Articles for category Opinion-Editorial
Mar
11
2024
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Posted by Admin
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What is your current position?
I currently work as the assistant chief helicopter pilot at Tampa Bay Aviation. Tampa Bay Aviation is the largest helicopter flight school in the area; we have four locations across the bay (KCLW, KPIE, KSPG, and KVDF). Tampa Bay Aviation offers Part 141 and Part 61 courses from private through CFI, and CFII and ATP Part 61. We also work with the VA, so we can accommodate veterans as well. We are one of the largest fixed-wing and helicopter flight schools on Florida’s west coast. I also work as a part-time ENG pilot for Sky Helicopters, and a part-time charter pilot and check airman for Skyway Aviation.
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Joshua Montour Tampa Bay Aviation
Meet A Rotor Pro
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
Feb
16
2024
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Posted by Admin
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For my entire 30-year working life, I have referred to my work as a pilot, helicopter operator, and media company owner as being in the “helicopter industry.” It’s pretty much all I have known.
However back in 2020, we saw a significant shift in the industry’s perspective of what the future might look like. It involved terms like “eVTOL,” “unmanned,” and “AAM” (advanced air mobility.) This shift came not only in the form of conversations, but rapidly morphed into actions by investors, regulators, and OEMs.
I remember asking several industry colleagues of stature if they thought this movement towards new platforms was real, or was it pie-in-the-sky futurecasting. The responses I got were 50/50.
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HeliExpo 2024
Rotor Pro Editor's Letter
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
Jan
29
2024
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Posted by Admin
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RPMN: What is your current position?
I am currently a standardization pilot for the factory training department, as well as a production test pilot with MD Helicopters LLC in Mesa Arizona. We specialize in initial and recurrent advanced emergency procedure training in all MD airframes as well as maintenance test pilot courses. It’s the absolute dream job, as I get to work with pilots in such a multifaceted industry. There aren't a great number of MD Pilots in the world, but every single one of them brings something significant to the table and are absolute powerhouse in their career field and I'm lucky to get to fly and learn from a great number of them.
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CJ Schneider
MD Helicopters
Meet A Rotor Pro
Categories:
Career Development
Opinion-Editorial
Human Interest
Jan
08
2024
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Posted by Admin
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Nine companies made our ‘Best of Rotor Tech’ list this year. The accomplishments they racked up during 2023 are truly impressive.
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Tags:
Airbus Helicopters FlightLab
Helicopter Technology
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
Helicopter Sectors
Jan
01
2024
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Posted by Admin
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For the second time in as many days, I was demoing a product that involved complex helicopter operations with a set of virtual reality goggles on my face. Boy how times have changed!
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European Rotors
Vertical Lift
Virtual Reality Googles
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
Dec
18
2023
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Posted by Admin
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There’s a revolution underway in aviation, and it is being driven by artificial intelligence. AI is already affecting everything from helicopter/fixed-wing design and manufacturing to in-flight operations and maintenance, along with air traffic control and anything else that touches flying.
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Tags:
Aviation Artificial Intelligence
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
Helicopter Sectors
Dec
04
2023
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Posted by Admin
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RPMN: What is your current position?
I am an associate director at Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) in helicopter marketing, and my function includes program management. I’m responsible for all interactions between certain helicopter OEMs and P&WC. My role is exciting because I have a wide breadth of responsibility: everything from the tactical (deliveries, quality, etc.) to the strategic (new products, new technologies) to the relationship with my OEMs.
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Meet A Rotor Pro
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
Human Interest
Nov
06
2023
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Posted by Admin
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I recall that when I was an emergency medical services pilot back in the 90s, I wrote many times that it was my belief that training was the key to reducing the high accident rate in EMS. Although I flew an S-76 with an autopilot and glass cockpit, technology was not as prevalent for light-single helicopters.
For the most part back then, we received our initial part 135 training, then our annual recurrent training (which was pretty light) only once per year. For most operators, training involved shooting an instrument approach and performing an unusual attitude recovery under a view limiting device (foggles) during VMC conditions. Given the lack of technology, as compared to today, it’s difficult to fault the operators. I always used to say that if the operators could not train themselves to be safer, they would eventually be regulated and “technologied” into safety.
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Tags:
Helicopter Technology
Helicopter Training
Rotor Pro Editor's Letter
Categories:
Regulatory
Training
Opinion-Editorial
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
Jun
27
2023
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Posted by Admin
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Remember the “defund the police” movement that began back in 2020? I remember thinking at the time, “This really seems like a dumb idea.”
I recall learning “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs” while taking a college psychology class. It’s a theory comprising a five-tier model of human needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid. I remember that safety/security is the second most important foundational layer.
Where does that security come from in our daily lives? I believe it starts with the individual. However, there are limits on what we can do as individuals. As a society, the rule of law is the foundation for our security, and it’s the law enforcement agencies on the streets—and in the air— who do the actual work of enforcing those laws to protect us.
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Tags:
Defund the Police
Refund the Police
Rotor Pro
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial