POV Helo Food Drop: Intense!

Haiti, somewhere along the South “Claw,” probably near Jacmel. Notice the momentary “brownout” upon landing: This problem, dust obscuring visibility at low altitude from the wicked rotor-wash of an MH-60 Sea Hawk (the US Navy variant of the famed Blackhawk), is far worse in theaters such as Afghanistan or, especially, Iraq. This has led to the development of sophisticated virtual-horizons: extremely-precise 3-D renders of the area (provided by differential GPS) incorporated with radar information, create will one day evolve into the “transparent cockpit.” For now, Crew-chief Scott Hatch is the pilot’s eyes, communicating via hard-wired com systems. The drop is quick: Crowds form easily around food, and in some cases threaten to over-run the helicopter.