Today was your first flight in a helicopter. And have you got a scare!

The machine rises smoothly, as placed on a cushion of air. The sound of the rotors (not to be confused rotors and blades, it is here ) reaches you, muffled through the helmet the pilot asked you to put on your ears, and also serves as headphones. Seconds after takeoff, the helicopter rushes already muzzle forward, as you have already seen in films. It does not shake, but it freely advance in air: it's a bit the idea that you made you the flying carpet.
Already, the shadow of the camera, blades and skates away. Below, on the island of Reunion, the morning begins. Cars swallow the dual carriageway, the throngs of houses lined seem to pursue a peaceful existence and the distant ocean waves crashing face the big hotels recognizable by their ornate forms pools.
First flight. And you, you're there, in the air, in this tiny cabin with 6 other people. You were never ridden in a helicopter for all your life. The body, fine steel film is reminiscent of a used car. Nothing to do with the solid hull of Airbus. Much of the shell is made of glass, juxtaposed windows, fly's eye so. Even if you gave up watching the scenery, impossible to escape this vision of the void. In fact, a helicopter, it's a bit a flying 2CV. Yet there is a Squirrel, "manufactured by Eurocopter ( Helicopters Airbus today ) in Marignane, "says Cecilia Botta, captain of the Air Force retired, which controls the number of machines times per day for the account of the company Helilagon .
Fear of heights. The driver knows you're afraid. And to reassure you, she keeps talking into the microphone, in a soft voice, firm and reassuring. Every five minutes, she turned to the passengers, their smiles, their demand "are you?" And she says: "The first settlers arrived in La Réunion, in the bay of Saint-Paul, below, in 1665 ... The city of the Port, you now see on the left, is home to the fourth largest port in France ". And the world from there that seems so far away now. It's just ten minutes you fly and you got the feeling of being there for an hour.
Circuses and pitons. But already you get used. The helicopter flies over the forest quietly spread on the slopes of the west of the island, on the way to the top. There before, presents a ridge. And Cécile Botta says: "We arrive in the Mafate , one of the three cirques of the island soon under our feet, 1000 meters in altitude. ". The transition is abrupt. You look down, and see. And you see an abyss. Beautiful, but a chasm anyway. You shiver.
Canyons, plateaus, tournicotent roads in the mountains, fields, even in the shade, drop-offs. You spend binoculars camera and you know in advance that it is better to look with your eyes, because the photos will not make. In Mafate, as in other places steep, the helicopter is not just for tourists. Several villages inaccessible by road, are well bunkered. The-air is also the fastest way to get from one end to the other of the island in an emergency or as when a dignitary, such as the President of the Republic, visit Réunion.
The Iron Hole. The scenery file under your eyes and here already Salazie and the peak of Anchain, rocky protuberance that defies the clouds. The sun begins to illuminate the highest peaks. You breathe calmly, you're persuaded that we must trust the technique, you listen to the voice of the lady who always says, speaks botany, geology, history, gastronomy. And then cascades.
There are some famous water falls, Reunion. Including this one, iron hole, an abyss at the bottom of which are emptied several waterfalls. "Let's go!" Announced the pilot. The helicopter forward at speed along a green wall. "We will go right." The left of the chopper suddenly raises. The machine now operates almost horizontal. Your hands are sweaty, your brain applesauce. You have the ridiculous reflex to grab the metal bar before you. So you look out. White cataracts that perform dizzying jumps of several hundred meters into the lush vegetation. . Superb "Did you like it?" No mufti; you outline a smile. "So we go back."
Antics in series. Now the cuckoo addresses the Piton de la Fournaise, one of the most active in the world. The Volcano, as say the islanders with a capital V. In headphones, the conference turns volcanology: the formation of the dome, rashes, Hawaiian phenomena. The crater appears on the left, deep, formidable, lunar. This is the moment chosen by the driver to perform a somersault. The unit is raised sharply. You tell yourself that dry land is still not bad. You remember your fears of transport: this motorcycle enthusiast who had taken you for a ride on the device, zigzagging nimbly in traffic; this rolling unconscious boyfriend to 130 km / h on the A6, a day of big departure, in the pouring rain, blind to brake.
Under your feet, the panorama is desert, rocky. "It's called the Plain of Sands. It's very easy to access. Filmmakers come to take some beautiful pictures to decorate their films. And it's a corner where you turn commercials for cars, "said the driver. Cecilia Botta inspire total confidence, but you stay on your guard. At one point, here she hesitates, who stumbles on a word. So irrationally, you worry if it is mistaken in his speech, does it not risk a small driving error?
Creole Vosges. Without transition, here "Creole Vosges", as said the guide, this part of the island where cows graze in the green pastures surrounded by soft wooden fences. It produces cheese. Amazing. Then Cilaos and "to the right of the device, the Piton des Neiges" summit over the island of its 3070 meters .
For a few more minutes parade circuses, pitons and ramparts, these wonders declared World Heritage by UNESCO since 201 0 over slopes covered with thick forests voisinant striking fractures at the bottom of which flow from the raging torrents. Cecilia Botta now list the local specialties "to put in her shopping list" before leaving the meeting: "tamarind jam, guava jam, vanilla, cheese from our cows ..."
Swallowing regularly. The landing approach, you fear the ultimate caper. The pilot will she not take advantage of the docility of its passengers to begin a complete U-turn, a kind of looping? Is it possible helicopter, anyway? It will not happen. The descent begins. "Remember to regularly swallow." The helicopter covers its base horizontally flying over its track, a language débroussaillée a hundred meters long. The aircraft landed. The blades gradually stop turning. The belts are loose.
You go down, glad these wonderful sensations. Photo shoot off the Squirrel. Cecilia Botta smiled. She has never stopped smiling throughout the flight. "The antics, you mean, turns? There are two 45-minute flight, it will!