"If you can't beat 'em... join 'em"

This morning brought, not only the start of another busy week, but also a rude awakening. At 3am we were abruptly awoken by the sounds of an RAF Sea King helicopter circling directly above our house in Aboyne.
Unfortunately a local resident had gone missing the night before warranting a full scale recovery operation. Thankfully the lady was recovered and subsequently flown to ARI, however, it did take 3 hours.

After the first 20 minutes or so, and unable to sleep, I decided to just get up and watch the dazzling display of close-quarters flying demonstrated by the Sea King's crew. I got the binoculars out for a better view and boy did I get it. I could see the facial expressions of the pilot bathed in the green glow of his display. That gives you an idea of how close they were to us.

When it finally got bright enough I took out the camera and started snapping away. Determined to make the most of the early wake up call I managed to get some great shots. I even went as far as to e-mail the photo to the BBC and a couple of local news desks. To my pleasant surprise the BBC news website decided to use my photograph not to mention a few of the local papers showing interest.

It just goes to show what can happen if you are in the right place at the right time. Needless to say I went back to bed for a couple more hours after the excitement of the morning had subsided.

HERE is a link to the BBC article