Joe Mollahan of the Federal Aviation Administration, helicopter pilot Gary Turel and Curt Cowley of the FAA. Turel was honored for his achievements.

Gary Turel, owner and pilot for Seaside Helicopters, won a special honor on his retirement.

The event was celebrated with 18 people present at the El Compadre Restaurant in Warrenton, friend John Glen said, including representatives from the Port of Astoria, the Astoria Airport Advisory Committee, employees of Seaside Helicopters, the new owners of the heliport Bruce and Tami Rath, fellow pilots and friends.

Glen, an active pilot, flew with Turel for six years. He put Turel in for the award and organized the event.

Curt Cowley and Joe Mollahan of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Portland Flight Standards District Office in Hillsboro delivered a certificate of achievement in promoting aviation safety at Seaside Helicopters from 2002 to 2021.

“A constant focus on aviation safety allowed Seaside Helicopters to conduct sight-seeing flights without incident or accident for 20 years,” they read in presenting the certificate. “Your professionalism enabled thousands of people to enjoy majestic views of the northern Oregon Coast in a safe and efficient manner.”

A Tigard resident, Turel announced his retirement last June. “There’s a point in time with just like airline pilots, really other pilots, you should probably get out of the game before somebody asks you to,” he said at the time. “And so that time for me will be the end of this year.”

He flew throughout the summer and into the fall.

Turel learned to fly by getting a job at the Hillsboro Airport when he was 15, earning his pilot’s license before his driver’s license. He was in the Oregon Air National Guard for nine years. He and his family were in the income tax preparations business for many years and owned Columbia Turel Bookkeeping. Seaside Helicopters launched in 1990. Turel purchased the business in 2001.

Turel figures he’s taken more than 100,000 people into the air.

“The positive impact on these people creates life-long memories,” the FAA certificate read. “The scenery will always leave a lasting impression, but positive interaction with an aviation professional like you will be remembered as well. Congratulations on a job well done.”