Once again, a new flying bug has bit me. This time the bite came from a bug-like aircraft – a helicopter. I had a chance to fly a Eurocopter AS350B3, also known as an AStar, the same type of helicopter that landed on top of Mt. Everest a few years ago and set an unbeatable record for the highest altitude landing and takeoff.
But while the AStar is capable of reaching more than 29,000 feet (while only certified to 23,000 feet), I wasn’t looking for altitude. I flew at 1,000 feet along the beautiful beaches south of Santa Barbara, California and then over the mountains to Lake Castaic before bringing the chopper back to Camarillo for lunch.
