Several months ago, a hospital not far from our home got outfitted with a new helipad. Consequently, the shelf next to the balcony door got outfitted with the camera (which, in turn, got outfitted with the telephoto lens)—and Anker and I have been sprinting for a view every time we think we hear one flying by.

The upside is we have a neat new hobby. So far we’re reporting no downsides.

Clockwise from top left are (1) the Texas-built Bell 412HP in use by the Polish Police since January 2012; (2) the Polish Air Force’s Polish-made PZL W3 Sokół; (3) German Eurocopter’s EC-135 model used for medical rescue as part of the fleet of 23 medevac machines in nationwide operation since 2011 and (4) the Soviet-designed Mil Mi-8, in Polish Air Force service since 1977. (No, that’s not a typo: that last machine really is almost forty years old. Yikes. Than again, so am I, but that’s a topic for another time.)