FRIDAY FOTO: May 6, 2016

Eerie Viewing.

U.S. Air Force photo by Yasuo Osakabe

Night vision goggles cast an eerie green glow on the eye of Air Force Technical Sergeant Christopher Rector peers through them during a training flight over U.S. Army Garrison Yokohama North Dock in Japan last month (April 25, 2016).

The internal lights of his UH-1N Iroquois helicopter — known everywhere as a Huey — paint an equally eerie glow on his fearsomely decorated crash helmet. A lot of helicopter crewmen in the U.S. military decorate the front of their crash helmets to look like skulls or orcs — just like some NHL hockey goalies.

Rector is a special missions aviator evaluator assigned to the 459th Airlift Squadron, which frequently trains to stay prepared for potential real-world contingencies and operations.