Hans Overturf: A New Perspective
Imagine the city you live in. Imagine its streets, its avenues. Imagine the route you take in your car to your local grocery store, or the pedestrian path you take to your local dry cleaner's. Picture in your mind the trees that line your front lawn, the side view of your favorite ice cream parlor. Now take a step back. All of these images were brought to your mind from a single perspective. You've lived your entire life seeing your world from one single, unalterable viewpoint. Unless, that is, you've flown in a helicopter.
I'm no expert on life. There are plenty of things that I've never seen, heard, or experienced. But I try my best to attain new perspectives wherever I can. That's why I spend a great deal of my time, when I'm not at work, hunting down new directions. I am an avid yoga enthusiast (a glance at my site, Hans Overturf: A Man of Many Passions will certainly shed light on a few of the reasons I adhere to this mental and physical exercise), and I also spend a great deal of time running the many paths the California foothills. Hans Overturf: a Guide to Running in California is a site that details some of my thoughts on the subject.
In addition to running and yoga, there are numerous other activities that I choose to participate in outside office hours. One primary activity that I think helps define me as a person is my hobby of helicopter flying. The perspective one gains at the helm of a helicopter cockpit is unlike any other I've personally experienced. Taking into account the sheer scope of the view from the front of a helicopter, just one moment is enough to get you hooked.
Not to say there aren't problems with helicopters. The noise associated with them is a frequent source of complaint. We've all heard the sound of a chopper high above our head as traffic reporters scope out the scene of an accident or the snail's pace of a particularly slow commuter morning. Or maybe we recall hearing the beating of the circular propeller of a helicopter above our own homes, and have wondered what "all the commotion" was all about. Recently, in the lavish Hamptons region of New York State, helicopter noise pollution has disturbed the daily habits of residents, as affluent vacationers have used the low flying commuter devices to travel to their out-of-the-way mansions.
The helicopter traffic has disturbed the peace of many, according to the New York Times and government officials are doing their best to improve the situation.
My affinity for helicopter flying is not without pitfalls. Like most people, I have no intention of disturbing the rest or peace of residential dwellers. It is for this reason that I steer clear of areas with homes, directing myself towards more unusual, tranquil vistas. When all I want to achieve from flying is a sense of peace, I of course harbor no desire to disturb the daily lives of others.
Hans Overturf: the Joys of High-Altitude Sojourns
Why do I enjoy helicopter flying so much? It has a lot to do with the view, naturally. Seeing the world from up above certainly has is perks. There's certainly not much in the way of traffic, unless you count birds!
Also attractive is the challenge of flying a helicopter. Flying a helicopter is no easy task. It takes training and practice to be even functional and safe at the helm of a helicopter, let alone adept. Coordination on multiple levels: with your feet, your hands, and your reaction times, are all keys to success (and survival) while piloting a helicopter. When one sets challenges for oneself, and one is able to meet those challenges and rise to new levels of success, this is when self-esteem and character are developed.
When it comes to helicopter flying, there are challenges and there are gorgeous views. There is also the immediacy and the excitement of being aboard a helicopter, and the feeling of being part of that massive machine. Life takes on a different appearance from the sky, and the higher you rise in the air the further your problems back down on the ground seem to feel.
My name is Hans Overturf. I am a Swiss-American financial advisor, and a man of many passions. One of these passions is helicopter flying. Feel free to take a look around my site to learn more about me and about flying helicopters.