Christopher Horton

Christopher Horton operates out of the Santa Ana and Costa Mesa area of Southern California, where he serves as a pilot, Assistant Chief Flight Instructor, and Check Airman for HeliStream at John Wayne Airport. Under his brand, Damsel Pilot, Horton advocates for a safety-first philosophy, humorously sharing his willingness to make precautionary landings—even if it means calling for a "rescue" on the ground—rather than compromising safety. He conducts Private, Commercial, Instrument, and Flight Instructor (CFI) practical tests in helicopters.

With over 5,000 hours of helicopter flight instruction given, Horton's commercial flight background includes powerline patrol, external load operations, firefighting, aerial filming, and tourism. His training specialties focus on high-altitude mountain flying, advanced emergency procedures, full touchdown autorotations, and Night Vision Goggle operations. He previously served as the Helicopter Chief Flight Instructor for Hillsboro Aero Academy in Oregon, and as the Manager of Flight Operations and Assistant Director of Academics for Guidance Aviation in Arizona, where he co-developed a comprehensive Safety Management System in 2012. These safety initiatives earned him the 2014 Helicopter Association International Salute to Excellence Safety Excellence Award. He remains active in the aviation safety community as a member of the Vertical Aviation International Safety and Flight Training Committees, the U.S. Helicopter Safety Team, and as an FAASTeam representative.