coptermd.com

I have a beautiful wife, six doting daughters, and one son which have in total blessed me with thirteen grandchildren.

Unfortunately none of my prodigy has the slightest interest in aviation beyond airline ticket prices. So having made it to the point in my career where I am commonly referred to as a silverback I have decided that a blog would be the ideal format from which to dispense the sum total of my experiences, and acquired knowledge, and yes the occasional opinion.

I have been in aviation since the late 70’s, almost exclusively on the rotor wing (or dark) side. I have done some light fixed wing work from time to time to make ends meet and support my bad habits of flying and motorcycling. I even owned a plane of my own for a few years back in the late 80’s.

I have also Owned and operated 2 GA FBOs over the years.

I came to Helicopter Aviation on purpose as a civilian not thru the military as did most of my friends and associates.  I have attended 11 factory schools over the years six Airframe, three Engine, one Avionics Installation, and one Component Overhaul.

I have been involved in every facet of the helicopter industry that I am aware exists.  In short EMS, offshore oil rig support, commercial fishing, aerial construction, fire fighting, frost control and crop spraying, sightseeing tours, law enforcement, search and rescue,   pilot training, aerial timber harvesting (aka heli-logging), power line construction and repair, and as a contractor to the US military as both an Aviation Maintenance Technician and an Maintenance Instructor. And as a repair station Tech, Quality and Management.

I have traveled from the Arctic Circle to the Equator, even the south Pacific, worked in twelve different countries and found myself in the middle of three civil wars complete with people shooting at me or at least at the helicopter I was in at the time. I will no doubt regale or bore you with these stories in some future blog post.

I can’t tell you how many companies I have done work for either full time or on a once or twice program. I have worked Heavies, Mediums, and Lights. And in thirty some years in the business I have lost 28 friends to the reaper. Two due to natural causes the rest from gravity.

And although I have never personally been sued I have been called to testify in court several times for both the plaintiffs and the defendants, and even for the FAA.

So if at some time in the future I say something in a blog post that you don’t agree with and you think where does he think he’s coming from?  Now you know where!