Helicopter Buzzes Wal-Mart

If you used 35mm...and if you hve the desire to follow up...there was a
situation here in Seattle where a homeowner had snapped a 35mm picture of a
"low flying" airplane. One of the more technically astute ops inspectors
measured the wingspan on the slide, did the necessary math, and proved that
the plane was legal.

Bob Gardner

wrote in message
oups.com...
I was shopping at a Wal-Mart on December 17, 2004, when I noticed
outside a helicopter flying just over the tops of the parked vehicles
in front of the store. It was flying towards me, about 20 feet above
the ground and climbing. I got a photograph of it when it was about 50
to 70 feet in the air. It quickly flew up past me and over the top of
the building.

I realize that helicopters have a lot of flight freedom, but it is
still shocking to see one flying directly towards oneself like this.

Coincidentally, an assistant manager at that store told me last week
that I was not allowed to bring my camera inside the store. He cited
security risk, and made a vague reference to the cameras they sell in
the Electronics Department. So, it may be difficult to get photos like
the one I took, at least from that store.
http://members.aol.com/rekgallery/WM_Heli/WM_Heli.html

"If you used 35mm..."

No, it was a digital camera.

Not that it's immediately relevant to the subject, but you may find it
amusing. I had a friend who once brought a film camera into a Frys
Electronics (growing chain, mostly west coast I think) and went through
the motions of taking a picture. A security guard said he'd have to
confiscate the film, and my friend objected, saying that he had lots of
shots on there he didn't want to lose. Frys then developed the film
for him with the understanding that they would remove any shots of the
inside of the store. Humorously, the film had already been fully
exposed by the time this happened, so they ended up developing the film
for him gratis, and he received the prints and negatives intact.

He felt that he found a creative way to thumb his nose at their 'No
photos' policy.

"He felt that he found a creative way to thumb his nose
at their 'No photos' policy."

How nefarious!

I took a photo inside a Fry's Electronics store, back when I did not
know they had a policy against it. I soon found out, as someone walked
up to me and told me it wasn't allowed. No one tried to get the single
photo I had taken, though, and I still have it.

But, see, Fry's lets people take cameras inside their store. I have to
get a yellow slip with the serial number filled out before I go into
the main part of the store, but they have never given me any trouble
about carrying a camera around inside the store. Most merchants don't
give me any trouble for it.