Eurocopter AS-350 AStar (N5786X)

Here’s one from my archives going back to March 1984. While home on leave from the Air Force, I accompanied my old friends at Geneva Fire Dept, where I began my firefighting career, to a Med-Evac standby at Geneva Memorial Hospital, now known as UH Geneva Medical Center. Using my old Pentax K-1000, I caught N5786X, an Aerospatiale AS-350B Ecureuil, operated by Omni Helicopters, Inc., landing on the pad. While Metro Life Flight began operations in September 1982, it was still considered risky to some and firefighters were often asked to standby with their apparatus during landing and takeoff.