Born August 28th, 1961, Alan David Purwin grew up in North Hollywood. His father owned an auto repair business and few a Cessna 182, which he owned with several friends, for enjoyment. His father also volunteered to transport patients for a medical charity. As a teenager, Purwin thought he might one day work for an airline as a pilot. "But after flying for a while, when I was 18, I started to get bored going from point A to point B," he said in The LA Times interview. With his post-high school crop-dusting experience under his belt, Purwin worked at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, shooting aerial footage of the cycling and sailing competitions. That led to helicopter stunts on TV episodic series, shows including "The A-Team," and then began to work on Hollywood feature film epics. Purwin co-founded Helinet in 1987. He later became involved, like his father, shuttling patients, organs and transplant teams. He was on the Los Angeles Children's Hospital Board of Directors, where he donated a helicopter and offered transportation services to many patients at no charge. "Doctors can't get caught in traffic or on the runway," he said. "You're essentially talking about life or death. For me, it's a lot more rewarding than moving around execs or shooting movies".
