RWS 95 – Adventures in Helicopter Media with Elan Head

Rotary Wing Show - Interviews from the Helicopter Industry

Elan Head has been flying and writing about helicopters for over 15 years and is now Editorial Director at Vertical Magazine.

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.

Elan fulfilling a long term goal of flying the Kaman K-MAX. Lifting a load during her 6 hours of type training. Photo: Kaman

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.

The single seat Kaman K-MAX. After some training in a dual seat HH-43 Huskie it’s off solo in the K-MAX. Photo: Kaman

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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Links from this week’s episode:
Support the podcast on Patreon
Elan on Twitter
Vertical Magazine – Elan Head is editorial director at Vertical Magazine.

Elan flying the HH-43 Huskie as part of lead up training for the Kaman K-MAX

Front seat ride in a Mi-24 just one of the many helicopter types that Elan has been able to fly. Photo: Skip Robinson

Elan Head under going vertical reference practice with Volo Mission for a Vertical story. Campbell, Texas. Photo: Will Graham

Looking down from a Robinson R44 during long-line training with Volo Mission. Photo: Will Graham

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