Jerry Trimble Helicopters (JTH) hosted the Fifth Annual Autorotation Contest on Sunday, June 28, at McMinnville Municipal Airport in Oregon.
The event raised money for Habitat for Humanity, Homeward Bound Animal Shelter, Boy Scouts of America, and the Lions Club International. In addition, it encouraged safety awareness by testing the emergency procedure skill of pilots from around the world, according to company officials.
Contestant participants ranged from newly certified helicopter pilots to seasoned flight instructors. Each of the 11 contestants was allowed two full-down autorotations, and the scoring was based on distance from a pre-established spot, technique, and slide distance.
This year, the judges determined the winner to be Trimble’s own Certified Flight Instructor Instrument (CFII) Danny Boone, who took home $600 and an engraved plaque that featured a piece of Robinson R22 rotor blade. Danny has been a helicopter pilot for four years and a CFII for three. He is also a mechanic with experience performing maintenance at Evergreen Aviation and JTH.
The following second place winners split $400: Craig Dukes, Nick McDonald, and Brian Humble.
Craig is a student at JTH who is pursuing a Commercial Certificate and currently holds a Private Helicopter Certificate with an Instrument Rating.
Nick is a CFII at JTH and works primarily with students seeking Instrument Ratings. Brian is a former JTH student and holds a Private Airplane and Helicopter Certificate.
The $200 third place prize was split between Bodie Davies and Jeff Sabo. Bodie is a Private Helicopter Pilot from New Zealand and a former JTH student. Jeff is a captain for Alaskan Airlines with a Private Helicopter Add-On Certificate and is currently working on his Commercial Helicopter Add-On Certificate at JTH. Jeff is looking forward to obtaining his CFII and Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) Helicopter.