

That’s because the quality and effectiveness of training absorbed by a student is directly proportional to how involved that student becomes in the process. And over the years it has become increasingly clear to me that those individuals who possess the right attitude have an overwhelming advantage over those who are taking up space and wasting time. From the 17-year old fresh out of high school right up to and including a gentleman in his late sixties, all express a desire to master helicopter flight.

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In the time that I have been with Mauna Loa Helicopters, I’ve come to know dozens and dozens of would-be professional pilots. The reverse also is true: a student faced with seemingly insurmountable hurdles can overcome those barriers and achieve success with a positive attitude. Granted, it has occurred that the occasional student will give up and drop out, but that decision to quit has much more to do with the student’s attitude than it does with his or her skill. It’s practically unheard of in our flight school to encounter an individual who simply does not possess the ability to fly a helicopter. And that same positive attitude can and will give you an edge through your entire flying career. A positive attitude towards your flight training can spark positive outcomes and extraordinary results. Winston Churchill once remarked that, “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.” Does it ever! Having a positive attitude can lead to your ultimate success in helicopter flight training much more than intelligence, than circumstance, than skill, education, money or background. This was such a good post from Mauna Loa Helicopters I thought I would post it here!įrom: Mauna Loa Helicopters in Hawaii March 27, 2010 " and if you do hit them, keep flying the helicopter". He will be greatly missed, as he was adored by his family.Ī Celebration of Jim’s life will be held in the Verticare Hangar (240 Mortensen Ave) at the Salinas Airport on Monday, March 16th at 11:00am. During his 42 years flying out of the Salinas Airport, Cheatham utilized his piloting skills performing in airshows, cropdusting, aerial photography and filming, charter services, and flight training.Ĭheatham is survived by his significant other, Cheryl Harris (Big Sur, CA) sister Janice Shoemaker (Boerne, TX) children Jodi Serrano (Sacramento, CA), Captain Amanda Evans (Osan AFB, South Korea), Stacey Wilson (Soledad, CA), Kylie Pachuilo (Salinas, CA), Amy Hayes (Yukota NAS, Japan), and Burton Cheatham (Salinas, CA) and seven grandchildren. He purchased the company in late 1970 and changed the name to Verticare Helicopters in 1971. Jim Cheatham moved to the Salinas area in 1967, working for Clevenger’s Air Service. Just another victim of major budget cuts.īorn in Laveen, AZ on January 5, 1942, Cheatham later served as an aircraft mechanic and helicopter pilot in the United States Army, completing tours in both Viet Nam and South Korea. Cheatham was left with massive overhead for the nearly one Million dollar specialized aircraft. A significant factor of his business collapse was the abruptly canceled helicopter contract with the Monterey County Sheriff’s Department. Cheatham experienced a minor heart attack and corrective angioplasty one week prior.Ĭheatham was recently in the news regarding how his business was devastatingly affected by the economic crisis. Local business owner Jim Cheatham died suddenly in his home early Wednesday morning. I would have loved to seen their demonstration in person.

He started Showcopters in 1996, and soon the three-ship team - flying Robinson helos - attracted a following at air shows throughout the country. Helicopter Association International did a nice little write up on Jim Cheatham and so did Vertical Reference here. Side Note: I was sad to find out that Showcopters were a Salinas, California based team headed by Jim Cheatham who died in March 2009. Once an instructor at Verticare Helicopters and Airplanes in Salinas, Cheatham eventually took over the fixed-wing and rotary flight training, sales and service business. Excellent demonstration, check it out, amazing! The lead pilot is a Vietnam veteran helicopter pilot, Jim Cheatham. You can tell these guys have 1000's of hours of experience. I'd love to see this demonstration in person. It's pretty cool how they do all these maneuvers in formation. Autorotations, flying backwards (the rotor disc doesn't care which way it's flying), turning, climbing descending. Technically it's not aerobatics per say like a fixed wing airplane it's what the helicopter is capable of in normal flight. This video shows the capability of the Robinson R22 helicopter.
