In a contest that drew hundreds of entries from professional photographers, an aviation maintenance technician’s self-portrait as he worked by himself under the lights captured the grand prize in ROTOR^® magazine’s first-ever photo contest. Pablo Linares of Ft. Worth, Texas, used a tripod and small digital camera on a timer to snap a shot as he worked on his helicopter’s swashplate friction one dark night. He said the picture shows one of the great truths of the industry: “Behind a great aviation department, there is always a great maintenance crew.”

The editors of ROTOR asked readers to capture images of the industry in five categories: Helicopters at Work; Helicopters Serving the Community; Helicopters in the Military; People and Their Helicopters; and Cellphone Photos.

As grand prize winner, Linares collects a $500 prize. Each of the category winners will receive $50. They are:
• Helicopters at Work – Michael Meadows for his picture of an L.A. County Fire Department helicopter making a water drop.
• Helicopters Serving the Community – Michael Braithwaite for his picture of firefighters training to operate with an EMS helicopter.
• Helicopters in the Military – John Ford for his photo of a Blackhawk helicopter accelerating at low altitude.
• People and Their Helicopters – Pilot Desiree Horton for her timed self-portrait, as she stands by her helicopter looking at a dramatic sky.
• Cellphone Photos – Kevin Franks, who used an iPhone 4S to capture a great sunset photo of three helicopters reflected in a pool of water.

All of the winning photos, as well as a number of honorable mentions, can be viewed online, and will be displayed prominently at HAI’s upcoming annual convention and trade show, HELI-EXPO, March 4-7, 2013, in Las Vegas.

ROTOR’s second annual photo contest will open for entries on August 1, 2013, with winners announced in the Winter 2014 issue.