Dave serves as the lead pilot for our Steamboat Springs base, and has been a member of the Classic team for over six years. His dream of flying air medical helicopters began when he was 23 while his sister was a river raft guide, giving Dave unlimited access to free trips. During one trip from Moab to Lake Powell, a woman got sick and was rescued via helicopter in the middle of the night. While he can’t confirm it, Dave suspects it was Classic that flew the woman to safety that night, sparking the beginnings of a career that led him to the pilot’s seat he sits in today.
By the next spring, Dave was flying, getting his start as a flight instructor for over five years before spending time at the Grand Canyon’s South Rim where he flew tours before coming to Classic. Some of his most memorable flights with the company include landing on a beach in Oregon as whales were breaching just off the break, and touching down in the Zirkel Wilderness Area surrounded by mountains on the lake. Dave loves his job for the freedom of being in the sky, the ability to help people, and getting to land wherever he wants.
When he’s not flying, Dave spends his time with his wife Carrie and their two dogs Tank and Max. He enjoys hiking, camping, mountain and road biking, and taking part in the occasional Ironman Triathlon. Not bad for a guy who was born on Friday the 13th.