hours and an airline transport pilot rotorcraft certificate as well as rotor- craft instrument, CFI, and CFII ratings. “At Sundance, we were developing
a program to hire pilots with 750 hours instead of the typical 1,000 hours. Te idea was to take pilots with a new commercial license and slowly work them into the flight rotation while mentoring and training them along the way to have them functioning as commercial pilots earlier and at a higher level of safety and performance. Unfortunately, with the pandemic, Sundance folded before the program got off the ground.” Mark plans to re-create the
Sundance program at Dakota Rotors, with the goal of helping pilots go from the learning environment to the commercial flying environment in a way that adds value and expe- rience to their resume. He’s also interested in helping pilots earn their commercial license in exchange for time working for the company
A Bell 205 operated by Redding Air Service performs work under a fire response contract with Shasta–Trinity National Forest in California. Mark still serves as director of operations for the utility operator, where he was also chief pilot before purchasing his own helicopter companies in South Dakota. (Mark Schlaefli Photo)
as a cost-effective approach to developing a workforce in-house. With both experienced pilots and mainte- nance technicians in short supply, Mark
believes operators themselves have to be part of the solution. “My company can produce only
so many experienced commercial pilots at a time. We need more companies doing something similar,” Mark says. “Tere are other things operators
can do to promote workforce devel- opment. For example, we added a safety management system [SMS] to our small operation. With us introducing SMS to people early in their career, they can begin to under- stand what a healthy safety culture is, how to assess risk, and how to apply mitigation to their daily activ- ities. It prepares them for the next step in their career working for a larger company.”
Passionate about Airspace Access
Another industry issue Mark feels passionate about, airspace access, directly affects his air tour business. Federal rules have cut his air
Mark’s companies fly tours and perform utility operations from the group’s main location near Custer, South Dakota. (Johnny Sundby Photography) JUNE 2024 ROTOR 29
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