My name is Hyme Wilkins, I am a CFII, AGI, IGI and assistant chief instructor at Neacola Mtn Air. I first came to Alaska in 2007 to find the boundaries of my own experiences, backpacking and exploring the arctic. I began my aviation career in 2019 in Las Vegas after more than 10-years of migrant working featuring technical adventures such as, rescue, medicine, rope access, carpentry, metalworking and blacksmithing, and other far flung jobs like horse wrangling in the desert, housekeeping in the arctic, cross-country and backcountry tour guiding, tree planting, invasive species removal, photography and pet sitting.
With such a wide range of experiences, I bring many different angles and a unique perspective to the complex environment of helicopter flight training. I earned my Advanced Ground and Instrument Instructor certificates early in my career and immediately put them to use with both fixed-wing and rotorcraft students. The busy operating environment of Las Vegas gave me a chance to be immersed in busy airspace and high-density altitude operations from the very beginning.
I returned to Alaska after my training in search of an environment that shared my commitment to training, education and preparation. My goal has never been to climb “the ladder” as fast as possible, but rather to exist in an environment that forments learning, discussion, growth and a shared communal goal of improvement every day. Preparing each aviator for the high consequence, high task load, individual-driven team-based experience that is helicopters.
I was instantly attracted to Neacola Mtn Air after reading Stacia’s personal commitment to the same endeavor. Stacia and I share a dedicated goal in flight training that extends far beyond the textbook ‘get a certificate’ and seek to empower aviators in order to ‘gain an understanding.’
“To teach is to learn twice.”
