Across the Tarmac: Senior Nora Hill has found valuable lessons and friendships working at a helicopter tour company

Senior Nora Hill feels like a movie star as she walks across the windy tarmac around all the private aircraft in her leather jacket at sunset — even though she’s made the walk hundreds of times.

Working at the front desk at Kansas City Helicopter Tours, Hill’s in charge of checking in customers, walking them across the Charles B. Wheeler airport tarmac and strapping them in for 15-minute rides across the Kansas City skyline.

“Normally I just try to break the awkward tension [with customers] and say stuff like ‘So have you been on a helicopter before?’” Hill said. “And mostly they say ‘No’, but some of the kids are like ‘What if it falls down?’ and you just reassure them that it’s safe.”

Hill’s been working for Kansas City Helicopter Tours since last November, when her best friend and senior Isabelle Anderson reached out to her. The two have been working every job they’ve ever had together, like at the Prairie Village pool and the Rainforest Cafe. A friend contacted Anderson’s mom with the job opportunity, and hesitantly the two signed up. 

Initially, they weren’t fully convinced that the job was worth the gas money for the 25-minute commute. But on day one when they learned how to work the front desk and load passengers, they fell in love with the job.

“I remember walking in on the first day when we realized that we were actually going to be working with the helicopter instead of just sitting at a desk,” Anderson said. “I thought that was pretty exciting because I was not expecting that at all.”

Most importantly, they learned safety procedures for the walks back and forth across the tarmac, where the constant landing of aircrafts can be dangerous. Each passenger has to be strapped in one at a time with the assistance of the pilot, and everyone has to stay in front of the helicopter at all times.

“I worry sometimes about people’s safety because it’s actually in our hands and there’s a lot of rules,” Anderson said. “And when they’re out on the tarmac I get scared that people won’t want to listen to a teenage girl.”

After signing waivers at one of the dozen desks in the cramped waiting room, Anderson and Hill walk a few minutes to one of the two red-and-silver helicopters, snap a picture for the passengers, strap them in the seatbelts and help them put their headsets on.

The helicopters fly a variety of routes overlooking local attractions like Arrowhead Stadium, Union Station and the Plaza. Customers range from babies to army veterans, but they all have one thing in common — they love the ride. 

“The helicopter is super loud as I’m opening the door, but I always open the door and yell ‘HOW WAS IT?’ and they yell back ‘GREAT!’ and their eyes are super wide,” Hill said. “It’s like after a roller coaster.”

When they aren’t managing the rides, the cramped and quiet environment encourages conversation with the pilots and employees. From the front desk girl across the airport earning her degree in science to the pilot that flies Blackhawks in the Air Force, the world of a private airport has taught them a unique perspective.

“I love the people I work with and I love to talk, and an airport is just a great place for both of us because you’re having so many conversations with people,” Hill said. “Half my job is small talk. So I love to have small talk with these people who own planes, or that fly a private helicopter.”

But despite the private jets or the helicopter proposals in the background, the most significant thing about the job is that Hill and Anderson can work together. The shifts offer time for the two to hang out for eight hours and just talk — while enjoying the complimentary coffee and snacks, of course.

“It doesn’t feel like work when I’m working with her because we get to sit behind our little desk and drink coffee and hang out at the same time,” Hill said. “It’s just so cool that I do this with her.”

Hill works with Anderson once or twice on weekends, but their positions are seasonal as most of the demand for helicopter tours are during holiday season. They’re planning to come back during Valentine’s Day week and for some summer festival events.

The job comes with plenty of drawbacks — a 25-minute commute both ways, randomly scheduled shifts and late hours — but at the end of each shift, Hill finds it’s a commitment worth having — especially because she gets to do it with her best friend.

“The only reason I have the job is because Isabelle had a connection,” Hill said. “But she’s the only reason I would have taken the job, because it’s so fun to work with her.”