Alan David Purwin, born in 1962 and died on September 11, 2015 in a plane crash, he was an American helicopter pilot, aerial film operator, entrepreneur and philanthropist.

Alan founded and owned Helinet Aviation. Purwin contributed to the aerial cinematography industry and aided in the filming of dozens of Hollywood movies.

On September 11, 2015, while working for the film Mena, Purwin died as a passenger in a plane crash in Colombia, South America.

In 1987, Purwin and Michael Tamburro co-founded West Coast Helicopters.

Alan , along with Michael sold just about everything they owned and bought a first generation, Bell 206 LongRanger.

The company provided flight services to the Los Angeles Kings and performed aerial stunts for a television show called, The Adventures of Buck James.

In 1988, West Coast Helicopters signed on with hospitals to transport medical teams for organ transplants.

In 1990, West Coast Helicopters secured its first news contract with KTLA in Los Angeles.

West Coast Helicopters offered charter services, flying corporate executives and celebrities.

One of Purwin’s clients was Emil P. Martini Jr., a major pharmaceutical company executive.

Martini mentored Purwin and taught him how to run a business.

Alan said Martini taught him “if you want to get ahead in business, you have to anticipate trends. Trust your gut.”

In 1998, Purwin purchased Helinet Aviation, merging it with West Coast Helicopters, which enabled the company to expand its business.

Alan has aided in the filming of over a hundred hollywood movies as a helicopter pilot.

Alan shoots extreme aerial shots for up to ten films a year from a camera mounted onto his helicopter.

Alan has shaken up the aerial cinematography industry by changing the business model.

In 2011, Purwin took Prince Harry on a helicopter tour of Los Angeles, California.

In 2015, Purwin was granted an exemption by the Federal Aviation Administration to operate unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly known as drones.

Alan ‘s company, Team5, supplied the drone work for a Narcos shoot in Colombia.

In 2003, Purwin bought a controlling interest in Cineflex, an aerial-camera startup that developed the first system capable of transmitting high-definition video from a helicopter without any loss of quality.

At the time of his investment, the film industry was shifting to the high-definition digital standard.

In 2013, Alan founded VideoFort with Steve Gatena.

VideoFort is one of the largest manufacturers of HD and Ultra HD stock footage.

Alan Purwin died at age 53 on September 11, 2015.