Honoring Our Veterans – Darrel Folkvord
 | Author:
Matt Nelson
MT43 News Correspondent |
Broadwater County Commissioner Darrel Folkvord grew up near Helena on a farm near the Spokane Bench, which lines up with the approach to the Helena Airport. His first adventure with aviation was when he was eight years old when he was able to fly in the back of a crop-dusters airplane to scout fields he was going to spray for his dad. That day was the start of his aviation career.
He joined the U.S. Navy in October 1976, went to Boot Camp in San Diego, California, and his “A” school was at Lake Hurst, New Jersey. He started his career as an Aircrew Survival Equipmentman, Parachute Rigger, and Ejection Seat Mechanic with Antisubmarine Warfare Squadron VS-28, stationed at Naval Air Station Cecil Field in Jacksonville, Florida. VS-28 was a seagoing squadron and their mission was to hunt and track Soviet submarines. They were flying S-3 Vikings built by Lockheed, which was a new aircraft at the time.
They took care of all the aircrew survival equipment onboard the aircraft. Anti-ice, de-Ice, pressurization, ejection seats, all the parachutes, and all of the pilots’ personal survival gear. He was on two different aircraft carriers, the USS America and the USS Independence. The squadron’s patrol was the East Coast, the Atlantic, the Caribbean, down into South America, and also the Mediterranean. This was quite an adventure for an 18, 19, and 20-year-old kid, and Darrel was able to see a lot of the world, and different people and cultures. After his enlistment in the Navy was up, he went into the Army National Guard in Helena for three years. He was attached to the 163rd Air Cav on Huey UH-1 helicopters.
Darrel learned to fly during the last year while he was in the Navy. He did all of his ground school while on the USS Independence, taught by one of the pilots who was a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI). After they came back to Florida, he took his FAA written test and then flew as often as he could with this same CFI in fixed-wing aircraft through the Navy Flying Club. He said, “The cool thing was all I had to do was pay for gas.”
After receiving his Private Pilot License in 1980, Darrel went on to earn commercial and instrument ratings in fixed-wing aircraft, which he continues to fly today. He is also a rotor-wing CFII. At Townsend Airport, he is restoring a Piper Pacer aircraft. As a side note, his son Cody is an aerial applicator pilot and owns Headwaters Flying Service, based at Three Forks. During the summer months, Cody often operates out of Townsend Airport.
In 2001 Darrel started training to fly a Bell-47 helicopter, but just before he was to take his private helicopter check ride, another pilot made an emergency landing and crashed the helicopter, so it wasn’t until 2006 that he finished his check ride. By 2007 he completed his commercial, instrument, and CFI helicopter ratings.
Quoting Darrel, “My first commercial flying job was as a flight instructor where I built my flight time to be marketable as a commercial helicopter pilot. ”In 2010 I earned my Helicopter ATP (Airline Transport Pilot) rating which is the highest level of aircraft pilot certificate and it has been one of my greatest aviation achievements.
“I was fortunate that a company by the name of Columbia Helicopters took a chance on me and trained me to fly the Boeing Vertol 107 and the Boeing 234 Chinook model helicopters. Our flights were primarily heavy lift long line operations doing logging, utility, construction, aerial firefighting, gas, and oilfield support.
“The last years of my helicopter career were spent as a contract helicopter pilot for the military flying in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
“My aviation career has taken me all over the world flying in different countries and environments.
“One of my most memorable moments was dressing up as Santa Claus and delivering Christmas presents to our troops at the Forward Operating Bases across Afghanistan via helicopter.”
During his time with Columbia Helicopters, which is based in Oregon, Darrel flew in Papua New Guinea, going to many very primitive native villages. Although he didn’t fly the native kids, they were always around when he was landing and taking off. He also knew several missionary pilots around there, whom he greatly admired.
In Afghanistan the pilots flew troops around, and many supplies. He often worked with the Special Forces, who would mark landing sites with different colors of smoke, which changed daily, to avoid enemy fire.
He is the Broadwater County, District 3, Commissioner and is in the 5th year of his 6-year term. He was asked by several local people to run for that position because they know he is a person of integrity and exemplary character. As part of his duties, he also interacts with the Broadwater County Airport Board.
It would take many books to record all of Darrel’s flying adventures.
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PhotoCredit: Photo Credit: Matt Nelson
Image 1 Caption: Darrel in his home office
Photo Credit: Matt Nelson
Image 2 Caption: Darrel Folkvord in Afghanistan next to the Boeing 234 Chinook Helicopter
Photo Credit: Matt Nelson
