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If someone really wants to learn how to fly a helicopter, they are willing to do whatever it takes. At least that is what Ryan S. Dale believes.

Dale is the general manager of Frederick-based Advanced Helicopter Concepts. The company, which has 12 employees and has operated at the Frederick Municipal Airport for the last 21 years, divides its services primarily between providing helicopter flight instruction and aerial photography for local media outlets and real estate developers.

The company, which is rebounding from the adversity of one of its helicopters having a fatal crash in July, has also had other challenges. The recession has not helped sales — even if one wants lessons, they have to find funds to pay for them — and the company recently lost one of its primary lenders. Sallie Mae Bank, one of the aviation industry's primary lenders, has opted to no longer provide loans for helicopter training, Dale said.

He described efforts of the company's students to obtain funds for training in light of a shortage of loans as "creative."

"They will take out a personal loan with a bank or beg their parents or relatives, or some people just pay as they go," Dale said.

The company has seen a significant drop-off in its helicopter sales because of what Dale believes is a decrease in discretionary spending by the public in general. Dale declined to disclose the company's revenues, but said they were increasing last year before becoming flat this year.

Dale said the company is doing its best to move on from the helicopter crash in July that killed four people, including three company employees.

Niall R.Y. Booth, 43, of New Market; Jeffrey D. Nordaas, 24, of Columbia; and George H. Tutor, 39, of Westminster, were the three employees who died in the crash.

Kim R. Felix, 48, of New Market, was a passenger in the helicopter and also died in the crash.

Changes to the decision-making process for pilots going out on flights have been made in light of the accident, according to Dale. However, he was quick to point out that no error occurred in the decision to take off on the night of the accident. The National Transportation Safety Board is still investigating the crash, but a final determination is not expected to be made for at least a year.

Advanced Helicopter Concepts has borrowed an idea from the emergency medical services industry to establish parameters regarding the decision to fly in inclement weather. The purpose behind the parameters is to ensure another crash does not happen, Dale said.

While the day-to-day business operations have not changed dramatically, patience and compassion are more regularly exhibited among the company's employees, he added.

Employees have been filling the gaps as needed as it relates to the duties of Tutor, who was the company's office manager prior to the crash. It is likely that his position will be filled by one of the company's students, according to Dale.

"They already know our policies and procedures and know the area," he said.

The jobs created by Advanced Helicopter Concepts are among the 1,246 jobs directly or indirectly induced by the Frederick Municipal Airport as of 2005. The airport is a significant economic engine for the city of Frederick, Frederick County and the region.

"It is the third busiest general aviation airport in the state and businesses like a flight school have really increased the aerospace industry in Frederick County," said Laurie Boyer, director of the Frederick County Office of Economic Development.

Spokespersons for the Freeway Airport in Bowie and the Hagerstown Regional Airport said helicopter companies do not operate out of their facilities. However, Tom Chapman, owner of the Clearview Airport in Westminster, said his airport is usually visited three times a month by helicopters belonging to the federal government, including a once-a-month visit by helicopters on presidential detail.

Richard Griffin, the city of Frederick's director of economic development, said the airport serves as a reliever for business travelers who have meetings in Frederick so they can avoid larger airports like Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport in Baltimore.

"It is a major transportation asset and helps in attracting businesses," Griffin said.

There are 36 public-use airports in the state, said Jonathan Dean, a spokesperson for the Maryland Aviation Administration. According to a 2006 MAA study, Maryland airports were responsible for 6,797 jobs and generated $40.8 million in state and local tax revenues as well as $1 million in federal aviation tax revenues.