Hillsboro Aviation Recognized in Intermountain Region Wright Brothers Aviation Award

Hillsboro Aviation is honored to have been a member of the Mount Rainier Helicopter Program, which has been awarded the 2020 Intermountain Region Wright Brothers Aviation Award. The award is given annually to an individual or team that made a significant contribution to enhancing the safety of overall aviation operations within the Intermountain Region.

Staffed with four Hillsboro Aviation crew members, the company’s Airbus H125 helicopter served as the primary helicopter providing search and rescue for Mount Rainier before relocating on an extension to the Intermountain Region of Colorado to support fire suppression efforts.

“The Mount Rainier helicopter program mobilized to the Rocky Mountain Area during a period of unprecedented fire activity in both the local parks and with our interagency partners,” said Justin Jager, Regional Aviation Manager and Safety Specialist for the National Park Service Interior Regions 6,7, & 8. “Due to the ongoing and extraordinary fire season, the crew was asked to extend past their planned end-of-contract date.”

Without hesitation, the Mount Rainier Helicopter Program crew extended their contract and relocated to the Intermountain Region of Colorado, sacrificing their own time at home with family and friends to stay on the road and ensure that the Rocky Mountain Area maintained critical short haul capabilities for the thousands of firefighters on the numerous incidents in the region.

The crew also performed a technical body recovery at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, receiving high praise from the park and the local sheriff’s department.

“When people ask us why we do what we do, it’s because state lines don’t exist when it comes to communities and the families that live in them,” said Ryan McCartney, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Hillsboro Aviation. “In the case of 2020, the homes of many of our staff living in the Pacific Northwest were threatened by wildfire. At the end of the day, that’s why we’re in this: to protect the communities and land that rely on the dedicated members of our industry to make sure their homes are still standing in the face of wildfires. It is the honor of a lifetime to be part of the teams making that happen, particularly when it comes to the Mount Rainier Helicopter Program.”