A PILOT GETTING UP THERE!

    THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4TH.
  
    A PILOT GETTING UP THERE!

    There have been a lot of famous trios over
the years
   You've probably heard of the Kingston
Trio, the Three Musketeers, and  Moe,
Larry, and Curly.
    But how many of you remember the trio
of Gobla, DeCosmo, and Dennis?!
  All right...maybe we weren't so famous. But
we were a team!
  For several years Bob Gobla was our pilot
when WYOU had Chopper 22. And it's a
a good bet the late Bob Dennis was the
photographer and I was the reporter on most
of its missions!
   I used the helicopter when ever possible
and it really paid off! We'd go out on one
specific story. But between our portable
police scanner and what we could see from
Chopper 22's glass cockpit we'd come back
with 3 to 5 extra reports!
    Gobla was a super pilot. And he wasn't
a guy to take any chances.
    Once, seconds after take off, we heard a
"rapping" sound on the outside of the
cabin. He immediately landed in the
nearest field to find out what was
happening. Gobla checked one side while
Bob Dennis looked at the other. I stayed
put which turned out to be a good thing.
    Had I joined the search they never would
had spotted the belt from my trench coat
hanging out side the door where, once
airborne, the wind rapped it against the
chopper!
     On another occasion we had just
completed a story at Knoebels Amusement
Park and had started our flight back to
Wyoming Valley.
     Bob Gobla asked me if I had done any
of my story on the roller coaster.
     I explained that, while I loved flying,
I didn't like roller coasters.
     Bob said he understood. It was the "dips"
I didn't like. Then...he did one....in the
chopper!
     My stomach left it's usual spot while
 Bob Dennis, who was sitting in the back
 seat, suddenly looked a little white to me!
     I never mentioned roller coasters to
 either Bob again!
     Helicopters, of course, eventually got
too expensive for most Television
stations and WYOU's Chopper 22 and
WNEP'S Skycam 16 are both now just
memories.
      For me, at least, they're good ones.
      I live right below what has become
 the flight path for medical choppers
 coming and going from Geisinger
 Medical Center in Luzerne County.
       I often think of Chopper 22 and
 our News trio whenever I hear them
 overhead!
      Bob Gobla is celebrating his
 birthday today. I hope it's a great one
 and that all of his...and your
 NEWS is good