Cayman Islands Helicopter Hero
On a recent trip to the Caymans, Telegraph writer Brendan Gallagher met up with local helicopter pilot Jerome Begot, one of the islands most charismatic figures. The following is the account of their meeting.
I used to think I had the best job in the world but it only took an hour with Frenchman Jerome Begot yesterday to appreciate that I come a distant second.
Jerome first encountered helicopters at the age of seven when he was asked to draw one at school, a drawing he now uses as the logo for his helicopter company in Grand Cayman.
It was love at first flight and today he is one of the top helicopter pilots in aerobatic and covert operations – in the world.
Yesterday morning he took us on the grand tour of Grand Cayman, which is so spectacular from the air I can't even begin to describe it, suffice to say I never knew there were 15 shades of blue in this world.
Jerome nonchalantly flipped his copter around like a surfer hot-dogging on a big wave before he suddenly paused right over Stingray City. You can swim with the stingrays below as indeed I did later that very day and pointed west in the general direction of Mexico as he came to a hover.
"Welcome to my office not so bad eh for a bloody Frenchman?" was his comment as he lent back, hands cupped behind his head and took it all in. Not being a technical person I'm not sure who was flying the copter at this point be he seemed unconcerned. And if Jerome was happy, I was happy.
"See there – that ribbon of black water on the edge of the sandbar? I call that black finger. The water drops from three feet to 18,000 feet there. It even gives me vertigo."
That was Jerome at play. Later that afternoon, with the sun beginning to dip, he ventured 150 miles out into the Western Caribbean in his single rotor copter to deliver a vital spare part for a cargo ship that was floundering badly.
Three or four nights a week he works for the Cayman Island Police and their anti-drug unit, helping police the non-stop traffic of drugs from Colombia to the USA.
And occasionally he gets the call from what he politely calls the "British people" in Afghanistan. The mind boggles at exactly what he and the Special Forces guys get up to, Jerome diplomatically won't be drawn – but as we already have some of the world's top helicopter pilots on duty in situ it must be pretty off the wall for Jerome to be specially called in.
"Not once in my life have I ever felt I was going to work," says Jerome. "From the age of seven I wanted to be a helicopter pilot, enjoy the sport of flying, enjoy the natural world from above and enjoy the challenge of special jobs that are worth doing. Not for a second do I ever think of the danger I never abuse my craft and take unnecessary chances but if something happens so be it.”
"Some people think I am a little crazy but not the British. The British and French are so very close that's why we squabble sometimes but they understand perfectly what motivates me.”
"I used to be a footballer but since arriving at the Caymans five years ago I switched to rugby. I find lots of kindred spirits down at the club. I never have to explain myself to them. They understand perfectly. They say I have the best job in the world and they are not wrong."
CrownWorld couldn’t agree more, which is why we are more than happy to employ Jerome’s services whenever we send a team over to the Caymans. Whether we are scouting new parcels of land or checking up on the progress of the infrastructure of our sites, there is no better way to see it all than from the cockpit of his helicopter.
