History of Helicopter Life

Helicopter Life was started in 2004 by my husband, a graphic designer and author, and me, an instructor pilot and a part-time writer. Our aim was to get people who had never even thought about helicopters interested in the subject, and perhaps even encourage them to learn to fly. I had been flying since I was 20 years old, and I loved it. I taught my husband to fly, although he never got a licence, and he realised how much more there is to flying than just going from A- B in more style than the train - he never learnt to drive either!

As the magazine grew we found more and more interesting subjects to write about, all involving helicopters. There were the US helicopter teams out in Laos who were searching for any remains of Americans who had fought in the Vietnam War. This was following a promise made by the US government to the war widows that Americans who fought for their country would always be returned to US soil: alive or dead. There were fire-fighters, all of whom were so modest - we only support the real ground fire-fighters, they insisted: and yet helicopters do make a great deal of difference. There were the medical pilots, flying the EMS machines, sometimes in the deadliest of weathers, many of whom lost their lives determined to save others. Coastguard, Search and Rescue, Mountain Rescue, Military pilots on both war and peacetime missions, police pilots, corporate pilots, film pilots - the list is endless.
We also discovered people who just enjoyed playing with helicopters: 'gamers' taking part in Helicopter Championships, just like tennis! People who flew back and forth from their work. Schools, trainers of all types and levels. Different attitudes to flying in different countries, different regulations, different politics.
There is so much more to helicopter flying and the uses of helicopters than most people realise.

Then, in the summer of 2006, my husband suddenly began to get tired. At first he thought he was just ageing - a little earlier than most people. He began to have difficulty walking, breathing and even eating. He went to the doctor, and they sent him for various tests. No one told him what it might be. Eventually, he went to an acupuncturist and she said he had Raynaud's disease, associated with something else - as we were in Japan at the time she wasn't able to tell us the English name. I looked it up on the internet. Raynaud's disease is often associated with Motor Neurone Disease, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. He died a month later, in October. Before he died we decided I would continue the magazine in his memory.

Since winter 2006 I have brought out the magazine myself, with the help of some excellent people including Dave Smith, a pilot on the oil rigs, Malvina Nicca, a jet jockey, Robert Edmonds, an airline pilot and many freelance writers and photographers, and many supporters and friends. No one works full time on the magazine, but we all love aviation and want to infect as many others as we can with the delight of flying. This is the reason for bringing out the magazine. I hope you enjoy it.