Author: Admin
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Sep
18
2023
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Posted by Admin
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With a population over one million people, Charlotte, North Carolina, the seat of Mecklenburg County, is the largest city in the state, and 15th largest in the U.S.
Formed in 1762, Mecklenburg County, which lies at the intersection of several major U.S. highways, has become a business hub for many industries such as banking, manufacturing, and high-tech medicine. Additionally, given its many universities and outdoor attractions, the region also draws sports fans, academics, as well as adventure enthusiasts.
Atrium Health, formerly Carolinas HealthCare System, is a hospital network with more than 70,000 employees and part of Advocate Health. It operates 40 hospitals, seven freestanding emergency departments, over 30 urgent care centers, and more than 1,400 care locations in the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama.
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Tags:
Airbus Helicopters
Atrium Health
Rotor Pro
Categories:
Company Profiles
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Sep
11
2023
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Posted by Admin
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Matt Christensen is a unique subject for Executive Watch. Almost everyone we profile has some sort of roots in aviation and/or helicopters. Christensen came to helicopters from lifestyle-marketed consumer audio headphones. In the early 2010s, he was part of the launch executive team for SOL Republic headphones targeted for EDM fans. This was par for Christensen’s career that has focused on growing small technology-based companies. And by “grow,” we mean GROW: When Christensen took hold of the sales team at SOL Republic, he guided them from $0 to $70 million in sales over the span of three years. “My philosophy was to take the headphones to EDM events and introduce them to the fans; we traveled to more shows than I care to remember and wound up with our products in stores like Best Buy, Apple, Radio Shack, and on Amazon,” he says.
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Tags:
Matt Christensen Vita Inclinita
safe hoisting technology
Categories:
Human Interest
Company Profiles
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Sep
04
2023
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Posted by Admin
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Aerial firefighting teams often find themselves operating in less-than-ideal conditions when general aviators are faced with strong, gusty winds and unpredictable mountainous terrain exacerbated by extreme heat. These challenging circumstances are further intensified by the presence of multiple helicopters, fixed-wing spotter aircraft and bombers in close proximity, as well as reduced visibility and low-altitudes, making aerial firefighting jobs among the most perilous in the industry.
Kishugu Aviation is a key provider of aerial support to the South Africa's Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries through its Expanded Public Works Program (EPWP) initiative called Working on Fire (WoF). Based in Mbombela, Mpumalanga, Kishugu Aviation offers an extensive array of aerial services to both public and private sectors, encompassing aerial firefighting, game relocation, anti-poaching, disaster relief, drone operations, and charter work.
Kishugu Aviation, previously known as Forest Fire Association, started in 1986 with one spotter aircraft and has grown into an industry leader that today boasts a fleet of more than 40 aircraft.
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Tags:
aerial fire support
Kishugu Aviation
South Africa Expanded Public Works Program
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
Company Profiles
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Aug
29
2023
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Posted by Admin
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“Teamwork makes the dream work.” Is that true in helicopter air ambulance work?
According to the American Heritage Dictionary the definition of teamwork is “cooperative effort by the members of a group or team to achieve a common goal.”
I recently visited Atrium Health’s MedCenter Air operation in Charlotte, North Carolina. (See story on Page 49.) Working with their teams reminded me of when I used to fly helicopter air ambulance, how complicated the work is, and how success hinges on many moving parts working together as a whole. If only one of the parts fails or falls short, desired outcomes may fall short as well.
I remember when I was a new air ambulance pilot, we were shut down on a highway waiting for two patients involved in a DUI, head-on accident, to be extricated from their vehicles. Given that I was flying an S76C+ helicopter we had the ability to take both patients. The first patient to arrive at the helicopter was in very critical condition and was bleeding out. I was told by the flight nurse that the second patient should be arriving in five minutes to seven minutes. I made the decision that I would keep the helicopter quiet and would start it when I saw the patient being pushed from the scene towards the helicopter.
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Tags:
Editor Lyn Burks
Editors Letter
Rotor Pro
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Aug
21
2023
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Posted by Admin
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All around us, technology is changing. The helicopters of our youth are dinosaurs compared to today’s aircraft. The modern engines that power these helicopters have become sophisticated, digitally controlled power plants designed to optimize performance and reliability while also reducing fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
To gain insights on where helicopter engine technology is headed, Rotor Pro spoke with Nico Chabée, vice president of sales and marketing at Pratt & Whitney Canada.
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Tags:
Green Helicopter Engine Technology
Pratt & Whitney Canada helicopter engines
PT6T TwinPac
PW206B2
Categories:
Company Profiles
Helicopter Sectors
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Aug
14
2023
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Posted by Admin
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One dark night on the San Diego coast, my crew was launched for LE to intercept a drug-laden “panga” en route from Mexico to the U.S. We got the intel from our command center and launched into the blackness to find our panga. As we headed west over the Pacific Ocean with our radar scanning the surface of the water and our night vision goggles tuned up, we encountered declining ceilings at 1,000 feet AWL. We continued our search pattern at 700 feet and as the evening got cooler, the ceilings got lower. When we went down to 500 feet AWL, we discussed our hard deck of 200 feet AWL and termination of the search. We went down to 300 feet and finally at 200 feet we reached our limit and returned to base. The risk to my crew in declining ceilings was not worth the gain of finding the drug runner.
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Aug
07
2023
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Posted by Admin
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Sweden is a gem among Europe’s nations and its the largest amongst the Scandinavian ones. It is a country with unique Nordic charm, an incredible archipelago made up of over 24,000 islands and a land with more than 100,000 lakes. Sweden is a unique blend of tradition and progress. Known for its high standard of living and its developed economy, it also has a strong commitment to social welfare, democracy, environmental sustainability, and nature preservation.
However, do not let the progressiveness of this culture fool you. They live by a special philosophy named Lagom. Translated that means “moderate”—not too little, not too much; just the right amount. Since the days of the Vikings this philosophy has existed. However, the Vikings of old have been replaced by today’s modern heroes – the pilots of the Swedish National Police (SNP) Air Support Unit. They are the team of expert pilots who keep Sweden a safe and wonderful place to live.
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Tags:
Patria Helicopters AB
Polisflyget
SNP Air Unit
SNP fleet Bell 429
Swedish National Police Aviation Unit
Categories:
Company Profiles
Human Interest
Safety
Training
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Jul
31
2023
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Posted by Admin
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He walked into my office as a confident 22-year-old with the ink still wet on his newly issued Airframe & Powerplant certificate that he proudly carried in his pocket. The young man looked at me and said, “I want to be a helicopter mechanic”. After a brief discussion, his enthusiasm and seemingly sense of life’s direction convinced me to take a chance on him. I placed him under the supervision of a 38-year master helicopter mechanic. My instruction to the young man was “learn from him.”
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Tags:
A&P mechanic
Helicopter A&P Mechanic
Helicopter Maintenance Training
Categories:
Training
Safety
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Jul
24
2023
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Posted by Admin
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I want to be remembered for only one thing: my contribution to aviation. – Howard Hughes
There’s no doubt that Mr. Hughes is remembered in our industry for his contributions . . . or at least I hope so. I cannot help but wonder how many young aviators of this generation do not realize that the iconic MD 500 family of aircraft was originally developed by the Hughes Tool Company in the 1960s. Since then, there have been several owners of the OEM, thousands of aircraft manufactured, and even more pilots and mechanics trained, thereby keeping this workhorse in the game throughout several sectors of the helicopter industry.
With new leadership at MD Helicopters, this iconic brand is sporting an enhanced emphasis on training as a component of its aftermarket services.
"The primary goal since I came on was to improve our aftermarket, which encompasses spares, overhaul, repair and training," related Brad Pedersen, MD Helicopters LLC president and CEO since August 2022. "Training has sort of been a secondary function of the business; we want to make it a primary."
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Tags:
MD Helicopters President Brad Pedersen
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Jul
17
2023
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Posted by Admin
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NTSB report notes iPad linked to CH-47D crash
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NTSB Examination Summary - Exemplar helicopter and iPad-Rel.pdf (1.16 MB)
Categories:
Safety