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Dec
28
2021
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Posted by Admin
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The helicopter world is but a small niche industry in the worldwide economy, but in my short 30 years as a participant, I am always amazed at how it adapts to change and perseveres through challenging times.
On the subject of perseverance, renowned physicist Albert Einstein said, “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”
Looking back, the last six years have been a roller-coaster ride for our industry. From mid-2015 to early 2017, economic storms pounded our shores. Waves of crashing oil prices, military cutbacks, global economic slowdowns, VA funding cuts, political and policy shifts, and several other factors pummeled most of us including helicopter manufacturers, pilots, leasing companies, operators, and all the support sectors that connect us.
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Tags:
Editor Lyn Burks
Rotorcraft Pro Editor
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
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Dec
20
2021
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Posted by Admin
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If you have read my articles in recent months, you know I have talked a lot about character, integrity, and other such tools to have in your toolbox to help you have a successful career as an aircraft maintenance technician. Those are all essential. An often overlooked, but critical tool to have at your disposal is an experienced mentor.
Merriam and Webster’s dictionary defines a mentor as a trusted counselor or guide, a tutor or coach. Do you have a mentor in your life? Is there someone that you consider a coach, accountability partner or trusted advisor? If the answer is no, then you should look for one. A mentor could be someone that works with you, someone that has more experience doing what you do or even someone that can speak transparently into your life.
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Tags:
Aircraft Maintenance Technician
Aircraft Mechanic Mentor Program
Maintenance Minute
Mark Tyler
Mentorship
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
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Dec
13
2021
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Posted by Admin
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Military helicopters have always been the driving force for innovation in the entire rotorcraft sector. With this fact in mind, Rotorcraft Pro spoke with major military helicopter OEMs to find out what new, advanced rotorcraft they’ve got ready to fly now, what’s in immediate development, and what is being planned for the future.
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Dec
06
2021
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Posted by Admin
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This is your formal invitation to join us at HAI’s Heli-Expo 2022 Military to Civilian Transition Workshop!
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Military to Civilian Aviation
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Career Development
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Nov
29
2021
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Posted by Admin
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There is a reason that Pratt & Whitney Canada helicopter engines are well-known. It could come from the outstanding customer support, the innovative engine updates, the 24/7 availability with over 2,000 professionals in their Global Service Network, or perhaps overall reliability. Now, in addition to these attributes, they are highly invested in sustainable practices.
Simply put, Pratt & Whitney is a household name as a global aerospace leader. The company was started in the mid-1860s by Amos Whitney and Francis Pratt, a pair of mechanical engineers bent on entrepreneurship, training apprentices, and filing patents for good ideas.
Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC), a business unit of Pratt & Whitney, introduced their first helicopter engine in the early 1970s, according to Nicolas Chabée, vice president, helicopters, Pratt & Whitney Canada. He said that the first engine was the PT6T TwinPac™ that brought, "a new measure of safety to helicopter aviation."
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Tags:
and intermediate twin helicopters
light
medium
Pratt & Whitney Canada helicopter engines
PT6C
PT6T TwinPac
PW200
PW210
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Company Profiles
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Nov
22
2021
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Posted by Admin
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RPMN: What is your current position?
I am currently wearing two hats. I am the owner and president of Black Hills Aerial Adventures, primarily an aerial tourism operator based in the Black Hills of South Dakota, and I am serving as Chief Pilot for Redding Air Service, a utility operator with a primary base of operations in northern California. All of this has transpired within the last year. Over the last 12 years I have served as the chief pilot in Southern Nevada with Papillon and chief pilot and subsequently director of operations for Sundance Helicopters in Las Vegas.
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Black Hills Aerial Adventures
Chief Pilot for Redding Air Service
MARK SCHLAEFLI
Categories:
Career Development
Human Interest
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Nov
15
2021
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Posted by Admin
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In 2018 I attended the Leonardo Helicopters AW169 initial training course at the OEM’s training facility in Sesto Calende, Italy. Northern Italy in spring—what’s not to love?
WATCH VIDEO OF MY 2018 AW169 TRAINING HERE:
https://youtu.be/fwt_We3D4mY
Although both my training and tourist experiences were amazing while I attended the Sesto Calende academy, it was a significant trek to attend a training course so far from home. With all the Leonardo Helicopters being flown in the Western Hemisphere, it seemed to me that there would be significant value in a U.S.-based training academy.
Well, not long after that thought while at the academy in 2018, I was interviewing Paolo Petrosso, VP of Leonardo Helicopters Training-Italy when he pointed to the future by saying, “In the future we are certainly looking to expand our footprint around the globe. One of the key areas we are looking at is AW169 training in the U.S. We certainly need to provide simulation capabilities in the U.S. and North America, and that is something we are looking at right now.”
[Read More...]
Tags:
AW169 initial training
AW169 recurrent training
Leonardo Customer Support and Training (CS&T)
Leonardo Helicopters
Categories:
Training
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Nov
08
2021
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Posted by Admin
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Dwayne Charette has a surprising affinity for the president of a major OEM in Canada: he likes problems (and he even views failures as “learns”). Early in his operations career—an area prone to problems, a leader once told him, “Dwayne, if we didn’t have problems to deal with, there would be no need for our jobs.” Charette considers that perhaps the best business wisdom he’s received. “It sounds simplistic, but it’s true,” says Charette. “Problems and challenges are part of the job; once you accept them and view them as opportunities, the stress level kind of goes away.”
[Read More...]
Tags:
Airbus Helicopters Canada
Airbus Helicopters North America
Dwayne Charette
Romain Trapp
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
Human Interest
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Nov
01
2021
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Posted by Admin
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“The Big Five” game animals are the ultimate goal to see when going on a safari. South Africa's wildlife parks will not let you down on this goal and you will leave with a big smile on your face.
The Big Five is not the only ultimate experience South Africa has to offer. Flying straight into the midst of the wilderness is an experience unlike any other. Flying above the parks, catching stunning views, seeing herds graze, and getting flown straight to the helipad of a safari bush lodge is an incomparable experience and once in a lifetime adventure.
MCC Aviation, a private air charter solution that is based in Johannesburg, tries to make such an adventure come true.
From visiting construction sites to running private charters.
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Tags:
MCC Aviation
MCC Aviation Johannesburg South Africa
Rotorcraft Pro Into The Wild
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Company Profiles
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Oct
25
2021
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Posted by Admin
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Helicopter training doesn’t necessarily give us the opportunity to live our life as a champion— but it can give us the opportunity to live the rest of our life. I was thinking the other day of all the training that I have received during my 35 years of work life. I have really only had four chapters in my career. U.S. Marine, firefighter, helicopter pilot, and business owner. The first three have required extensive amounts of training. I cannot help but wonder how much of it I took for granted.
[Read More...]
Tags:
Helicopter Training
Rotorcraft Pro SepOct 2021 Issue
Categories:
Career Development
Human Interest
Opinion-Editorial