Mirko Flaim

Flight operations manager & chief pilot helicopters

Story

As chief helicopter pilot, Mirko Flaim is a highly versatile member of the Flying Bulls team who flies almost every day. As well as flying the BO 105, Cobra, Bell 47 and EC135, he has indulged his love of long-haul flight for some years now in the cockpit of the business fleet.

Today he might be in New York, tomorrow filming a sunset tracking shot over the Alps, the next day performing at an air show in the BO 105 as one of the few certified helicopter aerobatics pilots in the world. It’s an exciting life of which most can only dream. In fact, that’s exactly how the journey into the world of aviation began for Mirko – with a dream. Long before he took his first flying lesson, his parents would regularly take him to a heliport near his home in South Tyrol to catch a glimpse of the helicopters taking off and landing. At 21, he finally started training as a commercial pilot. It was this mentality of mapping out every step, while remaining true to himself, that would open a lot of doors for Mirko – including the doors to being a flight instructor in Graz and a pilot on Majorca. Eventually, in 2012, the door to the Flying Bulls team at Hangar-8 opened for him too.

Interview

Mirko, you are the only holder of a civil helicopter aerobatics licence in Italy, and one of a handful of people world-wide with a US FAA helicopter aerobatics licence. How does aerobatics differ from normal helicopter flying?

MF: In just about every way! When you train to fly a helicopter, you learn to make small moves, with no big swings. When you start aerobatics training, you first have to learn to throw the steering around and put the helicopter in situations that at any other time would set alarm bells ringing. That’s something you have to overcome. It sounds bad, but once you can do it, it’s a great feeling, something very special.

How did you find yourself with the Flying Bulls?

MF: Coincidence and luck played a part, as so often in my life. During my time as a flight instructor, I got on well with an examiner who graded many of my students. His name was Siegfried ‘Blacky’ Schwarz – my predecessor as chief helicopter pilot. One day he phoned me and asked whether I could imagine joining the Flying Bulls. I thought my ears were playing tricks on me. I felt that way right up to the moment I was presented with my type rating for the BO 105.

Speaking as chief helicopter pilot, what is the best thing about your job?

MF: The special thing is that every day is different. With the helicopters, we have an extremely broad base. Uniquely, we can perform aerobatics in a BO 105, which is like a sports car – incredibly powerful and responsive. We also have vintage helicopters like the last remaining Sycamore of its kind and the Bell Cobra, which is our hot rod. The Plexiglas cockpit of the Bell 47 offers the most beautiful views – it really is better to travel than to arrive. The AS350 is an all-rounder, while the EC135 is like a luxury limo through and through.

You have appeared at many air shows across Europe. What do you do in the low season, is that a time for training?

MF: We train throughout the season, so it can be welcome when the intensity lessens somewhat in the winter and you can take your mind off flying at air shows for a while. In the spring, we attend a training camp in Maribor. Part of the aim is to hone our flying skills and get back to the level of last season. It’s also good to get away from Salzburg for a change, and to sit down together and strengthen our team spirit.

Apart from helicopters, you fly business jets long haul. How do the two types of flying differ?

MF: Flying a helicopter is a craft, it’s all about instinct, technique and mechanics. The kind of business flying I do is based on organisation and teamwork in particular. It’s a fantastic blend that helps me develop as a pilot and as a person.

What qualities does a good pilot need?

MF: Others may disagree, but the human factor is the most important thing to me, that’s what makes the difference. If you have a licence, you have already met certain requirements. If there’s some aspect of flying you find difficult, you can always work on it, no question. If there’s something lacking from your personality, though, that’s not something you can put right. This is exactly how I select pilots for the team. Honesty, reliability, trust and a good measure of common sense are essential. If something’s not right, you must also be able to say no. Nothing is so important that it justifies taking off or staying in the air in difficult conditions.

Every pilot remembers their first solo flight. Was yours a profound experience?

MF: I still remember it very well. Some flying schools will schedule your first solo flight, but mine was different – I knew nothing about it. I had been flying with my instructor for some time, and at some point he stepped out. That was a very profound moment when it really comes home to you that you alone are in charge of this thing, you are wholly responsible for your own life. Afterwards, I felt incredibly proud. I’d had this dream, I’d worked long and hard towards it, and suddenly all the things I’d imagined were a reality.