Overcoming Adversity
Before 2015, Gunship Helicopters was merely a pipe dream. With the father retired and the son having had flight training, the two realized there was an opportunity to make up for lost time together. Eager to generate revenue, in January of 2016 they started flying canyon tours in an AS350.
Both knew their long-term vision was to create an experience where ordinary people could fire a machine gun out of an open-door aircraft. They realized this concept would come with many hurdles and safety concerns. In the summer of 2016, the Fahnestocks discontinued their routine tours to focus on their greater adventure idea.
“We went through hell...we literally went through hell for about eight months,” Robert says. The concept of flying through the air while shooting a machine gun is foreign to many, so getting their plan approved was no easy shot. “We got a lot of noes from a lot of people,” Robert adds. Matt confirms their early regulatory challenges by saying, “Basically they (regulators) gave us a hard no to almost anything they could hold us up on.” Keep in mind, the team had no source of revenue and was expending mass amounts on the business startup, all while fighting an uphill battle with the feds.
At every step of the way, from the FAA to the permitting process, there was resistance. This resistance was mostly due to the unnerving fear of Gunship Helicopters’ idea. Robert relates, “Anybody that we would go to for permits would all have that ‘look’ — the look of ‘Are you really asking for permission to do this?’ Everybody believed they knew what was and wasn’t legal.”
Knowing they would be the first business of its kind, Robert says they wanted to set the standard for how to do it safely. The father and son dynamic duo remained undaunted. “We knew we could jump past the obstacles by doing it right the first time,” Robert says. The team agrees that the early adversity they faced ultimately sharpened their procedures and standards.
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