Yes, Bud was insistent that he control who did capture work in the helicopter. So it was him, Vern or Craig, at least back then. And all three of those guys did great work. A helicopter pilot for another company with a 206 based in Kodiak asked me once why we only used those guys. I explained they were the only ones near approved by DOI for capture work. And, if he’d get authorized we’d consider using him. He is a hell of a helo pilot.
Later, I mentioed to him we were going to be catching bears the next week, and if he wanted to observe, just give us a call on our freq. He did, and he perched on a knob while Craig caught a sow and her two 3 year old cubs. It was a busy capture, but we got them all. The observer called and said he was leaving and thanks.
Couple weeks later, I saw him in town and asked what he thought. His response was interesting. He said “I don’t know if you realize just how good that guy is with a helicopter, but I can tell you he’s as good as they get. He took that helicopter right to the edge a couple times, backed off, then worked the machine right where it needed to be for the next approach. He said “I could do that, but it’s pretty obvious you’ve got a really good hand as it is, and I don’t need the work that bad”.
High praise in my opinion.
MTV