Aaron and I had to make a really quick trip to Albuquerque in order to do our last little sign off for our 133/137 certificate.  We made a quick stop in Chicago where we went to a WhiteSox game due to the fact that the last year when we came we got rained out!  We had time to catch a quick boat ride downtown Chicago showing us all the architectural buildings….which was awesome.  After a quick tour of the city and some stellar ice cream, we ventured out to the stadium as our seats included the buffet.  Aaron and I were beyond exhausted from all the fighting fires and traveling from here to there that we only made it to the 7th Inning Stretch (we always have to get the song in!!!) and then retired for the evening as we had an early flight in the morning and lots to do once we arrived in Albuquerque After seeing the WhiteSox lose to the Royals….I am left with only 7 more MLB Stadiums to see….insert sad face! 

Once we landed in New Mexico it was off to the races in order to get everything lined out for the FAA Inspection…which is always a stressful ordeal.  We hadn’t seen the Red Rocket since we dropped it off in PA.  We had someone ferry it to New Mexico as we didn’t have the time to do it ourselves…so once we figured out the correct location of where it was being stored (inside joke), we got to it!  

Our first objective was to figure out if the Bambi bucket (which we had to lease for this occasion as they are very expensive and we don’t plan on bucketing with this machine) held water and was is good shape.  We had a few issues with the bucket at first, but with the help of a local helicopter engineer watching us from down the road and Aaron’s knowledge, we got it figured out.  Then we had to go burn off as much fuel as possible because the DA (density altitude) in Belen, New Mexico was extremely high.  So we took everything out of the helicopter to make it as “skinny” as possible, including the doors and took her out for an early evening sunset tour!  Once again, Aaron never ceases to amaze me with his flying skills and the fact that he can jump into any chopper at anytime like it’s not a big deal.  

We had one more day to make sure we were ready to go, so we used it as a trial run and got a few buckets of water and took a few videos just incase it didn’t go as planned on the big day.  It’s that time of year where afternoon storms are very prominent, so as scheduled, our afternoons were pretty much shot for further flying and testing….but we felt pretty confident that we were ready to go the next day!  

Our meeting was scheduled for 1 PM in Belen, New Mexico.  We arrived around 9 in the morning to get the helicopter and bucket out and ready to go.  Once set up we got out all our necessary documents and then just had time to kill (or pace back and forth lol). The FAA Inspector arrived on time but then we had to wait for about 30 minutes for his partner.  With the temperatures only continuing to rise, afternoon T-Storms in the forecast, and more anxiety….the other gentleman finally arrived and it was Aaron’s time to shine.  After about 3 hours and a quick demo in the helicopter….Aaron successfully completed our 133/137 Certificate.  There really isn’t anything Big A can’t do….and I am so proud of him.