The Adventures of Chopper Chick!: OMG! After no internet for weeks, dial up is a dream.....

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

OMG! After no internet for weeks, dial up is a dream.....

Funny how we take for granted wireless internet and cable, dsl, etc. Then you go without for a while and dial up seems soooo dreamy and great! I can log on and read up but spending time posting photos may take too long. Yeah, it's pretty cool out here. Gary Ford my mechanic/fueler just helped a guy and his son fix their flat tire on their trailer. They are on their way somewhere near Lee Vining(not sure if I spelled that correctly). Anyway, a good ol'fishing trip for father and son out of Torrance. Westin and Martin were their names. I took Westin out to the helicopter which we call 525(It's our call sign on this forest) and showed him the bird. Now I'm back in my little trailer here in Independence getting caught up on the internet. Didn't fly at all today. Pretty quiet up here in the Inyo. Just waiting and wishing to get ordered off forest so we can go play in other forests with other agencies and gain more experience and meet new people. Some of my friends are working that new start down near big bear somewhere. Who knows, maybe I will end up on a local L.A. fire and a news helicopter will film me flying! LoL. Wouldn't that be fun!

3 comments:

trevor said...: Hey Desiree, That would be a good turn of the tables wouldn't it. You being taped instead of the other way around. Be safe up there. And yes, you got Lee Vining right. Lousy place to have problems too. Most expensive gas on the planet. lol.

Trevor
da40flyer@yahoo.com; 11:57 AM
trevor said...: By the way, not much wiggle room on that spot you landed 525 on is there? Hot, high altitude, and precise, takes a true professional. :); 12:02 PM
Desiree said...: Hey Trevor, yeah, all of the helispots up there in the Klammoth were tight. But that's what made it soooo much fun. That's what helicopters are great for! Landing anywhere you can fit them. That B3 was alot of fun doing troop shuttles and dropping water with up there.; 12:29 PM

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PHPA / Professional Helicopter Pilots Association

Promoting safety and
understanding among
helicopter pilots, the PHPA
continues its mission
contributing to the critical
operations maintaining safe
helicopter missions and
acting as a liaison with the
community.

Coordinating efforts towards improving communications, methods of operation within the airspace system, or any other area that will contribute to the safety and education of all pilots;
Provide a forum for identifying and seeking resolution to local problems of interest to the membership;
Promote community relations between the public and the helicopter industry.

The PHPA is a national
organization with the
corporate office in
Los Angeles, California.

Become a member and help
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Go to:
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Board of Directors
Executive Officers & Board of Directors
Robert Butler - President
Alan Frawert - Vice President
Tom White - Secretary
James Paules - Treasurer
Board of Directors
Morris Cohen
Guillaume Maillet
Chuck Street
Ed Story
Desiree Horton
Gary Hollbrook
Pat Carey

Board of Advisors
Ricarda Bennett Esq - Legal Advisor
Alex Calder - Web Administrator

How I got started..........

For those of you who are looking at a life of flying helicopters or just curious how I started and got where I am today, read on.......................

I have been flying helicopters for over 18 years and mostly here in Los Angeles until recently in 2005 when I started fighting fire as a contract pilot all over the U.S. during the summer and in the off season on occasion. Currently I fly for about six different companies as a free lance contract pilot. My main company that I work for is Heli-Flite/Aris Helicopters in Riverside, CA, where I do Aerial Construction flying, fly for Corona Police Department, and fly fires during fire season. In the off months outside of fire season I fly some news and photo and movie production flights for various other companies which some of them I have been working with for over ten years. Since I have received many emails in regards to how does one become a helicopter pilot.....I am giving a little insight to those of you who ask how I got started and how much it costs to become a pilot, well it's a long story and everyone has a different story as to how they got their start. Some people had it easy, some people had it tough, some joined the military, others did the civilian route. There are so many different ways to do it and no one has the same story. As far as cost, well it was alot less 18 years ago, so you will have to check with a flight school on that one. I started flying when I was 19 years old and at the time I couldn't get a loan, so I worked two jobs 7 days a week and after two years, finally got my private. If you can get loan, it will not take you that long as I could only afford a couple of lessons a month. I never got my CFI as I found other ways to build time. Even 18 years ago being a CFI did not pay the bills, so I worked other jobs and flew part time over the years to build my time. I washed helicopters in exchange for flight time. I even paid for left seat time for quite some time to build hours. I jumped on any chance I could get for free flight time riding along with other pilots in an empty seat. I made lots of sacrafices and had no time to myself. It was all about flying, kinda how it still is today. hahaha. Anyway, I started a dba and made brochures and brought myself my own flight business doing tours and photo flights out of a Hughes 269 and an R22. Eventually I had some money to put myself through Bell Factory School which enabled me to fly a Jetranger early in my career with very little time. Back then insurance companies did not require massive amounts of flight time. With just 300 hours and factory school, I now had a jetranger to run my tours in. It eventually led to flying for other companies. Sending myself to Bell school opened up opportunities and possibilities for me. It was also my reputation that opened doors. Attitude is everything. You will not suceed in this business with a poor attitude. Keep that in mind. Trust me, I'm not perfect. We all don't have perfect attitudes, but you know what I mean. My job offers took off from there. I was doing tours for various small tour companies and flight schools and then started flying traffic watch, then soon I was flying news in a 206 which later led to an astar. When I got into fire, I sent myself to long line and mountain flying school. Sometimes if you want something, you will have to pay for it to get ahead and open doors for yourself. I found a company that hired me with no fire experience. With my training I had paid for and experience from flying over the years I was on my way to do what I had always dreamed of doing, fighting fire from a helicopter. I was patient as it took time to get where I am today. You have to be patient sometimes. I still get impatient on occasion and want it all now, but it just doesn't work that way. So my advice to up and coming pilots who ask how to do it? Find a good school, find some money, stick with it, don't ever stop, don't make excuses, don't let others discourage you as that will happen your entire career, and you will suceed and get what you want eventually. Good luck!

By the way, some pilots never stop paying their dues. Sometimes if you want certain things to happen in your career you will find yourself making the same sacrafices later on, but the sacrafices seem even greater because with time, comes more responsibility and more to lose when sacrafices are made. But sometimes the gain is worth it!