Articles for category Training
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Feb
04
2019
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Posted by Admin
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1. We underestimate the expense of transitioning.
Transitioning from the military takes more time and money than you might imagine. Take all these into account: Tricare, health insurance, final move, VA, ID cards, car registration, drivers license, travel claims and job hunting. Your transition will be a lengthy, expensive, full-time undertaking.
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Categories:
Training
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Feb
04
2019
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Posted by Admin
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SCREWED!
Stuck screws. What a pain! But before you drill the screw head off, here are a few tips to try.
This is mainly for Phillips style screws, but can be adapted to other types.
First, clean out the “cross” recess area. Use an awl or pick if necessary. Any debris like paint, dirt, or rust will prevent the driver tip from fully seating into the cross. If the tip is not seated correctly, it will damage the recess drive areas on the first attempt. If the screw is buried under a layer of paint, remove the paint from the entire screw head area.
Be sure to select the correct driver bit or screwdriver. A Reed & Prince #2 bit will strip out a Phillips #2 screw head and vice versa. Ensure the bit or driver tip is not worn smooth. If possible, use bits with serrations on the drive flanges.
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Categories:
Helicopter Sectors
Training
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Jan
28
2019
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Posted by Admin
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The use of night vision imaging systems (NVIS) by civil helicopter operators is increasing significantly all over the world. North America has a leading role in terms of NVIS adoption. “In the United States, for example, very nearly all helicopter air ambulance (HAA) operators use night visions goggles (NVG) logging tens of thousands of NVIS flight hours each year,” says Kim Harris, director of business development at ASU. “However, NVIS HAA operations are becoming much more common also in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia,” he says.
REB Technologies Senior Vice President of Operations and Systems Jeff Stubbs also believes Eastern Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa are poised for big growth in civil NVG operations. “These regions are geographically very similar to the U.S. and Canada, in that the cities and towns are separated by a large expanse of countryside. We have also had significant success in Africa with the anti-poaching sector, with an instant drop off from poaching once NVIS aircraft are introduced. Although not a huge sector, it serves a vital need for the environment,” he says.
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Categories:
Safety
Training
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Dec
04
2018
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Posted by Admin
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I’ve been privileged to fly in different countries around the world. You gain a perspective on the good, bad, and ugly of our aviation system here in the United States. With that said, I haven’t been anywhere outside of the U.S. where opportunity for all citizens to experience aviation is more available than here in the States. You are not excluded from aviation, because of your gender, race, ethnicity, religion, or any other differentiating factor. Additionally, many physically challenged persons find themselves successful in aviation as well.
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Categories:
Career Development
Training
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Oct
30
2018
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Posted by Admin
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TIP #1 Power of the Pencil
You discover your Bell 206 Series battery relay does not come online after an engine start using an external power unit (EPU) due to a low aircraft battery. This relay requires a minimum residual voltage in the battery to actuate the solenoid and pull the contactor bar down.
While the aircraft is running and battery switch on, remove the round “label” from the top cover on most battery relays. Insert a wooden pencil in the cover hole and push down on the contactor bar. Reinstall the label or cover the hole with tape.
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Categories:
Training
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Oct
29
2018
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Posted by Admin
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When it comes to helicopter operations there is actually no such thing as clean air. “Typically when you are in flight, you are in somewhat clean air, but most often it is not cruise flight that is the problem. Most of your damage occurs during takeoff and landing when you are kicking up the sand, grass, dust, or soot that is on the ground,” says Tony Bohm, director of business development at Aerometals. “Often it is not until an operator has a problem with an engine that they realize that their areas of operation are not as clean as they think they are. We had one operator who was trashing engines because they would cut the lawn every week next to the training area. They were constantly ingesting grass clippings into their engines and causing damage.”
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Categories:
Training
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Aug
27
2018
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Posted by Admin
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Helicopter communications and flight tracking are becoming more reliable, consistent, and affordable; thanks to a multi-platform (cellular/radio/satellite) approach being taken by manufacturers and service providers alike. Here’s a sampling of what’s available today to keep helicopter pilots and their ground stations connected and constantly informed.
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Categories:
Company Profiles
Helicopter Sectors
Training
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Aug
13
2018
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Posted by Admin
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Even though I had arrived one and a half days earlier in Sesto Calende, Italy, I found myself in culture shock and jet lagged. On my first day in the Leonardo Training Academy classroom, we jumped right into the aircraft specifications and limitations at a swift pace after a short introduction by our ground school instructor Paolo Fracchia and the issuance of our Microsoft tablet and training materials.
When I realized the training bus was leaving the station and I better get on board and start taking notes, it took my brain at least 30 minutes to catch up. Then at the end of the first day, we were informed that at the conclusion of ground training there would be a 100-question closed-book exam, proctored by EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency). We would have to correctly answer 75 percent of the questions to continue training. My visions of gallivanting around Italy with my colleagues, drinking beer every night and dining on pasta, evaporated in an instant.
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Categories:
Training
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Jul
30
2018
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Posted by Admin
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Periodically, I have the privilege of assisting Part 135 operators with temporary management and training position services. My role may include providing instructor and/or check-pilot services for their Part 135 operating certificate. In many cases, the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) inability to support an operator training and checking program is driven by their FAA inspector’s lack of experience and/or currency in the aircraft operated by the Part 135 certificate holder.
A few weeks ago, I was working with an operator to become their Part 135 instructor and check pilot. Following the guidance provided within FAA Order 8900.1, we requested an initial cadre approval and set the process to move forward. That letter was crafted and submitted in October 2017. Once our principal operations inspector (POI) received the request, we were notified that the office did not have adequate staff to conduct pilot proficiency checks in the requested aircraft make and model, so an FAA inspector from another office would conduct the checks.
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Categories:
Regulatory
Training
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Jul
24
2018
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Posted by Admin
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Here’s a tip to help troubleshoot a customer bleed air system. Different manufacturers have their own nomenclatures, but this is the system that takes hot engine bleed air and routes it for cabin heating, cooling turbines, particle separators, and the like.
On occasion, the bleed air problem only manifests itself when the aircraft is running. One way to check this without running an engine is to apply shop air to the aircraft bleed air system. The picture below is a work aid version used for Bell 212/412, MBB BO105, Bell 222/230, or any aircraft with a 209-type bleed air “deck” valve.
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Categories:
Training