Outbound Heli. Adventures
Safety Policy
As a tourism, utility and charter provider in SouthCentral Alaska, serving all of Alaska, we consider it our responsibility to be on the forefront of safety.
Understanding the stigma attached to aviation, especially in the realm of tourism, we pride ourselves on our safety practices, procedures and protocols.
maintaining a stellar safety record
A few things about our hiring and training processes that are standard for our company:
Pilot Hiring Process
Our helicopter provider, Pollux Aviation LTD, requires all prospective pilots to have a minimum of 1000 hours of total flight time to apply for a pilot position. This is not the norm for 135 operators in the state of Alaska.
As tourism drives our economy, most pilots are hired as very low time/low hour pilots, just out of flight school, with no prior experience flying in Alaska. They are considered seasonal workers and typically spend a summer getting their “rotors” wet before moving on to higher paying flying positions outside of tourism.
Pilot Experience Matters
Because pilots are hired with 1000+ flight hours , they tend to be more experienced and versatile pilots, having multiple aircraft ratings, as well as experience in a multitude of flying environments.
Additional Qualifications
Although not a requirement, the majority of our pilot hires are also Certified Flight Instructors as well as Certified A&P mechanics. This is important to note, as this allows valuable ground based and air training opportunities “in house” to be available on a regular basis. We find that well rounded pilots make for better candidates in Alaska’s unique flying environment.
135 Operations
As operators of the largest 135 fleet of Robinson Helicopters in the country, all pilots hired by Pollux Aviation, LTD are required to complete the Robinson Safety Course.
Training
Newly hired pilots attend at least 80 hours of ground based training as well as 15 hours of flight training with the Director of Operations and the Chief Pilot prior to completing their check ride.
Year Round Operations
We are a year round operation. This gives pilots the opportunity to gain experience flying in different terrain as well as different weather conditions. It also helps keep pilots current on their logged flight time and certifications.
Safety
All pilots and employees are Wilderness First Aid Responder Certified as well as Crevasse Rescue trained, and CPR certified.
Maintenance Of Our Fleet
The maintenance of our Robinson R44 and R66 helicopters is performed “in house”. Pollux Aviation is an authorized Robinson Helicopter Service Center and a FAR 145 Repair Station. Our aircraft are maintained by A & P and IA mechanics to FAR 135 standards in accordance with Robinson’s Technical Publications.
Regular 50 hour, 100 hour, and Annual maintenance and inspection checks are performed on each insured aircraft. Daily flight and maintenance logs are updated and are in each helicopter.
Thorough, daily pre-flight checks are performed by each pilot, for each aircraft flown.
Guide Training, Certifications & Education
We like to think Outbound Heli Adventures is pretty unique, so having the capability to design, train, and implement adventures with professional guides that align with our already stellar safety protocols was a natural step forward for us. Understanding that many people are unsure about an aviation-centered adventure on their trip to Alaska, we pride ourselves on carefully created safety practices and procedures.
Every pilot, guide, or crew member of Outbound Heli Adventures is Wilderness First Aid or Responder certified, as well as Crevasse Rescue trained and CPR certified.
Additionally, many guides have completed avalanche safety and rescue training, a challenging course that we feel elevates the level of experience required of Alaska guides.
Beyond the certifications and trainings required for our professional guide program, Outbound guides show a true passion for education and learning. Some degrees held by our guide team include Outdoor Recreation and Psychology, Outdoor Studies, Environmental Science, Biomedical Science, Health and Exercise Science, Biology, and Mathematics.
We also realize that many guests have never been aboard a helicopter, much less stood on the icy surface of a glacier and may feel unsure about the experience. Outbound Heli guides understand this and have a variety of communication styles to help people not only feel comfortable riding in a helicopter or hiking atop a glacier, but confident as well.
Atmosphere of Safety
Safety in the realm of helicopters extends far beyond the pilots. While the helicopters are in the air flying, there is a whole operation on the ground maintaining everything from a safe landing zone, to satellite communication with pilots, to welcoming, weighing in, and safety briefing each and every passenger to monitoring weather and air traffic. Keeping passengers safe around departure areas is just as important as keeping them safe inside the aircraft. Ground crew and operations are also tracking any aircraft in flight and until all aircraft are secured for the day.
As owner/operators, we feel that operating under the highest safety standards is not a choice. We absolutely love providing the services that we do and want to continue to do so for years to come.
The flight adventure of a lifetime
What Past Customers are saying
“The adventure of a lifetime”
“My husband and I used Outbound Heli for our glacier elopement and truly had the adventure of a lifetime. From our very first conversation to the final goodbyes after we returned from our tour, their team was incredibly attentive, personable, and didn’t overlook a single detail.
It was the most special day ever, and Outbound Heli played such a huge role in making it that way. We cannot recommend them enough!”
– kelley
“Exceeded every expectation”
“Our family had the absolute best experience with Outbound Heli! We were a group of 2 adults and 4 kids (ages 3–8), and it exceeded every expectation.
The entire experience was the perfect balance of informative and laid-back. We never felt rushed and truly got to soak in every moment. It was one of the most memorable experiences our family has ever had, and we’re so grateful to Cedric, Rigel, and the entire Outbound Heli team for giving us a once-in-a-lifetime adventure we’ll never forget.”
– stephanie
“Cannot recommend enough”
“I came to Alaska for work and added this on last minute. What a mistake it would have been to miss this…omg. Cannot recommend enough.
Christine was our pilot and wow! She’s simply amazing. Super knowledgeable, helpful, incredibly kind, patient.
The views are a can’t-miss, once-in-a-lifetime experience.
