Articles for category Safety
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Sep
16
2024
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Posted by Admin
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When it comes to flight helmets, Steve Mifsud has seen it all.
“I’ve seen helmets that were picked up by tornadoes and thrown a ways away,” Mifsud related. “Dogs have torn them up. They’ve even been used as bowling balls in Antarctica (by bored researchers). And one was burned on one side in a wildfire.”
Mifsud has seen all this damage on various helmets because people chose to repair them. So they sent their headgear to Evolution Helmets in Melbourne, Florida to get them restored to mint condition. “You see some crazy things,” concluded Mifsud, a helmet tech at Evolution Helmets.
Mifsud recalls totally refurbishing a 1990s-era Army helmet for one customer. About six months later, the pilot called Mifsud from the hospital to ask him to restore his helmet again – after he was a passenger in a rotorcraft that spun out and crashed. Luckily he walked away with a concussion and a dented helmet but nothing worse. “The helmet was up to OEM standards...and that definitely could have helped,” Mifsud said. The new styrofoam likely softened the impact when the g-force shoved the passenger’s head against the machine, he added.
[Read More...]
Tags:
Evolution Helmets
Helicopter Helmet Painting
Helicopter Helmet Repair
Helmet Refurbishing
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
Safety
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Oct
09
2023
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Posted by Admin
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Nine years! That’s how long it’s been since the last major update to the National Weather Service Aviation Platform. And from the early beta testing results, the wait will have been worth it. A new AviationWeather.gov is coming soon!
Much has changed in the last decade regarding computer programming capabilities, and all of that technological prowess certainly shows in the new platform. The modernized code provides enhanced stability and improved supportability for users.
[Read More...]
Tags:
aviation weather center
weather.gov
Categories:
Safety
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Aug
07
2023
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Posted by Admin
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Sweden is a gem among Europe’s nations and its the largest amongst the Scandinavian ones. It is a country with unique Nordic charm, an incredible archipelago made up of over 24,000 islands and a land with more than 100,000 lakes. Sweden is a unique blend of tradition and progress. Known for its high standard of living and its developed economy, it also has a strong commitment to social welfare, democracy, environmental sustainability, and nature preservation.
However, do not let the progressiveness of this culture fool you. They live by a special philosophy named Lagom. Translated that means “moderate”—not too little, not too much; just the right amount. Since the days of the Vikings this philosophy has existed. However, the Vikings of old have been replaced by today’s modern heroes – the pilots of the Swedish National Police (SNP) Air Support Unit. They are the team of expert pilots who keep Sweden a safe and wonderful place to live.
[Read More...]
Tags:
Patria Helicopters AB
Polisflyget
SNP Air Unit
SNP fleet Bell 429
Swedish National Police Aviation Unit
Categories:
Company Profiles
Human Interest
Safety
Training
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Jul
31
2023
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Posted by Admin
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He walked into my office as a confident 22-year-old with the ink still wet on his newly issued Airframe & Powerplant certificate that he proudly carried in his pocket. The young man looked at me and said, “I want to be a helicopter mechanic”. After a brief discussion, his enthusiasm and seemingly sense of life’s direction convinced me to take a chance on him. I placed him under the supervision of a 38-year master helicopter mechanic. My instruction to the young man was “learn from him.”
[Read More...]
Tags:
A&P mechanic
Helicopter A&P Mechanic
Helicopter Maintenance Training
Categories:
Training
Safety
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Jul
17
2023
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Posted by Admin
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NTSB report notes iPad linked to CH-47D crash
[Read More...]
NTSB Examination Summary - Exemplar helicopter and iPad-Rel.pdf (1.16 MB)
Categories:
Safety
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Jun
05
2023
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Posted by Admin
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FlightSafety International trains pilots for anything, but the truest test of its efficacy is in the cockpit. In one helicopter pilot’s case, that training is the reason he believes he and his crew survived a dangerous situation.
Sgt. David Sizemore had seen a lot in his more than 13,000 flight hours. But during a December 2020 flight in his Ohio State Highway Patrol helicopter, he faced the biggest challenge as a pilot.
Encountering inadvertent instrument meteorological conditions (IIMC) – occurring suddenly after a successful mission assisting law enforcement – required Sizemore to react quickly to the emergency situation. His immediate actions would make the difference in he and his crewmember returning home safely.
[Read More...]
Tags:
flightsafety
Simulator Instructor
Simulator Training
Categories:
Safety
Training
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May
29
2023
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Posted by Admin
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There is no doubt that implementing safety management systems (SMS) leads to safer, more predictable flight operations for helicopter and unmanned aerial systems (UAS) owners/operators. Although larger helicopter operators have had the resources to launch in-house SMS for years, many smaller helicopter operators have found the implementation/maintenance of safety management to be outside their reach. (Note: UAS companies can learn about UAS-specific SMS through the International Civil Aviation’s website.)
[Read More...]
Tags:
helicopter operators
safety management systems
SMS
Categories:
Safety
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Apr
10
2023
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Posted by Admin
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Skilled helicopter pilots know there’s no substitute for effective flight training. For the most impactful training, there’s only one decision that makes the most sense for its effectiveness, indirect costs and range of training, and that’s simulator training at FlightSafety International.
Fixed-wing pilots and the airlines have used simulator training to their advantage for years. While helicopter pilots have had the tools available to them, there has recently been a culture shift to simulator training over training in the aircraft, and for good reasons.
[Read More...]
Tags:
flight training devices
FlightSafety Level D Simulator
FTD
Helicopter Simulator Training
Simulator Training
Categories:
Career Development
Training
Safety
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Feb
20
2023
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Posted by Admin
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Not only have I seen numerous pilots contract it dozens of times, but I have also fallen victim to it. It lurks both day and night. No, I'm not referring to a strange illness that can only be cured by some supplement found on late-night infomercials. Instead, I'm talking about "Green-Dot Syndrome." It usually presents itself in the following manner. The on-call pilot, such as an HAA pilot, law enforcement pilot, etc., receives a flight request. The pilot takes a quick glance at their favorite weather source. The display shows the point of departure as "green," (indicated by the green dot on the weather platform). There’s another green dot near the destination. What more do you need? "It's all green!"
[Read More...]
Tags:
asos
aviation weather
awos
flight category colors
green dot syndrome
Categories:
Safety
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Feb
06
2023
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Posted by Admin
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Last March, I informed Lyn Burks, owner and editor-in-chief of this magazine, that this November/December issue would be my last column for Rotor Pro. Before I fade off into the journalistic sunset, I’d like to share with you how I came to write my column, my motivation to do so and discuss how, in my view, the industry has changed since I joined this magazine.
The wonderful opportunity to become a columnist for Rotor Pro happened more by unexpected opportunity than by design. In 1982, when I was working full time as chief pilot for UCSD Medical Center’s Life Flight program piloting a Bell 222 single pilot IFR in San Diego, I also attended San Diego State University full time and graduated with a degree in journalism. I could have never imagined I would one day have my own column. My first published article for Rotor and Wing magazine back in 1983 was entitled “Life and Death—an EMS Pilot’s Viewpoint.” In that same year, I was awarded the first Golden Hour Award presented by Helicopter Association International (HAI). The now annual award recognizes a person’s efforts to further the helicopter air ambulance concept in America.
[Read More...]
Tags:
CRM
Golden Hour
Helicopter Safety
randy mains
Categories:
Career Development
Safety
Opinion-Editorial