{"id":15877,"date":"2024-03-05T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-05T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/helitrader.com\/?p=15877"},"modified":"2024-02-22T17:20:53","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T17:20:53","slug":"the-adventures-of-private-helicopter-ownership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helitrader.com\/the-adventures-of-private-helicopter-ownership\/","title":{"rendered":"The adventures of private helicopter ownership"},"content":{"rendered":"

With your own helicopter, the sky is no longer the limit. The world opens in a way it never has before, offering a unique way to explore and experience it. Whether you\u2019ve always dreamed of being a pilot or of using your pilot skills for your own adventure, or you want to learn to fly so you can set off on your own expeditions, there is so much you can do with a helicopter.<\/p>

Ralph Van Woerden grew up in the Netherlands and, as a kid, watching helicopters spray fields sparked a desire to be a helicopter pilot one day. He immigrated to British Columbia, Canada, and while the path to become a professional pilot was not in the cards for him, he learned to fly for fun many years later.<\/p>

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Ralph Van Woerden Photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>

\u201cI got my license so I could at least say I did it, but after I had it, I wondered what I\u2019d do next to keep flying,\u201d Van Woerden shared. \u201cWith the help of my instructor, I found a business partner. We got together and bought one of the school\u2019s helicopters.\u201d<\/p>

That helicopter was a two-seat piston Schweizer 300CBi, and it opened a whole new world for him. Now no longer constrained by the flight school\u2019s time and limitations, Van Woerden began exploring the mountains just north of his home in Chilliwack, British Columbia, and the province\u2019s coast and islands. He\u2019s since traded that aircraft for a newer Schweizer 300CBi, which he owns with his son, and shares his adventures on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>

\u201cWe have so much nature here, we can land pretty much anywhere other than official parks and reserves, within the limits of the helicopter,\u201d he explained. \u201cWhile it\u2019s not a turbine, the 300CBi can still get me to a lot of places I want to go and doesn\u2019t cost anywhere near as much as a turbine would.\u201d<\/p>

Van Woerden purchased an external aftermarket basket for the aircraft that allows him to carry extra cargo. He regularly takes the aircraft camping and fishing in the mountains. He also uses his helicopter to visit friends with property where he can land.<\/p>

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Ralph Van Woerden Photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>

\u201cI can visit friends quicker than I could in a car, and we\u2019ve even taken longer flights to Alberta,\u201d he shared. \u201cNow, those flights take longer than an airline would, but you get to see so much more. You\u2019re not as high as an airplane. We fly through the valleys and it\u2019s much more beautiful and relaxing. And if we need a break and find somewhere nice, we just land there. Having a helicopter on these long trips makes you slow down and really enjoy the experience.\u201d<\/p>

Matt Lombard started flight training in his early 20s with aspirations of being a professional helicopter pilot. However, the sky-high cost of renting a helicopter to build his flight time led him to consider helicopter ownership once he had his commercial license.<\/p>

Lombard purchased a used Robinson R22 Beta II in April 2023 and has since flown 120+ hours exploring the area around his home outside of St. Louis, Missouri. Since he lives in a fairly rural area, he\u2019s been able to use his helicopter to save time and simply have unique experiences.<\/p>

\u201cI live in the middle of nowhere and while there aren\u2019t mountains, there are some great places to visit that would take an hour or more to hike to,\u201d Lombard explained. \u201cThere are a couple of great spots that have a little elevation, and I can fly up there to watch a sunset for example in a few minutes rather than hours of hiking. I\u2019ve also found some great secluded spots where humans haven\u2019t been in a very long time. It\u2019s very peaceful to fly out there and experience these places.\u201d<\/p>

Lombard also uses his R22 to save time. Midwest grocery chain Menards is a two-hour drive from his home. The store has a large lot where he can safely land, and he\u2019s flown there several times to stock up \u2014 storing his bounty under the seats for the flight home. He\u2019s used his helicopter to pick up and take a pizza to the Mississippi River for a picnic, to catch a drive-in movie, and to have lunch at various restaurants.<\/p>

Like Van Woerden, Lombard has visited friends who have lakeside property, again saving driving time, and he\u2019s even done a little charity work \u2014 delivering Santa for a gift giving event. He\u2019s shared his adventures with his more than 470,000 followers on both Instagram<\/a> and YouTube<\/a> combined.<\/p>

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Matt Lombard Photo<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Recently, after a police officer retired from his 27-year position as a resource officer at a local high school, Lombard landed in the school\u2019s field to provide the officer his awe-inspiring final departure in front of the student body \u2014 a helicopter ride back to the police station. Lombard shared that he can\u2019t, however, offer tours due to his insurance and federal regulations, which has been a letdown as he was hoping to offset his costs with paid tours.<\/p>

\u201cOwning the helicopter has been a lot of fun,\u201d said Lombard, who has also been training to become an A&P mechanic. \u201cI bought the helicopter to build my time and will hopefully sell it for about what I paid for it; although, now I\u2019m not sure I want to sell it. There are so many things about owning a helicopter that people don\u2019t tell you. Having a helicopter has really changed my mind about what I want to do for a career. My dream was to be a tour pilot, but that\u2019s changing after this experience. We\u2019ll see what the future holds.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two pilots share how owning a helicopter has allowed them to explore and enjoy unique experiences, from nature expeditions to time-saving trips. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15880,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15877","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buying-a-helicopter","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe adventures of private helicopter ownership - HeliTrader<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Two pilots share how owning a helicopter has allowed them to enjoy unique experiences, from nature expeditions to time-saving trips.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/helitrader.com\/the-adventures-of-private-helicopter-ownership\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The adventures of private helicopter ownership\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Two pilots share how owning a helicopter has allowed them to enjoy unique experiences, from nature expeditions to time-saving trips.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/helitrader.com\/the-adventures-of-private-helicopter-ownership\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"HeliTrader\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-03-05T08:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-02-22T17:20:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/assets.helitrader.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/VanWoerden1.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1290\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"975\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Heli Trader\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Heli Trader\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/helitrader.com\/the-adventures-of-private-helicopter-ownership\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/helitrader.com\/the-adventures-of-private-helicopter-ownership\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Heli Trader\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/helitrader.com\/#\/schema\/person\/79c39f9ef49d0fec2310e7a9bb8ef959\"},\"headline\":\"The adventures of private helicopter ownership\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-03-05T08:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-02-22T17:20:53+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/helitrader.com\/the-adventures-of-private-helicopter-ownership\/\"},\"wordCount\":970,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/helitrader.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/helitrader.com\/the-adventures-of-private-helicopter-ownership\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/assets.helitrader.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/VanWoerden1.jpeg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Buying a helicopter\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/helitrader.com\/the-adventures-of-private-helicopter-ownership\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/helitrader.com\/the-adventures-of-private-helicopter-ownership\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/helitrader.com\/the-adventures-of-private-helicopter-ownership\/\",\"name\":\"The adventures of private helicopter ownership - 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