"That's just ice from the props"

In the dark, in the weather, on our way to Alabama for a demo jump, flying as high as we could without everyone needing to go on oxygen, I kept hearing slapping noises I'd never heard before on the outside of the aircraft. I turned to another pilot sitting in the rear of the plane with me.

"Dawg, what the hell is that sound?"

"Nothing to worry about, Doc, that's just ice from the prop blades getting slung against the sides of the plane. There's an extra sheet of metal in that section of the fuselage just for that."

Thankfully, the Twin Otter has excellent de-icing systems. I've just never had the experience of depending on them before. I never tire of this job. Always something new.

Blogging may be light for the next few days. On the road for a jump demo in Alabama, and spending some time with an old friend--the best I made in four years at a college far from home. Last saw one another at our ten-year reunion, over 16 years ago. Renewed contact this past summer. Picked up the thread tonight as if no time had ever passed since our starlit walks of old. The people in one's life with whom that's possible are rare indeed.