Articles for category 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.
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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.)
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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.
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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!"
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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.
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Tags:
CRM
Golden Hour
Helicopter Safety
randy mains
Categories:
Career Development
Safety
Opinion-Editorial
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Oct
17
2022
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Posted by Admin
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According to the historical website marconiheritage.org, the world’s first air-to-ground wireless communications occurred on 27th August 1910 when Canadian aviation pioneer John Alexander Douglas McCurdy transmitted a Morse code message to Henry M. Horton, as McCurdy flew over the Sheepshead Bay race track in Brooklyn.
The first voice communications between an aircraft and the ground took place in 1915, when the Royal Flying Corps’ Captain C.E. Prince radioed Captain J.M. Furnival as he circled overhead. 'Hello Furnie. If you can hear me now it will be the first time speech has ever been communicated to an aeroplane in flight,” said Captain Prince. He then added, “Hello Furnie, if you can hear me dip your wings” -- and Captain Furnival waggled his wings in response.
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Tags:
aircraft communication systems
Flightcell Internationa
land mobile radios
P25 ground comms
Sikorsky R-4 helicopter
Categories:
Helicopter Sectors
Safety
Training
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Jun
20
2022
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Posted by Admin
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Helicopter pilot flight training can be hazardous for reasons I will highlight in this article. I’ve been a flight instructor in the military, a senior instructor for Bell Helicopter in Iran teaching pilots how to be instructor pilots, an instructor and a flight examiner for 13 years while working for the Royal Police Air Wing in the Sultanate of Oman, and a type-rating instructor and type-rating examiner in the Bell 412EP and Bell 212 while working for Abu Dhabi Aviation. While in Abu Dhabi, I trained and examined airline transport pilots hailing from more than 20 countries. In my 13,000-hour flying career, I have developed habits I use while training that I pass along to you to, hopefully, keep you safe.
[Read More...]
Tags:
aviation safety
aviation training
Helicopter Safety
Helicopter Training
my two cents worth
randy mains
Rotorcraft Pro
Categories:
Safety
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Jun
06
2022
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Posted by Admin
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If anyone ever doubted that smaller helicopter operators want to deploy fully featured, voluntary Safety Management Systems (SMS) in their companies, that doubt was dispelled in 2021. This was when Helicopter Association International (HAI) surveyed its members and found that a significant number of them wanted access to turnkey SMS support programs designed for small helicopter operators.
In response to this desire for comprehensive voluntary safety management, HAI sought bids from 14 SMS software providers to help the association launch an affordable, members-only turnkey solution called the HAI SMS Program. Although all 14 bids passed muster, three were so well suited to HAI members’ needs that the association chose them as HAI SMS providers. For the record, these SMS providers are Air Charter Safety Foundation, Baldwin Safety and Compliance, and WYVERN Ltd.
[Read More...]
Tags:
Air Charter Safety Foundation
Baldwin Safety and Compliance
Helicopter Safety Management Systems (SMS)
WYVERN Ltd.
Categories:
Safety
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Mar
07
2022
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Posted by Admin
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The air tour industry has been heavily scrutinized in recent years. Whether for safety concerns by the general public and legislators, noise complaints, or limiting access to National Parks, operators in this sector have been faced with challenging times. Intensify the situation with the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and these companies barely continued to keep the lights on this year. Fortunately, air tour operators are resilient and resourceful with helping to address these types of issues. They provide a valued service to passengers who eagerly seek out this mode of sightseeing and who might not otherwise have access to the unique and beautiful locations throughout the world.
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Tags:
Helicoper Tour Operators
TOPS
Tour Operators Program of Safety
Categories:
Helicopter Sectors
Safety
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Aug
30
2021
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Posted by Admin
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In February of this year, the United States Helicopter Safety Team, with support from Helicopter Association International, Airbus, and Frasca International produced a short video titled 56 Seconds to Live.
In this chilling video, the viewer is taken on a dramatized journey, which shows a pilot making all the wrong decisions during the process of accepting a flight, which then leads to an IIMC condition, culminating in his death. At the very end his spouse and child stand at his grave.
Given the challenging nature of helicopter air ambulance (HAA) work, IIMC accidents have always been a large part of HAA accident stats over the decades. I often wonder: are we getting better as an industry?
[Read More...]
Tags:
Editors Letter
Rotorcraft Pro Editor Lyn Burks
Categories:
Safety
Opinion-Editorial