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Left: Mark at Dakota Rotors’ main location near Custer, South Dakota. Below: Mark briefs his team in the hangar. “We all work very closely to help create excellent pilots,” he says. (Johnny Sundby Photography)
ELICOPTERS HAVEN’T ALWAYS BEEN A part of Mark Schlaefli’s workday. Te new chair of the VAI Board of Directors embarked on his vertical flight career later in life—at 41. Two decades later, he’s demonstrated
there’s a place for everyone in vertical aviation. Mark, who will step into his new leadership position at
VAI for one year beginning Jul. 1, 2024, has enjoyed a range of roles in aviation, including line pilot, chief pilot, director of operations, and, currently, co-owner of seven helicopter companies in the Upper Midwest and Mountain West of the United States, including Dakota Rotors in Custer, South Dakota. Now, Mark has added another important role: industry advocate. It all started with a potent mix of adventure, curiosity,
and determination. Before he entered aviation, Mark was a computer-graphics designer longing to break free from his desk job to work outdoors. While vacationing near the Gulf of Mexico, he would watch helicopters come and go, ferrying crews, executives, and supplies to oil platforms offshore. He wondered who was flying all the machines.
“It really piqued my curiosity. I’ve always been fascinated
with aircraft, especially helicopters. I was under the impres- sion that you had to go into the military to even have a chance to work in the industry,” says Mark. “I’m not sure where that idea came from. But it turns out, that’s absolutely not true.” In 2005, two years before taking his first flight lesson,
Mark attended HAI HELI-EXPO®, the annual aviation conference and trade show now known as VERTICON. Tere, he gained a good understanding of the industry but found little encouragement. One presenter at the show told him his age would be an issue if he were to pursue a career in aviation. “Tat just motivated me more to say, ‘I’m doing it,’ ” says
Mark. “I started looking into what it would take, from the process to the cost to the career options. I discovered that, in fact, it is entirely possible to build a career in aviation starting at age 41. “I chose helicopters specifically for the variety of their
capabilities,” Mark continues. “And given the airlines’ flight- time requirements and retirement age of 65 at the time,
JUNE 2024 ROTOR 27
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