A fellow Pilot is gone...

[copterkeith06]

Some of you know him...some of you don't...some of you like him & I know lots don't...but, I knew him & I liked him. I concidered him a friend.

 

Scott Baker was the owner of Versatile Helicopters in Brewster, WA. He was a rough, tuff, load obnoxious man from Canada. He was hard to work for at times but, I learned a whole bunch from him. Scott was one of the very few guys out there that would hire low time pilots to fly his helicopters. S-58 helicopters to dry cherries. Maybe is was a bit odd, maybe it was'nt.

On April 1, 2012 I hopped a plane to Brewster, WA - jumped in an 18 wheeler with Scott, drove to the ferry in Van Couver B.C, dropped Scott at his house on Van Couver Island and for the next 6 weeks I hauled load after load of equipment, steel beams & everything else needed to build a huge refrigederated building in the valley 130 miles north of Brewster, WA. 300 miles east of Scott's house, a 2 hr ferry ride & huge mountains with twisting roads the whole way. I also hauled 12 oversize loads from Kamloops, B.C, 200 miles north of the border into the states. I stayed a Scott's house a couple nights a week & felt right at home ( 2800 miles from my home ), his beautiful wife April made me dinner. Easter dinner too with the whole family. Then the 3rd week of May it was to the Helicopter for the next 12 weeks to dry cherries, lots of cherries. I did fight some with Scott, he called me an a-hole at times & I called him more than that ( this was my 2nd season with him & it was a tuff one ), he was hard on people at times but, I would not have experiened any of those things without him.

I was mad at Scott when I left last year & didn't go back this past season, I'm an idiot for that. Now I'll never have the chance to make up with him or work with him again. He was injured while unloading the same man lift off of the same trailer that I loaded & unloaded a few times for him. He donated organs to 5 strangers last Monday, then the plug was pulled. He was a very good pilot with thousands of safe flight hours in many different aircraft.

I'm saddened by his death. I will & do miss him. Good bye to Scott Baker & thanks for the memories.

 

Everyone who reads my post, take note of what my post say at the bottom. That is my older brothers motto that I inherited.

[rodrop]

I am sorry for the loss of your friend. I hope his family and extended friends make it thru these tough times.

[aeroscout]

RIP brother.

[Spike]

Sorry for your loss. Feel blessed your memory of him will last forever……

[Goldy]

Keith- Sorry to hear this...I'm sure Versatile helped many pilots get a start....here's an obit I found. http://www.cowichannewsleader.com/news/223148361.html

Edited September 14, 2013 by Goldy

[copterkeith06]

Thanks fellas.

 

[copterkeith06]

And Lady...just noticed you, sorry.