Luxury yacht pilot: Nick Micskey

Micskey spent a year in the region, but away from the front lines, flying CH–53s off a Landing Platform Helicopter—an assault ship with a landing deck for helicopters. He sometimes cruised Vietnam waters, but operated throughout Asia, including Singapore and Hong Kong.

Sikorsky hired Micskey in 1977. In what was clearly a different world, he spent his first year in Iran, supporting the Iranian Navy. Expecting only a one-year assignment, Micskey was surprised to come back and find ever-more exciting and challenging duties. He flew flight demonstrations all over the world in Sikorsky’s new S–76, put new Black Hawks that rolled off the assembly line through their paces, and spent time in Argentina flying its president around. “We didn’t wear one hat at Sikorsky,” he said. “I was always aware that I was at the top of the dirt pile. It was a dream job.”

After flying in the engineering flight test program with new engines and variants of the S–76, working all the way up through the S–76C+, Micskey retired from Sikorsky in 2001. A life of careful and deliberate test and ferry flying didn’t translate well to the emergency services flying he tried in retirement. The must-go attitude didn’t appeal to him. “I never felt comfortable with the pace,” he said.

Then a few years ago he found what must be the perfect retirement job. A billionaire you’ve heard of owns a yacht, whose name you probably haven’t. In the world of mega-yachts, helicopters are a must-have accessory. The job is simple, but not easy. Micskey boards an airline to fly somewhere in the world to connect to the ship, and then acts as a ferry pilot for the owner or his guests who need to reach the nearby corporate jet, or who maybe just want to go ashore to shop or be a tourist. The total trip assignment could be as short as a week or as long as five weeks. Iceland, Greenland, and Tahiti are just a few of Micskey’s more interesting recent ports of duty.

Some guys have all the luck.