Flown under somebody else's authorisation.
Permitted aerial predator control for the agencies, districts, associations and producers who hold the authorisation, in the winter and spring conditions where it is actually effective, with a documented record of every flight.
We are the aircraft.
Not the authority.
Aerial predator management is one of the more scrutinised things a helicopter does in the West, and it should be. It is also, for a lot of livestock producers and wildlife programmes, a tool with no practical substitute in certain months.
Our position is narrow and deliberate. Base Camp Aviation is the aviation operator. The permit, the programme scope and the decision that the work is warranted belong to the agency, district, association or producer requesting it. We fly inside that scope, we document what we flew, and we do not fly outside it.
The flying itself is low-level range and mountain work in winter conditions: demanding, unforgiving and entirely dependent on crew discipline. It is flown by people who do this kind of low-level work all year, not by someone doing it for the first time in January.
- Authorisation in place before scheduling
- Scope agreed in writing
- Conditions assessed honestly, day by day
- Complete flight records, retained and reissuable
Four things that decide
whether a flight happens.
Winter & spring windows
Snow cover, track visibility and animal movement decide when this work is effective. Outside those windows it is mostly expensive flying.
- Fresh snow and good tracking conditions
- Short daylight windows planned tightly
- Weather-driven scheduling, not calendar-driven
Authorisation first
We fly under the permit or authorisation held by the agency, district or producer requesting the work. That documentation exists before the aircraft is scheduled.
- Agency-led programmes
- State and federal authorisations
- Landowner and permittee coordination
Unit-by-unit planning
Terrain, land status, livestock distribution and known problem areas are worked out on a map before the first flight, with the people who know the ground.
- Land-status and access review
- Coordination with ground personnel
- Airspace and neighbouring-use checks
Documented flights
Every flight recorded: time, area, conditions, results. Agencies need it for their programme records, and producers need it to know what their money did.
- Flight and area records
- Reporting in your programme's format
- Records retained and available on request
Who requests it, what has to be in place, and what we bring.
Who requests it
- State wildlife and agriculture agencies
- Federal wildlife-services programmes
- County and district predator boards
- Grazing associations and permittees
- Individual livestock producers, through the proper channel
What has to be in place
- A valid permit or authorisation held by the requester
- Land status and access resolved
- Written scope for the flight or programme
- Ground coordination and communications plan
- Agreement on records and reporting
What we bring
- Certified aircraft and current crew
- Low-level mountain and range experience
- Aerial-platform discipline (see training)
- Complete flight documentation
- An honest assessment of whether conditions justify flying
If you are a producer losing stock
Start with your state programme, county predator board or grazing association rather than with us. They hold the authorisation and they will know whether aerial work is the right tool for your situation and season. If it is, they know how to bring in an aircraft, and we are happy to be that aircraft.
Why crew currency
matters more here.
Low-level flying over broken range in winter, manoeuvring, with someone aboard whose attention is outside the aircraft, is a demanding combination. Doing it occasionally is how people get hurt.
The same crews fly utility patrol, capture and survey work through the rest of the year, which keeps low-level currency high rather than seasonal. Where an operation involves firearms from the aircraft, platform and crew-coordination training is a prerequisite, not an optional extra.
The ones worth
asking directly.
Yes, where it is properly authorised. Aerial predator management in the western United States operates under state and federal authorisations, permits and programme structures, and those are held by the agency, board, association or producer requesting the work.
We are the aviation operator. We fly for an authorised requester, under their permit, within the scope they document. If that authorisation is not in place, the flight does not happen.
Only through the correct channel, normally the state programme, the county board or the association that holds the authorisation for that area. If you are a producer with a problem, call us and we will point you at who to talk to first.
Because effectiveness collapses without snow. Tracking conditions, animal movement and visibility are what make aerial work worthwhile, and those exist for a limited window. We would rather tell you to wait for conditions than take your money for a low-probability day.
In whatever format your programme requires. At minimum: date, area, hours, conditions, crew and results. Those records stay with us as well and can be reissued on request.
The same things that stop any low-level operation: weather, visibility, wind, fatigue, or an aircraft that is not right. On top of that: missing authorisation, unresolved land status, or conditions that make the work ineffective.
Bring the authorisation. We'll bring the aircraft.
Winter and spring windows across the American West.
CALL DIRECT · 208-315-5769