LAST HOVER
Rex Bishopp Alaska Aviation Pioneer
to California for college. He later worked for a cousin, helicopter pioneer Jim Ricklefs, who owned and operated Rick Helicopters of San Francisco. Every summer, Rex and Ricklefs would drive to Alaska with a truck carrying two helicopters for the summer flying season. Rex moved to Alaska in 1967, when he and his wife, Ruth, purchased Alaska Helicopters from
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Ricklefs. The two had many exciting adventures as they ran the company as a team. In 1978, they merged Alaska Helicopters with Columbia Helicopters of Portland, Oregon, and sold the company when they retired in 1995. Throughout his career, Rex actively promoted safety within the aviation industry. He was
instrumental in creating the Alaska Air Carriers Association and served on its board for more than a decade. Rex received numerous honors for his leadership in aviation safety. He was inducted into the Alaska Aviation Pioneer Hall of Fame in 2013. Rex was preceded in death by his beloved wife and partner, Ruth, in 1995. He is survived by his
children, Laurie, Renee, Lynn, and Clint, as well as grandchildren and great-grandchildren. In Rex’s memory, the family suggests donations to the Alaska Aviation Museum (
www.alaskaairmuseum.org) or the Alaskan Aviation Safety Foundation (
www.aasfonline.org).
Loran “Pat” Patterson Past HAI Chairman and 25,000-Hour Pilot
US Army, where he received many commendations for bravery, leadership, and acts of heroism during the Korean War. Upon returning to the United States in 1955, he was accepted into the army’s helicopter pilot
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school. He earned his wings, was nicknamed “Pat the Pilot,” and discovered a passion for flying that launched his future career. In 1968, Pat became one of the first helicopter pilots hired by the Los Angeles County Fire Department. During his time there, he completed search-and-rescue assignments, emergency response calls, and firefighting flights, among other missions. Pat’s flying career spanned more than four decades, with more than 25,000 logged flight hours. During that period, he also worked for Vought Helicopters, Air Logistics, and Rocky Mountain Helicopters before starting his own company, Continental Helicopters. He was serving as chairman of the board of Helicopter Association of America when the organization became HAI in 1981. Pat retired as general manager of Heavy Lift Helicopters in Apple Valley, California, in 2007. He is
survived by his son, Scott; daughter, Alita Patterson Irigoyen; son-in-law, Ramon Irigoyen; seven grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
66 ROTOR WINTER 2019
ORAN “PAT” EDWARD PATTERSON, LONGTIME HAI MEMBER and past chairman, died at his home in Lucerne Valley, California, on December 4, 2018. Pat was born on September 24, 1933, in Rome, Georgia. At age 16, he enlisted in the
LASKA HELICOPTER PIONEER REX BISHOPP, AGE 96, passed away at his home in Anchorage, Alaska, on November 1, 2018. Born in Farson, Wyoming, on June 6, 1922, Rex lived on the family ranch until moving
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