A D V E N T U R E FLIGHT a of a New Helicopter Look Back on the Purchase n June 30, 2004, I was working as a pilot for a Grand Canyon helicopter tour operator. I'd aspired to the job since I realized four years earlier that I wanted to fly helicopters commercially. When I was hired in April of 2004, I was thrilled. Iwasnotatypicaltourpilotforthecompany.Besidesbeing awoman--whichhasitsownissuesinamale-dominatedfield likeaviation--Iwasabout20yearsolderthanmostofthe "kids"they'dhired.Itwasanentryleveljob,afterall.Mostofmy coworkershadbuilttheirtimetheusualway:ashelicopterflight instructors.I,ontheotherhand,ownedmyownhelicopter,a1999 RobinsonR22BetaII,andwastryingtorunmyownhelicopter tourbusinesswithit.I'dbuiltmy1,000hoursofPICtimeflying passengersforhire,toolingaroundthedesert,ortakingverylong cross-countryflightsbymyself.Tothisday,IbelieveIhavemore soloflighttimethan90%ofthecommercialhelicopterpilotsout there. WhileIenjoyedflyingattheCanyonandallthechallenges thatwentwithit,itsoonbecameclearthatflyingtherecouldnot beapermanentpositionforme.Mywritingcareerwasdoing extraordinarilywellandIwasearningfarmoreonmydaysoff fromflyingthanIcouldeverearnsittinginthepilot'sseatfor8or morehoursaday.IrealizedthatJunethatIwasatacrossroads ofmylifeandcareers.IknewIcouldn'tbuildarealbusiness withanR22--especiallywithoutaCFIrating.Ibeganthinking abouttakingthenextstepandbuyingalarger,betterequipped helicopter.Onethatcouldtakemorepassengers.Onethatmade sensetobuildabusinesswith,likelywithasingle-pilotPart135 certificate to give me additional flexibility. On June 30, I ordered a Robinson R44 Raven II. O Maria Langer scheme.Itwasafakeair-to-airphotoofahelicopterthatdidn't existyet.Butitexistedtome.I'dalreadybegunreferringtoitby its last three call sign digits: Zero-Mike-Lima. WhenmyfamilyflewinfromtheeastcoastforThanksgiving, someofustookaroadtripouttoCalifornia.Wegotatourofthe Robinsonfactory.Bysomeincrediblecoincidence,itwastheday theyputmyhelicopter'sframeontheassemblyline.Mysister snappedaphotoofmestandingnexttotheframe,holdingupthe fake photo I'd brought along to show the folks at the factory. (Yes, I realized that I sound like a giddy kid.) BylateDecember,thesixmonthwaitwasalmostover.I startedbookingridesgigs.Iwasanxioustogetthehelicopter byyear-end,butthatwasn'tgoingtohappen.Decemberended andJanuary2005started.Bynow,Iwasveryanxious.I'dalready cancelledonegigforDecembermonthend.Ihadanotherlined up for January 8. By an incredible coincidence, I was touring the Robinson factory with family members when they put my airframe on the assembly line. the Wait Begins Inthosedays,Robinsonhada6-monthbacklogfornew helicopterorders.You'dworkwithadealertochooseoptions likeinstrumentsandcolorsandotherfeatures.Thedealerwould comeupwithaprice.I'dalreadydoneallthatinFebruaryofthe sameyear,atHeliExpo.Whenitcametimetoorder,allIhadto dowasmakeaphonecall,signabunchofpapers,andsendina check for $25K. That got me on the waiting list. AttheendofSeptember,IleftmyjobattheGrandCanyon.It wouldprobablybethelasttimeIflewthereandIwasmorethana little sad. InOctober,IsoldmyR22.I'dneedthemoneyforpartofthe R44'sdownpayment.Iwasplanningtoputenoughmoneydown tokeepmymonthlyloanpaymentsthesameastheR22'swere.I alsostartedworkwiththelocalFSDOtogetmysinglepilotPart 135 certificate. ByNovember,Iwasgoingstir-crazy.Itwasthefirsttimein yearsthatIdidn'thaveaccesstoanaircraftforflying.Iflewasa passengerwithfriendswhohadhelicopters.Iburiedmyselfinmy writing work. I tried not to think about it. AfriendofmineusedPhotoshoptodoctorupaphotoof anotherfriend'sR44flyingnearmyhome,applyingmycolor the Long Wait Comes to an Abrupt End... Sort Of. ItstartedtocometogetheronWednesday--whichisagood thing,becausetherewasn'tadaytospare.Ahugestormwas movingintotheLosAngelesareafromthewestandforecasters werepromisingheavyrainsandhighwindstherefromFriday throughTuesday.IfIdidn'tgetZero-Mike-LimaoutofTorrance beforeThursdaynight,itwouldbestuckthereforanotherweek. And I'd miss yet another potentially lucrative flying gig. Justin,thedealer,calledmycellphonelateWednesdaynight totellmeRobinsonhadsentthebillofsaleviaFedExtoMBNA, thefinancecompany.MBNAwouldnotfundtheloanwithout theoriginalcopyofthispieceofpaper.Unfortunately,mycell phonewasturnedoff--inthosedays,Igotmostcallsonmyland line--andIdidn'tgethiscalluntilThursdaymorning.Bythat time,Ithoughtwe'dmissedthewindowofopportunity.Although Mike,myhusband,andIhadplannedtohitcharidetoPhoenix SkyHarborAirportwithafriendearlyThursdaymorning,there Maria Langer is a freelance writer and commercial helicopter pilot based in the Phoenix area. She uses her R44 helicopter and Part 135 certificate to offer tours, day trips, and multi-day excursions throughout the Southwest. Visit her online at www.MariaLanger.com. 14 FeBRUARY 2010 | AIRCRAFTOWNER ONLINE