Articles for category Training
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Sep
26
2016
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Posted by Admin
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A few months ago I was visiting a large helicopter flight school. While touring the school, I had the opportunity to sit in on a ground school class. The students were training toward their helicopter instrument rating, so the material being presented was on that topic. My initial impression was very positive. I thought: Wow, these young aviators are getting a great education in a highly standardized, quality-based training environment.
The portion of the course I was observing was covering takeoff considerations during IMC conditions and the regulatory requirements identified in Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) 91.175. All was going well ... and then I heard these words: “An instrument takeoff (ITO) is nothing more than a maximum performance takeoff into IMC.” Initially I thought I misheard the instructor, but it became quickly apparent that I had indeed heard correctly.
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Categories:
Career Development
Training
Safety
Regulatory
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Aug
29
2016
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Posted by Admin
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The United States Helicopter Safety Team is offering a supportive voice to recent changes made by the Federal Aviation Administration in its Practical Test Standards (PTS) for helicopter instructors. (https://www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/test_standards/media/FAA-S-8081-7B.pdf)
“The revision provides examiners a path to mitigate some risks associated with the Flight Instructor PTS requirements to demonstrate proficiency in the touchdown portion of an autorotation,” explains Raj Helweg, USHST industry co-chairman and chief pilot of Air Methods. “If a CFI applicant has proven competence with this touchdown portion of an autorotation prior to the evaluation, these revised test standards offer flexibility and a greater margin of safety by eliminating the requirement to repeat these maneuvers during the practical test.”
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Categories:
Safety
Training
Regulatory
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Aug
01
2016
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Posted by Admin
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Modern airborne video surveillance systems enable mission teams to search for objects of interest and observe unfolding events (either overtly or covertly) while recording and reporting what’s being observed. Improvements to a helicopter’s video surveillance system can significantly improve mission effectiveness. Ways to improve the system include:
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Categories:
Training
Safety
Regulatory
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Jul
24
2016
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Posted by Admin
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Beginning last year, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released several training-related guidance updates. These releases included advisory circulars, a national policy notice, and most recently, the Flight Instructor Helicopter Practical Test Standards (PTS). In several of my previous training articles, I referred to subject matter affected by the release of this new guidance. I would now like to review a few of the specific documents released by the FAA and provide an overview of how changes may affect you.
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Categories:
Training
Regulatory
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Jul
18
2016
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Posted by Admin
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In the 1960s and ‘70s a disease seemed to strike the airline industry that caused airliners to crash for no known reason. NASA called a “Resource Management on the Flight Deck” workshop that identified human error as the main cause of several high-profile accidents. NASA’s research uncovered that from 1968 to 1976 there were 60 airliners that crashed due to elements of human error. Researching back further through the Boeing archives to 1940, NASA discovered that four out of five accidents—80 percent—had an element of human error. Since that workshop, six generations of CRM have emerged.
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Categories:
Safety
Training
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Jul
04
2016
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Posted by Admin
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RPMN: What is your current position?
I’ve just recently accepted the position of chief pilot at Sundance Helicopters in Las Vegas. This means I’m now responsible for the hiring, training, and scheduling of pilots under CFR part 135. We have anywhere between 35 and 60 pilots, depending on the time of year, which makes it a major challenge to balance the needs of the operation versus the needs of the human operating the helicopter. I work with a bunch of good people though, so I’m looking forward to leading the troops for the foreseeable future.
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Categories:
Human Interest
Training
Helicopter Sectors
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May
23
2016
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Posted by Admin
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We’ve all been there. Flying with our student during the test prep phase of the training lifecycle, confirming what we set out to do so many hours before. That is, to present the FAA a qualified, proficient pilot applicant who is capable of exceeding all test standards set before them. You’ve done this many times before; it’s just a walk in the park. So you walk through your FAA exam checklist to verify nothing has been missed:
Training records complete? ✔
Logbook endorsements complete? ✔
FAA Examiner scheduled? ✔
Complete confidence your student is ready to take this checkride? Well … not so much.
During test prep, you notice that the student isn’t consistent with each maneuver or task you present. Although your student’s flying is OK, there’s this little voice in your ear and a knot in your gut that’s making you uncomfortable: They’re just not ready for this checkride! Then your student completes a picture-perfect autorotation and you ignore what you believed to be true just a few moments earlier.
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Categories:
Training
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Apr
11
2016
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Posted by Admin
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Ever had someone sneak up behind you while twisting a wrench and inquire if you were doing it “by the book”? Ever wonder what book they were referring to?
What follows is my own unconventional interpretation. I’m by no means an expert. However, after years of practicing I think I can get this as mixed up as the best of them.
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Categories:
Training
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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
29
2016
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Posted by Admin
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So you’ve provided all of the required training to your student. That’s it, they're ready to visit the FAA and apply for that sought after certificate or rating. However, there’s one last thing you have to do: You must certify to the federal government that as an authorized flight instructor you have provided the required ground and flight training, and found the applicant prepared to take the appropriate FAA practical test.
So what defines an authorized instructor? The Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) define specific training requirements an instructor must meet to provide training for a certificate and/or rating. This definition is found within FAR 61.1: Applicability and Definitions. Most of the time, there is little confusion on this issue. However, over the last few years many regulatory changes and FAA Legal Interpretations are worthy of a closer look.
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Categories:
Career Development
Training