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Jun
14
2021
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Posted by Admin
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For any helicopter pilot paying the scantest bit of attention to the news, the conclusion is inescapable: Commercial unmanned aircraft – a.k.a. drones – are no longer toys. They have grown in size, payload capacity, mission profiles, and range to become bonafide aerial platforms.
The fact that commercial unmanned aircraft are achieving ‘critical mass’ (the minimum size or amount of something required to start or maintain a venture) raises big questions for helicopter pilots: Will the advent of drones take work away from humans? Or does this emergence open up vast new possibilities for aerial applications – and new employment opportunities for pilots as a result?
[Read More...]
Tags:
Helicopter Urban Air Mobility
UAM
Categories:
Helicopter Sectors
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Jun
07
2021
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Posted by Admin
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It all began with a motivational poster bought from the trunk of a car. That poster hung on my bedroom wall for years, positioned so it would be the last thing I saw before going to sleep and the first thing I saw upon waking up. (No, I was not married at the time.) These seven words I saw and contemplated multiple times every day:
Change Your Thoughts and Change Your World.
[Read More...]
Tags:
Aircraft Maintenance
Helicopter Maintenance
Helicopter Mechanics
Maintenance Minute
Mark Tyler
Categories:
Career Development
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May
31
2021
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Posted by Admin
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RPMN: What is your current position?
I am currently a Civilian Pilot II, or PIC, flying the AW139 for the Maryland State Police. We primarily provide Medevac services for the state of Maryland as well as search/rescue and law enforcement services. We operate with crews of two pilots and two state trooper/medics at seven 24/7 bases across the state.
[Read More...]
Tags:
Eric Tadlock
Helicopter Jobs
Helicopter Pilot Careers
Maryland State Police
Meet A Rotorcraft Pro
Categories:
Career Development
Human Interest
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May
24
2021
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Posted by Admin
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When I got my first job out of the military, I was just happy with getting a job and a pretty good salary. It wasn't until new hires that came after me, did I hear about the compensation packages that they got when they were hired. Compensation packages refer to the combination of wages, salaries, and benefits an employee receives in exchange for work. Compensation may include hourly wages or an annual salary, bonus payments, incentives, and benefits (such as group health care coverage, disability insurance, and contributions to a retirement savings account). A total compensation package can have several components and tend to vary by employer.
[Read More...]
Tags:
Civilian Aviation
Military to Civilian Helicopter Mechanics
Military to Civilian Pilots
Military to Civilian Transition Aviation
Categories:
Career Development
Opinion-Editorial
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May
17
2021
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Posted by Admin
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A myth is generally defined in this context as a widely held but false belief or idea. And when it comes to aircraft maintenance, a majority of aircraft owners and a smaller number of mechanics seem to thrive in that mythical maintenance world.
So pop in your copy of Magic Carpet Ride and let’s take a journey down the yellow brick flight line to unlock some of those long-held maintenance myths.
MYTH: The mechanic is responsible for maintaining the aircraft.
No. While a mechanic is responsible for the specific work they perform, in reality, it is the owner who is held responsible overall by the FAA for maintaining the aircraft in airworthy condition. The feds even conveniently stated that in black and white in FAR Part 91.403(a).
So if you think you get a pass on all regulatory maintenance infractions, you may want to think again and be more involved in the maintenance processes that take place on your aircraft.
And just when you think you have that myth resolved, the owner is also responsible for compliance with the requirements of Part 39, Airworthiness Directives. This is also stated in Part 91.403(a). So while your APIA may check for the actual AD compliance during every Annual inspection, the owner is the one who is accountable to the Man.
[Read More...]
Tags:
Helicopter Maintenance
Helicopter Mechanic Duties and Responsibilies
Helicopter Mechanic Liability
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
Regulatory
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May
10
2021
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Posted by Admin
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"I have a love and hate type of thing with helicopters," Martin Peryea says with a little laugh. Indeed, he should have mixed feelings. The CEO and chief technology officer of Jaunt Air Mobility, a leading new company on the frontier of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, spent decades researching and developing traditional helicopters for Bell Helicopter and headed up that manufacturer's futuristic aircraft development organization, Xworx. For years, he's worked in the trenches of helicopter development and fought against traditional rotorcraft shortcomings. “Rotorcraft design is probably the most challenging issue in all of aviation," he says. "I appreciate it's tough to take new technologies to market because of certification and regulatory costs. In addition, every new rotorcraft program throws a flurry of technical issues at you. I don't like how we still have acoustical signature helicopter noise issues and safety issues that haven't been fully addressed."
[Read More...]
Tags:
electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL)
Jaunt Air Mobility
Martin Peryea
Categories:
Company Profiles
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May
03
2021
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Posted by Admin
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Rotorcraft Pro’s annual U.S. Pilot Salary & Benefits Survey was initially launched seven years ago in an effort to monitor and report trends on the salaries of pilots in the industry. Traditionally, surveys were sent directly to employers via snail mail in ballot form, then collected and tabulated.
This old method did provide interesting results, but because employers are reluctant to reveal the exact salaries and benefits they provide, the sampling could be rather small and probably wasn’t always representative of the larger whole.
Online technologies have given us the ability to survey many working pilots and their employers, thus generating more participation throughout the industry. This year’s survey had excellent participation and obtained the latest information on helicopter pilots:
[Read More...]
RCP03042021_Salary Survey-w.pdf (3.23 MB)
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Apr
26
2021
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Posted by Admin
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I have a friend of 30 years, who’s a former firefighter colleague. We do not see each other much, but we stay in touch. Recently, he texted me: “I have a friend that I would like to network with you for a post Coast Guard helicopter pilot career. I believe he flies Jayhawks now. Can I give him your number?”
Naturally I told him yes, as I never turn down someone seeking career advice. Agreeing to such requests has been a theme in my career and has happened several times per year over the course of my 36 years of work experience. Sometimes it was related to my military or fire-rescue experience, but the majority has centered on my time flying helicopters.
I have always been a fan of mentorship, whether it be ‘one-off’ interactions with aspiring pilots seeking advice, or more formal, structured mentorship programs similar to what I have done with organizations like Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and HAI.
[Read More...]
Tags:
Editor Lyn Burks
Helicopter Mentors
Rotorcraft Pro Editor Lyn Burks
Categories:
Career Development
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Apr
19
2021
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Posted by Admin
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NASA says it best. It’s gonna take a revolution! They call it revolutionary vertical lift technology (RVLT), and how right they are. According to a PowerPoint presentation from Johnson, Silva (2018), a revolution in design, sizing, propulsion, blade design, rotor performance, geometry, and handling qualities will be required for urban air mobility (UAM) to evolve to a viable and sustainable system. Additionally, they say, their baseline system must “design aircraft, which will produce less than 50% of the climate-impacting emissions of today’s fielded technology” and those aircraft must be whisper quiet.
UAM is an obvious next-step in urban transportation systems. After Lyft and Uber run their course, what’s next in urban mobility? Elon Musk is headed underground with his tunnels. But aren’t tunnels just an upgrade to the London tube system? What’s left is above ground. Disney likes the Monorail. China and Japan are both strong proponents of a monorail system and are heavy users as well. Moreover, whereas monorails are technically “above ground”, they are still attached to the surface. That leaves the airspace directly above the ground, but not quite high enough to enter the national airspace system (NAS), as a last frontier.
[Read More...]
Tags:
revolutionary vertical lift technology (RVLT)
urban air mobility (UAM)
urban transportation systems
urban unmanned aerial system (UAS)
Categories:
Opinion-Editorial
Helicopter Sectors
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Apr
12
2021
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Posted by Admin
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WASHINGTON DC – As a result of its comprehensive analysis of fatal helicopter accidents, the U.S. Helicopter Safety Team (www.USHST.org) determined that loss of control while inflight has been a leading factor in accident causes, especially involving light helicopters. Current light helicopters have flight characteristics that are challenging and demanding of pilot workload. In response, the USHST is moving forward with some first steps to increase safety by encouraging the development and installation of stability augmentation systems and autopilot devices that increase the flight stability of light helicopters.
[Read More...]
Categories:
Safety