Elling B. Halvorson Founder, Chairman, Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters
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LLING B. HALVORSON, FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN of the board of Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters in Boulder City, Nevada, died Apr. 16, 2020, at age 88. With the opening of his helicopter tour company in 1965, he is credited with creating the site- specific helicopter tourism sector. Before starting Papillon, Elling owned a construction company that specialized in geographically remote, difficult projects. In 1960, on one particularly challenging project for AT&T in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Elling bought his first helicopter, a Bell 47G-3B-1, to ferry workers and light-construction materials up and down the mountain. The project that spawned Papillon and its focus on providing aerial sightseeing tours took place in the Grand Canyon, where Elling and his team used helicopters to help build a water pipeline. Flying workers and clients to job sites in the beautiful landmark led to requests for scenic helicopter flights outside of working hours. To satisfy this new demand, Elling established Papillon, the first aerial sightseeing company to fly the Grand Canyon. Sensitive to the concerns of Grand Canyon visitors, Elling challenged the top helicopter
manufacturers of the time to create quieter aircraft. He developed the Whisper Jet helicopter, for which he designed a muffler that used passive noise cancellation technology. Elling was a strong advocate of giving back to the helicopter industry. A longtime member of HAI, Elling served two terms as chairman of the association’s Board of Directors. In 1986, he cofounded the Tour Operators Program of Safety, a group bringing together air tour operators to develop operating standards and best practices for safety that exceeded regulatory requirements. He was inducted into the Vertical Flight Hall of Fame in 2016. More information on Elling’s career can be found in this 2011 ROTOR interview.
William H. “Bill” Wells Jr. President and Owner, Cascade Helicopters
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ILLIAM H. “BILL” WELLS JR., PRESIDENT AND OWNER of Cascade Helicopters in Cashmere, Washington, died Apr. 15, 2020, at age 86. Bill was born on Feb. 25, 1934, in Seattle, Washington. He joined the military in
1953 as an Alaska Communications System specialist in the US Army Signal Corps. In 1958, he and his family moved to Yakima, Washington, where Bill attended Perry Technical Institute, receiving his A&P license in 1960. The following year, he earned his FAA certificate as a private pilot, fixed wing, and in 1962 joined Cascade Helicopters as a pilot trainee and mechanic. He obtained his FAA commercial rotorcraft license in 1963 and his CFI rating in 1964. Over the course of his career as a pilot, Bill logged more than 11,500 accident-free hours in
various missions, including agricultural spraying, search and rescue, fire suppression, government contracting, and transmission-line repair. He once said the rescues he was able to perform were “what being a helicopter pilot was all about.” Bill was a dedicated HAI member, serving as the association’s chairman from Jul. 1, 1994, to
Jun. 30, 1995, after having served on the HAI Board of Directors as assistant treasurer and vice chairman. He also sat on the association’s Government Safety Committee (as chairman) and Government Contracting Committee. In 2001, Bill was honored for his outstanding achievement in the industry with HAI’s Salute to Excellence Pilot of the Year Award.
2020 Q2 ROTOR 77
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