2006 Pilot of the Year Award

[Heliport]

Helicopter Association International (HAI) has announced that this year’s 'Pilot of the Year Award' recipient is
Mr. Dale Weir of Columbia Helicopters.http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v140/Rotorheads/HAI_DaleWeir.jpg
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. :ok:

[QDMQDMQDM]

Interesting that of the thirteen Helicopter Association [B]International[/B awards, only one goes outside North America. Is that a reflection of:

a) The overwhelming number of helicopters in North America compared to the rest of the world?

b) The helicopter industry in North America producing more worthy, high-achieving individuals than the helivcopter industry in the rest of the world?

c) A North American bias in HAI?

d) Some combination of the above?

I ask merely for information.

QDM

[FloaterNorthWest]

c)!

Doesn't help that we British are far to modest to talk about our success.

:}

FNW

[Heliport]

americans generally love awards and love slapping themselves on the back.
Really?
And which country is the home of the (many think ridiculous) 'honours' system?

I wonder if the explanation could be that HAI is American based, doesn't have a high profile elsewhere and that there weren't many nominations from outside North America.

Given the size of the continent and size of the industry there, I don't think it detracts from the congratulations the winners deserve.

[Shawn Coyle]

In short - if it doesn't get written up in the English language, it may as well not have happened as far as the aviation world is concerned.
(Note - I'm not on a rant about the US, or England, or Canada being the source of the problem, just that we don't get news from the rest of the world!)
The accomplishments of the Eastern European helicopter industry, let alone the Russian industry were never known, because no-one published anything in English.
The heroism of Russian pilots in Afghanistan has never been properly understood because none of it made it into English.
How many heard of the heroism of Kryztof Rucinski of PZL Swidnik, who drowned while trying to save the life of a Korean pilot after the helicopter had flown into the water? How many of us ever heard of the crash to begin with?
Never made it into any English language publication.

So, if you know of something significant, try to make sure it gets noticed - encourage the people to write something about it - in English!

[540DEGREE TorqueTurn]

c)!
Doesn't help that we British are far to modest to talk about our success.
:}
FNW


hey floater i think you would be refering to us australians ,, you sent us in first

[Heliport]

Some more information about the rescue which led to the Eurocopter Golden Hour Award being awarded to the Crew of HH-65C CG6553 - Lieutenant Brian S. Waring, Lieutenant Patrick M. Lineberry, AET2 David S. Fanelli and AST1 John D. Isbell of the United States Coast Guard Air Station Savannah, Georgia.



On January 18, 2006 this crew flew through severe thunderstorms and 25-foot seas to rescue the crew of the tug Valour. The boat was being battered by 70-knot winds and was taking on large amounts of water.

The crew positioned the aircraft to prepare their rescue swimmer for the high surf and winds, which were causing severe difficulties. After several attempts the swimmer reached the crewmember and the crew hoisted him into the helicopter. Suffering from hypothermia, the rescued man was taken to the nearest hospital.

The Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff personally called to congratulate the pilots and crew after hearing about their horrific rescue during his morning briefing.

These crewmembers include Lieutenant Brian S. Waring, Lieutenant Patrick M. Lineberry, Aviation Electrical Technician Second Class (AET2) David S. Fanelli, and Aviation Survival Technician First Class (AST1) John D. Isbell.

Lieutenant Lineberry is a native of Glen Allen, Virginia. He served as a Deck Watch Officer onboard the Coast Guard Cutter Gallatin and later attended Naval Flight Training in Pensacola, Florida, where he earned his “wings.”
AST1 Isbell is a native of Kansas City, Kansas. After more than a year aboard the Coast Guard buoy tender Basswood in Guam, his career took him to Hawaii, and later to Helicopter Rescue Swimmer School in San Diego, California. Isbell completed a tour in Polar Operations, where he accomplished a trip to Antarctica and the Arctic before coming to Savannah in 2004.
AET2 Fanelli is a native New Yorker. He attended boot camp in Cape May, New Jersey and was stationed in Atlantic City, while pursuing a degree in avionics.
Lastly, Lieutenant Waring calls Atlanta home. He graduated from the University of Georgia and was active in the Army for seven years, serving as a lieutenant. He transferred to the South Carolina National Guard, and eventually to the Coast Guard in Savannah. This crew’s teamwork and dedication to duty is an inspiration to the rotorcraft industry.

[Thomas coupling]

Could someone please tell me when the award was last offered outside the USA?

That rescue you commented on Heliport, seems like a days work for the Sumburgh crew! 25 foot waves? Isn't that another word for a 'swell' ?

[Heliport]

The quote is the HAI citation.

I've certainly read about more challenging rescues, but they won the award so thought I'd post the details.


H.