sacrum, 13 broken ribs, a black eye, and a spiral fracture in my right humerus with four cracks that ran from my shoulder to my elbow, along with many other injuries. On top of it all, I had to be in quarantine with no visitors for several days because one of the passengers tested positive for COVID-19. I spent more than two weeks in the ICU. It took six weeks


for me to be able to sit up for even a moment. Overall, I remained in the hospital for a month and spent another month in rehab. A year and a half later, I’m still in pain. I go to physical therapy, occupational therapy, and other routine procedures and appointments. Because of the accident, I’ve undergone four surgeries. Te accident has devastated my income. I’m still mired in quicksand with lawyers and workers’ comp officials, and dealing with paperwork from insurance providers.


Tim (center) poses with Paradise


Helicopters owner Cal Dorn (left) and former chief pilot Travis French.


Living and Working with Danger I’ve lived with risk most of my life. After high school, I traveled the world serving my country as a US Marine. My first commercial gig was on an S-61 helicopter for aerial firefighting that left me up all night choking on smoke and pollen. I’ve flown patrols 3 ft. off power lines that spiderweb


at different heights across the West Coast’s hills and valleys. I’ve lifted air-conditioning units onto buildings; helped set radio and cell towers; and logged trees in the Pacific Northwest, yanking and banking until I experienced motion sickness. I like to fly helicopters, drive tractors, and work with


heavy equipment. I enjoy dirt bikes, four-wheelers, ATVs, side-by-sides, and snowmobiles. I love to surf and snow- board. All these things come with risk. What we do with helicopters isn’t easy, especially in the utility world. We’re in the red “dead man’s” zone often. You succeed by learning to trust your instincts and training and by building your character.


Managing Risk Responsibly Life is like surfing. Sometimes you paddle in late and don’t catch the wave, or you go a bit too fast, catch an edge, and wipe out. Still, you just keep going because you know what a great feeling it is to catch a good wave. As we rack up the hours, we can start to think we’re invincible. I’d like to share some advice: As an industry, we’ve become


lax. We need to take our fundamentals seriously—everything from flying square traffic patterns to frequently practicing


46 ROTOR MARCH 2024


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