Meet a otor
Pro MARK SCHLAEFLI RPMN: What is your current position?
I am currently wearing two hats. I am the owner and president of Black Hills Aerial Adventures, primarily an aerial tourism operator based in the Black Hills of South Dakota, and I am serving as chief pilot for Redding Air Service, a utility operator with a primary base of operations in northern California. All of this has transpired within the last year. Over the last 12 years I have served as the chief pilot in Southern Nevada with Papillon and chief pilot and subsequently director of operations for Sundance Helicopters in Las Vegas.
RPMN: Tell me about your first experience with helicopters.
My very first flight in a helicopter was with Island Express flying from Long Beach to Catalina and back. I still remember the details vividly. It would be a couple of years before the drive to become a pilot would set in. After much research, I began my training in 2007, and nearly quit more than once while attempting to overcome a significant fear of heights. The first couple of autorotations in the H269C cured the fear and the career progressed.
RPMN: How did you get your start in helicopters?
My career path to date has taken some very traditional and predictable turns. I was fortunate enough to land an instructor job with Civic Helicopters right after I completed my training. I was fortunate to have worked and instructed alongside great people who helped to shape the foundation of how I approached my career. My first job after instructing was with Papillon in Boulder City, Nevada.
RPMN: When and how did you choose to fly or work on helicopters? Or did they choose you?
I spent the better part of 20 years working in an IT field, specifically graphic design, modeling, and animation primarily for engineering and architecture. I suppose there is a mix of who chose who. I was to the point where the hours were long, with most of it spent indoors chained to a desk. The goal was to get outdoors, and I placed no limitations on the career I would
12 Sept/Oct 2021
choose. It quite literally could have been as a landscaper just as easily as a helicopter pilot. I spent a good bit of time fishing offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, and on the way to the water would pass by the big helibases, and once on the water would marvel at the aircraft coming and going from the platforms seemingly nonstop. That exposure to helicopters is what made me decide to become a pilot.
RPMN: Where did you get your start professionally?
My first job after instructing was with Papillon in Boulder City. I made the trip in person to get a feel for the Las Vegas operators, and Papillon was the best fit. I knew one person who worked there, but the real connection came from the Heli-Success seminar, where I was a regular attendee from the very first one forward. One of the organizers had passed my name to the chief pilot there at the time, and I was fortunate enough to be hired on the spot during a visit.
RPMN: If you were not in the helicopter industry, what else would you see yourself doing?
It is infinitely difficult to imagine being involved in another industry. There was not a Plan B; it was all in to make this work regardless of the challenges. The people, machines and challenges I have been fortunate enough to work with so far have resulted in a connection, which makes a career in a different industry almost impossible to imagine.
RPMN: What do you enjoy doing on your days off?
Anything outdoors! I love to get out into the wilderness to hike, bike and explore. Music is a great interest, but I’m not any good at it so it’s more of a noise-making exercise than anything else. I hope to spend more time on the water with a fishing rod at some point.
RPMN: What is your greatest career accomplishment to date?
This is a difficult question to answer. In fact, there really isn’t anything that I alone have accomplished in the
industry...yet.
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