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Working in the helicopter media part of the industry Elan Head gets to talk to a wide range of people and over time has had the opportunity to take the controls of a wide range of helicopters. This gives her a unique vantage point to talk about the many roles that helicopters perform and some of the upcoming impacts to the industry.
While working on a story as a travel writer in British Columbia Elan got to cover a heli-fishing tour. It was that encounter that really sparked her interest in seeing herself in the pilot seat as a do-able thing. With the challenge set it was in the sunny skies of Arizona that Elan knocked over her commercial, instrument and then instructor qualifications. In 2009 Elan joined the writing team that published Vertical Magazine and moved to Canada before later returning to the USA.
The writing assignments for Vertical have seen Elan travel right around the world and to delve into a wide range of industry aspects. “I can usually find a helicopter angle for anything that I’m interested in writing about.”
She has flown over 30 different helicopter types but one that stands out for her was the time that she was able to conduct the Kaman factory course for the K-MAX.
We talk about the experience of working up to a flight in the K-MAX (single seat so the first flight is solo) along with what its like to prepare to fly new and different helicopter types, some of the countries that Elan’s work has taken her to, tips for helicopter companies on PR (or Public relations) and how to possibly follow in her footsteps if you are a budding aviation writer.
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Vertical Magazine – Elan Head is editorial director at Vertical Magazine.
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