It was very interesting. The flight deck wasn't much like the one for the KC-135 we saw last week, but it wasn't all that dissimilar either. It was nice, though, to see in person what the firefighters had been telling us about yesterday.
Now the skis are put on during manufacture of the plane, and can be raised and lowered so the plane can use the wheels. They end up raising the plane about 2 feet or so higher, and it's pretty high to begin with. I had trouble with the troop door on the side, and it required a little jump to reach the handle. It'll be even tougher with full gear on and the damned thing 2 feet higher. This is one of the taller guys in the class and he's about 6'3" or so (maybe taller?).
Here's a shot of the inside of that door. It's heavy as anything, and I had a hard time getting it to go up. I did find it amusing that it says "air and ground use only." Ummm...where else are you going to use it? Space? Underwater, perhaps?
This was the 'nose art'. Obviously, this plane is made specifically for the Ice. Here's a close up of the skis.
And if you have to go to the bathroom while you're in flight, this is where you go.
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