Author: Admin
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Dec
28
2025
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Posted by Admin
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Jeremy Bryck’s humor gets us chuckling before our interview. When told we will be looking for him “to say something outstanding,” he has a deadpan reply. “Well, we have high expectations for today.” The Bowen Island, Canada, native is Canada Dry.
His humble humor saves me from envying—actually jealously hating—his first 22 years spent on that little island off of West Vancouver: He grew up in a picturesque village in a home heated by the warmth of a crackling fire from wood his family gathered each crisp autumn. “We were a hard-working family that enjoyed country life.” That country-boy life involved boating and kayaking amongst whales or either skiing and snowboarding on the mainland. “You could see Cypress Mountain from our house,” he says. “Yeah, did all that stuff; it was gorgeous.”
Still, let me not be too quick to judge. Bryck chose to leave this Pacific Coast paradise upon graduating from the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) with a two-year degree to begin his apprenticeship in aircraft maintenance engineering. He says, “I saw the writing on the wall and realized that if I wanted a career in aviation maintenance I’d have to relocate out of Vancouver.”
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Tags:
Rotor Pro Executive Watch
Categories:
Company Profiles
Human Interest
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Dec
22
2025
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Posted by Admin
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The year 2025 marked a pivotal moment in vertical flight that was characterized by the traditional helicopter sector experiencing booming demand against severe supply constraints, while the nascent electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) sector pushed aggressively toward commercialization while navigating crucial home-stretch regulatory hurdles. The two segments are not yet competitors, but are instead complementary forces driving the entire vertical-mobility ecosystem forward.
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Tags:
Rotor Pro Editor's Letter
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
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Dec
15
2025
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Posted by Admin
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The Czech Republic's 243rd Helicopter Squadron successfully hosted the Galileo Search and Rescue (SAR) meet 2025 this past August at Prague-Kbely airbase (ICAO: LKKB), with the motto: "That Others May Live." This international event represented the continuation of the European Search and Rescue meeting following a two-year operational hiatus. The exercise was designed to enhance interoperability between European helicopter units while using the European Global Navigation Satellite System Galileo capabilities for improved operational effectiveness.
The five-day exercise was conducted at Kbely airbase, one of the Czech Republic's primary SAR operational centers. The exercise involved multiple European nations' helicopter crews, technical personnel, and rescue specialists in training scenarios designed to enhance operational effectiveness and crew resource management in real-world SAR situations. The event successfully demonstrated the continued commitment to multinational cooperation in emergency response capabilities while showcasing advanced precision flying techniques and Galileo technology integration.
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Tags:
Czech Republic's 243rd Helicopter Squadron
Categories:
Training
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Dec
08
2025
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Posted by Admin
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The Hohenfels Training Area is home to the Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC). The Center has several Observer Coach Training teams, including the Falcon Team. This unit is equipped with eight UH-72A Lakotas and is led by Colonel Beau G. Rollie. The senior aviation trainer informed Rotor Pro about the diversity of assignments for his skilled unit.
The JMRC is the sole U.S. Army forward stationed Combat Training Center (CTC) and has an important objective: training leaders, staff and units to dominate in conducting global multidomain operations.
The JMRC has 12 observer, coach and trainer (OCT) teams. Each OCT team has a specialized task during large-scale exercises, also called rotations. The Falcon Team conducts five to 10 large-scale rotations annually. To perform their mission, the team operates eight UH-72A Lakotas. Four of the light utility helicopters (LUHs) are painted in the regular green color scheme. The other four are in a yellow-brown camouflage pattern that names them ‘Bruised Bananas’.
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Tags:
Bruised Bananas
Joint Multinational Readiness Center
UH-1 Iroquois
UH-72A Lakotas
Categories:
Helicopter Sectors
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Dec
01
2025
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Posted by Admin
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The Digital Revolution is impacting rotorcraft maintenance. In addition to their wrenches and screwdrivers, rotorcraft maintainers are now using digital tools such as artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) to get the job done. “We’re embracing disruptive innovation in our processes, technology and tools to drive speed, agility and data-driven insights for our customers,” said Steve Schmidt, Sikorsky’s VP of Engineering & Technology.
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Tags:
AI-powered predictive maintenance software
Artificial Intelligence in Helicopters
Augmented Reality Training
Categories:
Helicopter Sectors
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Nov
14
2025
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Posted by Admin
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RPMN: What is your current position?
B206 L3 pilot for JAARS in Papua New Guinea (South Pacific/Oceania)
RPMN: Tell me about your first experience with helicopters.
My first experience in helicopters was at Cairns Army Airfield in Daleville, Alabama. I remember it being a hot, humid, and sweaty day. I was an Army flight school student (Warrant Officer) going out for my first flight during the “contact” phase of initial training. My instructor easily picked the orange and white TH-67 Creek (Bell Jet Ranger) up to a hover and nudged through ETL. Next thing I knew he said “you have the flight controls”, and I had them!
I had to work hard to keep the airspeed, altitude and heading anywhere close to the minimum standard on our way to our assigned heliport, but overall I thought, “This isn’t so hard! I think I’ll get the hang of this pretty quickly.”
I was immediately brought back to reality when I attempted my first “execute approach and terminate to a hover” sequence. I could feel the joy radiating out of my IP as we watched the helicopter easily put me and my proud self back in our rightful place. Hovering became a reality a few flight hours later, and it was very sweet indeed!
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Tags:
Greg Raychard JAARS
Meet A Rotor Pro
Categories:
Human Interest
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Nov
13
2025
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Posted by Admin
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Who or what is Centum and why might you care? For over 15 years, Centum, headquartered in Vigo, Spain, has been designing and developing mission airborne systems that assist search and rescue (SAR), intelligence, surveillance and recognition (ISR), maritime surveillance, firefighting, emergency communications, and border-control missions.
So, why should you care? Well, if you’re ever lost in need of help, or are looking for the lost in a SAR mission, you jolly well will care! Let’s say you’re flying a SAR mission. Chances are very good that the person you’re seeking has some sort of cellphone and that’s very good for you—and them. Centum’s Lifeseeker airborne phone location system is based on the premise that the cell phone is the world’s most widespread beacon and it turns cellphones into emergency beacons capable of guiding rescue teams to a lost person’s exact location. The system also allows rescue teams to communicate with the missing person—without the need for that person to do anything—and has proven itself in thousands of successful missions over five continents.
[Read More...]
Tags:
Centum
Helicopter Search and Rescue
Lifeseeker
Categories:
Human Interest
Helicopter Sectors
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Nov
10
2025
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Posted by Admin
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This year’s Fire Blade exercise marked the third time Hungary has hosted the event, following previous editions in 2017 and 2022. The exercise was designed to offer helicopter operators from multiple European nations the opportunity to train together using common tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), and to plan and execute complex missions in a multinational environment. The training was conducted in accordance with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) of the Multinational Helicopter Training Center’s (MHTC) Helicopter Exercise Program (HEP). The Fire Blade exercise primarily focuses on live firing, enabling aircrews to train and refine their proficiency in the effective use of their weapon systems. The goal is to enhance tactical-level interoperability between rotary- and fixed-wing aviation units through the Composite Air Operations (COMAO) concept. The exercise simulates a realistic and demanding joint and combined operational environment, integrating both air and land operations.
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Nov
03
2025
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Posted by Admin
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The longevity of the growing international aerospace mission equipment company could be in their philosophy of “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Just ask their 600+ employees, many with decades at the company.
DART Aerospace, a worldwide company with over 600 employees, has provided helicopter mission equipment, parts, and accessories directly to operators, OEMs, MROs, and strategic partners for over 50 years. Their success has been a result of their vision in the design, manufacture, and installation of mission-critical helicopter equipment, as well as augmenting services through the acquisition of key partner companies. Now, they are looking to the future of the vertical lift industry, with not only innovative helicopter solutions but also drones, and vehicles like electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, a testament to their unwavering commitment to innovation.
Since its founding in June 1975, the company has been dedicated to solving customer challenges, according to Aerial Firefighting Business Unit Manager Michael Lee.
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Tags:
DART 50th Anniversary
DART Aerospace
Categories:
Company Profiles
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Oct
27
2025
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Posted by Admin
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As we navigate the complexities of 2025, the European helicopter sector stands as a beacon of resilience and innovation amid global uncertainties. It’s a compelling, if complex, story defined by geopolitical tension on one side and sustainable innovation on the other.
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Tags:
Editor Lyn Burks
Rotor Pro Editor's Letter
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial