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Oct
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2021
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Posted 3 years 58 days ago ago by Admin
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“I hate every minute of training. But I said, don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.” - Muhammad Ali
Helicopter training doesn’t necessarily give us the opportunity to live our life as a champion— but it can give us the opportunity to live the rest of our life. I was thinking the other day of all the training that I have received during my 35 years of work life. I have really only had four chapters in my career. U.S. Marine, firefighter, helicopter pilot, and business owner. The first three have required extensive amounts of training. I cannot help but wonder how much of it I took for granted.
Being a trainer in any profession is such a noble endeavor. Doing it in the helicopter industry is next-level, given the narrow margins for error in our work. Taking the time to pour yourself and all that you know takes a very special person. I don’t do it often enough, but I must give a shout out to our long-running columnists, Randy Rowles (see his “Stupid Is, as Stupid Does” Checkride column in this issue) and Randy Mains, who share their personal experiences with industry to not only broaden our horizons, but elevate the knowledge of everyone. They both have a teacher’s heart and we at Rotorcraft Pro really appreciate them.
I’ve always preached that our industry does not train enough. I know from first hand experience that when you are training, in most cases, it’s not the most pleasant experience. Pilots can have egos, but training pushes us to the edges of our limitations so that we make mistakes. Those mistakes force us to learn and change our behavior and that can humble us. In our industry, whether flying or maintenance, it’s a performance-based business. Either you can do the work, or you cannot. If you cannot, there’s no hiding from it and everyone knows it. Although training can be painful while you’re doing it, it feels amazing and pays off when you need it the most and you safely return home with the helicopter and crew intact.
In this issue I share my experience training at the new Leonardo Helicopters U.S. Training Academy where I completed an AW169 recurrent training course. They have taken their training to the next level with a new $80 million, state-of-the-art 63,000 square foot facility. Read the article and watch the video on page 56.
Speaking of career enhancement training, if you are a student pilot, flight instructor, military-to-civilian transitioner, or a pilot transitioning from one sector to another, we invite you to join our free 3-day HeliSuccess Career Development Webinar and Virtual Job Fair, November 9-11, 2021. Trust me, this is not training that you will hate! To learn more visit: https://bit.ly/HeliSuccess_2021
Read more articles like this in the SepOct 2021 issue of Rotorcraft Pro - https://bit.ly/RotorcraftProMag_SeptOct2021