Aled Miles spent most of his career as a CEO in a stuffy suit and tie, which explains why on a recent visit to his new second floor office at Helinet Aviation Services, Miles was dressed in a simple white T-shirt, Diesel jeans and sneakers. “I have 14 suits at home,” the Welch-born Miles said. “Now I wear this.” A former European software developer, Miles in March was named president and chief operating officer of Helinet, an aerial television and film company poised for expansion. Founded in 1987 by pilot Alan Purwin, the company based at the northern end of Van Nuys Airport operates a fleet of 42 helicopters across the nation, many of which are leased to television stations and film companies. Its Cineflex lenses are also frequently used by police departments, including the Los Angeles Police Department, and in motion pictures, such as the recent “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.” Helinet copters were also the first aircraft to beam images of the destruction from Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf States last summer. Purwin would not talk about the expansion of the company, but said in a statement that its continued development prompted him to add more corporate oversight to his company. “As Helinet has grown to include a full portfolio of products and services for a variety of markets, we decided it was important to appoint a president/(chief operating officer) with global high-tech business credentials, as well as a diverse, accomplished and unique board of directors to assist with expansion and corporate governance issues,” Purwin said. For the second directive, Purwin created a five-member board of directors of aviation, military and media figures: Barry Frank, a vice president at IMG Media; Louis Caldera, secretary of the Army for President Clinton; Bison Capital Asset Management Managing Director James Hunt; Helinet CEO David Calvert-Jones; and Purwin. He also found Miles, who for 13 years was vice president and managing director of European, Middle East and African operations for Symantec Corp., a Cupertino, Calif.-based security software company. Miles, 41, said Helinet captured his attention because it combined several of his interests, including technology and security. Matching interests “I was ready for a challenge,” said Miles, who now lives in the Hollywood Hills. “It was the technology of the aviation and it was the technology of the cameras. The high-tech angle is a continuation of what I did before.” Miles said he understands why the company needs a board. “This is a larger operation for a family-owned company with very demanding clients,” he said. On a recent visit, Miles steered a white golf cart around his company’s fleet stationed at Van Nuys airport. About 12 are stationed here, including the hulking blue Sikorsky S-76 used by Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, which can be dispatched to transport patients or organs. Another Sikorsky shuttles heads of state and celebrities. Nearby, crews were readying SkyFox, a black Eurocopter used by the Los Angeles Fox affiliate KTTV-TV. (Helinet also owns the KTLA- and KABC-TV copters, which are also docked at Van Nuys.) The cameras, attached to the nose of the copter, are usually Sony-made products, which are equipped with the gyro-stabilized mounting devices made by Helinet in Sacramento. Together, the devices cost about $500,000, and another $1.5 million to $3.5 million to outfit the aircraft in Seattle, Miles said. “It’s highly technical,” he said. “But the appetite for newsgathering is incredible.” Watching SkyFox lift off the tarmac, Miles said he’s excited about his new gig. “It’s very easy to get enthusiastic about it,” he said. “It’s hard not to. These are extraordinary flying machines.”
