News9.com - Oklahoma City, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports | Mason Dunn

Mason Dunn

Mason Dunn joined NEWS 9 in November 2002 as the helicopter pilot and reporter for the Ranger 9 helicopter. In 2006, Dunn became the pilot for one of the most advanced television helicopters in America--SkyNews 9 HD.

Mason Dunn's love for flying started as a teenager. At the age of 15, he was hired as a dishwasher at a local restaurant. The owner of the restaurant was Tom Jones, a pilot for the world famous Coors Light Silver Bullets and the creator and air show director of Aerospace America. Jones took Mason Dunn flying for the first time and it was love at first flight.

After leaving the restaurant some years later, Mason Dunn remained in contact with the Jones and became a ground crew member on Jones' Pitts S-2S aerobatic airplane.

In April 1990, Mason Dunn became a member of the ground crew for the Coors Light Silver Bullet jet team. His first job with the Bullets was filming a national commercial in St. George, Utah's Snow Canyon.

After returning from Utah, Mason Dunn went to Waco, Texas to visit his mentor Tom Jones. It was the last time Mason Dunn would see his good buddy alive. Jones perished in an flying accident during Aerospace America in 1990.

After Jones' death, Mason Dunn continued to be involved in air shows. For the next five years, Mason Dunn traveled around the world, managing and narrating air shows for the World's Smallest Jets. In 1995, Dunn left the air show business to start his career in the air.

Dunn received his private pilot's license and thought he would pursue a career flying in various air shows across the United States. His plans soon changed after a close friend gave him a lesson in a helicopter. Mason Dunn never looked back.

In 1996, Mason Dunn received his private helicopter license and in 2000, he earned his commercial helicopter license after flying more than 2,000 hours. Dunn has been recognized by PETA for help in saving animals, received a certificate of commendation from the Governor's office, and was given honorary state fire marshal status for his coverage of the sweeping Oklahoma fires in 2006.