Former Santa Barbara Resident Killed in Shasta Area Crash

A helicopter accident that occurred August 5 in the Shasta Trinity National Forest claimed the life of Jim Ramage, 63, a former resident of the Santa Barbara area. A statement from Los Padres National Forest spokesperson Kathleen Good noted that although Ramage had neither lived in the area recently nor had he actually ever officially worked with Los Padres, people who had formerly worked there remember him as a contract pilot who had worked at Ventura County’s Rose Valley station and San Luis Obispo County’s Arroyo Grande Station. Good also said that Ramage was an alumnus of San Marcos High School. The statement quoted Pacific Southwest Regional Forester Randy Moore as saying the following about Ramage: “The U.S. Forest Service was very fortunate to have Jim as part of our workforce and family. He was an aviation leader with extensive flying experience and knowledge.”