Cayce Batterson

Cayce Batterson is an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE) operating under the Denver Flight Standards District Office (FSDO), serving as one of only two active helicopter-authorized DPEs in the Colorado-Wyoming region. Because his registry ratings are restricted to rotorcraft, Batterson is a helicopter-only examiner and does not conduct airplane checkrides. He holds an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate, Flight Instructor (CFI) certificate, and Instrument Flight Instructor (CFII) certificate, all specific to helicopters.

Batterson was raised in Franktown, Colorado, and began flight training in Utah in 2003. As a 21-year-old student pilot in December 2004, he survived a Robinson R-22 helicopter training crash at Utah Lake. Since then, he has accumulated over 4,500 helicopter flight hours and given more than 2,500 hours of dual flight instruction. His flight background ranges from light piston aircraft to heavy-lift models like the CH-54 Skycrane, and he has worked professionally as a Chief Flight Instructor, Tour Pilot, and Fire Pilot.

For more than eight years, Batterson has flown helicopter emergency medical service (EMS) missions across Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico. He serves AirLife Denver (operated by Air Methods/HCA HealthONE) as a Base Lead Pilot in Frederick/Firestone, Safety Officer, and Area Manager. In these roles, he operates Bell 407 and Eagle 407HP helicopters in the high-density altitude environments of the Rocky Mountains. Outside of his commercial flying, Batterson co-founded the non-profit organization Copters for a Cause in 2008, which received support from StandardAero at the 2011 HAI Heli-Expo. He also mentors pilots through Air Methods' R.I.S.E. program and has spoken on safety panels for the United States Helicopter Safety Team (USHST) and the Colorado Pilots Association.