Colorado Highland Helicopters was founded in 2016 by Durango residents Brandon and Dayle Laird to provide the full range of helicopter aviation services and training to the four corners region and beyond. CHH operates the AS350SD2 “A-star”,MD500 and R44 aircraft from their base at the animas airpark. CHH is a fully FAA approved air charter & taxi service, and provides air tours, transportation, photography, inspection, and public safety flight services in addition to initial, recurrent and specialized mountain flight training. CHH has flown over 4000 hours since founding with a perfect safety record.

Brandon Laird, Owner Chief Pilot (CFI, CFII, BS) has experience in educating beginning to advanced pilots. He has spent the bulk of his flying career in the mountains of Western Colorado serving as a search and rescue and aeromedical pilot.

---

David Tranum, Instructor Pilot (CFI, CFII)

Coming Soon,

---

JD Parsons, Instructor Pilot / Operations Specialist (CFI, CFII)

Born and raised in the mountains of Durango, he is a proud 5th-generation local with deep roots in the community. A successful entrepreneur in trucking and gas stations, his passion for flight was ignited in 2020 after taking a discovery flight in fixed wing operations. After selling his businesses to pursue his dream full-time, he joined Colorado Highland Helicopters in 2022, quickly excelling through the program. Today, he proudly instructs the next generation of pilots, continuing his journey at CHH with dedication and expertise of those who precced him.

---

John Priest, Commercial Pilot / Compliance Officer / Director of Saftey (CPL)

John Priest is a dynamic commercial pilot who wears many hats at Highland Helicopters, including compliance officer, director of safety, and agent of service. Embracing a second career, John transitioned from a successful 10-year tenure as a brewmaster and entrepreneur—operating several acclaimed breweries—to fulfilling his lifelong dream of flight. After settling on CHH, he moved to Durango to pursue aviation with our renowned school, where his diverse background and unwavering commitment to excellence now enrich the Highland Helicopters team.

---

Charlie Vaughan, Former Lead Instrument Instructor Pilot (CFI, CFII)

is an experienced mountain pilot who is native to Durango, CO. After
focusing on teaching instrument flying Charlie has relocated to the beaches of Florida to work as a tour guide. In 2021 Charlie had an engine failure flying and was able to successfully land the aircraft with no damage and vacate all passengers unharmed.”

---

Tim Durkin, (DO, FAAEM, CAQSM)

Dr Durkin is the SAR Program Coordinator for Colorado Highland Helicopters. He has more than 3 decades of SAR, EMS and Emergency Medicine response experience in more than half a dozen states. His diverse experiences include work as a paramedic prior to medical school and service as medical director for regional SAR teams in New Mexico and Colorado, as well as the US Forest Service. He is board certified in both emergency and sports medicine. In addition to his work with CHH, Dr Durkin is Chief Medical Officer for Base Medical (Base-Medical.com), a SAR and wilderness medicine Training Company. He is an award -winning educator, having spoken at numerous regional and national medical and rescue conferences.

---