On Wednesday, February 28, 2024, County of Los Angeles Fire Department (LACoFD) Air Operations Section Senior Pilot Michael Sagely received the coveted 2024 Salute to Excellence Pilot of the Year Award.
Presented by the Helicopter Association International (HAI), the Salute to Excellence Pilot of the Year award honors an outstanding single feat performed by a helicopter pilot or unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) pilot during the past three years or for extraordinary professionalism over time.
Sagely’s career with the LACoFD began in 2009 as a pilot, and in less than two years, he was promoted to senior pilot. Prior to the LACoFD, Senior Pilot Sagely proudly served in the US Army for 22 years. Sagely served in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm and was later accepted to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, where he flew elite special combat missions in multiple aircraft types.
Following Sagely’s retirement from the US Army, he worked as a contract fire pilot for the Angeles National Forest Rappel/Helitack crew before being hired by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department where Sagely became the first pilot in the unit’s history to conduct night-vision goggles snorkel operations.
Senior Pilot Sagely’s leadership skills, pilot talents, and heroism as displayed by his part in multiple rescues and other lifesaving missions are truly commendable.
Congratulations, Senior Pilot Sagely!
