Pete Gillies – Cyclic Back!

PETE GILLIES is known in the helicopter industry for his tireless promotion of “Cyclic back!” – that is, applying aft cyclic FIRST when entering autorotations. It is a life-saving approach that he urges be made a mandatory part of all pilot training. 

As a professional helicopter pilot in a career that spanned more than 40 years – with some 30 of those years as chief pilot for Western Helicopters until his retirement in 2016 – Pete developed a reputation for exceptional flying skill. Keen to share his knowledge, he gave thousands of hours of specialized instruction to fellow pilots in the art of long-line and mountain flying, and above all autorotations, including engine-out-full-touch-down autos.

The Helicopter Association International presented him with their Outstanding Flight Instructor Award in February, 1997, and he was named a “Master Pilot” by the Federal Aviation Administration in July 1997.