Articles for category Opinion-Editorial
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Nov
09
2020
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Posted by Admin
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1943 was the first year that helicopters were used to perform emergency medical services (Helicopter EMS; aka HEMS). According to The Smithsonian Institution’s magazine Air & Space, it was a Sikorsky YR-4B flown by the U.S. Army in Asia that conducted the first HEMS mission in April 1944. The two-seater YR-4B flown by Carter Harman rescued three wounded U.K. Commandos and a downed pilot from the Burmese jungle, lofting one at a time to safety using four separate flights.
Since then, helicopters have become essential civilian/military ‘air ambulances.’ The road from that relatively fragile YR-4B to today’s formidable HEMS machines made by Airbus, Bell, Leonardo, MD Helicopters, and Sikorsky (now part of Lockheed Martin) has not been a smooth one. It took persuasion and performance to convince skeptics that helicopters belonged in the EMS realm.
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Tags:
Air Evac Lifeteam
Flight For Life in 1972
History of EMS Helicopters
Med-Trans
REACH
Sikorsky YR-4B
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
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Oct
13
2020
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Posted by Admin
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“My only point is to remind those of us who receive the benefits of altruistic servants to be thankful for their desire to do some of the dirtiest work on the planet. Every day (not once or twice in a lifetime, but every day) these amazing people intentionally put themselves into the most dangerous situations and environments. They inject themselves into people’s lives at the lowest points, when people are most scared, most sick, and generally at their worst. They do this repeatedly to help someone in need, to make that person’s life better.”
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Tags:
EMS
Front line workers
HAA
HAA Medics
HAA Pilots
HEMS Pilots
Categories:
Helicopter Sectors
Opinion-Editorial
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Oct
05
2020
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Posted by Admin
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Looking back, I recall the time just after separating from active duty with the U.S. Air Force. I was attending Alabama Aviation Technical College to obtain my Airframe and Powerplant certificate. It was during this time that I was hired at Fort Rucker by the helicopter maintenance contractor that supported U.S. military helicopter pilot training. One of the first requirements of this contractor was to have a minimum tools list. As a young man just out of the military, I did not own many tools nor could I afford to buy a lot. Taking my tools list, I drove to Sears to comply with the minimum, never dreaming that in the ensuing 39 years I would collect so many thousands of dollars in hand tools, special tools, precision tools and high-end toolboxes.
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Tags:
Airframe and Powerplant certificate
Alabama Aviation Technical College
Helicopter Maintenance
Maintenance Minute
U.S. military helicopter pilot training
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Career Development
Opinion-Editorial
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Sep
28
2020
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Posted by Admin
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There are wildfires in the woods, and then there are crazy-strange wildfires such as a recent one in Florida that was fueled by hundreds of cars. When you battle that kind of conflagration, you’re bound to learn a few new lessons. We certainly did.
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Tags:
Car lot aerial fire
Charlotte County Aviation Unit
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
Human Interest
Training
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Aug
17
2020
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Posted by Admin
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COVID-19 has proven to be tremendously challenging for the helicopter industry. The demands of social distancing, sourcing/wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), and working from home don’t exactly align with the lives of pilots, technicians, and air medical personnel. In fact, their jobs are all about being up-close-and-personal in small spaces!
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Tags:
Helicopter and COVID
Helicopter Industry Impacts from COVID
Categories:
Career Development
Opinion-Editorial
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Aug
10
2020
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Posted by Admin
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I was watching the news a couple weeks ago and the coverage was regarding Hurricane Douglas, a Category 4 hurricane which was bearing down on the Hawaiian Islands. The video footage was of business owners boarding up the windows of their shops. Spray-painted across one business front were the words “2020 Sucks!” I laughed out loud at the sight of it, and thought to myself: “Yep, that pretty much sums it up.”
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Tags:
Editor Lyn Burks
Rotorcraft Pro
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
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Jul
20
2020
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Posted by Admin
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Once upon a time, the world of law enforcement (LE) helicopters was a relatively simple place. LE pilots flew surveillance and pursuit missions in aid of their respective police departments, using basic helicopters that were aerial observation platforms and little else.
Times have changed: Today’s LE helicopters and LE pilots are affected by trends such as a move to multiple-role missions, advanced cockpit technology, and unmanned aerial systems (aka drones); among others.
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Tags:
Law Enforcement Helicopters
Public Safety Aviation and Covid
Public Safety Aviation Units
Public Safety Helicopters
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
Helicopter Sectors