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Chris Loveless is the newest hire at HeliTahoe, but has quickly become one of the pilots most loved by tourists. Each flight over the lake piloted by Chris will be memorable for all the right reasons. Chris has amazing skill, but also a love of people and his job.

Chris has spent most of his life in Bay City, Michigan. Because of his enjoyment of skiing and the great outdoors, soon after graduating from high school, Chris headed West…moving to South Lake Tahoe in 2003.

Chris attended Lake Tahoe Community College and earned an associates degree in Liberal Arts, all the while working odd jobs at Heavenly and other places around South Lake Tahoe. 

After hearing that one of the most reputable flight schools is actually located in Tahoe, Chris began training with Chief Pilot, Claudio, at HeliTahoe.

Chris now has his private, instrument, and commercial pilot licenses.  He is currently enrolled in the CFI training class at HeliTahoe and is a junior at Utah Valley University, majoring in Aviation Administration. 

Life is good for Chris. He lives in Carson City with girlfriend Leslie and two dogs, Riley and Boe. Because they live close to both locations of HeliTahoe, Chris has the ability to spend his days at the airports. This benefits the staff, flight students and tourists, as Chris is a real pleasure to be around.

Tourists visiting Lake Tahoe and enjoying a flight with HeliTahoe in the past year, most likely had the pleasure of meeting Roger Turner. As one of the scenic tour and HeliWedding pilots, Roger is a favorite among passengers.

Roger’s fun personality and patience, makes him popular with the youngest to the oldest of passengers. Roger maintains this popularity flight-after-flight, without ever wavering on his dedication to safety and rules.

Roger was born in Sydney, Australia and spent his early working years in the recreational ski industry of Australia, primarily overseeing lift operations, guest services and resort tours.

After being recruited to the Tahoe ski area, Roger quickly moved into ski area operations management. During one period of expansion, Roger witnessed a helicopter pilot precisely maneuver the aircraft to pour concrete for a new lift tower and then marveled at the pilot’s skills to set a massive ski lift tower onto a small set of bolts. It was at this point that Roger was inspired and enthusiastically signed up for flight training at HeliTahoe.

Flying helicopter tours and weddings is a dream come true for Roger, not only does he get to share his love of flying, but also his love of Tahoe with tourists from all over the world. Roger has been a resident of Tahoe for nearly 20 years and has extensive knowledge of the area, which is one of the reasons the passengers aboard his flights love him so much. 

Roger will soon be completing his training as a Certified Flight Instructor and will be helping others fulfill their dream of flying, just as the instructors at HeliTahoe did for him.

Due to Roger’s love of scenic tours and wedding flights, he will continue to pilot these, in addition to teaching others.

In his free time, Roger enjoys spending time with his wife, Bonnie, and young sons, Ben and Bryce. Roger also loves the beauty of the Tahoe area and during a day off, might be found snowboarding or mountain biking.

Claudio founded HeliTahoe in December 2005 with the intent of providing tourists visiting Lake Tahoe unforgettable scenic tours.  Claudio created tours that would allow passengers a chance to experience the spectacular scenery of Emerald Bay’s magnificent teal waters, the pristine and unspoiled shorelines of Zephyr Cove and Sand Harbor and the beauty of the mountains. With all the lakes, rivers, waterfalls and often snow-capped peaks – the Sierra Nevada Mountains contain some of the most beautiful landscape in the world, and Claudio wanted others to see what he could see from the skies above.

Since 2005, Claudio has expanded HeliTahoe to include basic and advanced flight training – Rotorcraft Private, Commercial, and CFI and CFII courses are available, along with Add-ons, Time Building and Mountain Flight Training. In addition, a few years ago Simple Tahoe Weddings began partnering with HeliTahoe to provide a bride and groom with the ultimate wedding experience – a HeliWedding.

Claudio’s fleets of helicopters include two Robinson R44’s and one Robinson R22. He oversees two company locations, one in South Lake Tahoe and one in Minden.

Claudio grew up in Torino, Italy and was a pilot in the Italian military. After the military, Claudio spent 20 years proudly as a senior officer aboard cruise ships. His passion for aviation lured him to return to the skies and Claudio has since flown over 4,000 hours as a helicopter pilot, the majority of which are mountain flight hours (above 6,000 ft.). His impeccable safety record, attention to detail and commitment to a one-on-one individualized training method for each student, makes Claudio the most recognizable and well-respected helicopter instructor in the industry, both by his peers and the FAA.