OK then, can I apply?
While not a chopper pilot, I've logged a few hours in the left-hand seat.
Initially with the Oz Army (Bell 47s), Parks and Wildlife (Gazelle) and then in mineral exploration (K-B 47s).
In terms of saving time and money (and not to mention lives) the helicopter is, of course, in a league of its own.
In exploration for example, I could achieve in one morning what would have otherwise taken many painful days by other means.
With Parks & Wildlife, inserting and extracting fire-fighting teams in critical locations would not otherwise have been possible in the time available to us.
As for the military applications, well, so many times it was a game-changer for us.
The most memorable?
As far as raising my adrenaline level to the red line, it was actually on the ground.
Early one morning in western Queensland, while the pilot was doing the walk-around, I was loading the photographic equipment etc into the K-B 47.
Unbeknown to us, a large Brown Snake (a particularly nasty and venomous type) had occupied the cab.
He made it clear that he was MOST unhappy about being disturbed and missed my hand by inches as he buried his fangs into the bag I was loading.
Naturally, this caused a bit of an upset and, while I was trying to stuff my heart back into my chest, one of the guys had a bright idea.
He grabbed the CO2 extinguisher and emptied its contents into the area occupied by the snake - giving him the idea that it would probably
be more comfortable elsewhere.
Over a much-needed cuppa, we speculated on the outcome if he'd made his presence known when we were airborne over difficult country.