I realize this is probably the most clickbait title ever. It’s funny because it’s true. This past Sunday morning a trio of attack helicopters literally buzzed my camp. See for yourself. Crank the sound for the full effect and the appropriate soundtrack. My only regret is that the camera refused to focus on the aircraft properly.
At first, I suspected they might have been helping rangers evict campers from Skooliepalooza, which got shut down because the organizers didn’t bother getting permits. It wasn’t really an airstrike (the lack of permits thing is true), but it’s funny to think of it that way. They’re a long way from Parker, though, and flew right over me, so what — or who — was their true target?
A friend who served in the Army told me they were probably just taking a Sunday morning joyride. Pilots have to stay in practice, war or no war, so why not go somewhere interesting? Quartzsite is definitely interesting, particularly right now when the BLM areas surrounding the town are full of campers, RVs, van lifers, and so on. It can even give them an idea of what a refugee area might look like if some kind of disaster struck one of the major cities not far from here, like Phoenix or Las Vegas.
More than anything, though, it was simply a fun sight to see. I haven’t seen anything like this since the F/A-18 Incident. This time I think Lister slept through the whole thing.
Smokey Da Van 