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One Last Flight

(Jerusalem Post) Reuven Ben-Shalom - Next week I will fly a Yasur (Sikorsky CH-53) helicopter for the last time, 26 years after my first flight in the Israeli Air Force. Flying the Yasur is a complicated task. There's not much room for error when you fly at night, 20 meters above the ground, at 200 km. an hour. I never say "yes" when asked "Is flying fun?" True, it is breathtaking, but I lost too many friends to consider the experience "fun." The variety of missions was unbelievable. One day we flew an incubator with a newborn, and the next we searched for a pilot who ditched off the coast. Some operations took months of planning and training, while others were planned and executed overnight. We flew missions that took us more than 1,000 km. from home. I will never forget the thankful and relieved look on soldiers' faces, as they came onboard behind enemy lines.
2013-05-03 00:00:00
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