Chad Fath - President and Chief Pilot
E-mail: fath_heli@yahoo.com

Chad Fath started his helicopter training career over ten years ago. Chad was on an EMS ride alone when they had to load a patient onto a Life Flight helicopter. After talking to the pilot and the over all experience of that powerful piece of equipment Chad knew he wanted to become a helicopter pilot and one day fly this amazing machine that fascinated him so much.

A week later, Chad told his parents he found a Helicopter Flight School in California that he wanted to attend. One month later, he hopped a plane to Concord , CA , and started his training. After eleven hard months of flying and studying Chad took a job based out of Minneapolis , MN , working as a flight instructor with other duties of tours, photos, pipeline and power line patrol. After about a year, Chad received an offer to fly corporate for a construction company located in Atlanta , GA. There Chad did various flights such as flying the owner to off-airport construction sights, to and from the race tracks where the owner would race at, and some flight instruction.

Chad loved all this but missed the enjoyment and self-rewards of flight instruction. Chad then took a job in Fort Meyers , FL , where he would take on responsibilities such as the chief flight instructor and chief pilot of a 135 operation. Here Chad primarily taught people to fly, but also did a lot of passenger transport, photos, tours, alligator counting and filming of boat races. At this point in time Chad was loving life and his career as a helicopter pilot. Then all hell hit and put fear in all pilots, yes, September 11 th . September 11 th affected every pilot in some way. With the airspaces closed and not knowing when they would be back up to the general public, Chad went back to Minnesota and waited for everything to calm down again and started to work on his Fixed wing training. Once he completed his training he started looking for job. After setting up interviews out west Chad hopped in the car and headed out. The first stop, Las Vegas , NV . Chad interviewed with a couple com panies and took one as a flight instructor. After working there awhile Chad worked his way up to senior flight instructor, tour pilot, charter pilot, and filming for the movies. With various duties ranging from Baja races, VIP charter, Grand Canyon tours, and strip tours, to teaching group ground school to the new students and stage checks with both student and CFI's.

Chad's experience contributed to his ideas on what would make the perfect flight school. With working at numerous flight schools throughout his career he found out what really works and what does not. Chad's goal became to take the best aspects of every school he worked for and some from the schools he attended. In doing so, he came up with a school that is serous and dedicated to transform you, the student, into a professional and extremely safe pilot.

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Tyler Burrows - Assistant Chief Pilot Cincinnati

Tyler Burrows grew up in Colorado, spending his time skiing the back country mountains. After watching a helicopter access the same terrain in 5 minutes, that would take him the better part of a day, he decided to look into the helicopter industry. At the age of 22, he started researching helicopter flight schools, and moved to Boise, ID. A year later he received his commercial pilots license and shortly after that, his CFI. Now living in Cincinnati and flying with Higher Ground Helicopters, he is excited to help students get the same opportunities that he has been given.

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Mike Peterson - Commercial Pilot/CFI, Alexandria, MN

Peterson (as his friends in the helicopter business call him) has been a flight instructor since 2004. A life-long dream of being a pilot came true when he started his training in early 2002. He met Chad in Las Vegas, Nevada, while Chad was his own flight instructor. Throughout his training, his love and fascination with aviation grew steadily, and he soon realized that his true passion was in sharing this love with others through teaching. He has been an instructor for about 3 years now and has instructed from one on one up to large group ground school. He is committed to giving his students the highest quality education they can get with particular emphasis on safety. His enthusiasm and passion for this industry keeps him continually studying and learning all he can, so he will be the best and most effective instructor he can. Always seek "Higher Ground!"

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Jenny Marotzke - Office Manager
E-mail: hghelicopters@hotmail.com

Jenny started working at Higher Ground Helicopters in 2005 as a secretary answering phones and taking messages. Since then she has worked her way to up to the office manager position. As office manager Jenny is primarily in charge of the financial aid department and scheduling flight time for the students. Jenny especially enjoys these duties because she enjoys the interaction with the students and getting to know new people on a regular basis.

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Bryce Hansen - Commercial Pilot/CFI Cincinnati

Bryce is originally from southwestern Minnesota growing up in the small town of Wood Lake. He spent his time going to school and helping his dad on the farm as much as he could. In his spare time he enjoyed fishing (especially ice fishing), hunting, playing paintball & softball. After he had graduated from high school he attended college as many others do right out of high school. He was only a few months into college in Mankato, MN when he decided that flying helicopters is what he really wanted to do. Bryce had checked out a few flight schools in the Minnesota area when he met Chad Fath. After meeting & going up for a demo flight with him, he knew he had found the right school & instructor. Bryce finished flight school in just over a year. At the young age of 20 he is excited to be working with the Higher Ground team as a CFI at their location in Cincinnati, OH.

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Cody Bosek - Commercial Pilot/CFI Cincinnati

Cody started his helicopter training straight out of high school in 2006. Unsure about college, his mother heard a radio ad for a helicopter flight school and told him about it. The next week Cody attended a seminar at Higher Ground Helicopters in Alexandria, MN. After 3 months of hard work he received his private helicopter license, and began working towards his commercial, and CFI, during that time he got to know the ground knowledge intimately under the instruction of Benjamin Schenk. That March he attended the Robinson safety course in beautiful Torrance California, had a great time, learned a lot, and made some friends in the helicopter industry. Shortly after returning from the Robinson Safety course he took his Commercial helicopter exam in June of 2006. After completing this stage of his training he received his CFI only 4 months later under the guidance of Mike Peterson. Cody is thankful for the opportunity he has been given to work for such an accredited school, and is excited to begin his career in the helicopter industry with Higher Ground Helicopters as a flight instructor at their Cincinnati location.

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