Sketching at a Police Helipad

What could go wrong?

A field in Glendale, California, contains what I’m told is the world’s largest collection of police helicopters. It’s a calm, sunny day, ideal for trying out gouache paint. But I’m not expecting what’s about to hit me.

PATROL HELICOPTER, gouache on illustration board, 9½” x 13”.

I pass through a gate in the chain-link fence and approach a building. Inside…