Author: Admin
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Feb
08
2021
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Posted by Admin
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My first exposure to aviation began in the U.S. Air Force. When training in my chosen field was postponed, I was asked to crosstrain to a secondary career field. “We really need aircraft mechanics,” I was told. I readily agreed, and so the adventure began. Later, as a crew chief for the F16 Fighting Falcon, I quickly learned the importance of marshaling aircraft and the use of hand signals…flight controls-check, speed brake-check, stop, go, chock, and the aircraft salute. Little did I know at the time that these simple hand signals would become part of an especially important essential tool that we must use every day. We have already discussed the tool of integrity: doing the right thing, and the tool of commitment: the fuel for action. Let us now look at the essential tool of communication.
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Tags:
aircraft mechanics
Aviation Maintenance
Helicopter Maintenance
Maintenance Minute
Mark Tyler
Categories:
Career Development
Safety
Opinion-Editorial
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Feb
01
2021
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Posted by Admin
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Montenegro is a petit country in Europe with perhaps one of the most interesting histories among the Balkan countries. It is definitely the youngest of the Balkan nations as its independence was regained in 2006.
Going through numerous political situations, Montenegro’s capital city, Podgorica, has been renamed a couple of times, going from Podgorica to Titograd (named after the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia’s leader Josip Broz Tito) and after the formal break-up of Yugoslavia, going back to its prior name Podgorica. The city is also where the Montenegrin air force is based.
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Tags:
Bell 505
Bell Training Academy
Helicopter Gazelle
Montenegro Air Force
Categories:
Company Profiles
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Jan
25
2021
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Posted by Admin
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If you look up the word ‘multi-mission’ in the dictionary, chances are that you won’t see a helicopter alongside it. But you should, because there are few transportation platforms as multi-mission capable. In the real world, the words ‘helicopter’ and ‘multi-mission’ are synonymous.
“I’ve heard people describe helicopters as ‘the SUVs of the air’,” said James Viola, president/CEO of Helicopter Association International (HAI). “The industry’s constant drive to create platforms that are as light as possible while using the most powerful engines available has resulted in highly flexible aircraft that can be adapted to multiple tasks and carry all kinds of loads internally and externally, and perform so many functions so well.”
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Tags:
Aerial Firefighting
Forestry and Stream Restoration Helicopters
Multi Mission Helicopters
Search and Rescue Helicopters
Sikorsky YR-4B helicopters
Vought-Sikorsky VS-300 rotorcraft
Categories:
Helicopter Sectors
Opinion-Editorial
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Jan
18
2021
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Posted by Admin
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RPMN: What is your current position?
I am a fire pilot for Heliqwest. I fly a B205 on a local fire contract in Southern California (Heaps Peak) for the U.S. Forest Service.
RPMN: Tell me about your first flight.
My first flight was in an R22 out of Torrance, California. I remember walking up to the helicopter wondering, Wow, is this small helicopter going to fly? I had never seen one up close and only knew that helicopters were typically much larger. Once in the helicopter and in a hover I was certain now this was what I would do for living. I was astounded by how it felt to just float above the earth's surface like that. My flight took me over the coast and back to the airport. I was hooked.
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Tags:
Desiree Horton
Forestry Helicopter Pilot
Heliqwest Fire Pilot
Meet A Rotorcraft Pro
Categories:
Career Development
Human Interest
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Jan
11
2021
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Posted by Admin
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“To paint a picture of how remote some of the people are that we serve, it takes the inhabitants who live in areas of the Zambezi Delta three days to reach civilization by dugout canoe. The helicopter can reach those areas in 20 minutes.” - Matthias Reuter, Mercy Air helicopter program director
THE MISSION
From 1977 to 1992, the Mozambican Civil War was a bloody battle to control the African nation. The war was fought between Mozambique's ruling Marxist Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO), anti-communist insurgent forces of the Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO), and a number of smaller factions.
The Mozambican Civil War destroyed much of Mozambique's critical rural infrastructure, including hospitals, rail lines, roads, and schools. Additionally, according to estimates, over one million Mozambicans were killed in the fighting or starved due to interrupted food supplies; an additional 5 million were displaced across the region.
In 1990, Mercy Air was born out of this conflict as a Christian initiative operating as a fixed-wing missionary program. The airplanes were initially used to provide relief and support to refugees fleeing Mozambique along the border of South Africa. Due to rebels and the poor security situation in the region, moving people and supplies via ground vehicles was too risky.
In 2004, Mercy Air decided to add helicopters to their operations. Rotorcraft not only enhanced the aviation operation’s capability, but significantly expanded the geographic locations it could serve.
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Tags:
Humanitarian Relief Helicopters
Mercy Air
Categories:
Human Interest
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Jan
04
2021
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Posted by Admin
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I was stationed in DC in February 2014 and traveled to Denton, Texas, with two military buddies to get our helicopter ATPs. While in Denton, we went to dinner with my friend, Nico, who had transitioned a year or two before and was flying air ambulance in the DFW metroplex. At dinner the three of us eagerly asked Nico a lot of questions about his transition, finding a job, and his experiences in the civilian helicopter industry. One of the many tidbits of knowledge Nico was sharing really stuck with me; it’s very simple, but genius at the same time.
When it comes to any job, there are always three things: equipment, pay, or boss. If you are lucky, you’ll get two out of three! In later conversations, Nico added two more: location and schedule.
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Tags:
Military Helicopter Mechanics
Military Helicopter Pilots
Military to Civilian
Categories:
Career Development
Opinion-Editorial
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Dec
28
2020
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Posted by Admin
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Matthew Zuccaro was a quintessential leader for the Helicopter Association International (HAI), serving first on the board of directors in 1987, then as board chair in 1991, then as president in 2005. He retired in January, only about a month before his passing on Feb. 25, 2020 at the age of 70.
“Matt was one of a kind in our industry,” current HAI President and CEO James Viola said. “Helicopters were part of his life, beginning with his U.S. Army service in Vietnam. Throughout his career, he made safe helicopter operations his priority, and we are a better, stronger, and safer industry today because of his efforts on behalf of rotorcraft.”
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Tags:
Helicopter Association International Matt Zuccaro
Matt Zuccaro
Categories:
Human Interest
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Dec
28
2020
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Posted by Admin
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Former Helicopter Association International (HAI) Board of Directors chair James Wisecup never stopped learning. When he retired as assistant chief pilot for Air Methods in 2019, he had just earned a bachelor’s in aviation science from Southern Utah University.
“Jim was a highly respected member of the rotorcraft community, and we will miss his knowledge and leadership,” HAI president and CEO James Viola said. “He was an advocate for safe flying, training, and mentorship, and he was always willing to share his experience and passion for flying.”
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Tags:
Helicopter Association Internation Jim Wisecup
Jim Wisecup
Categories:
Human Interest
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Dec
28
2020
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Posted by Admin
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Rudy Frasca was a true pioneer in the world of flight simulation. He was first inspired by his older brother’s model airplane that motivated him to learn to fly at the tender age of 14. “From then on, he was just hooked,” said his daughter Peggy Prichard, marketing manager for Frasca International. Frasca joined the Navy in 1949, teaching pilots at the Glenview Naval Air Station on early Link Trainers. After the Korean War, he attended the University of Illinois Aviation Research Laboratory at Urbana-Champaign, where he honed his flight simulation skills and conducted research in aviation psychology.
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Tags:
Frasca Simulation
Rudy Frasca
Categories:
Human Interest
Opinion-Editorial
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Dec
21
2020
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Posted by Admin
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The Airbus Helicopters Inc. president and head of the North America region for helicopters was once so shy he was afraid to phone anyone he didn’t know. Romain Trapp says, “I was really super shy. I had to write down in advance every word I planned to say in a call.” So, the college accounting and finance student got fed up with his handicap and devised a strategy to overcome it. “I came to the point where enough was enough and I began to force myself out of my shyness,” he says. “For example, I volunteered to organize a conference at my college; it forced me to interact with people. Eventually, I worked my way out of my shyness, so that I now have no problem speaking to an audience of 200 people.” That’s a good thing, because presiding over a global original equipment manufacturer (OEM) like Airbus Helicopters is not a cubicle-in-the-bowels-of-a-building position for the super shy. It requires someone who can get out into the rotorcraft world, see how it’s changing, and react. When pressed to talk about his personal strengths as a top corporate executive , the humble leader says, “My strength, I think, is my ability to grasp the big picture and develop strategy from that view. Also, I develop a sense of belonging to the team as soon as I start a new job. You’ll notice that when I talk, I use the word ‘we’ and never ‘them’ nor ‘I.’ Finally, I have developed an ability to adapt to changing circumstances because I’ve had different responsibilities in different countries.”
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Tags:
Airbus Helicopters president
Romain Trapp
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
Human Interest