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Fall 2000
Bill Conklin finds his place in the Air Life cockpit
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Helicopter pilot Bill Conklin has been flying for Air Life since July.
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The youthful appearance might deceive you, but Bill Conklin has been around.
Air Life's newest helicopter pilot has flown since 1976 and the profession has taken him around the globe. From Papua, New Guinea to the Pacific Northwest, Conklin has seen the world from a helicopter cockpit.
After graduating from Oregon State University in the ROTC program, Conklin joined the Marine Corps and went to Navy Flight School in Pensacola, Florida. Following six-and-a-half years with the Marines, he went to work for Columbia Helicopters. From logging jobs to oil searches, it was a rich experience.
“It's a gypsy life,” he said. “We traveled probably every 6-9 months with them.”
Ironically, Conklin applied to work at Air Life nearly 13 years ago at the same time former base manager Al Holzman did. “That rascal beat me out—I would have been here 13 years ago,” Conklin joked.
Conklin spent the last 13 years in Iowa and Colorado as a pilot for Air Methods—the company that employs Air Life pilots and mechanics.
Now, it appears he's here to stay. “I really enjoy the diversity of the missions here,” he added. “Whether it's a hospital transfer, a scene call out in the desert or flying up into the mountains, the job is fun and professionally challenging.”
Return to Fall 2000 Air Currents Directory
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