(Supposedly) True Story

[sparrowhawk]

Laughing my head off. Great story!

Some years ago, I seriously got the creeps when there was something veeery strange hovering nearly motionlessly at about eye level near the road I used to get back home from work, quite late one Friday evening. Full beam revealed it to be a smallish fairground gas balloon in heart shape which had escaped it´s owner, seemingly already partly deflated. I managed to catch it and to put it into my car in order to keep it from scaring more drivers, leaving it in there for the night. It just floated on, moving from side to side of my car in a very relaxed, peaceful manner, like a dreamy alien life form.- But it scared hell out of my neighbour when he walked his dog very early next morning, casually peering into my car! :D

[Paperbeam]

I ordered several micro RC helicopters (the toy ones that fit in the palm of your hand) to sell locally this Christmas, which worked out quite well.

However, I was in the mall the other day testing one out (my place is quite cluttered and I wanted to see how well it would fly in a totally open space) and it seemed to be responding well until a light breeze came wafting down the empty escalator in front of me.

A few girls had just sat behind me on the bench, and the helicopter started spiralling right towards them out of control. With a devilish mind of its own, it started buzzing them like a giant, deranged red mosquito!

Now, mind you, these things are so light they can whack right into you without causing any damage, but the nearest girl didn't even know what the helicopter was at first glance, so she shrieked and swatted at it - which unfortunately made things worse. With a last valiant attack, the little red bastard proceeded to cleverly entangle itself right into her hair!

Thankfully she didn't destroy it, and I was able to sheepishly get it off her. We all left the area and I guess I was lucky that there wasn't an encounter with the mall cops.

Another time I was at an RC meet on Vancouver Island and was almost decapitated (luckily my dad spotted it coming and told me to take cover) by a large airborne fighter model, but that's another story entirely...

Terry

Ping-Pong Ball Cannon and N/Z scale Old West paper models (free samples) at: http://www.paperbeam.com