Jill A. Henry: Helicopter pilot a true professional and excellent pilot
Re “NTSB report: Sheriff’s helicopter ran out of fuel before hard landing” (Front page, Nov. 30): I recently read about the hard landing of the Sheriff’s Department helicopter in July, having not been aware of the incident when it originally occurred. I would like to share my experience with the pilot, Sgt. Robert Latapie during the 10-year period we served together in law enforcement.
I had the privilege of serving as aerial observer with Sgt. Latapie as pilot in several hundreds of operations in conjunction with large-scale criminal investigations. Sgt. Latapie piloted both helicopter and fixed wing aircraft. I can personally attest to Sgt. Latapie’s professionalism, experience and dedication. I felt extremely safe with Sgt. Latapie as my pilot. Unspoken proof of his experience lies in the fact there was no loss of life as a result of this incident. Thank you, Rob!
Jill A. Henry, Modesto
This story was originally published December 2, 2016 at 10:24 AM with the headline "Jill A. Henry: Helicopter pilot a true professional and excellent pilot."