Luis F. Garcia, Director of Maintenance, Papillon Airways Inc., Grand Canyon, Arizona, is the recipient of Helicopter Association International's (HAI) 2004 Aviation Repair Specialist Award. This award will be presented February 7, 2005, at HELI-EXPO in Anaheim, California, during HAI's 44th annual "Salute to Excellence" awards ceremony.

Mr. Garcia began his aviation career in 1988 when he joined the United States Army as a helicopter technician, working on the Bell AH-1E and the Apache Attack Helicopter. Luis left the service after returning from Saudi Arabia and Iraq, having served in Desert Shield and Desert Storm. In 1992, he enrolled in Rice Aviation School of Aeronautics and Chandler Gilbert Community College. The following year, he became a member of Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters' Maintenance Staff. Hungry for knowledge, he then began to learn every aspect of aircraft maintenance with the help of a Helicopter Association International scholarship, and Papillon providing Bell Factory training.

His first assignment was as the Weekend Inspector/Supervisor, tasked to maintain 18 Bell Helicopters on very tight schedules. He became Lead Inspector, a position that provided him with the opportunity to mold better inspectors, improve productivity, and reduce company costs. He advanced to Chief Inspector, and chief counsel to the Director of Maintenance. In January of 1999, Garcia was awarded Helicopter Association International's Aviation Maintenance Technician Safety Award. In 2000, he was promoted to the position of Director of Maintenance. The models he maintains now include Eurocopter, MD900, and Bell Helicopters.

Papillon Airways operates a Part 135 helicopter service at the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, and at other multiple remote locations throughout the United States on government contract. Mr. Garcia manages Papillon's Part 145 repair station and a mixed fleet of 35 helicopters that collectively fly over 27,000 hours per year. Despite the amount of hours flown in an unforgiving environment, often operating long distances away from home station, Luis and his team maintain better than a 95 percent operational readiness rate. One of the most significant accomplishments that Mr. Garcia has made in his years of service to Papillon is the maintenance safety and training program, which promotes a corporate culture that encourages increased responsibility and accountability. Recognized as an expert in his field and respected by his peers throughout the industry, Mr. Garcia maintains a close working relationship with the FAA, Department of the Interior, U.S. Forest Service, and the Department of Defense. His professionalism, leadership, and superior knowledge of aircraft maintenance and maintenance procedures are worthy of this award.

Mr. Elling Halvorson, Chairman, Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters, Inc., Grand Canyon, Arizona, is the recipient of Helicopter Association International's (HAI) 2004 Lawrence D. Bell Award. This award will be presented February 7, 2005, at HELI-EXPO in Anaheim, California, during HAI's 44th annual "Salute to Excellence" awards ceremony.

Halvorson, founder and chairman of Papillon Airways, began his business career in 1957 as owner of Elling Halvorson, Inc., a general contracting firm. His first major project was constructing a two-mile tramway system on a 10,400 ft. high mountain peak in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, in order to link a transcontinental microwave system from New York to Los Angeles. It was at this time that he purchased his first helicopter. Later, he pioneered the unconventional use of a helicopter in the construction of a water pipeline across the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Visitor requests for helicopter rides led to rotorcraft sightseeing, which launched Papillon Grand Canyon Helicopters. An innovative entrepreneur, Halvorson has invested in and founded a multitude of highly successful companies, including Grand Canyon Airlines; Grand Canyon Squire Motor Inn; Canyon Airport Shuttle Services; Hydro-Resources, Inc., a well and water distribution company; Rainier Heli-Lift, Inc., a logging and heavy lift company operating in North and South America; IMAX theatre and film ventures at Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls; Monarch Enterprises, Inc., an aircraft equipment leasing company operating in North and South America; Halvorson Boshaw Properties; a 3,000-member Washington State camping club; Halvorson Osborne Construction Company; North Benson Plaza, one of several retail shopping centers; and he is the guiding force behind the development of the Whisper Jet. Halvorson's fleet consists of 40 helicopters; forty operate from his state-of-the art heliport at the Grand Canyon.

During his 37-year association with HAI, Mr. Halvorson has served as Assistant Treasurer, Treasurer, Vice Chairman, and twice Chairman, and has chaired and served on numerous HAI committees, including: Executive, Finance, Legislative Advisory, Acoustics, and the Helicopter Tour Operators Committee. He has supported many aviation associations including: National Business Aircraft Association; American Helicopter Society; Travel Industry Association; Tour Operators Program of Safety (TOPS); and United States Air Tour Association (USATA Board of Directors). An energetic advocate for the industry, he has very actively pursued pro-aviation regulations and legislation in many political forums.

Crew of Eagle III, County Rescue Services, Green Bay, Wisconsin; George E. Miller, Senior Pilot and Director of Operations, Lt. Shaun Stamnes, Air Medical Coordinator, and Michael P. Orlando, Emergency Medical Technician; is the recipient of Helicopter Association International's (HAI) 2004 Eurocopter Golden Hour Award. This award will be presented February 7, 2005, at HELI-EXPO in Anaheim, California, during HAI's 44th annual "Salute to Excellence" awards ceremony.

On the night of January 21, 2004, the flight crew of County Rescue Services, Green Bay, was contacted by the Brown County Joint Dispatch Center, which had received a 911 cell-phone call from a male at 9:49 p.m. The location the caller provided was sketchy at best: "My girlfriend?y snowmobile went under the water somewhere by those flashing lights. I'm OK. We have to get out of here? green light on the left and a red light on the right and a water tower somewhere in Green Bay? (end of call). Flying an EC-135 all-weather IFA-powered twin turbo powered helicopter, the County Rescue Services EAGLE III crew rescued Richard Olszewski, 38, and Beth Casas, 30, plucking the two from the icy bay waters of Green Bay, Wisconsin, after the Westmont, Illinois couple's snowmobiles punched through the ice and plunged into the bay.

Mr. Miller expertly piloted the aircraft in blizzard-like conditions, while searching for the missing couple.
On the third sweep, the helicopter's forward-looking infrared detection equipment's 30 million-candle watt beam picked up a reflection on the south end of Grassy Island. Having located the first victim, Mr. Miller hovered the craft inches above ground to make a direct pick-up. The rotary blades swirled snow, while the wind, gusting up to 40-knots, buffeted the aircraft as the crewmen prepared to pull the victim aboard. Mr. Miller held Eagle III steady while a crewmember leaned out of the open door and pulled Ms. Casas on board. After returning her safely to shore, Eagle III continued searching for the second victim. Following faint snowmobile tracks in the snow near the first rescue location, crewmembers spotted Mr. Olszewski in the water near a channel marker. After several careful and deliberate approaches, Mr. Miller and his crew succeeded in pulling the victim far enough away from the channel marker to allow for a pick-up. Again Miller displayed superior piloting skills, while another crewman hung outside the open door to lift the exhausted and weak victim into the helicopter. Casas and Olszewski were immediately delivered to Brown County Rescue paramedics. The crew's determined efforts, outstanding initiative, unselfish actions, and fortitude resulted in the saving of two lives.

Wesley G. Lematta, Founder and Chairman, Columbia Helicopters, Inc., Portland, Oregon, is the recipient of Helicopter Association International's (HAI) Honorary Lifetime Member Award. This award will be presented February 7, 2005, at HELI-EXPO in Anaheim, California, during HAI's 44th annual "Salute to Excellence" awards ceremony.

Lematta founded Columbia Helicopters in 1957, working with a single helicopter at the Troutdale, Oregon Airport. For the most part, his first year of operation was much like that of other early helicopter entrepreneurs?iving rides at county fairs, doing odd lift jobs, etc. However, in September of 1958, Wes gained national recognition when he saved the lives of 17 seamen off the Coos Bay, Oregon coast, in a courageous and dramatic rescue effort. Lifting the sailors one at a time from the sinking U.S. Army Corps of Engineer dredge Rossel in high winds, he accomplished the largest single-handed helicopter rescue at sea, a historical record that still stands. Today, approaching 50 years of operations, Wes' company, Columbia Helicopters, now operates globally from their company headquarters at the Aurora State Airport in Aurora, Oregon. His fleet includes 16 Boeing/Kawasaki Vertol 107-II helicopters, seven Boeing 234 Chinooks, two Hughes 500s, and two King Air fixed-wing aircraft. Columbia Helicopters now employs nearly 700 people, including highly skilled pilots, professionally trained mechanics, and an experienced crew of loggers and load coordinators.

Over the course of Wes' career, he developed a number of innovations that helped to transform and expand the helicopter industry. For example, he proved the helicopter useful for logging, by developing a process to make it a sustainable operation. Lematta is also responsible for developing the Direct Visual Observational Control method for helicopters in construction work. The technique involves suspending the load from a long line, and flying the load while continuing to watch the load through an open door or clear bubble window.

During his long association with HAI, Lematta has served on the HAI Board of Directors. He received the Lawrence D. Bell Memorial Award in 1990, and the HAI Operators Safety Award (multiple times). Other honors include: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Air Medal, Alaska Helicopter Society William J. Kossler U.S. Coast Guard Award, Oregon State Insurance Fund Outstanding Safety Achievement Award, and the Pathfinder Award, presented by The Boeing Museum of Flight in Seattle. Wes Lematta has also been recognized for significant contributions to many educational, civic, and charitable organizations.

Jack Real, Chairman Emeritus, Evergreen Aviation Museum, McMinnville, Oregon, is the recipient of Helicopter Association International's (HAI) Honorary Lifetime Member Award. This award will be presented February 7, 2005, at HELI-EXPO in Anaheim, California, during HAI's 44th annual "Salute to Excellence" awards ceremony.

During his career, Jack Real worked for many aviation industry giants including Lockheed, Hughes, and McDonnell Douglas. A native of Michigan, Jack graduated from Michigan Tech in 1937. A short time later, he went to work for Lockheed, where he spent his time designing, developing, and testing many aircraft including the B-14 Hudson Bomber, the Constellation, Lockheed models 286 and 475, and the Cheyenne Helicopter.

In 1960, he became Chief of Engineering Flight Test, overseeing all flight test activities and two years later became Chief Engineer of Research, Development, and Testing. During 1964, Real worked on the SR-71 project with Lockheed's engineering genius Kelly Johnson in the Skunk Works. In 1965, he became Vice President and General Manager for the AH-56A Cheyenne Helicopter project, and by 1968 he was responsible for all rotary wing programs at Lockheed.

At Lockheed, Real met Howard Hughes in 1956 and served as his personal advisor from then until Hughes' death in 1976. He left Lockheed in 1971, after Hughes appointed him Senior Vice President of Aviation, Howard Hughes Corporation. Real lived and traveled abroad with Hughes from 1972 to 1976. In 1979, he became President of Hughes Helicopters, where he guided the AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopter program. In 1983, under Real's leadership, Hughes Helicopters received the Robert J. Collier trophy, aviation's highest honor for aeronautics achievement in America, sharing the award with Jack Marsh, U.S. Secretary of the Army. In 1984, McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Company bought Hughes Helicopters, and Real remained as President and CEO until his 1987 retirement.

Real was influential in relocating the Hughes Flying Boat "Spruce Goose" to the Evergreen Aviation Museum, where he served as President from 1995 until 2001 and is currently Chairman Emeritus. Mr. Real has served or is currently serving on numerous Boards of Directors and has received many awards and honors.