Desiree Horton (b. May 18, 1971) is a helicopter pilot and television personality based in Los Angeles, California. Nicknamed "Chopper Chick," Horton is, except for brief stints by Julie Horvath and Kris Kelley, the only female helicopter pilot/on-camera reporter in the history of Los Angeles television. is the 138th day of the year (139th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar, known as the year of cyclohexanol. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_California. ... North Hollywood is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) is the State of Californias agency responsible for the administration of the states private and public forests. ... Logo of the U.S. Forest Service. ... Nickname: Coordinates: , Country United States State California County Riverside Government  - Mayor Eugene Montanez Area  - City  35. ... KCBS-TV, or CBS 2 Los Angeles, is the CBS owned and operated television station serving the Los Angeles, California area. ... KCAL-TV (Channel 9) is an independent station in Los Angeles, California owned by CBS Corporation. ... For the Canadian channel, see CourtTV Canada The Courtroom Television Network, more commonly known as Court TV, is an American cable television network owned by Time Warner that launched on July 1, 1991. ... For the Canadian channel, see CourtTV Canada The Courtroom Television Network, more commonly known as Court TV, is an American cable television network owned by Time Warner that launched on July 1, 1991. ... For other uses, see Helicopter (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Aviator (disambiguation). ... Television news refers to the practice of disseminating current events via the medium of television. ... This article is about the profession. ... is the 138th day of the year (139th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar, known as the year of cyclohexanol. ... Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ...

Career

Horton was born and raised in North Hollywood, California. She began to fly at age 19, shortly after high school, and worked two jobs for 2 1/2 years to pay for her training: "I could only afford to take lessons once a week or once every other week as I made the money to pay for them."^[1] She also washed local pilot/reporter Scott Reiff's helicopter in exchange for flying hours. She earned her pilot's license at 21, and since then has flown traffic watch, tours, frost patrol, charter, police operations, aerial construction, medical and organ transport. North Hollywood is a district in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California. ...

From 2001 to 2005, Horton flew and reported for KABC 7 in Los Angeles. She was with KTLA 5 in Los Angeles from April 2005 to October 2005, flying their helicopter and reporting traffic and breaking news for the KTLA Morning News. KABC-TV, channel 7, is an owned-and-operated television station of the Walt Disney Company-owned American Broadcasting Company, licensed to Los Angeles, California. ... KTLA, channel 5, is a television station in Los Angeles, California. ...

Horton says the most significant event she ever covered was the kidnap and murder of five-year-old Samantha Runnion in 2002. "I hate to bring this up, but I was the first one on the scene when they discovered her body in the mountains. The police hadn't covered her up yet, and with my 1,000-millimeter zoom lens I could see everything."^[2] Samantha Bree Runnion (July 26, 1996 - July 15, 2002) was an American murder victim. ...

Horton now divides her time among several jobs: In the summer, she fights fires by helicopter for the United States Forest Service. Only about twenty women are certified by the USFS to do this.^[3] Horton derives great satisfaction from fighting fires because she's saving people's property and maybe even their lives. She says it also provides an additional enjoyment that comes from making full use of a chopper's unique capabilities.^[4] She was featured in the August 2007 issue of Wildland Firefighter magazine, in an article detailing her flying career.^[5] Logo of the U.S. Forest Service. ... For other uses, see August (disambiguation). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

In the winter, she reports breaking news in the evening and at night for KCBS 2 and KCAL 9 in Los Angeles. Recently she has been doing aerial construction flying. She also flys a helicopter for the city of Corona, California Police Department. KCBS-TV, or CBS 2 Los Angeles, is the CBS owned and operated television station serving the Los Angeles, California area. ... KCAL-TV (Channel 9) is an independent station in Los Angeles, California owned by CBS Corporation. ... Nickname: Coordinates: , Country United States State California County Riverside Government  - Mayor Eugene Montanez Area  - City  35. ...

Beginning in January 2008, Horton will star in her own television series Sky Racers on truTV (formerly Court TV). The show puts viewers inside the cockpit with Horton covering breaking news in the Los Angeles area. For other uses, see January (disambiguation). ... 2008 (MMVIII) will be a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (common) era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Canadian channel, see CourtTV Canada The Courtroom Television Network, more commonly known as Court TV, is an American cable television network owned by Time Warner that launched on July 1, 1991. ... For the Canadian channel, see CourtTV Canada The Courtroom Television Network, more commonly known as Court TV, is an American cable television network owned by Time Warner that launched on July 1, 1991. ...

Horton has also worked on a number of motion pictures where her helicopter served as an aerial camera platform. Horton and the helicopter have appeared on camera in several films. She is one of just a handful of female SAG/AFTRA chopper pilots.^{[citation needed]} Her films include: American Icarus (2002), Showtime (2002), and One Six Right (2005). Showtime is a 2002 comedy/action film starring Eddie Murphy and Robert De Niro and directed by Tom Dey. ... One Six Right is an independent film about the general aviation industry as seen through a local airport. ...

Horton has her own company, Horizon Helicopters, Inc., in Studio City, California, for production jobs. Studio City is a district in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, California. ...

Popularity with viewers

When KTLA replaced Horton late in 2005, popular media-tracking weblog Innocent Bystander said it subsequently received so many "hits" from people searching the Internet for Horton that it had to post an online warning saying it might be forced to shut down for a few days. This had never happened before.^[6] Due to KTLA's distribution via satellite as a "superstation," viewers from as far as Canada wrote to complain that Horton was no longer on the Morning News.

Horton maintains a blog, The Adventures of Chopper Chick!, so her fans can keep up with her activities and ask her questions. She set up the blog after learning there were so many people asking about her on the Internet. "I didn't realize how many fans I had and how many people cared [about me] until I was gone [from KTLA]," she said.^[7]

References

This article or section needs additional references or sources to improve its verifiability. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... November 1 is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 60 days remaining. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see August (disambiguation). ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 327th day of the year (328th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Fineman, Ron, "I Couldn't Help But Notice", On the Record, May 6, 2005
• Lee, Shirley, "Pilot Desiree Horton Reported on Traffic, but Prefers Fighting Fires", Airport Journals, December 2005
• Ross, Paul M. Jr., "Price Valley Rappellers Fight Fire Across the Country", Wildland Firefighter, December 2006
• Sassaman, Gary, "Breaking Copter Chick news...", Innocent Bystander, March 25, 2007
• Lyons, Amy, "Fighting Fire", North Valley Comunity News (use ctrl-f to search for Fighting Fire)
• "desireepics" photo album at Flickr