Capt. Roy Taylor is a helicopter reporter who provides unique coverage of the Preakness Stakes. (Photos courtesy of Roy Taylor, unless otherwise noted)

If the happy crowd at the 140^th running of the Preakness Stakes looks up, they will see the red and blue A-Star 350 helicopter high above them, flown by Capt. Roy Taylor from the Baltimore NBC affiliate WBAL. He is an iconic Charm City fixture and is proud that he has flown every Preakness since 1999. 

Preakness morning will start early for Taylor. His helicopter is based at Martin State Airport, which is about 10 miles from downtown Baltimore. He is usually up in the air by 7:30 in the morning and flies for their morning show. Then he will fly from 1 to 4 p.m. to provide more coverage before the NBC broadcast of the Preakness. They are back up at 6:30 p.m. to provide after-race coverage.

The most memorable Preakness he flew was unfortunately one of the saddest.  When Barbaro was injured in 2006, Taylor stayed up in the air and covered the story for hours. He flew all the way to the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center, bringing the story not only locally but to millions across the nation. 

One of his favorite memories is what he calls affectionately “the Running of the Bulls” Preakness morning. Before there were the current-day restrictions in the infield, attendees would line up for miles in the early morning hours. Taylor said, “when the gates opened, there would be a free for all as they ran out to stake out their turf for watching the races. It was crazy!” He also had one of the best views to film the “running of the porta-potties,” which used to be a wild-and-crazy infield tradition in which brave or inebriated young men would climb on top of a group of porta-potties and make a mad dash across them while the crowd lobbed missiles at them of whatever was at hand.

WBAL HELICOPTER

The airspace above a major event can be a very busy environment. Taylor will be sharing the airspace with the local police helicopter, various fixed-wing aircraft towing banners and the NBC blimp. Sometimes there is a parachute demonstration. This year, a fly-by is scheduled for just after the color presentation during the NBC Sports broadcast. He maintains his altitude around 2,000-2,500-feet which gives him good situational awareness of all the flight activity around him.  

When Taylor was 17 years old, he worked at the beautiful Tally Hi Farm in Glen Arm, Md. where he developed an affinity for horses. He learned how to ride both Western and English (which he preferred). The farm was a remarkable place for him to work. Tally Hi Farm provided boarding and riding lessons and was involved in show horses, hunting and jumping and racehorses. Taylor said, “I loved and enjoy horses. I get along well with them. I would be mucking their stalls and I knew their personalities especially when they were upset.”

17-YEAR-OLD TAYLOR

So how did this Baltimore native develop his love of aviation? He grew up in Roland Park, and in the fifth grade he had a very creative teacher at the Roland Park Elementary School. She turned their classroom into an airplane while studying geography. Students would purchase tickets, board an airplane and fly to a pretend destination. Then they would discover all that they could about where they landed.

Taylor knew then that he wanted to be a pilot. Aviation is his true love. He became a cadet and got his private pilot’s license in 1974. His first airplane was a 1948 Stinson 108 known as a “Flying Station Wagon” with wood paneling. He also wanted to be a policeman, so he managed to combine his two interests and went to work for the Baltimore County Police Department. He began the department’s aviation unit by purchasing a Cessna 150 airplane and donating it.

He retired from the police department in 1998 and pioneered a helicopter news program where he became Baltimore’s first pilot reporter. Since then, he has flown 11,000 hours as a news pilot. He was the first pilot/reporter to earn an Emmy Award and has since been honored with two more Emmys.

Taylor enjoys flying the Preakness. He will be high above the finish line but will enjoy the view of Pimlico. The view is spectacular above the grandstand with its verdant green turf course, the historical cupola and the sparkling white tents standing ready for the crowd in the infield. He may not hear the roar of the crowd but he will be part of the spectacle.

TAYLOR AT THE 2015 ALIBI BREAKFAST

Courtesy of Julie June Stewart

There is no doubt that Capt. Roy Taylor has the most uncommon view of Baltimore. It is a city that he is proud of. At the recent Alibi Breakfast at Pimlico, he was approached many times by fans and colleagues alike who welcomed him and thanked him for his coverage. With a heartfelt grin Taylor said, “I love Baltimore. It is a great city. It is a fantastic city.” Baltimore is lucky to have a native son who has such devotion to his city. The fans will agree when they see his unique coverage of this year’s Preakness!