the Euro 2012 football (soccer) competition. I then headed straight back to the U.K. to work at the London 2012 Olympics. I flew above the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympics to provide aerial shots for the film crews. Our team used five or six Twin Squirrels. In total there were 10 helicopters flying over this four-week period.


My most recent achievement was completing my type rating for the AW139 in New Jersey. It was really inspiring and great to be learning about a new helicopter type. The training was run by Leonardo, and we now have two in the hangar and are looking into flying bigger helicopters that are multi-crew. Up to now, Castle Air has been single-pilot, but with the addition of the two AW139s we now have scope to grow in this area.


RPMN: Have you ever had an “Oh, crap” moment in a helicopter? Can you summarize what happened?


Once I was flying for a deer count in Scotland, which must be conducted in the snow so you can see deer against the mountainside. I hadn’t done much mountain flying before that and I was caught in a downdraft; air was blowing the helicopter down faster than the helicopter could fly up. Fortunately, the wind doesn’t blow as fast near the ground, so once I moved lower, I was able to pull back into a hover. That was 15 years ago, and I still don’t like flying in a Scottish winter!


RPMN: If you could give only one piece of advice to a new helicopter pilot, what would it be?


My advice for new pilots would be to meet as many people in the industry as possible. It’s difficult to build experience without a job, and you won’t get a job without knowing people. Always ask for advice and talk about the next steps or next people they think you should meet. Most helicopter pilots are happy to help others.


Do you know someone who would be a good subject for Meet a Rotorcraft Pro? Email your suggestion to the editor-in-chief:


lyn.burks@rotorcraftpro.com rotorcraftpro.com 11


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