Blake Larson on left with tour group

Blake Larson: Flying High!

We recently had the pleasure of speaking with Blake Larson, a graduate of our Full Professional Flight Program. Blake graduated from the program on June 23, 2005 as a CFII. He was a dedicated student and accomplished the Full program in exactly 1 year.

After working for High Desert Helicopters for a few months Blake moved his family to Texas. In Texas he worked as a CFII for Brazo Helicopter striving to build his PIC hours. At 1000 hrs Blake began working for a Tour company in Arizona named Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters. There he flew in the Bell 206L giving daily tours over the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Blake truly enjoyed his job at Papillon and only had good things to say about the Company. He mentioned that he would go back and work with this company without hesitation. "Great people, excellent work environment."

Blake has since moved on to another Tour provider and is currently working for Maverick Helicopters in Tusayan Arizona. Blake is extremely satisfied working for Maverick where he is fortunate enough to fly the EC-130B. Maverick will be celebrating its 100th purchase of the EC-130B in 2008. Blake explained that this helicopter seats more people than the Long Ranger and is D-rated to 747 hp. Blake is 6 feet 4 inches tall. With all of the added features this helicopter offers, Blake appreciates that while in it he "fits like a glove." Every passenger has a great view no matter what seat they are in and receive a personalized explanation of what they are flying over with the "open mic" system.

Blake has enjoyed learning more about the Grand Canyon area so that he can give an interesting and exciting flight for his passengers. Blake loves to meet and greet new people and truly enjoys the work he does. The tips he offers his passengers when flying a tour is an added perk for sure. It's second nature for him to be friendly and welcoming to those on board.

It was a true pleasure to speak with Blake Larson and hear of his success. He is grateful for the past challenges that led him to this point in his career. Blake is married to a loving wife Heather, who has supported his career. He and Heather and their 5 children live in Flagstaff, Arizona. When we asked Blake about his career and education he replied "I wouldn't change it for anything!"

High Desert Helicopters wishes you good luck in your career Blake, and Happy Flying!

Court Upholds Heli-Skiing Permit

Environmentalists who attempted to stop heli-skiing in two Utah national forests (Big & Little Cottonwood Canyons) were disappointed when a federal appeals court upheld the permit to allow heli-skiing at those locations.

Read more about this controversial issue on
KSL.com's website

Hair Raising Helicopter Rescue Earns Adulation

In 2006, a Canadian Forces helicopter crew made headlines for their legendary rescue in a CH-149 Cormorant along the unforgiving British Columbia coast. This month, they again make headlines by receiving England's Prince Philip Helicopter Rescue Award. This award is open to pilots of all nations, and celebrates exceptional courage. The crew dealt with horrible weather conditions, loss of visual reference, low fuel and extremely tight terrain with little room for maneuverability or error.

Read the full story

Customs and Border Patrol

With all the private sector jobs available, sometimes it's easy to overlook opportunities flying for the government. The US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) employs 500 pilots, and is the largest law enforcement "air force" in the world. To qualify as a CBP pilot, you must be able to pass a thorough background check, hold a Class I medical, hold a Commercial license with instrument rating, be under 40 years old and have the following flight time: 1500 total time, 250 pilot-in-command, 75 instrument/night, and have logged at least 100 hours in the past 12 months.

Full Details

Considering the Closure of Silver State Helicopters

With the recent Chapter 7 filing and closure of Silver State Helicopters I wanted to take a minute and address some thoughts. It is important to remember that when an event such as this happens, and a company the size of Silver State Helicopters closes (nationally), misconceptions of what initiated the event can sometimes arise. Legitimate questions such as "was it industry related or related to the management of the company?" I want to answer those questions.

There is no question the closure of a company such as Silver State will have an impact on the industry. The affects will be far reaching, but with all events such as this the industry adjusts, makes needed change and forges forward just as will our industry.

It is a fact that the helicopter industry still needs quality trained pilots and that the void to find them is widening. In light of this, the closure of Silver State Helicopters is clearly a company financial and management specific issue and not an industry-wide issue.

High Desert Helicopters is an alive and thriving company providing helicopter flight training through our flight academy. We are committed to training pilots to meet the existing and future needs of the industry. High Desert has a unique way of handling a student's funding through the use of a dependant escrow account which aids in providing confidence that student funds are not accessed until the student actually participates in training. This process differs greatly from the way Silver State managed student funds.

We at High Desert want to do all we can to help and assist those students and instructors from Silver State that have found themselves needing another opportunity to follow their passion and career. As an industry we need to stand together providing clarity to the situation and fulfilling the void created by Silver States closure.

Respectfully,

Douglas H. Vause
President\CEO
High Desert Helicopters
Training the Pilots of the Future Today!