Articles for category Company Profiles
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Aug
22
2016
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Posted by Admin
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“I was oil field trash.” When an interview starts with a quote like that, good stories are in store. However, Mike Stanberry, the president, CEO, and sole owner of Metro Aviation headquartered in Shreveport, Louisiana, is much more than just a storyteller. Rather, he has seized opportunities throughout an eventful career to create one of the rotorcraft industry’s premier companies. When President Obama implies that owners didn’t build their businesses, you get the distinct impression that Stanberry would reply, “Yes, Mr. President, we did.”
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Categories:
Company Profiles
Human Interest
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Aug
15
2016
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Posted by Admin
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I have just finished a day's contract flying and am now driving back home on a four-hour trip. I’m a little fatigued, but mostly just bored. I need new energy in the car. Fortunately, I have a phone interview scheduled to begin now with Don Wharton, REACH Air Medical Service’s director of business development. With both cruise control and phone speaker on, I start my phone's voice recorder and make the call. Wharton answers and his enthusiasm immediately comes flooding into my car—goodbye boredom!
I ask him, "In your own words, what's the Reach mission?" Without hesitation, Wharton replies, "Right across the ranks, it's our obsessive focus on safe and efficient transportation of our patients and always doing right by them in every situation. Depending on the situation, sometimes we substitute the word 'patient' with community, partner, or customer, but we are committed to the high-road process that produces the best result."
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Categories:
Company Profiles
Helicopter Sectors
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Jun
21
2016
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Posted by Admin
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For several decades now, illegal immigration and security along the Mexican border has been a political hot potato for citizens and legislators alike. Politicians have thrown it back and forth, hoping the potato would cool. Well, thanks to a certain 2016 U.S. presidential candidate turning up the heat, it seems the illegal immigration issue is hotter than ever. The fall of 2015 found Donald J. Trump making statements like, “Not only will we (the U.S.) build a wall on the Mexican border, but Mexico will pay for it.” That, and many other soundbites, turned a political potato into a political fireball, and the issue is once again on the American public’s front burner.
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Categories:
Company Profiles
Helicopter Sectors
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May
09
2016
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Posted by Admin
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When talking to Frasca International President and CEO John Frasca, one quickly discerns that not only does F begin his last name, but that letter coincides with other words relevant to who he is and what he does: Family and Flexibility.
It’s telling that the current generation of Frascas do not shine the light of success on themselves. Rather, the company website and brochure only speak of the founding father. Not even John Frasca is profiled. In an age of self-adulation and promotion, that may seem somewhat quaint … and refreshing. However, this lack of limelight is not surprising when you hear the humble way the son’s promotion to leadership in 2011 was announced to Frasca International’s staff—and to John Frasca himself. “We were just having a summer company party out at the airport with all of the employees, and Dad picked up the microphone and said, ‘Oh, by the way everybody, John’s taking over; he’s going to be president,’” says Frasca.
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Categories:
Career Development
Company Profiles
Human Interest
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May
02
2016
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Posted by Admin
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Many of the greatest adventure stories begin with three simple words: There I was…. This tale of a pioneering aviation company in the setting of insanely turquoise blue waters, white sandy beaches, cascading waterfalls, and lush mountain jungles deserves an adventurous introduction. So ...
THERE I WAS sitting in a car wash parking lot at a busy intersection in downtown Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola. (We’ll get to the water and jungles later.) I’m knocking back a frosty Presidente beer and chili dog empanada.
After four days in this country, I am starting to feel “Dominicanized.” I’m thinking I could live in this paradise and frequently nurse a cold beer. But the nagging question is: Where would I work?
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Categories:
Career Development
Company Profiles
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Apr
04
2016
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Posted by Admin
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For those not familiar with Metro Aviation, HFTC’s parent company, it has two main facets to its business. First and foremost, it is an EMS helicopter operator with over 130 aircraft in operation. Second, it’s also a Part 145 maintenance, repair, and overhaul facility, as well as a helicopter completion center.
According to Palmer and Mike Stanberry, Metro’s CEO, the impetus for creating HFTC was two-fold. Twelve years ago, Metro Aviation saw value in using simulation when it began using FlightSafety simulators for certain aspects of its Part 135 training programs. Not only is simulation training less expensive, but it also reduces the risk of damaging aircraft in training. However, as Metro Aviation’s teams grew, the cost of paying retail prices for training from a variety of third-party vendors began to grow as well. So the initial idea for creating HFTC was born out of necessity. It was a way to bring both pilot training and mechanic training back in-house, allowing for cost effective improvements in quality and standardization.
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Categories:
Company Profiles
Training
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Mar
07
2016
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Posted by Admin
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Rotorcraft Pro predicted last year that 2015 would be an exciting time for helicopter development as new helicopters and rotorcraft-related products hit the market. Our prediction proved true. Now, based on what the industry’s leading helicopter OEMs have revealed to us, 2016 promises to be just as innovative. While some new models and updates will be on display later this year at Heli-Expo 2016, you don’t have to wait until then. Here’s an OEM recap of 2015 and a preview of what’s coming.
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Categories:
Company Profiles
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Feb
29
2016
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Posted by Admin
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Erickson Air-Crane Inc. is known in the helicopter world not only for its iconic orange Aircranes, but also for its iconic reputation. With a varied fleet of rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft, and employees who have won numerous industry awards, the Portland, Oregon, company has operations not only in North America, but also South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, and Australia.
Erickson is not only engaged in vertical flight, but is also vertically integrated and diversified through three divisions: Commercial Aviation Services, Government Aviation Services, and Manufacturing & MRO. There are few missions beyond Erickson’s capabilities, or as the company says: If we can’t do it, it can’t be done.
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Categories:
Career Development
Company Profiles
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Feb
16
2016
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Posted by Admin
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As you stand next to your spotless Airbus H130, giving the same briefing you have given hundreds of times, you are surrounded by a gaggle of passengers. For most of them, this flight will be their very first experience in a helicopter.
As you pilot the helicopter along the tour route, diligently performing all your pilot-related duties, you entertain and educate your guests as well. Upon landing back at the base, your measurement of success may be measured in big smiles, high fives, compliments, tips, and if you’re lucky … all the above.
For some pilots, the flight may be viewed as a monotonous exercise, nothing more than a means to build turbine time and earn a paycheck. However, why not think of it this way: In addition to earning a paycheck, you most likely just created and shared a "Top 10” memorable moment in someone's life. How many people get to do that in their job?
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Categories:
Career Development
Company Profiles
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Dec
21
2015
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Posted by Admin
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In 1999, I was an EMS pilot flying a brand new Sikorsky S76C+. I truly felt privileged to have an all-glass cockpit, with the exception of the standby airspeed, altimeter, and attitude indicator dials. With EFIS displays showing my primary flight data, and multi-function displays (MFDs) showing aircraft performance data and a moving map display . . . well, I kind of felt we were on the “bleeding edge” of technology in helicopter aviation.
I will not lie; transitioning from traditional round flight instruments to all digital displays was not easy. Although I considered myself as someone who embraced technology, years of scanning habits were very hard to break. This was especially true when it came to my brain interpreting airspeed and altitude. Seeing the pointers on a round gage seemed more intuitive than reading a vertical tape and digital readout. My transition was becoming an on-the-job experiment in human factors and ergonomics in the cockpit. After several months, I realized that I was still relying on the standby instruments, and not looking much at the data on the EFIS display. No matter how hard I tried, when the workload was high, the standby instruments were my go-to location when scanning for primary flight information.
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Categories:
Company Profiles