Rod Miland was a helicopter mechanic in the military when he first learned how to use a Chadwick-Helmuth balancer. Retiring from the Air Force in 1984, he went to work for ERA Helicopter as a field mechanic for two years.

    In the meantime he purchased a Cessna 182A 1958 model that was so far out of balance he couldn’t see the magnetic compass for the white caps. Seeking someone to balance his prop he was told by the owner of a local propellor shop that if he knew someone who could use a Chadwick he could keep them busy.

     Having that ability, alight came on and after talking to numerous pilots and airplane owners found about 16 people who were interested in having their prop balanced. After some investigating he discovered it would cost a lot more than what he had available. After being denied by the banks, a good friend loaned him the money he needed.

    Taking the class on the 192A, he returned from El Monte, Ca. with his brand new shiny Chadwick. Ready to start his business he called all 16 people and the prop shop only to discover, "they weren't ready" just then.

    Finally he called a friend who owned an Apache who asked him to balance his props. That was June 11, 1991. A small ad in the newspaper later and the loan was paid off by September of the same year.

    Since his first prop he has balanced over 3000 props on airplanes, airboats, and air moving fans– Hovercrafts, Ultra-Lights, Polish AN2 and all the way up to DC3s with his approved balance tab.