Saddened to hear of the loss of Alan Purwin and his colleague Carlos Berl in a Piper Aerostar
crash in Colombia on Friday.
Alan was co-founder and President of
Helinet Aviation, one of the leading aerial filming specialists, having previously co-founded West Coast Helicopters.
He was perhaps best known to PPRuNers for his involvement in the remake of
The Italian Job, though his list of 100+
credits was extensive, spanning Airwolf, Die Hard, True Lies, Jurassic Park, Air Force One, Enemy of the State, Pearl Harbor, Terminator Salvation and Insurgent.
Alan and Helinet were also well-known for their HEMS activities, including through S-76 work with Dallas Children's Medical Center and with the Emergency Transport Program at Children's Hospital, Los Angeles.
Per Michael Bay:
Cinema lost one of the greats. "He was one of the best aerial helicopter pilots in the world. It’s a very small group. He flew camera ships for so many – and for almost every one of my movies. We will miss him. He was one of the most loyal members of my team and a true friend.
RIP Alan.