In today's media, news reports concerning the actions of a pilot
are rarely cause for celebration... unless you happen to be News
Helicopter Pilot Mason Dunn, a pilot for KWTV of Oklahoma City, OK.
Upon getting a frantic request for assistance in the rescue of a
Calf stranded on thin ice (literally) Dunn's Bell 407 went to the
rescue.
Helicopter Pilot Mason Dunn
Ranchers noted their calf stranded on a farm pond, last Monday,
with ice obviously too thin to affect a ground based rescue. Dunn
was no stranger to aiding God's little creatures in their time of
need, having performed a similar rescue a few years before when a
deer got caught on Lake Thunderbird.
The Watonga, OK, ranch thereafter became the scene for an
intriguing rescue as he flew in and used the rotor wash form the
helo to swoosh the little calf towards shore where it finally made
it to Terra Firma and the waiting arms of its ranch family. Dunn
noted that, "I [would have] never forgiven myself if I went out
there to try to save a calf and it fell through the water and
drowned."
Dunn added that, “But when I arrived, it was set up
perfectly for me… There were no trees, no wires. It was a
huge pond, the calf was out in the middle of the pond... It was an
easy decision, we just went right down there and it took me about
30 seconds to blow it over to the shore.”
It was one of those great moments when what we all to be true is
shown to the rest of the world -- that pilots are usually pretty
cool people and that aircraft are amazing machines that can be used
to enrich the lives of people -- and other mammals -- all over the
world. ANN thanks helo pilot Mason Dunn for reminding us all of
that over the holiday season... and giving us all one more reason
to be proud to be a member of the aviation world. I am even more
enthused with all this because of a common connection we share with
Mason... who got his start in aviation with one of our dearest
friends, Tom Jones... whom we lost in an airshow accident over 20
years ago. It was nice to see the effect that Tom is still having
on the world... through the people he befriended and mentored.
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