Alumni Profile: Frances Durham
Alumni Profile: Frances Durham was at HLC from 1992 to 1995 and was in Clarence and York.
Frances is a helicopter air ambulance pilot for Air Evac Lifeteam and lives near her family’s farm in Russellville, Indiana, USA. She attended HLC while her family were stationed at Menwith Hill for 3 years.
Frances Durham – Alumni Profile
Please tell us more about your time at HLC – What was the best thing about the school experience? What are your fondest memories?
I have many fond memories of my time there from U3 – U4. Some of the my most vivid memories are the class trips. We went to a medieval village where we played the roles of different villagers, like making candles and guarding the gate. We also went to an old canning factory where we stirred vats of glue and pasted the labels on cans. Those trips made the history lessons come alive!
I also remember many days eating lunch with my friends or outside, just hanging out and talking about life. One of my favourite memories is introducing them to the American holiday of Thanksgiving. In home economics class, we baked cakes, and we put together a little feast for the holiday. My classmates welcomed me to share my culture.
What did you do straight after you left school?
With my parents and brother, I returned to the United States. There I completed grade school and attended university.
Tell us about the journey from there to what you do now.
After graduating from Virginia Tech, I commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Navy. At the Navy flight school in Pensacola, Florida, I learned to fly airplanes and helicopters, the latter becoming my passion. I deployed on destroyers and aircraft carriers around the world. One of my missions was anti-piracy in the Mediterranean Sea, where we worked to prevent ships from transporting illegal weapons between countries.
After 11 years, I finished my service. I spent one summer at the Grand Canyon in Arizona, flying tours. Then I decided to return to my roots and moved to Indiana to be close to family, where I started flying air ambulance.
Tell us more about your experience of flying air ambulance?
I love flying helicopter air ambulance. With a nurse and medic onboard, I pick up injured people from accidents and fly them to hospitals. We land in fields, on highways, in yards next to houses, and many other unique places, wherever the patient is. We also transport patients from local hospitals to higher level hospitals. We get to help people on their worst days, and I’m amazed by the care our nurses and medics give that keeps critically-injured people alive.
Our helicopter is based at a small airport in a rural area where it would be a long drive to get to a hospital. We spend a lot of time there, waiting for a call, so our team is very close. We get to know each other’s’ family, cook meals together, and spend holidays together. I’ve found the most important thing about my workplace to be the people that I work with, and here I get to work with people who care about their community and want to make a difference.
Where around the World have you worked?
I have worked in the United States, Spain, around the Mediterranean and the Pacific Ocean, in Asia, Africa, and Central and South America.
What advice would you give to someone looking to take part in/join what you do now?
Flying an aircraft takes a team, including the crew, the mechanics, and the operators of the service that you are supporting. Always be willing to help with tasks, even if it isn’t technically in your job description, and maintain a proactive attitude. Aviation is a small industry and if you have a reputation as someone that others want to work with, you won’t be short of job opportunities.
There are still some operators around the world who are unwilling or uncomfortable working with female pilots. My advice is to not take it personally. For those who are uncomfortable, let your professionalism and capability speak for itself. Lean on senior pilots in the industry for advice. There are so many different types of helicopter jobs from air ambulance to utility, from firefighting to non-profits, from cattle herding to flying business executives on yachts. It is quite a unique career field.
What’s on the wish list for your future development?
I’ve become quite interested in the medical side and am currently attending an online programme studying applied neuroscience with King’s College London.
Are you still in touch with girls that you went to school with?
We are in contact through Facebook.
And in conclusion, how did your experience at HLC equip you for the successful role you are now in?
The rigorous academic work grew study skills, diligence and perseverance that helped me get to where I am. The emphasis on service is a value that I’ve carried throughout my career.
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