Each year before the annual Helicopter Association International Heli-Expo show, I try to log some helicopter time. While I’m not (yet) a certified helicopter pilot, I find that getting my hands on the controls is a great way to prepare for the show and gain further insights into these wonderful machines.
Flying a helicopter is nothing like flying an airplane. One major difference: you can put a helicopter right where you want it, within its flight envelope of course. This was demonstrated to me again when I flew on February 23 with Mark Robinson, founder of Revolution Aviation at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, Calif. Mark and his wife, Anna, who as director of operations helps run the back office at Revolution Aviation and is about to begin learning to fly, are part of the up-and-coming breed of young entrepreneurs who are the future of general aviation. While some of us gray-hairs might grumble about how general aviation is shrinking and costs are rising, the Mark and Anna Robinsons of this world are busy launching new companies. Who knew that there was room for another helicopter flight school in Southern California?
Matt Thurber, editor-in-chief at AIN Media Group, has been flying since 1975 and writing about aviation since 1978 and now has the best job in the world, running editorial operations for Aviation International News, Business Jet Traveler, and FutureFlight.aero. In addition to working as an A&P mechanic on everything from Piper Cubs to turboprops, Matt taught flying at his father’s flight school in Plymouth, Mass., in the early 1980s, flew for an aircraft owner/pilot, and for two summer seasons hunted swordfish near the George’s Banks off the East Coast from a Piper Super Cub. An ATP certificated fixed-wing pilot and CFII and commercial helicopter pilot, Matt is type-rated in the Citation 500 and Gulfstream V/550. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Matt and his team cover the entire aviation scene including business aircraft, helicopters, avionics, safety, manufacturing, charter, fractionals, technology, air transport, advanced air mobility, defense, and other subjects of interest to AIN, BJT, and FutureFlight readers.
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