Scott's Big Adventure

I am still in New Mexico taking care of the finishing touches on my new machine for the summer.

N32AT, which is a Bell 407 helicopter is without a doubt the nicest helicopter I have maintained in my career. Great paint scheme with high visibility colors, like new condition, and the best ride of any helicopter I have ever worked with. This is one sweet ride!

I will be working as the mechanic on this aircraft for Aerotech LLC. I have talked a little about them before, but was hesitant to say much about the company until I talked to the owner who gave me permission to take pictures of his machinery and put them on my blog. Expect to see many pictures this summer of not only my helicopter, but just what happens in remote Alaska during what could be a monster fire season this year. We had little snow during our mild winter, so the entire state is dry already.

I will be working, along with my pilot (more about her to come) in Galena, a remote village in the interior of our state. The only way to get there is by air or water during the summer and also by snow machine in the winter.

I have very mixed feelings about this adventure that has already started. On one hand, this is a very good opportunity for me after a couple of very tough years. I know how to do this type of work and I am good at it. I enjoy remote helicopter work. On the other hand, my wife is not in good health. I feel so much that I need to be with her. I don't like the fact that I have to leave her in a cabin with no services other than satellite internet and a land line telephone. I will be gone for most of the summer and know how tough this is going to be for both of us. Leaving her while we were in our home was one thing, leaving her alone in a cabin is another thing entirely.

Somehow, we will make it through this. Somehow, I will continue to claw my way back up in my profession. Somehow, I will take care of my wife the way she deserves. My hope is that this current job will lead us to stability again, where she will have some comfort and peace of mind. The last couple of years were not only tough on me, they have been extremely hard on my wife. She is an extraordinary person. Most women would have left by now.

She just wants to make her art. She enjoys it and she is good at it. As good as I feel that I am on my helicopters, her art vision and creativity are above and beyond my capabilities.

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