We work hard to be the very best in aviation
The right equipment. The right fleet. The right team for
every job.
An insistence on excellence
For almost 30 years, we’ve committed to providing our
customers with the highest standards of safety, reliability,
and precision in the industry. From our aircraft to our
team, our company takes every step necessary to ensure we
carry out every mission with highest quality results, on
time and within budget.
A steady ascent
Helicopter Express first took to the air in 1995 when
owner Scott Runyan secured the company’s first
government contract with the United States Forest
Service. The consistent quality of their work and their
willingness to diversify their fleet with helicopters
that could tackle clients ever-changing needs led to
expanded services, continued company growth, and a
stellar reputation.
It’s been a steady climb
ever since. The company’s philosophy of buying new
equipment and working with the most skilled pilots and
mechanics in the industry has set them apart from the
competition. Today, they boast a diverse fleet of 45
helicopters ready to take on any mission. With a
continued focus on safety, professionalism, and
efficiency, Helicopter Express continues their upward
trajectory and has become one of the most trusted
contractors around the globe as well as owning and
operating the largest utility fleet in the world.
Our Team
Scott Runyan
Scott Runyan started Helicopter Express in 1995 with a
vision of building a versatile helicopter company that
offered a broad range of services to the Southeast.
From the outset, he knew that meant Helicopter Express
would need to be a reliable, flexible organization
that could adapt easily to ever-changing client
needs.
By putting the very best personnel
and equipment in place, Scott has cultivated
consistent growth of the HX fleet. He continues to
uphold the company’s standards of excellence by
maintaining the highest level of safety, employing
talented staff, and assuring that HX always delivers
precision and a more reliable, superior service on
every mission. Under his guidance, the company and
fleet have continued to evolve and become trusted
leaders in the industry.
Richie Kittrell
Richie joined Helicopter Express in 2003 after serving
as a line pilot and chief pilot for other operations.
He has vast experience ensuring flights are conducted
safely and according to federal regulations standards.
He specializes in helicopter and personnel management
with a focus on exceptionally high safety, security
and quality standards.
Today, Richie is a
key member of the senior management team at HX, where
he applies his expertise in scheduling and maintaining
flight records to manage the busy day-to-day operation
of HX. He expertly designs and implements business
strategies, plans, and procedures, while also
establishing policies that promote the HX culture and
vision. His overall goal is to increase the
capabilities of the HX business and to drive the
company towards continual and steady growth.
Julie Jones
Julie joined the Helicopter Express team in 2004. She
has 10 years of accounting experience and worked five
years as a controller. As our senior executive with
the responsibility of our financial affairs, HX relies
on Julie for her keen expertise in managing our budget
as well as our daily administrative operations.
Julie
is an expert at keeping things in order and deftly
contributes her strategic vision to everyday
activities. Her administration efficiency is an
incredible asset as she collaborates with the HX team
to implement policies and develop improvements. Her
talents in financial analysis combined with her
ability to project the long-term financial picture of
the company are an invaluable asset to the HX and our
continued success.
Danny Hoss
Danny joined Helicopter Express in 2007 to assist in
coordinating and maintaining our ground operations. He
diligently worked his way into the position of General
Manager while simultaneously attending flight school.
With 15+ years of experience in this industry, his
role is imperative to our success and encompasses
managing the day-to-day operations of our commercial
and government service contracts.
While
maintaining the development and quality control of our
evolving global business, the excellence he
demonstrates helps keep the highest level of safety
and operational conditions in all that we do.
Scotty Runyan
Flying has always been part of Scotty’s life,
especially once his father started Helicopter Express.
In fact, watching his father’s drive and
entrepreneurial success as he launched the company has
helped shape Scotty into the leader he is today.
Scotty
officially joined the HX team in 2004 as the Ground
Support Manager. His experience responding to service
requests, troubleshooting, repairing and overhauling
ground support equipment and his ability to uphold
everything to the highest safety standards made him an
invaluable team member and a natural candidate to
become a valued member on the the managerial team.
Scotty now provides critical support to vital elements
of the business and its missions. He offers
outstanding direction and insightful vision for HX’s
continual future success in aviation while always
keeping the human factor of their work in
perspective.
JR Liming
JR Liming’s aviation journey spans more than two
decades, making him a seasoned professional in the
field. His passion for aviation was ignited courtesy
of flying in his Grandpa’s C182 as a young boy, which
left an indelible mark on him and set him on the path
to becoming a seasoned aviator. Growing up on the farm
provided JR with valuable life lessons about the
importance of family, hard work, and dedication and he
has carried these principles into his professional
life.
JR leads by example. He readily
steps up to assist with any projects or tasks, setting
a positive precedent for his colleagues and inspiring
them to do their best. His dedication to both aviation
and his work family at Helicopter Express, whom he has
been with for more than 16 years, underscores his
commitment to excellence and his genuine passion for
what he does.
Pete Morris
Pete Morris served as HX’s chief inspector for several
years before being promoted to Director of Maintenance
in 2004. He has an extensive aviation background with
41 years of industry experience, 39 years of which
were spent an aircraft maintenance technician. He
holds an Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) certificate
issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA),
making him an expert in aircraft inspections.
In
addition to inspections, Pete performs, supervises and
conducts preventive maintenance. Safety is of utmost
importance to Pete and he works hard to ensure that
every job is completed with the highest level of
integrity. Pete oversees the HX maintenance staff,
which is composed of dedicated, experienced and
factory trained technicians. Pete’s diligence and
attention to detail ensure that our clients can depend
on HX to meet all of their needs safely, efficiently
and to the highest industry standards.
Jeremiah Powell
Jeremiah Powell served 20 years in the Army, holding
roles as an Infantryman, H-60 Crew Chief, H-60 Pilot,
and Aviation Safety Officer. After retiring, he flew
for a regional airline during the peak of COVID,
eventually leading him to a new path. Most recently,
Jeremiah served as the Director of Safety at Billings
Flying Service for four years before joining
Helicopter Express in his current role.
Passionate
about Safety Management Systems (SMS), Jeremiah views
safety as a core value and a pre-condition like
breathing. He firmly believes SMS is essential for
safeguarding human and machine assets, identifying
inefficiencies, and implementing controls to prevent
setbacks. A strong proponent of hazard reporting and
safety culture, Jeremiah emphasizes that mutual trust
between employees, the organization, and management is
critical to a successful safety program. He vehemently
works to advance SMS growth not just at Helicopter
Express, but across the aviation industry.
Marcques Bennet
After leaving the USMC, Marcques worked for 15 years
in the transportation industry advancing from
commercial driver to a supervisor responsible for 80+
employees. He brings a wealth of knowledge about
driver training, management, and DOT regulations.
Marcques has joined our team in our
continuing efforts to provide the best service to our
customers and navigate the increasing DOT ground
transport regulations. We are convinced that he will
add another layer of success to our quality
efforts.
Colby Martin
Colby Martin joined Helicopter Express in the winter
of 2022 to help launch our Air-crane program in Saudi
Arabia. Colby developed a passion for flying at age 13
in the late 1990s. He began flying helicopters in 2003
and has loved every minute since. With extensive
experience in heavy lift operations, Colby holds type
ratings in the S-61, S-64, S-70 and BV-234 models. His
career has taken him around the world, working utility
and firefighting missions.
Colby has
quickly progressed as a skilled pilot, establishing a
strong reputation in the industry as an advocate for
training, mentoring, and guiding fellow aviators.
Colby found his true calling in management at his
previous company as Chief Pilot. Now at Helicopter
Express, he has answered the call to service by
helping build and lead our heavy lift team.
Rob Van Horn
Rob recently retired from the U.S. Forest Service,
Fire and Aviation, Airworthiness Branch after over 20
years of service. A brief part of those 20+ years
was a short stint to the FAA where he was assigned to
the SLC and HNL FSDO’s. Additionally, Rob worked for
Erickson Air Crane and was a field Crew Chief for 11
years.
Rob will be the Director of Quality
Assurance for our growing operation and will audit
aircraft and operations both in the US and abroad.
His extensive experience as an auditor will bring
opportunities to look critically at all aspects of the
Helicopter Express global operation.
Kimberly Braun
Kimberly Braun is the Chief People Officer at
Helicopter Express, bringing decades of human
resources experience from the home healthcare and
manufacturing industries, managing subsidiaries
globally. As a member of the executive team, she plays
a vital strategic role overseeing personnel
management, organizational development, culture
preservation and total rewards to promote employee
engagement, recruitment, and retention.
Kimberly
understands that by investing in employee success and
experience, Helicopter Express drives sustainable
performance and attracts top talent in a competitive
industry.
Make us your go-to team.
Our highly skilled pilots have the experience and equipment needed to rise to any challenge. When you need experts you can trust, give us a call.