Nate's farm SE of Heyworth. This will soon include a bunch of windmills!
Aerial shot of Heyworth, IL looking to the south from old US 51.
Our farm, east of Heyworth, home of MB Aero (29IL)
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Summer flights over Central Illinois
Nate's farm SE of Heyworth. This will soon include a bunch of windmills!
Aerial shot of Heyworth, IL looking to the south from old US 51.
Our farm, east of Heyworth, home of MB Aero (29IL)
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
ENG helicopter for Central Illinois
Do you need footage or stills from the air for a news story in Central Illinois? We might be able to arrange a flight for you. We are also looking for businesses that want a unique opportunity to have a significant presence in every local newscast in Central Illinois. 309-473-8505
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Building Helicopter Time in Illinois
Back in 2007, I took what I thought was going to be my DREAM job. I started working for Rural King, a farm and home store with locations throughout the Midwest. I was hired as an IT manager, but the big benefit to me was that Rural King had two Robinson R44 helicopters.
I had already gotten my commercial helicopter rating back in 2006, and I had my own R22 for about a year before I figured out that I couldn't afford it. I ran across an old flying buddy, and he was building time by flying for Rural King.
Rural King uses its R44 fleet to fly regional managers to the various stores throughout Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. They also have a store in Michigan and two in Ohio - those are some pretty good cross-country flights in an R44 though.
While I was there, I did a lot of work - it was one of the hardest if not the hardest IT jobs I ever had. We ran with a real skeleton crew, and I was living 100 miles away. After driving an hour and a half each way, my days turned out to be 12 to 13 hours long every day. We also worked every other Saturday. No free time at all.
But the flying...we'll it was a lot of fun for a while. We flew nearly every day. I flew across the state fixing computers, phones, and credit card machines. And on the good days, I was JUST a pilot ferrying around the big shots. We flew brand new R44s, with hydraulics and A/C. It was SWEET!
With the long hours, and the lackluster pay, I decided to take a better IT job and leave the flying to the kids that were headed on to the big leagues. Most of the past Rural King pilots have moved on to the Gulf of Mexico or to EMS flying.
If you are looking for a way to build time (500 hours a year maybe) and not take the flight instructor route, give Rural King a try. The main office is in Mattoon, IL, and you can address your CV/resume to the chief pilot.
I had already gotten my commercial helicopter rating back in 2006, and I had my own R22 for about a year before I figured out that I couldn't afford it. I ran across an old flying buddy, and he was building time by flying for Rural King.
Rural King uses its R44 fleet to fly regional managers to the various stores throughout Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. They also have a store in Michigan and two in Ohio - those are some pretty good cross-country flights in an R44 though.
While I was there, I did a lot of work - it was one of the hardest if not the hardest IT jobs I ever had. We ran with a real skeleton crew, and I was living 100 miles away. After driving an hour and a half each way, my days turned out to be 12 to 13 hours long every day. We also worked every other Saturday. No free time at all.
But the flying...we'll it was a lot of fun for a while. We flew nearly every day. I flew across the state fixing computers, phones, and credit card machines. And on the good days, I was JUST a pilot ferrying around the big shots. We flew brand new R44s, with hydraulics and A/C. It was SWEET!
With the long hours, and the lackluster pay, I decided to take a better IT job and leave the flying to the kids that were headed on to the big leagues. Most of the past Rural King pilots have moved on to the Gulf of Mexico or to EMS flying.
If you are looking for a way to build time (500 hours a year maybe) and not take the flight instructor route, give Rural King a try. The main office is in Mattoon, IL, and you can address your CV/resume to the chief pilot.
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