I've always been fascinated by helicopters. I just never found the time to devote to actually learning to fly them. That changed this month when I cashed in some Delta Sky Miles for a ticket to Vancouver, then caught a bus to Whistler in British Columbia where I was met by Eric Ridington. I spent the next five days immersed in helicopter training. Eric hosted me and two other people at his home in Pemberton. He then spent his days giving us lessons in his leased Robinson R-22 helicopter. He is doing this, in part, to build time. In fact, he is not allowed to charge for his time, as he only holds a U.S. flight instructor certificate. So, we paid the cost of the helicopter lease plus expenses, and we were able to train at a substantial discount. Eric turned out to be an excellent instructor. He obviously loves flying, and that makes him my kind of guy. This was one of the most enjoyable experiences I have had in aviation. Being able to fly around the Canadian mountains while training was almost indescribable.
The Pemberton airfield is situated in a valley just east of the mountains where the Whistler ski resort is located. This makes for a spectacular background for flying. It was worth the trip just for the view. For some video of my week, check out the
link to my Mobile Me website.
