Alan Purwin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alan Purwin
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Alan David Purwin
August 28, 1961 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Died | September 11, 2015 (aged 54) San Pedro de los Milagros, Colombia
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| Cause of death | Plane crash |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Grant High School Pierce College (Los Angeles) |
| Occupation | Founder & Owner of Helinet |
| Spouse(s) | Kathryn Purwin |
| Children | Kyle Purwin and Michaela Purwin |
Alan David Purwin (born August 28, 1961 – died September 11, 2015) was an American pilot and business owner. He was known for flying helicopters for movies and helping others. Alan Purwin started and owned a company called Helinet Aviation. He helped film many Hollywood movies from the air. Some of these movies include Pearl Harbor, the Pirates of the Caribbean series, and the Transformers series.
On September 11, 2015, Alan Purwin died in a plane crash in Colombia. He was working on the movie American Made at the time.
Contents
Early Life and First Flights
Alan Purwin was born in Southern California on August 28, 1961. He grew up in North Hollywood, California. His father owned a car repair business. When Alan was a child, he often flew with his father in a small plane. His father flew for fun all over North America. He also flew cancer patients for medical help, which was a kind act.
Alan went to Grant High School in Los Angeles. While still in high school, he earned his pilot's license for planes. At 18, his father encouraged him to try flying a helicopter. At 19, Alan worked as a crop duster in Indiana. This meant he flew helicopters to spray crops. He flew ten to twelve hours a day. Alan said this time helped him get many flying hours and learn a lot about helicopters.
After Indiana, Alan came back to Southern California. He worked for a helicopter company that filmed the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He flew helicopters to cover events like cycling and sailing. Later, Alan did helicopter stunts for TV shows. These included The A-Team and Airwolf.
Helicopter Business and Movie Work
West Coast Helicopters
In 1987, Alan Purwin and Michael Tamburro started West Coast Helicopters. They sold almost everything they owned to buy their first helicopter. Their company offered flights for the Los Angeles Kings sports team. They also did aerial stunts for a TV show. In 1988, West Coast Helicopters began working with hospitals. They transported medical teams for organ transplants. By 1990, they had their first news contract with KTLA in Los Angeles.
On August 21, 1996, Alan Purwin was in a helicopter crash. This happened while filming a TV commercial. He was injured, and his co-pilot and business partner, Michael Tamburro, died.
West Coast Helicopters also offered special flights for business leaders and famous people. In 2011, Alan Purwin flew Prince Harry on a helicopter tour of Los Angeles. A business leader named Emil P. Martini Jr. taught Alan a lot about running a company. Alan learned to "anticipate trends" and trust his instincts.
Helinet Aviation
In 1998, Alan Purwin bought Helinet Aviation. He combined it with West Coast Helicopters. This helped his company grow even more. Alan helped film over a hundred Hollywood movies. He was a helicopter pilot and helped coordinate aerial shots. He would film extreme aerial scenes for many movies each year. He used a camera mounted onto his helicopter. Alan changed how aerial filming was done in the movie industry. He often worked in risky situations. He tried to make these dangerous jobs safer. For the movie Tropic Thunder, director Ben Stiller told him to "Go crazy Alan, and do your own thing." Many of these shots ended up in the movie.
In 2015, Alan Purwin's company was allowed to use drones for filming. His company provided drone work for a TV show called Narcos in Colombia.
After Alan's death in 2015, his wife Kathryn became the CEO and owner of Helinet Aviation.
Cineflex Camera Systems
In 2003, Alan Purwin bought a large part of Cineflex. This was a new company that made special aerial cameras. These cameras could send high-quality video from a helicopter without losing picture quality. At that time, the movie industry was changing to high-definition digital filming. Cineflex cameras were also used by police and other law enforcement groups. In 2007, another company bought Cineflex.
ShotOver Camera Systems
In 2012, Alan Purwin bought ShotOver Camera Systems. This company is part of Helinet Aviation. ShotOver makes advanced camera systems for movies and TV. These systems use special technology to keep cameras steady in the air.
VideoFort Stock Footage
In 2013, Alan Purwin started VideoFort with some partners. This company creates and sells high-quality video footage. Before starting VideoFort, Alan was known for having the world's largest collection of aerial video footage.
Helping Others
Hurricane Katrina Relief
In 2005, Alan Purwin's companies, Helinet and Cineflex, helped during Hurricane Katrina. They supported the United States Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security. They also provided aerial video of the storm-hit areas for news channels. Alan Purwin and J.T. Alpaugh were the first news crew to see the damage from above.
In 2015, it was reported that Alan's team did more than just film. They also helped rescue many people during the disaster. Alpaugh remembered seeing people waving from rooftops. They would see signs like "help us" or "S.O.S." The team would call in these rescues. Soon after, a Coast Guard helicopter would arrive to pick up the people.
Hospital Support
Helinet and Alan Purwin also provided free medical transport services. They helped patients and hospitals. In 1999, Helinet gave a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter to Children's Hospital Los Angeles. They also provided trained pilots and helicopter maintenance. By 2004, Alan's company had flown over 30,000 organ-transfer missions for six hospitals. Every year, Helinet also transported almost 3,000 children for Children's Hospital Los Angeles. By 2014, Helinet continued to provide free helicopter services to the hospital. This included two helicopters, maintenance, and six experienced pilots. Alan Purwin was also on the hospital's Board of Trustees.
Death and Tributes
On September 11, 2015, Alan Purwin died in a plane crash in Colombia, South America. He was filming the movie American Made, which starred Tom Cruise. The plane was returning to Enrique Olaya Herrera Airport in Medellín. The flight usually took about 10 minutes. It required a skilled pilot to fly over the Andes mountains and land in the valley around Medellín. Another person, Carlos Berl, also died in the crash. American pilot Jimmy Lee Garland was seriously injured. The crash, involving a twin-engine Piper Aerostar, was caused by bad weather.
Alan Purwin is buried in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills).
Tributes
Many people shared their sadness about Alan Purwin's death. Actor Ben Stiller wrote that Alan was "one of the best people I knew and the greatest pilots ever." He added, "I put my life in his hands many times." Director F. Gary Gray called him "the BEST PILOT in the industry!" Director Michael Bay said Alan "was one of the best aerial helicopter pilots in the world." He added that Alan flew for almost all of his movies and was a true friend. Steve Gatena, CEO of Helinet, wrote that Alan was "a great man, a world-renowned aviator and a brilliant entrepreneur." He said Alan was known for his passion and generosity.
