In this episode of The Heli Academy Podcast, we are excited to feature graduate and current host for The Helicopter Podcast, Halsey Schider. Halsey shares about his time at the school and some lessons learned along the way.
Jared Friend
7 sec.
Alright here we are with another episode and I'm super super excited to announce an old graduate is with me today.
Halsey Schider
34 sec.
Alumni Alumni, what's going on here. How are you?
Jared Friend
38 sec.
So Halsey Schider is with me and you may recognize his voice from the helicopter podcast and, uh, I I'm I feel super privilege that you would join me on my podcast.
Halsey Schider
48 sec.
Oh. of course, I it's it's fun to be on the other side.
Usually you know, it's a little bit of pressure as the host.
So it's kind of nice to to be on the different side and a love to actually recording podcast that you and I did just about two months ago or so that in person turned out.
Great, great response.
So always fun to do anything with you here at Hillsboro.
Jared Friend
1 min. 15 sec.
Yeah, so I mean, I'm super excited to have you on because the one I want to encourage all the students to go and listen to your podcast him really cool interviews that you do.
And some tips and tricks and all about the industry.
A so why don't you just take a minute or so talk about your podcast little bit for us and tell tell all the the students here.
What, um, what you do?
Halsey Schider
1 min. 36 sec.
Absolutely.
Well, thank you for that. The Helicopter Podcast. It’s uh.
I'm going on about two years now.
I think for about the last year and a half.
I haven't missed a week.
So, we release episodes every Tuesday.
You can find them on wherever you enjoy your podcast, and we also do a video version that you can find on YouTube which I think we're actually gonna start dropping those on Sundays before the actual audio.
A little preview.
You know, try to apply or YouTube game a little bit.
So you can also find us there and.
Just like anything in life.
You set out to do something because you think it will do something and then it kind of turns into something completely different and the podcast has been exactly that I mean, even walking through the whole today.
I can tell like people can recognize me right.
And that's kind of neat feeling and to think that I have an influence over this industry now is awesome.
We didn't have that when I was training and so to be able to have a place where I can, I can talk and I can have guess like you on our other guys are girls that are doing cool things in the industry.
I think it just helps kind of give a roadmap to this career and so I'm, just I figured my mom might listen, but it's been so much more and I'm just grateful for it.
Grateful for the sponsorship of Hillsborough Heli Academy.
I think, it's such a wonderful place.
I think so many people that listen and consume podcast on any for anything.
Is to consume and learn new information and things that people are interested in.
So I really think that.
So many of my listeners are exactly that their guys and girls that are like, hey, what’s up with this crazy helicopter thing.
So I just, I feel lucky to be part of this industry.
And to be a small voice of it.
Jared Friend
3 min. 24 sec.
That's, great.
Well, I wouldn't say you're a small voice of it.
I think a man a everybody in the helicopter industry knows your podcast .
Uh, it's kinda crazy.
You know, we've talked.
We talked on your podcast, a little bit about your history, but I'd love for you to tell the students here about your kinda journey through a you know, even starting you know, we're just chatting at lunch time about the fact that you almost went to a school called silver state helicopters and got it, you know, [laughter].
They they kind of had a bad demise there.
Uh, you know, they ended up closing the doors, but you didn't you ended up coming to us.
So I would love to hear just a little bit like tell the, uh, the students about how you chose Hillsboro.
Uh, at the time.
It was Hillsboro Aviation.
Now, Hillsborough it's Hillsboro Heli Academy and, uh, yeah, I just tell them kind about your journey there.
A little bit that'd be awesome.
Halsey Schider
4 min. 17 sec.
Yeah, for sure.
So I'm like a lot of the students one of these, I love about coming back to Hillsboro is the diversity of students.
I was at European rotors.
This last year.
I ran into Jared a couple times actually and I knew it was like a year European reunion form because so many of my alumni that I went to flight school with were from different countries.
A lot in Europe and today we're just talking to a guy that passes.
See if I is from Singapore Japanese flight instructor there's a Swedish.
I mean, it's, just I love the diversity of it for me though.
I'm actually from this area.
I grew up and the town called like a Lake Oswego.
So about like 30-35 minutes or so from Hillsboro.
So that was fairly convenient and serendipitous, but I did actually go look at silver state helicopters.
This is this is funny.
And this is the power of reviews really is we had a family friend that for some reason it didn't have like a good taste in his mouth from Hillsboro at that time.
You know, this we're going back like 20 years.
And I think that just stuck with me like, oh. I guess.
That's not an option then you know, and I don't, I don't even remember.
I was trying to remember at lunch exactly what my issue was at that time, but I went to silver state, obviously.
We all know how that ended.
And that would have been a sad ending for me.
Like four months into my training because that's when they went out of business.
Jared Friend
5 min. 37 sec.
Oh man yeah and they just close the doors like out of the blue.
Halsey Schider
5 min. 43 sec.
Yeah, and the whole thing was like you pay upfront and I mean, I would have lost you get the loan and fully fund the account.
So I mean, it would've been that could have drastically altered my path to where maybe I not would not be a helicopter guide now.
Jared Friend
5 min. 50 sec.
Yeah, and sadly it did alter the path of a lot of people.
Halsey Schider
5 min. 58 sec.
So many people.
Yeah, and so.
I went there and luckily, uh, I remember like yesterday the base manager was just horrible.
He was, I had no salesmanship.
He was very, uh, egotistical cocky error again and even being a young person at that time.
I just had a an incredibly uncomfortable vibe.
Ah, so to speak and so I looked at my parents.
My parents came with me and I said, well, I guess we should go look at Hillsboro.
And so I went a Hillsboro.
And Wayne Moore you remember Wayne.
So Wayne was the.
Jared Friend
6 min. 38 sec.
He was the admissions guy.
Halsey Schider
6 min. 41 sec.
Yeah, he was the director of admissions for a long time including when I went and he was the opposite of this guy.
He was friendly, he was loud he was boisterous.
He was excited.
He was fun Hillsboro had financing options at that time, which I needed my parents are wonderful people.
A hardworking blue collar folk, that supported me in a lot of ways, but they weren't.
You know, unable to support me financially through an expensive helicopter training.
So having the financing was huge and.
Took a demo.
Actually that same day with Lisa Davis.
I don't know if you recall Lisa.
And the funny part is is a we landed at the downtown teleport, 61 Juliet.
And that was not standard demo.
But little Lisa, she was like brand new instructing.
And so I ended up getting like a .8 demo.
Jared Friend
7 min. 29 sec.
You know which is like twice as much.
Halsey Schider
7 min. 31 sec.
Yeah, so I got like you know, I think it worked out for Hillsboro because [laughter], they got all my money for training, but yeah, that was that was my decision of going to Hillsboro was.
Jared Friend
7 min. 33 sec.
An instructor that took sometime huh.
Halsey Schider
7 min. 34 sec.
It was it was that demo flight.
It was it was a way more the time.
It was the facility.
It, you show up even when I come back here today.
And you go to the ramp and there's.
So many helicopters and everyone's working in sync and it's just working and flowing happening that to me is like a sign of organization that knows what they're doing and so I think that was just what we felt my parent and I all felt really good.
I got a loan.
I started working line service like that week.
So I could get a little bit of a discount and, uh, the rest is history as they say.
Jared Friend
8 min. 18 sec.
Yeah, so so you did your training.
Um, when all the way through got your CFI.
We were talking to lunch.
You you you actually waited.
You know, you got your instrument license later down the road which you kinda regret.
It not getting a little bit earlier.
Halsey Schider
8 min. 37 sec.
Absolutely,
Jared Friend
8 min. 37 sec.
um, but you went all the way through.
Got your flight instructor rating and then got hired here at Hillsboro Aviation.
Halsey Schider
8 min. 42 sec.
Yep, yep, by you actually. Which was super cool.
I yeah pretty traditional route in that sense.
Uh, now it took me awhile I was young flight school wasn't always my priority.
Jared Friend
8 min. 56 sec.
You work in line service at the time.
Halsey Schider
9 min.
Working line service a parting pretty hard outside of school [laughter].
Uh, young and dumb and actually talk a lot about that on the podcast because I there's actually to be a viewer and traits that I had at that time when I went through flight school that I don't think, were great.
Um, and I think that, uh, you had a different perspective of me because you were working the news for a long time when I was working line service.
I knew I had you in the back one day because you said Halsey, it feels like I'm coming home everytime.
I land because you're always waiting out there with electro tug to pull the helicopter in the new telecom for and fill you up and of course, I didn't realize that you would end up being the chief instructor.
That would ultimately hire me [laughter].
Jared Friend
9 min. 37 sec.
You weren't playing the long game.
Halsey Schider
9 min. 49 sec.
That was, but I just the one thing that I always had going for me.
Was working hard.
Yeah, I never.
I never, never didn't work hard and that still exist to this day, but I just had a bit of an attitude.
I was arrogant.
I was young and still just being 18 years old.
Um, so I you know, I actually feel super fortunate that you recognize a different side of me.
And gave me that chance and you know, I would say if you're listening to this podcast, just always keep that in the back of your mind that you know, when you show up here at Hillsboro for your first day of flight school that's, your first that's, your first day for your interview.
Jared Friend
10 min. 15 sec.
Yeah, true.
Halsey Schider
10 min. 28 sec.
And that's, the cool thing about helicopter school.
10 min. 29 sec.
The Dean, you know, aka Jared here in this case.
He's, the guy that you're gonna see every single day when you're training you're gonna walk by his office.
You're gonna chat with them.
You're gonna get to know him you're gonna learn his story.
It's, not like you're disconnected from the person.
That's gonna end up hiring you and that's kind of neat.
Part about flight school and so when you come you have that opportunity to to really start showing uh Jared and Eric and the rest of the staff here.
Who you are why you're?
Why you should maybe be considered for see if I job in the future and you know, I just felt really lucky to get hired and uh, I had a had a nice long?
A kind of career actually at Hillsboro compared to a lot of CFIs.
Jared Friend
11 min. 11 sec.
Yeah, well why don't we as as see if I is there anytime during your CFI that you were like you had a moment that was maybe a little bit scary or or maybe you you learned a really valuable lesson or something like that.
Uh, yeah, just or maybe during your training.
Halsey Schider
11 min. 31 sec.
Yeah, you know, I've had nothing.
Adversely ever micro knock on wood has been like super scary I've been pretty fortunate.
Yeah, I think some things I learned as a CFI.
And I learned it early as your best students will be the ones that try to do something that's, not so good.
Jared Friend
11 min. 52 sec.
Unexpected right?
Halsey Schider
11 min. 52 sec.
And it's, not scary you know, like, um, I remember.
I had a student and I was maybe a couple hundred hours into teaching and I kind of felt like I was getting pretty good at teaching and especially autos you know, like when you start teaching autos at least for me.
I just start to understand the maneuver.
So much more.
Man, my best student this guy was almost as good a autos as I was you know, and I was just weird going we're in a Alpha patter at Hillsboro Bam Bam Bam Bam.
And on like the 8th one, which is probably like in the FOI somewhere of not to do that many.
[laughter], but he was doing so good.
Three to one lower collective and he just wrapped or he attempted to wrap the throttle on.
And luckily I just, I had that good under grip, but you know, I was able to over control him on the throttle and uh, take control immediately, but I think you know, that's one thing to consider is like you should never never feel too comfortable.
Yeah, whether you have a great student or a student that's struggling a little bit more that you think needs more attention.
No matter who's in that seat next to that person is learning that they wanna intentionally go out and hurt you or or hurt the helicopter, but that's just part of it.
It's a it's, the you know, you're doing the throttle shop on a quick stop by accident.
They don't wanna do that.
It just happens and so I would always you know, I I just recommend new CFIs first and foremost take your time.
There's no rush if you're not comfortable doing something.
You know, work into it and I'm sure that you guys kind of work your CFIs similar to how we did it back in the day where you're not out there teaching what you know, one eighties on on day one for certain, but nothing nothing too scary?
And I think that's a testament to this operation, right.
I mean this was this is a very controlled environment, which it should be for flight training.
I think when you go out to the “real world of flying”.
You you learn that the flight school world is a little bit different alternately then the training environment, but it's by design.
So I think that being in such a controlled environment having superior maintenance there's.
No corners cut here.
There's no money that's, not spent on doing the right thing.
All the time specifically when it comes to safety.
I think it really garners.
Uh, for most, hopefully a pretty uh, easy experience and what you're not having to get too tested.
I mean, obviously helicopters, can have bad days and things like that, but nothing nothing ever really scared me.
Jared Friend
14 min. 20 sec.
That's great.
So, um, so let's talk about after so you you know, you did some other jobs here at Hillsboro a campus manager kind of roles.
It as well as some other things.
Um, but let's talk about after you, you you left here and then and then what happened.
Where'd you go from here?
Halsey Schider
14 min. 38 sec.
Yeah, so, um, not wanting to be traditional in any path that I ever do in life.
I didn't take the straight line.
So I ended up actually chasing a girl down, Texas directly from Hillsboro and I didn't fly.
I didn't fly for about a year.
I had flow and I was I've found a school that I was doing part time flying for and it just was it was I was so broke that the drive from Austin to San Antonio.
Was like not making it.
Economic for me.
So I was valeting cars.
I was 24-25 at the time and essentially it's yeah, 25. From like 18-25.
I was pretty like responsible cause I was in helicopter school and I worked at helicopter's you know.
Assistant, chief and the campus manager and I like for being a younger person.
I feel like I was more mature at that time and so I actually kinda use that as like a gap here of like you know what I'm just gonna be in this new city and have a good time and not worry about it too much and so that's kind of what I did.
And, uh, started to kinda have this fear of like, oh my goodness, like am I gonna get back in a helicopters?.
15 min. 49 sec.
Faith, had it, you know, I don't know if it's fate or you know whatever the case is, but I did one more day at that flight school.
The last day I did a demo and this lady a came to R44 demo and long story short she's I'm gonna buy one of these and you can come work for me.
I'm in the oil business I'm like sure, you're, you know, [laughter].
Well, two weeks later.
I'm, flying her R44 for around the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas.
And ultimately ended up starting a business with her helicopter doing Part 91 tours I put together.
The whole LOA for the letter of authorization.
I did all the marketing.
I did everything scheduled.
All the maintenance.
I mean, it was a entrepreneurial fire hydrant.
Ah, but she was an entrepreneur herself and she really kind of mentored me on that side.
So that that worked out actually really cool.
I ended up helping her sell the aircraft.
16 min. 41 sec.
Uh, the tour business was just not doing good enough for the liability that she was uh you know that comes with helicopters, obviously.
So from there gotta job Maverick applying Grand Canyon tours.
From Maverick, I went to Air Medical and at that time went to Air Medical there's a lot of downtime it's like being a firefighter, right.
You you could have days where you do nothing and in most days you you maybe have a flight, but some days you just do nothing and you can sleep you can watch Netflix.
I chose to like start aside hassle.
So I started selling helicopter's during my my slow time.
And that just kind of grew and grow similar to the podcast start something with one expectation and then it kind of leads into something.
So now for four years, I've actually been out of full time flying, but.
Been selling helicopters and helping people buy helicopters and for me.
I'm an entrepreneur and to be able to mix my passion of helicopters with my entrepreneurial spirit it's like the match made in Heaven and so even though I don't to fly all the time.
I'm very much indebted and committed to this community and, uh, I wouldn't change it for the world and you know hoping that maybe someday.
I can put myself in a position where I can do some flying for fun.
And maybe have a helicopter and and do some cool Helicopter stuff.
Jared Friend
18 min. 2 sec.
Oh. that's cool that's really cool.
Um, I I love it.
That you know, there's there's.
So many different paths, right.
You know, I think when you start flight training.
You think, I'll you know, this is where I'm going this is the end result is what.
I'm gonna do.
But honestly there's.
So many different directions.
That people can go with, uh, with their flight training with helicopters and maybe you're not gonna be a line pilot for the rest of your life or maybe you are.
Um, a and I know a lot of people love that and they love that lifestyle and you know, I just think it's fun to kinda get this a perspective that there's you know, there could be other paths.
Halsey Schider
18 min. 42 sec.
Yeah, there's.
Yeah, there's not again.
I think as humans, we all kind of start to planning or at least I do.
I kind of internalized like what am.
I gonna do the rest of my life and what is it all look like and then it never looks that way, but it always works out right.
If you work hard.
If you're a good person.
You do the right things and usually life will kind of hopefully work out for you.
And I think we talked about this when we did the mean great, a few weeks back.
This idea being flexible.
You don't get so pigeonholed into an idea like I'm going to be this type of Pilot.
I'm going to be utility pilot.
I'm going to be an air medical pilot.
Those are great goal is to have but you may actually find that there's a path out there that you have no idea about. You might stumble into AG and fall in love with flying AG and you thought you're gonna be air medical there.
Couldn't be bigger difference, right.
So you so you just have to remain flexible and uh, and if you work hard and you put out the right energy.
Good things will happen.
Jared Friend
19 min. 43 sec.
Okay.
So if you're looking back at your, um, you know your training as you went through school since you know, this is gonna be primarily current students.
Maybe some potential future students that are listening to this.
If you were to go back and give a 18 year old Halsey some advice uh specifically regarding flight training.
What would you say
Halsey Schider
20 min. 5 sec.
Yeah, I would say.
Stop being a jerk [laughter].
You know, I mean, I I think I'm a little bit of a worn out record on that because I talked about a lot and I I sometimes wonder like man am, I being overly hard on myself.
Um, because I really that bad and and maybe I wasn't, but.
I think at the end of the day.
I just feel like that was a time where I was just not really mature yet.
And I was young and arrogant and a kind of thought that I knew the world and I think no 18 year old knows the world I'm 36 now.
And I don't now that's, the difference, right.
I know I don't know nothing and so I'm humble too, a lot of things and so I would say humility.
I would just be more of a humble person.
And honestly the one thing I this is maybe not for the students, but more.
So those CFIs out there.
This is the best job that you ever have in my opinion being a flight instructor.
It's good it's.
So incredible it's the one job where one block you're flying off-airport's.
The next block.
You're flying autos the next block.
You're doing a stage check it's.
The only job.
You'll ever have the keys to a helicopter and you can kinda go and do whatever for that day with that particular student and then with the next student you're doing something else.
So I would say don't be.
So eager to feel like you have to move on to the next step.
It will happen.
Don't try to, uh, enjoy this- because when you get to the “real world” of flying you're, not doing autos.
You do them once a year.
Jared Friend
21 min. 40 sec.
Maybe and if you’re flying twins you’re not ever doing them.
Halsey Schider
21 min. 41 sec.
Yeah, well, even at Air Evac.
Shoutout to Air Evac a great company That I flew air medical for, I loved working for them.
Uh Zach, can can for forgive me if I'm saying this wrong, but I don't even think we rolled the throttle off when we did a autos we literally just lowered the collective and and did autos for training.
Yeah, oh. yeah, I tell you at nighttime.
Yeah, it was it was their policy.
So, it's kind of like.
You know, you do that once a year like you know, so being able to be in the flight school environement.
So yeah, maybe you're not making a ton of money, but you're gaining so much experience and it's the one job that you truly have a lot of freedom.
So, uh, you know, I would tell myself to be humble and I would tell myself not to be in such a hurry to move on because now I wish I could go back and relive that and obviously I can't.
Jared Friend
22 min. 40 sec.
Yeah, yeah, it's funny.
And I'll share, kind of some of my story too a in a future podcast, but um, yeah, it's.
The same thing you know, I was, I was out flying in the industry.
And and the guy that I was flying with the best buy that I've ever flown with in my life.
Um, told me, I got I had to come back and and uh being an instructor because it's really the most valuable time that you're gonna have as a pilot.
Uh, you're gonna learn the most.
Well, honestly, I just wanted to say thank you, Halsey for joining me today.
Doing this kind of impromptu recording and, uh, just one more time once you tell a everybody a where they can find your podcast and uh, and where they can listen.
Halsey Schider
23 min. 22 sec.
Well, thank you.
Jared for for having me and if you're listening to the Podcast and you're on the fence of like where you're deciding to go to school.
It's a big decision and it shouldn't be taken lately.
I can speak from my experience and going out to the industry.
The training that I got at Hillsboro.
I think really set me apart and in fact, I've been in other capacities where I'm flying with other people that went to other schools, but also mixed in with some Hillsboro grads too and there's a difference.
And so I'm I'm super a grateful that I just happen to live near Hillsboro and that kind of helps lead me to that decision.
And coming back here today and recently and seeing everything.
That's happening here and see everything here that you've done at the school is a very different place than it was when I was here and I think it's, terrific and fantastic and Eric, the chief pilot.
So long story short.
You know, Hillsboro is a fantastic place.
I'll definitely consider.
That and for my podcast it's, The Helicopter Podcast.
You can listen to it wherever you enjoy your podcast we're also on YouTube I'm also always looking for guests.
So, uh, feel free to message me on Facebook or Instagram.
And I'm and I love hearing from you.
So if you have questions about training, please reach out.
Jared, thanks so much for having me on the show.
Jared Friend
24 min. 39 sec.
Yeah, thanks for being here Halsey.