Listen to this episode below:
Join us as Maria Langer gives us insight into her inspiring pilot journey.
Maria Langer is a commercial helicopter pilot and the owner/operator of Flying M Air, LLC based in Washington State in the United States.
Flying is her third career and she’s been at it now for 15 years.
Maria blogs about flying, building her new home, recovering from an ugly divorce and a variety of other things at www.MariaLanger.com.
Starting Out
- It was a five dollar helicopter ride while on a family vacation in Maine that enticed then seven-year old Maria in aviation.
- Currently on her 3rd Career Maria has worked as an auditor/financial analyst, writing books about using computers and Commercial Helicopter Pilot.
- She thought that learning to fly looked really fun to do and a ‘neat skill’ to have.
- When she got her PPL, she wanted to fly more so she bought her own helicopter, a Robinson R22. She got addicted to flying.
- Flying helicopters can be expensive so out of practicality, she pursued acquiring a professional licence so her hobby can pay for itself.
Initial Training Challenges
- The most difficult for Maria at first was learning how to hover the aircraft.
- She had problems with motion sickness as well.
- Her flight instructor left before she can finish the course. Due to some incompatibilities with the new instructor, she decided to switch to another flight school to get her licence.
The Aircraft Types
- Maria has flown a number of helicopters, some of which are:
- Robinson R22 on which she first trained
- Robinson R44 (Raven 2), best value, decent performance, smooth ride, an aircraft that she owns and closest to her heart.
- Bell 206L / Long Ranger
- Rotorway kit helicopter
- Hughes 500
- Bell 47
- A couple other helicopters owned by her friends.
Best Flying Advice
- Never give up your dreams. Don’t give up, don’t let things get in your way. Make it happen.
The Journey
- To gain the flying hours required for her commercial pilot licence, she would visit friends, take long cross-country flights, and even fly over the Grand Canyon.
- Once she got her CPL and the 1000 hours experience, a friend encouraged her to work for Papillon tours in 2002 which in her words, “was a very good learning opportunity”.
- She quit her job and sold her R22 and bought an R44. She offered chartered flights, but the high competition and low demand in her area pulled her business down.
- In 2007, she had regular clients and did annual photo tours in Lake Powell.
- Maria also did aerial survey work for the Birds of Prey Foundation.
- She’s currently doing agricultural jobs such as cherry tree drying and almond frost protection in California under her company, Flying M Air, LLC.
Current Flying.
- Multi-day excursions in Sedona, the Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Monument Valley, and Flagstaff Arizona giving her clients a taste of the high life through winery and location tours, wine tasting events,, hotels and restaurants.
- She also does helicopter engagement flights.
- Seasonal agricultural jobs in California.
Proudest Flying Moment
- During an incident on one of her tours in the Grand Canyon, she was able to keep herself together and have the presence of mind under a sudden and very unexpected circumstance.
Future Plans & Aspirations
- She is in the process of adding the finishing touches to her new home.
- Would love to fly again for fun once her helicopter gets overhauled.
- Would push the multi-day excursion for wine lovers in the Washington State.
Flying Internet Resource
- Sky Vector – for flight planning.
Best Aviation Book
- The Cannibal Queen – Stephen Coonts
Stephen Coonts, New York Times bestselling author of Flight of the Intruder, Under Siege, and Cuba,has been hailed as the best contemporary author writing about flying. In The Cannibal Queen, he turns his storytelling genius to nonfiction with an exultant account of the summer of ’91 — of three glorious months spent exploring America from the cockpit of a 1942 Stearman vintage biplane. Joining the ranks of John Steinbeck and Charles Kuralt, Coonts takes us on an extraordinary adventure, touching down in all forty-eight of the continental United States, from sea to shining sea.
- Chickenhawk – Robert Mason
A true story from the battlefield that faithfully portrays the horror, the madness, and the trauma of the Vietnam War
Favourite Cockpit Gadget
- Apple iPad – electronic flight bag used for weather information updates, radar, flight plan.
Interview Links
- You may contact Maria via:
- Visit Maria’s website here: marialanger.com
