The Encounter

We do our best: we check the maps, take measurements, go out there, cross the marshes, squeeze between the trees, find a rock, wait, listen, look around, take it slow, do a few reconnaissance flights, get a pretty good sense of the terrain — and then, all things considered, we think: alright, let’s do this. That’s when… this happens. Good news: the pilot and the bird are both fine, even if the encounter took them both slightly by surprise.