Q has a vast history inthe aviation industy. “I grew up in Torrance, CA, graduated from Boston University in 1993, and right after the graduation ceremony, I was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the US Marine Corps. After a few years of training, I earned my wings in June 1996. I left flight school with a commercial/instrument fixed wing single engine land (SEL) and rotorcraft certificate and was sent to Camp Pendleton, CA to learn how to fly the UH-1N huey helicopter. I did 3 deployments (2 from ships sailing from San Diego, and 1 hanging out in Okinawa, Japan) then went to be an instructor on the T-34C airplane at flight school in Pensacola, FL. I returned to Camp Pendleton for another 3 deployments (2 to Iraq and 1 to Afghanistan) and then retired after 20 years of service.
I left the Marine Corps having flown:
Total time ~ 3000 hours
Aircraft: T-34C (turbine trainer),
TH-57 (jet ranger),
UH-1N (2 bladed huey),
UH-1Y (4 bladed huey)
After my instructor tours, I was able to take an FAA military competency exam and receive a CFI/CFII for SEL and rotorcraft.
I moved to HI and started flying for Paradise Helicopters. I flew for about 2 months before I had a mishap due to fuel starvation. I sat for a year and was then hired as an Air Ambulance pilot for Hawaii Life Flight. I have been flying at the Kona base for 5 years and 1 month. I also started flying for Mokulele Airlines in Oct 2016 and upgraded to captain July 2017.
Job responsibilities at Hawaii Life Flight: I am a pilot of a 3 person crew. We are on call to provide patient transport to a higher level of medical care. We usually go from Kona Hospital to Queens (Oahu). We provide 24/7 coverage using 4 pilots and multiple medical personnel. 2 pilots per day on for 12 hour shifts. The medical crew are on for 24 hour shifts. Pilots have a 14 day on, 14 day off schedule working from 7AM to 7PM for 1 week, and then 7PM to 7AM for 1 week. We average around 20-25 hours of flight time per month. About 2.8-3.0 flight time for a round trip to Oahu. The aircraft we fly is an EC-135P2+ helicopter which is configured for single-pilot IFR and NVG flight operations. Our helicopter has 2 x Garmin 430s and a GMX-200. The helicopter is operated by REACH Air Medical Services and contracted out to Hawaii Life Flight.
My current qualifications and flight time:
Total time: ~4900
Rotor: ~3300
Fixed Wing: ~1600
ATP: Rotor
Comm: SEL/Multi + Instrument
CFI/CFII SEL + Rotorcraft”
Q shared with the instructors about his crash he had ten years ago, explaining “Don’t give yourself an emergency, don’t ignore emergencies, don’t screw up the auto, own it and LEARN FROM IT.” The instructors were about to ask Q questions about his past, how he got to where he was, and why he is flying fix wing now.
Overall, a great learning experience for our Kona instructors. Looking forward to our new workshop.