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About Us
Vista Helicopters Operations
Brazos Helicopters roots began in 1988 with the formation of Vista Helicopters, Inc. by Mike and Nancy Birdsell. With bases in Texas and Oklahoma, Vista provided services such as tour rides, law enforcement support, search and rescue, agricultural spraying, flight instruction, banner towing, pipeline and powerline survey, maintenance, and many others. In early 2003, the assets of Heart of Texas Helicopters in Waco, were purchased, as well as its customer base, to form Brazos Helicopters, LLC. Brazos has continued the training traditions of Heart of Texas Helicopters which were created under the tutelage of Mike Birdsell. Brazos and its management continues to serve the helicopter community with the best possible training and commercial flying possible while maintaining close contact with the many colleagues, in the industry, met during Mike's 35 years in aviation. Some of Mike's flight background has been in off-shore, air ambulance, agricultural aviation, law enforcement, survey, long-line, research and test, and tours.
Brazos Helicopters' Bruceville base is located about halfway between Waco and Temple Texas on Interstate 35. We chose this location for easy access and to provide the best possible off-field training environment for our students. The proximity to many training areas and several, controlled and un-controlled airports, makes for a stress-free, multi-level place to train for both career and private students. Brazos's heliport, in the heart of an industrial area, while not necessarily pretty, provides the atmosphere the career pilot will likely be flying in, without the potential hazards and annoyances of operating at an airport. We have an onsite maintenance shop, with a staff of four mechanics, which minimizes aircraft downtime and training delays.
Brazos Helicopters also operates at Skylark Field in Killeen Texas. This base gives easier access to the North Austin area and better serves the Fort Hood area. Instrument Training is quickly accomplished with instrument approaches being available at Skylark, Robert Gray, and Temple. Fixed-wing training is also available through Texas Star Aircraft Services at Skylark.
Many have the mistaken assumption that, because Brazos is in a rural area, we are also in a remote location. We are about an hour from either North Austin or South Ft. Worth, on the busiest highway in Texas, and the local population of the two counties we operate in, Bell and McLennan, is around 500,000. The Skylark base is 35 to 40 minutes from North Austin and about 25 minutes, taking highway 195, from Georgetown Airport. There are seven local, private, and state colleges and universities and many opportunities for housing, part-time work, and recreation.
Copyright 2004, Brazos Helicopters, LLC
