Helicopter Association International (HAI) has announced that this year’s 'Pilot of the Year Award' recipient is
Mr. Dale Weir of Columbia Helicopters.
To date, Weir has flown over 23,000 hours in helicopters and participated in some industry firsts, including timber harvesting, roof top construction, power line replacement by helicopter, the famous hover barge tow in Alaska, and a demonstration of the Suspended Maneuvering System designed by McDonnel Douglas for the rescue of persons from high rise buildings.
Weir began his career scrubbing planes at a local airport. He was drafted by the Army and chose helicopters over infantry. Weir placed in the top percentile of his flight school class and was offered the opportunity to fly CH-47 Chinooks. A transmission failure left him with severe injuries. However, Weir chose not to end his flying career, and went on to join Columbia Helicopters Inc. (CHI). For 33 years and counting, Weir continues to fly for CHI and provides the professionalism, skill, and innovation that make him the go-to pilot for tough jobs.
CHI expanded its FAA Part 135 program to include the Boeing 234 Chinook, and Weir’s leadership skills and experience were among the reasons he was selected to help develop the program. Weir was one of the first to participate in the proof of concept of the Chinook for use by CHI. His experience, leadership, and professionalism are just some of the qualities the rotorcraft industry has benefited from.
Other “Salute to Excellence” Awards winners for 2006 were:
Igor I. Sikorsky Award for Humanitarian Service Crew of Helicopter ER-MHH (Alexey Ostapenko, Oleg Pazynitch, Alexander Ivlev, Senior Constable Barry Shepherd, and John Funnell), Heli Harvest Ltd., Howick, Auckland, New Zealand
Eurocopter Golden Hour Award Crew of HH-65C CG6553 (Lieutenant Brian S. Waring, Lieutenant Patrick M. Lineberry, AET2 David S. Fanelli, AST1 John D. Isbell), United States Coast Guard Air Station Savannah, Savannah, Georgia
Outstanding Certified Flight Instructor Award Mel Schiller; Flight Instructor, Canadian Helicopters Limited, Penticton, British Columbia, Canada
The Joe Mashman Safety Award Scott Baxter; Flight Instructor/ Bell Flight Training Academy, Bell Helicopter, Fort Worth, Texas
Robert E. Trimble Memorial Award Ken Eichner; Pilot (retired), TEMSCO Helicopters, Ketchikan, Alaska
MD Helicopters Law Enforcement Award Monica McIntyre; Law Enforcement Pilot (retired), SkyKnight Program, City of Lakewood, California/Sheriff’s Department, Huntington Beach, California
Agusta Community Service Award New York City Police Department Aviation Unit, Brooklyn, New York
Excellence in Communications Award Mike Reyno and Linda Reyno; Editor and Publisher, Vertical Magazine, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Aviation Maintenance Technician Award Ron Gilroy; Maintenance Supervisor, Columbia Helicopters, Portland, Oregon
Aviation Repair Specialist Award Richard Wolfgang; Avionics Shop Supervisor, Columbia Helicopters, Portland, Oregon
Helicopter Maintenance Award Glen Cornett; Director of Maintenance, PHI, Inc., Lafayette, Louisiana
Lawrence D. Bell Memorial Award Wanda Lee Rogers; President, Rogers Helicopters, Inc., Clovis, California
Congratulations to all.
