Articles for category Opinion-Editorial
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Sep
01
2025
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Posted by Admin
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The global helicopter air ambulance industry stands at a critical juncture, balancing life-saving innovation with complex challenges. As demand for rapid medical transport grows, particularly in remote and rural areas, the sector continues to evolve, driven by technological advancements and increasing healthcare needs. However, it faces hurdles that require urgent attention.
Helicopter air ambulances are indispensable, providing swift access to emergency care where ground transport falls short. Advanced avionics, night vision systems, and medical equipment have enhanced operational efficiency and patient outcomes. The global market, valued at approximately $7 billion in 2024, is projected to grow steadily, fueled by aging populations and rising trauma cases. North America leads, with nearly 1,000 medical helicopters in operation, while Europe and Asia-Pacific are expanding rapidly due to healthcare infrastructure investments. On page 48 we highlight ANWB, an air ambulance service which has grown dramatically in the Netherlands.
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Tags:
Rotor Pro Editor's Letter
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
Helicopter Sectors
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Aug
25
2025
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Posted by Admin
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Far from replacing helicopters, drones are expanding the capabilities of airborne law enforcement by adding cost-effective tools for overwatch, surveillance, search and rescue, and tactical response. As a result, drones are providing police commanders with more options for doing their jobs better. This includes deploying helicopters where they are most needed, rather than for every job imaginable.
Drones: Fast, Affordable, and Flexible
There is no doubt that drones are doing more jobs in airborne law enforcement than ever before. There’s a good reason for this: Drones cost less to fly than helicopters.
“Agencies and departments are under pressure to do more with less: smaller budgets, fewer personnel, and rising expectations,” said Jason LaFond, customer success manager, public safety at Skydio, a drone manufacturer. (LaFond is also a former NYPD detective with 18 years of experience, so he personally understands law enforcement’s needs.) “This fact has driven rapid adoption of drones, particularly autonomous flight systems, because they offer helicopter-like capabilities at a fraction of the cost,” he said.
“Today, drones are being used as first responders, enabling officers to respond with complete visibility in high-risk situations, often facilitating de-escalation,” noted Wayne Baker, director of stakeholder engagement at DJI, another drone manufacturer. He adds, “For example, drones enable officers to plan safer approaches for themselves and suspects in high-risk situations.”
Mike Bucari is senior manager of marketing-Americas at Leonardo Helicopters, which manufactures drones and helicopters. “Drones (AKA unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs) are becoming more popular due to their relatively low cost, versatility, and ability to provide real-time surveillance,” he said, agreeing with LaFond and Baker. “Today, small-size multirotors are widely used for surveillance, crowd monitoring, search and rescue operations, traffic monitoring, and even in pursuit situations. Drones also allow for the deployment of specialized equipment like thermal imaging cameras, which aid in search operations and tracking suspects at night.“
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Tags:
airborne law enforcement drones
dji
Drones and helicopters
skydio
UAVs
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
Helicopter Sectors
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Aug
11
2025
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Posted by Admin
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To put me in perspective: I didn’t have a squadron command tour, no beltway time, and I wasn’t a ring knocker. I was just a fleet average major trying to do above average work. I was an XO, a schoolhouse advanced IP, a JTAC, a school-trained ASO, and I even flew Marine One for a bit. So, I thought I had the experience to succeed in the civilian HEMS landscape and that’s what I wanted to do. I had no interest in the airlines, agriculture or utility. With that background on me, here is my take on challenges and wins I realized in my transition to civilian flight and my final recommendations for those making the transition.
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Tags:
Chris Janecek
Military to Civilian Helicopters
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
Career Development
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May
12
2025
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Posted by Admin
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We catch Gretchen Johnson in a rare hour of relatively free time. She was in Orlando, having headed south from her metro-Atlanta home, when she said in a cultured, soft Southern accent that would make Scarlett O’Hara sit up and take notice, “Thank you so much for choosing to spend an hour with me; I’m flattered. Hopefully, something I say will be worth repeating. It’s wonderful being down here in Florida because now Miss Georgia can’t decide whether she’s winter or spring.”
Make up your cotton-pickin’ mind, Miss Georgia!
It would be wrong to base an assumption on Johnson’s accent and Southern manners that she’s some antebellum belle. The CEO and founder of DaVinciSKY was in Orlando for a “Women in Power” symposium—and that could be a clever pun because Johnson’s flagship company and its subsidiaries feature helicopters in power-line construction, inspection, and maintenance.
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Tags:
DaVinciSKY
power line patrol helicopter
Utility Helicopter
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
Human Interest
Company Profiles
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Apr
28
2025
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Posted by Admin
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The helicopter industry is continuing to face a pilot shortage that threatens to impact operations across sectors, such as emergency medical services (EMS), firefighting, law enforcement, offshore transport, and tourism. As seasoned pilots retire and fewer new aviators enter the workforce, companies are struggling to maintain flight schedules and meet increasing demands for aerial services.
Several factors contribute to this shortage. One of the primary challenges is the high cost and long duration of helicopter pilot training, which can exceed $100,000 and take several years to complete. Unlike fixed-wing aviation, which often benefits from more direct career pathways and funding opportunities, the vertical-lift industry lacks sufficient structured programs to attract and retain new talent.
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Tags:
Helicopter Pilot Shortage
Categories:
Career Development
Opinion-Editorial
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Mar
17
2025
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Posted by Admin
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It’s a bright and sunny autumn morning at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey. While on the adjacent ramps it is still quiet, the ramp of HMLA-773 (-) is already packed with Bell UH-1Y Venom and Bell AH-1Z Viper helicopters being prepared for the day’s flying by the busy maintenance crews. Although being a Marine Reserve Unit, Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 773 plays a key role in the organization and operations of the United States Marine Corps.
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Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
Company Profiles
Helicopter Sectors
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Feb
10
2025
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Posted by Admin
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A few weeks ago, a longtime friend and fellow flight instructor reached out to me regarding a regulatory issue surrounding logging night vision goggles (NVG) and night flight time consecutively. Many in the NVG industry, including FAA staff, believe they are to be logged independently. However, this is not correct. It is indeed permissible to log NVG and night flight time consecutively, but don’t take my word for it. Please follow this link and scroll down the pages to Section #29. You’ll find the answer around the third paragraph of that section: [https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2009/08/21/E9-19353/pilot-flight-instructor-and-pilot-school-certification]
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Tags:
FAR Preambles
Flight Instruction
NIght Flight Goggles
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
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Feb
03
2025
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Posted by Admin
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For units of the New York Army National Guard, the year could not have started busier. In early May, Bravo Company of the 3-142nd Assault Helicopter Brigade (B. Co 3-142 AHB) deployed four Sikorsky UH-60M Blackhawk helicopters to Gulfport, Mississippi, to participate in the MARSOC 24-4 exercise. Meanwhile, Alpha Company of the 3-142 Assault Helicopter Brigade (A. Co 3-142 AHB) was deployed with four UH-60M Blackhawk helicopters and 45 personnel to Barbados to take part in the multinational exercise named “Tradewinds 24.” This annual exercise, organized by the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), took place from May 4 to May 16 with the participation of 25 countries. The focus during this 39th iteration of the exercise was mainly on improving interoperability and effectively executing both maritime and land operations, but it also dealt with humanitarian assistance and disaster response.
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Tags:
Helicopter Bridage
MARSOC 24-4
New York Army National Guard Aviation Unit
Tradewinds 24
Categories:
Human Interest
Company Profiles
Opinion-Editorial
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Jan
27
2025
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Posted by Admin
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A few weeks ago, a longtime friend and fellow flight instructor reached out to me regarding a regulatory issue surrounding logging night vision goggles (NVG) and night flight time consecutively. Many in the NVG industry, including FAA staff, believe they are to be logged independently. However, this is not correct. It is indeed permissible to log NVG and night flight time consecutively, but don’t take my word for it. Please follow this link and scroll down the pages to Section #29. You’ll find the answer around the third paragraph of that section: [https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2009/08/21/E9-19353/pilot-flight-instructor-and-pilot-school-certification]
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Tags:
My T wo Cents Worth
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
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Jan
07
2025
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Posted by Admin
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Helicopters play a pivotal role in the energy sector, offering unique advantages for construction, inspection, and maintenance tasks. Their versatility, speed, and ability to access hard-to-reach locations make them indispensable in supporting energy infrastructure projects, particularly in remote or challenging environments.
Winco Powerline Services (owned by parent company Quanta Services) bills itself as a power-line construction specialist. But before we dive into the details of this 33-year-old, highly specialized helicopter operator, let’s take a high-level look at how helicopters are used in the broader energy sector.
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Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
Company Profiles
Helicopter Sectors