WES LEMATTA Pioneer of heavy-lift helicopter operations.


Glenn Wesley “Wes” Lematta’s goal of flying aircraft originated in a muddy fox- hole in the Philippines during the wan- ing days of World War II. After the war, he returned to his family in Washington State, where he acquired his pilot’s license between stints working as a long- shoreman and driving vegetable trucks. During one drive, he heard a story on the radio about the need for helicopter


the dual flight instructor controls so that he could fly the helicopter from the left seat, allowing him to see the load below the aircraft. Te technique, known as direct visual operational control (DVOC), remains an industry standard in the utility sector today. In the early to mid-1960s, Wes and


his brothers Ed, Bill, and Jim acquired a Sikorsky S-61A, the first large helicopter purchased for the sole purpose of conducting external-lift operations, therein creating the heavy-lift helicopter sector. Te Lemattas used the S-61A for firefighting and construction work and created another industry standard, the bubble window for utility pilots, after youngest brother Jim almost experienced hypothermia while placing towers at high altitudes in Colorado. In the late 1960s and early 1970s,


Columbia Helicopters Model 234 UT | Columbia Helicopters Photo


pilots. After Wes talked it over with his family, his older brother, Ed, sold his gas station to help buy a used Hiller UH-12B. Despite having only one aircraft, in 1957 Wes formed Columbia Helicopters, with great aspirations for both his company and himself. Columbia started out selling helicopter rides from


street corners and at county fairs. Nearly six months later, Wes’s dramatic rescue of 17 sailors off the Oregon Coast gave him the exposure needed to expand his fledgling business. One day, during a power-pole project, Wes used


Wes began to acquire the tandem-rotor Boeing-Vertol 107-II helicopters that became synonymous with Columbia Helicopters. He also provided a helicopter for lumber company owner Jack Erickson, and the two developed the first financially successful helicopter-logging process. Te


partners later split, and Erickson eventually built his own company using Sikorsky Skycranes. In the 1980s, Wes and his brothers expanded their fleet of Boeing- Vertols and added the much larger Boeing Chinook. With just an eighth-grade education, Wes, who


died on Dec. 24, 2009, at age 82, made his expansive business vision a reality by hiring the best people he could find and letting them do their jobs. Today, his company remains one of the largest, most respected heavy-lift helicopter operators, conducting missions around the world.


SPECIAL COMMEMORATIVE ISSUE ROTOR 145


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