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Author: Admin




Aug
08
2022

Military to Civilian - You Aren't Saving Lives Anymore

Posted by Admin

We’ve all been there: an urgent mission to rescue wounded or dying personnel, or have undergone surge operations in a lengthy campaign against high value that taxes personnel and machines. These scenarios place military aircrews and maintenance personnel in potentially hazardous positions of increased risk and challenging conditions. In these cases, the risk is often assumed by our superiors; sometimes they waive the rules altogether. Teams vow to never leave a fallen comrade and fly until the job is finished, or they operate in hazardous conditions because lives are at stake. Maintainers work extended hours with little rest to keep the machines flying. The actual or perceived pressures to complete these missions are very real. In combat, it may be OK to risk an aircraft and crew to save one life. Organizations have mottos such as “So others may live” or use terms such as “no-fail mission.” [Read More...]



Tags: Military to Civilian Helicopters Military to Civilian Transition
Categories: categoryCareer Development



Aug
01
2022

Meet a Rotorcraft Pro - Thurbie Botterill, Lee County Mosquito Control

Posted by Admin

What is your current position? I am chief pilot at the Lee County Mosquito Control District (LCMCD). Our team of pilots operate a fleet of both fixed-wing and helicopters that currently consists of two DC-3TPs, two King Air 200s and six Airbus H-125 helicopters. LCMCD is the largest single-county mosquito control agency in the country and we fly a variety of missions from daytime liquid and granular treatments to nighttime ultra-low volume treatments with the use of NVGs. [Read More...]



Tags: Lee County Mosquito Control Aviation Unit Thurbie Botterill
Categories: categoryHuman Interest



Jul
25
2022

The Push for Cleaner Propulsion - OEMs are Going Green

Posted by Admin

When it comes to developing cleaner, greener propulsion systems for helicopters, the industry’s original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are going green. “Helicopters account for less than 1% of global CO2 emissions but there are still ways that we can reduce that figure,” said Luca Cossetti, an innovative power solutions specialist with Airbus Helicopters. “We are committed to reducing our environmental footprint to get closer to the end goal of net-zero CO2 emissions.” “Aviation, including the helicopter market, is under substantial pressure to progress its sustainability initiatives with more efficient engines and airframes,” added Nicolas Chabée, vice president of Sales & Marketing (Helicopter) with Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC). “Our priorities include designing more efficient engines with reduced fuel consumption and ensuring our customers know that their P&WC engines can fly on up to 50% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) made from sources such as used cooking oil and algae.” [Read More...]



Categories: categoryRegulatory categoryHelicopter Sectors



Jul
18
2022

LAS VEGAS METRO POLICE AVIATION - Helicopters are a winning bet for Las Vegas

Posted by Admin

Another aviation team that bolsters the city and its surroundings is the Las Vegas Metro Police Department (LVMPD) Air Support/Search and Rescue Section. Director Steve Morris, says that the unit’s mission is clear: Provide air support to all sections of the department and any concurrent jurisdictions within Clark County. Their law enforcement helicopter operations date back to 1969 when the City of Las Vegas Police purchased and operated a Hughes 300. In 1973, the Las Vegas PD and the Clark County Sheriff’s Office merged and became the unit it is today. In the decades since then the program has flown Hughes 300, MD 500 (C,D,E), and two retired Air Force Bell HH-1H Hueys. Today, the unit flies one Airbus H145 in search and rescue configuration and three MD 530FFs in LE configuration. [Read More...]



Tags: Airbus H145 SAR Churchill ARS 700 georeferenced moving map system Goodrich hoisting Helionix inserting tactical teams L3 Wescam MX-10 camera/sensor Las Vegas Metro Police Air Support law enforcement helicopter operations MD530 FF LE Configuration sling loading synthetic vision cockpit technology the aircraft and tactical flight officer (TFO)
Categories: categoryCompany Profiles



Jul
11
2022

Executive Watch - Managing Director Markus Schmitz, Axnes Inc.

Posted by Admin

“The helicopter industry is a comparatively small industry that almost has a family feel,” says Markus Schmitz. It’s a family that the managing director of Axnes Inc. has wanted to belong to much of his life. Upon graduating from the University of Applied Science at Aachen in his native Germany with an aerospace engineering degree , the 1998 graduate had to make a choice. One road led to his designing fixed-wing airframes. The other road led to Eurocopter in Donauwörth where Schmitz was offered his way to helicopters. Schmitz took the wanderlust path. “I chose Eurocopter because I wanted to work in the helicopter industry and with its customers and see the world,” he says. Actually, that decision was pretty predetermined since Schmitz was a young boy growing up in the town of Vellmar, near the city of Kassel. His father sold fertilizer and salt internationally and his mother was a homemaker for her family. “My background was a stable one from a small town,” he says. “My interests growing up were in medicine and aviation. Helicopters always fascinated me from seeing them fly overhead as a small boy and I later understood their capabilities in medical emergencies.” [Read More...]



Tags: Markus Schmitz Axnes Rotorcraft Pro Rotorcraft Pro Executive Watch
Categories: categoryHuman Interest



Jul
03
2022

BELL HELICOPTER AND THE CITY OF A HUNDRED SPIRES

Posted by Admin

There is a unique city in the heart of Europe that is nicknamed the “City of a Hundred Spires.” This magical city allows one to get lostin the labyrinth of its narrow streets in the inspiring old city center and enjoy the breathtaking views while standing on its beloved Charles Bridge. Prague is a romantic, ancient city, but it’s also vibrant, successful, and cosmopolitan. Yet, the skies of Prague don't just display its amazing church spires, but also contain a great deal of aircraft flying in and out of the airport as Prague is where Bell Textron has offices in Europe located at the Prague Vaclav Havel International Airport (LKPR). It’s where the only Bell owned service facility in Europe is located. [Read More...]



Tags: Bell 429 approved facility in Europe Bell Amsterdam Distribution Center Bell Helicopter Bell Helicopter Maintenance Facility Prague Bell Textron Prague Rotor Blade UK
Categories: categoryCompany Profiles



Jun
27
2022

Editor's Letter - Exceptionalism Abound In the Vertical Lift Industry

Posted by Admin

Frank Sonnenberg, the author of the book, Listen to Your Conscience: That's Why You Have One wrote, “Exceptional people don't shun tests of their strength and determination -- they relish them.” It almost seems there’s a cultural movement in some parts of society who want to diminish the idea of exceptionalism. Personally, I hope the movement is not successful because in our industry, we are blessed with many exceptional people and companies that keep driving us all collectively to new heights with respect to safety, technology, and performance. Without the existence of these exceptional people and companies, we would be relegated to hand flying underpowered helicopters in only VFR conditions using only basic instrumentation . . . and training in them too! Instead, we are seeing exponential technological advancements in vertical lift aircraft that will relegate many old platforms to obsolescence. It’s both a scary and interesting time for those of us living it. [Read More...]



Tags: Rotorcraft Pro Rotorcraft Pro Editor Lyn Burks
Categories: categoryOpinion-Editorial categoryHelicopter Sectors



Jun
20
2022

Training Safely

Posted by Admin

Helicopter pilot flight training can be hazardous for reasons I will highlight in this article. I’ve been a flight instructor in the military, a senior instructor for Bell Helicopter in Iran teaching pilots how to be instructor pilots, an instructor and a flight examiner for 13 years while working for the Royal Police Air Wing in the Sultanate of Oman, and a type-rating instructor and type-rating examiner in the Bell 412EP and Bell 212 while working for Abu Dhabi Aviation. While in Abu Dhabi, I trained and examined airline transport pilots hailing from more than 20 countries. In my 13,000-hour flying career, I have developed habits I use while training that I pass along to you to, hopefully, keep you safe. [Read More...]


Tags: aviation safety aviation training Helicopter Safety Helicopter Training my two cents worth randy mains Rotorcraft Pro
Categories: categorySafety



Jun
14
2022

2022 HAI Mil2Civ Highlights

Posted by Admin

The Military to Civilian Transition Workshop at HAI’s Heli-Expo 2022 was a great success! The workshop was held on the first day of the world’s largest vertical aviation conference and trade show. [Read More...]



Tags: Military to Civilian Aviation Military to Civilian Helicopters Rotorcraft Pro
Categories: categoryCareer Development



Jun
06
2022

Helicopter Operators Want Voluntary SMS, But Will It Be Enough?

Posted by Admin

If anyone ever doubted that smaller helicopter operators want to deploy fully featured, voluntary Safety Management Systems (SMS) in their companies, that doubt was dispelled in 2021. This was when Helicopter Association International (HAI) surveyed its members and found that a significant number of them wanted access to turnkey SMS support programs designed for small helicopter operators. In response to this desire for comprehensive voluntary safety management, HAI sought bids from 14 SMS software providers to help the association launch an affordable, members-only turnkey solution called the HAI SMS Program. Although all 14 bids passed muster, three were so well suited to HAI members’ needs that the association chose them as HAI SMS providers. For the record, these SMS providers are Air Charter Safety Foundation, Baldwin Safety and Compliance, and WYVERN Ltd. [Read More...]



Tags: Air Charter Safety Foundation Baldwin Safety and Compliance Helicopter Safety Management Systems (SMS) WYVERN Ltd.
Categories: categorySafety


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