reservations, shuttling customers back and forth, flying tours, and repeating the process again as many times as possible each day. After about six months of operating, Nicole was able to hire her first employee, a reserva- tionist and shuttle driver. “Leasing my first helicopter was a


pivotal moment. I was really young. I had to earn credibility and build my business. Being a young woman in a male-dominated industry, I may have faced more barriers, but I never quit,” says Nicole. “I’ve never seen myself as unequal. My vision, my voice, and my capabilities are equal to anyone else’s.”


Nicole started her


first helicopter tour company at 27.


(Nicole Battjes Photo)


Building Rainbow On Jul. 13, 2011, at just 27 years of age, Nicole started her company and launched her entrepreneurial vision. Over the next 18 months, she developed contacts, learned about the tour industry in Hawaii, and eventually leased her first helicopter and began flying tours. In the beginning, Nicole handled everything: answering the phone, scheduling


Nicole discusses the


results of a 100-hour inspection on a


Robinson R44 with Rainbow aviation maintenance


technician Genevieve Starren. (HAI/Andy Stenz)


to live in a place that had diversity and culture,” says Nicole, who now considers Hawaii her permanent home.


As we speak by phone in April, Nicole reflects on another


crucial role: mother. She and her husband, Mark, have a 2-year-old who will shortly become a big brother when Nicole gives birth right around the time she becomes HAI chair—certainly a first for the association. She credits Mark with being her constant advocate. “We


met two years after I started my business, which I was very focused on growing, and he wasn’t intimidated by that at all. He believes in my vision and continually contributes to it. Mark is my biggest support.”


28 ROTOR JUNE 2023


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