Sky Kings

By Jessica Poitevien Staff Writer

“We have to fly.”
Those simple words can be announced at anytime. For the pilots of Electronic News Gathering (ENG) helicopters, those words start the workday.
Within minutes their jet engines are revved up, ready for action. The sound of helicopter blades rhythmically beating fills the air. With an address and clearance from the control tower, the pilots take off into the skies, unsure of what to expect.
These pilots are specially trained to operate ENG helicopters. Flying for all the major news networks, including NBC, ABC, CBS and FOX, they chase the news all over Broward and Miami-Dade Counties.
“It’s a totally different realm because it’s not just picking up, flying and landing. It’s moving into a position and being able to hold the helicopter there,” said Danny Mangano, an aerial photojournalist.
When they’re not covering the news, these helicopters can be seen waiting on their platforms at North Perry Airport as Broward College students make their way to South Campus.
Each day these pilots and their choppers tell the stories of South Florida, but behind the airport gates, they have their own story.
The Business of News
The workday of ENG helicopter pilots and reporters can be full of surprises. Despite the unpredictable nature of the job, every day starts off at the Helicopters Inc. office and helicopter hanger at North Perry Airport.
Since its 1978 founding, Helicopters Inc. has become one of the largest helicopter leasing companies in the nation with about 70 news organizations across the U.S. using their services. Their first contract in Miami-Dade and Broward was signed in 1998 with CBS 4. Channels 6, 7 and 10 soon followed suit and Helicopters Inc. now leases all ENG helicopters flying for English news stations in both counties.
Before these news networks started using Helicopters Inc., they kept aircrafts at their own stations. When breaking news happened and a helicopter was needed, a reporter would drive to the station where a pilot would be waiting, but this wasted time and money.
“If the reporter gets stuck in traffic, the story is still occurring. It’s not going to stop for you,” said Ralph Rayburn from Channel 7 Skyforce. After over 20 years of doing ground reporting and helicopter reporting, Rayburn advocated having full-time journalists dedicated to waiting at an airport and covering stories from the air when needed.
“We missed enough stories and we missed enough video that they finally tanked on me about three years ago and asked me to do this full time,” Rayburn, who has flown approximately 18,500 hours in his career, said.
Helicopters Inc. provides its clients with the aircraft, a pilot and a photojournalist if necessary. These pilots and reporters are stationed at the airport waiting for the signal from their news stations to cover a story. When their workday is over at 6 p.m., they are still on call in case a major story occurs overnight.
“This is basically a waiting game. You never know when there is going to be breaking news,” Mangano said.
Danger in the Skies
July 27, 2007 in Phoenix, Arizona: Four people are killed when two ENG helicopters collide.
October 13, 2008 in Houston Texas: A pilot employed by Helicopters Inc. and a photographer are killed when their helicopter crashes.
The ENG helicopter pilots and reporters may work hours similar to a 9 to 5 job, but their line of work is far from typical. Each time they fly, they take a risk.
Ramsowr can attest to the fact that some dangers of the job are unpredictable. One night while following a police chase, Ramsowr was thoroughly entertained as he watched the suspect weave through traffic while waving a bottle of Jack Daniel’s rum outside of his car window.
“Those things are exciting. They’re fun little changes from the monotony of going to a car accident because they eventually all look the same,” Ramsowr said.
What happened next was unexpected. The driver grabbed a gun and pointed it directly at Ramsowr’s helicopter which was hovering 500 feet above. Ramsowr immediately backed away. “He could’ve hit me. It would’ve been a lucky shot, but still, all it takes is one,” he said.
ENG pilots can do nothing to prepare for such unanticipated circumstances, but they train to prevent more common safety issues such as engine failure, emergency landing and awareness of their surroundings.
Communication between pilots is vital to preventing accidents like the Phoenix incident. Each helicopter has a radio that allows them to speak with other pilots and the control tower. When several helicopters are covering the same story they stagger their altitudes and notify each other before moving positions.
“Our first thing is safety. No news story is worth the safety of a pilot,” Mangano said.
The people flying and reporting in helicopters risk their lives to report the news, but their main concern is returning home safely.
“Everybody works together. Even though we’re competitors everybody knows everybody and it’s a professional operation,” Rayburn said. “It’s not a bunch of cowboys up there flying around chasing after stuff.”