looking Mi-17 helicopter. It was marked up as belonging to the police service. The person I was chatting to told me that this helicopter and its hangar was very expensive but never actually got flown. Apparently, it might be a bit of a waste of time and money. Not sure whether that is true or not but that was what I was told. It certainly did look very shiny.
The floatplanes may have been my main focus when I was at Brockton Point in Stanley Park but they certainly weren’t the only activity in the harbor. Plenty of boat traffic was on the move. The Vancouver Police were also on patrol. They had a RIB that they were zipping about on. I watched them head out towards Lion’s Gate Bridge without getting a shot but, when they returned, I figured they deserved my attention. A speeding RIB is a cool way to travel and this one looked like it had enough power for plenty of speed!
What does it say about having a guilty conscience that you immediately wonder whether you are the person being watched? Police helicopters come in all shapes and sizes. Some are hand me downs from the military. Others are old civil types. Some departments have the budget for modern types. It varies wildly. I was out shooting in Las Vegas when this helicopter came heading straight for me. Admittedly, he was coming from a long way off and I was really just in his path but, as I pointed the camera up at him, I couldn’t help but think that he was looking at me looking at him. Did I do anything wrong? I don’t think so. He kept going so I was probably okay.
