William H. “Bill” Wells Jr., the former president and owner of Cashmere, Washington-based Cascade Helicopters and past chairman of the Helicopter Association International, died on April 15. He was 86. Wells, who joined Cascade Helicopters in 1962 as a pilot training and mechanic, amassed 11,500 hours and remained active in the helicopter community during his career over five decades.

Born on Feb. 25, 1934, in Seattle, Wells became an Alaska communications system specialist with the U.S. Army Signal Corps in 1953, according to HAI. Five years later, he returned to Washington, attending Perry Technical Institute. He received his A&P license in 1960 and a year later became a private fixed-wing pilot. After joining Cascade Helicopters, he earned his FAA commercial rotorcraft license in 1963 and his CFI license in 1964.

During his career, he was involved in agricultural spraying, search and rescue, fire suppression, government contracting, and transmission-line repair, among many other missions. He’d become owner and president by 1988.

He was deeply involved in HAI serving as chairman from 1994 to 1995 and chaired its Government Safety Committee, as well as served on the Government Contracting Committee. HAI honored Wells in 2001 with its Salute to Excellence Pilot of the Year Award. Wells retired in 2002 and closed Cascade Helicopters, but had expressed the sentiment that the hundreds of rescues he performed were what “being a helicopter pilot was all about,” according to his obituary information.

He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Diane Wells, son Steve Wells and daughter Shelley Winterer, five grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.