Helicopteros in Chile

Helicopteros del Pacifico was started by Carlos Barrie in 1990. Carlos was originally a fixed wing spray pilot, and much of the land he was spraying was forest on the sloping sides of mountains, where only aircraft could work. One day, while he was flying, trying to parallel a steep and difficult slope, a helicopter flew next to him. “I could see he was enjoying the slope,” said Carlos, “and that it was far easier for him in his machine.”

When they both had landed Carlos went over to the helicopter, and the pilot offered him a ride. As soon as he flew the helicopter he realised he could use this as a tool for his work. “I saw the future,” he says. However, there was also an interesting challenge: at that time, most helicopter pilots in Chile were ex-military and were not interested in the lifestyle of the crop-dusting pilot, so Carlos realised he would have to train as a helicopter pilot himself...