George Marciniw is a veteran Southern California helicopter pilot whose name has come into focus after an NBC News helicopter crashed while covering a vehicle accident in Los Angeles on September 15. Marciniw has been associated with helicopter operations in the region and has worked as a pilot and flight instructor.
However, NBC has not officially confirmed that Marciniw was the pilot aboard the helicopter involved in the crash. His work has put him behind the controls during live news coverage, giving television viewers an aerial view of incidents that would otherwise be difficult to capture from the ground. The profile lists his base as Whiteman Airport in Southern California and identifies him with Pacific Rotorways Helicopter Training. Marciniw has flown helicopters for NBC News in Los Angeles , including the aircraft used for television news coverage. Aviation-related posts featuring Marciniw identify him as the pilot during flights involving NBC’s Los Angeles news helicopter. One post describes a night flight in an NBC News helicopter with Marciniw and NBC Los Angeles reporter Eliana Moreno. He has also been identified publicly as the pilot in aerial news footage involving Moreno. The station’s news operation has a long history of using helicopters and aerial newsgathering. Marciniw’s career extends beyond flying for television. His Instagram profile also continue to feature helicopter aviation and aerial work, including photographs and videos from flights in Southern California.
Marciniw is associated with NBC Los Angeles’ NewsChopper 4, the helicopter used by the station to provide aerial footage for breaking news and major events across Southern California. Marciniw says he has been a helicopter flight instructor for more than 30 years and has accumulated about 14,000 flight hours, according to a professional flight-instructor profile . NBC 4 is the Los Angeles station operated by KNBC, NBC’s owned-and-operated station serving Southern California.
His flight-instructor profile says he teaches both new and experienced pilots and can provide instruction using either his helicopters or a student’s aircraft.
