Experience and real world training is the key at Western Helicopters.

Senior Instructors Pete Gillies and Bob Spencer bring more than 70 years and a combined flight time total of over 38,000 hours with them! Included in the staff is a mix of personnel with backgrounds in police aviation units, powerline/pipeline, air medic and firefighting.

Western Helicopters' flight school is the only local school to offer three specialized FAA 141 approved courses on top of the standard Private, Commercial and CFI ratings.

They include Touchdown-Autorotation/EP Training, Mountain/High Altitude Training and Vertical Reference/Long Line Training.

Being located at Rialto (Calif.) Municipal Airport, an uncontrolled airport, we are minutes away from training at 10,000 feet, the desert and controlled airports. This provides more training on a per hour bases.

In the day to day operations, our students get to witness the other side of Western Helicopters. Our FAA Part 135 and 133 operations allow the students to see first hand how the real world of helicopters operates.

For more info, call (909) 829-1056, or visit the company's website:www.westernhelicopters.com.

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Southern California Helicopters Director of Operations Paul Pigneri has announced the roll-out of their new "Professional Helicopter Pilot Program."

According to Pigneri, this program is "aimed at zero or low time pilots and will provide all the knowledge and training needed to start a career as a helicopter pilot."

This program provides for 225 hours of helicopter flight time in the Robinson R22 and R44 helicopters.

Upon completion, the pilot will have earned Private, Commercial, Instrument and Flight Instructor licenses/ratings.

Pigneri, added, "Once a pilot graduates our program, they will be ready to start their career Š usually as a Certified Flight Instructor. We have connections to several United States based helicopter operators and assist our new pilots to get placed."

Southern California Helicopters Inc. is a California based corporation operating at the Long Beach Airport and Chino Airport. Southern California Helicopters, Inc. was founded in Long Beach, Calif. in 2006.

Contact:Paul Pigneri, Director of Operations, Phone: (909) 573-5717, Email: jeff@flysocalheli.com, Web: www.flysocalheli.com.

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Jerry Trimble Helicopters (JTH) is proud to announce that Jessica Ward has received the Robinson Safety Course Scholarship offered by the Whirly-Girls.

The Robinson Safety Course is a three-day course conducted by the factory in Torrance, Calif. and includes both flight and ground training.

Jessica began training at JTH in the summer of 2010 and received her private pilot license in the R-22.

"I was happy to hear that Jessica received the RHC Scholarship. I'm sure it won't be long before Jessica makes the transition to flying helicopters full-time," Trimble said.

Membership in the Whirly-Girls is open to any woman holding a helicopter rating.

They offer scholarships for helicopter flight training.

JTH has recently acquired its fourth R-22 and is relocating the R-44 to their winter satellite base in Thermal, Calif. to provide instrument training and scenic flights in the Coachella Valley.

JTH is planning on expanding their office space in the Fall of 2012 to include more classrooms.

The JTH main office, established in 2007, is located in McMinnville, Ore. (MMV). JTH prides itself on offering quality, fast, primary and advanced flight training in the R-22 and R-44.

"I believe we have continued to attract students due to the fact that we offer individual attention to each of our students," said Trimble. "It's easy to get lost in the bigger flight schools.

"We enjoy getting to know each of our students on a personal level. Our prices are also the lowest you will find."

McMinnville prices are $214/hour dual and $184/hour solo for the R-22 HP. Jerry specializes in CFI instruction and also offers a touchdown auto course.

Jerry Trimble has been flying the Robinson since pre-certification and has been in the industry for over 30 years.

Call or send an email to schedule your flight today at 503-577-6371or e-mail to: jerry@jerrytrimblehelicopters.com. Visit the website: http://jerrytrimblehelicopters.com.

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Peter Clark caught the bug for flying after taking a helicopter tour in Hawaii.

"After that flight I knew I wanted to fly helicopters," said Clark.

After returning to New York Peter signed up for an introductory flight, which quickly confirmed his interest.

After graduating with a Bachelors of Science in Physics from Syracuse University, Clark accepted a job in San Diego at the Scripps Research Institute for Cancer Research. Clark loved his job, but as time went on his interest in flying escalated.

Following much research, Clark chose Corporate Helicopters as his flight school.

Being affordable, located in San Diego, offering Part 61 & Part 141 training, owning their own helicopters, having a quality maintenance center, a flight simulator and a highly experienced staff, they were 1st choice as a unique school and training academy.

After completing his CFI and CFII, Corporate Helicopters noticed Clark's exceptional skills and teaching ability, and he was invited to join the team as a flight instructor.

Most flight schools train their pilots through repetitive maneuvers, which does not necessarily give them confidence to venture beyond the training area or react properly in unfamiliar situations.

They use scenario based training, which is a fun and innovative way to get future pilots ready to take on the skies with the proper knowledge and mindset.

Corporate Helicopters' flight simulator reduces the cost of training and allows students and licensed pilots to safely train in different helicopter models, multiple geographic locations, bad weather conditions and even emergency situations.

Since their inception in 1990, Corporate Helicopters has an alumni of pilots flying all over the world. Training with them offers invaluable interaction with experienced professional pilots that give the inspiration to focus on goals.

Many pilots that trained with the company are now employed as a Chief Pilot, or a Director of Operations in established helicopter companies, that look favorably on prospective new hires that have Corporate Helicopters' name on their resume.

Corporate Helicopters is based at Montgomery Field in San Diego and is a great choice for getting established in a new career.

To learn more, please contact Peter Clark or any of the other instructors at 800-345-6737, e-mail to: training@corporatehelicopters.com or visit us at www.corporatehelicopters.com.

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On November 10, 2011, Robinson Helicopter Company (RHC) marked production of its 10,000th helicopter, R44 S/N 13217.

The helicopter was delivered to Robinson's long time dealer, Audi Helicopters, one of two Robinson dealers in Brazil.

A celebration was held at the Torrance factory where Frank Robinson, the company's founder, spoke briefly to a crowded room about the company's humble beginnings.

Robinson was founded in 1973 and the first production helicopter, an R22, was delivered in 1979.

Today, Robinson Helicopter occupies 28 acres on the Torrance Airport and manufactures more civilian helicopters than any other helicopter manufacturer in the world.

Unlike other helicopter manufacturers, Robinson Helicopter has never received government subsidies or relied on government contracts.

Robinson currently manufactures three model helicopters, the R22, the R44 and the R66. Orders for the new R66, which was FAA certificated on October 25, 2010, currently top 350.

The company's current overall production rate is 10 helicopters per week.

President Kurt Robinson predicts total aircraft production for 2011 will more than double last year's production.

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If you are operating or flying helicopters and looking for a one stop solution, ROTOR F/X LLC of Van Nuys may be just what you are looking for.

Their extensive menu of services covers everything from maintenance and avionics to paint, fabrication and transport.

Located at the famous Van Nuys airport in the San Fernando valley, ROTOR F/X LLC caters to primarily the rotorcraft market but with some crossover services to fixed wing as well.

The company offers a full range of private and professional helicopter training programs including some unique classes for ultralight helicopters, full immersion programs packaged with a long cross country journey.

Their classes all include free simulator time on the Flight-Link simulator which can save substantial time and significant savings off a training budget.

Also included is in-cabin video of each flight at the students option for debriefing, reference or just as a keepsake. A fully certified Fly-It IFR simulator is also available emulating R22, R44, B206, MD500, A-Star and F-28.

For the helicopter operator ROTOR F/X LLC provides a wide range of services from expert maintenance, fabrication and paint, welding and in a specialized niche, non TSO'd avionics and wiring for ultralight, experimental and sports aircraft.

Expert ground transport and trucking is provided for repositioning helicopters and small aircraft throughout North America and for international relocation the company is a complete one stop shop for export.

This service includes export documentation, export COA's, dismantling, crating and packing for either ocean or air freight.

For helicopters to be flown to their destination the company has a network of high time ferry pilots in over 30 countries with the experience for over-water and long range navigation with full tracking and monitoring capabilities.

ROTOR F/X LLC can be contacted at 818,574.7663 for services, 818.462.3333 for training and tours or always at info@rotorfx.com.

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Robert Voigt, a retired lawyer residing in North Carolina, recently commissioned Victory Girl (www.victorygirl.com) of Upland, Calif. to recreate a World War I poster on a  3/4th length black leather jacket.

Voigt already owns several memorial jacket designs created by Victory Girl.

Voigt first learned about a little known "home front campaign" from World War I, known as "Eyes for the Navy," from a curious letter handed down to him from his great uncle, James Arthur Hodge of Jackson, Miss.

The letter, dated March 22, 1918 and signed by Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin D. Roosevelt, thanked Mr. Hodge for donating a fine pair of binoculars to the Navy for the war effort. The letter referred to a project called "Eyes for the Navy" and promised to return the binoculars after the war, if possible.

From the content of the letter Voigt recognized that "Eyes for the Navy" was primarily to protect American ships from German U-boats, and there was a critical shortage of high quality optical lenses in the U.S. at the time.  He knew nothing more about the project but decided to visit a university library to learn the full story.

However he soon discovered that few books make any mention of "Eyes for the Navy" and he resolved to seek out the story himself from original records at the National Archives, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library, and various other libraries and archives. Voigt is now nearing completion of a book about "Eyes for the Navy" which will be available sometime in 2012.

Voigt's most recent VictoryGirl jacket (which replicates the "Eyes for the Navy" Poster created by artist Gordon Grant in December 1917) and hundreds of other jacket designs can be viewed at www.victorygirl.com.

Persons interested in learning more about FDR's "Eyes for the Navy" campaign may contact Mr. Voigt via e-mail at marse_robert_unlimited@yahoo.com.

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It seems to be getting harder to find a good flying club these days.

Well, at Palomar Airport, Pacific Coast Flyers is providing an alternative to expensive flight school rental rates and we have top quality instructors. Also, PCF has great aircraft to fly after the training is done and it's time to go places.

With a one hour per day overnight minimum, it is easy to plan that San Francisco, Las Vegas or Phoenix trip without much worry of bumping into the daily minimums that quite often put a damper on overnight aircraft use.

Add to that the well equipped state of PCF's fleet and you have a recipe for fun and safe flying with all the cool bells and whistles of modern GPS-equipped aircraft without the hassles. Our fleet includes everything from Light Sport for those who like to keep it simple to glass panel retracts for great cross-country flying.

Pacific Coast Flyers members enjoy 24/7 aircraft access and opportunities for group fly-ups throughout the year. PCF's recent destinations include weekend trips to California's Central Coast and Las Vegas.

At PCF youÕll find a rich social environment where social activities allow opportunities to meet other pilots with similar interests and get acquainted over good food and fun. In addition to the social activities at Pacific Coast Flyers, there is an emphasis on safety with well organized safety meetings presented regularly for club members and the pilot community.

But wait, there's more! For those of you interested in exploring aviation PCF is offering a discovery flights for $50.

All you have to do is bring a copy of our ad in this month's Pacific Flyer and we'll give you a chance to see if the pursuit of a  Private or Sport Pilot certificate is for you.

For more information, go to our web site at: www.pcflyers.org.

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Please join me, as I share some of my favorites spots with you.

Aspen,Colorado and the neighboring Roaring fork River hold a very special place in my heart.

They simply are some of the greenest and most pristine locations on Earth.

They are a constant reminder for all of us to be responsible, and make our planet a greener and safer place for generations to come.

All proceeds of this calendar will go to THE EGBAR FOUNDATION www.egbar.org now available at vivianasoldano.com.

For more information on ordering the 16-month calendar, past calendars and other product, please go to
www.vivianasoldano.com.

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No aircraft could better symbolize America's aviation status at its entry into WWII than its premier, advanced flight trainer that will eventually be arguably responsible for training more fighter and bomber pilots than any other single series aircraft type.

AG-1's SNJ "Sassy" is the Navy and Marine version of the North American Aviation T-6 Texan, a single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces, United States Navy, Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s.

You can fly in AG-1's perfectly restored and maintained SNJ "Sassy" in the skies over the most beautiful areas of San Diego and Southern California. In addition to being a memorable adventure for you, a ride in "Sassy" makes a great gift of flight for a husband, wife, father or other loved one in your life. Bring a camera and capture memorable photo opportunities of San Diego!

The ride in our SNJ is for one person, who rides in the two-seat cockpit behind the pilot. The flight lasts approximately 30 minutes from takeoff to touchdown.

Depending upon weather and the desires of the passenger, the sight-seeing flight may be either over the coast and San Diego Bay or over the scenic mountains east of San Diego.

Go to "Fly Sassy" on the Air Group One/CAF website http://ag1caf.org for up to date flight ride and price information. Special ride pricing available when you schedule your flight on "FlyDays."

See "FlyDays" on the  http://ag1caf.org website.

For information, pricing and reservations please contact Jim McGarvie at  jim@mcgarvie.us or 619-890-7340.

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