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Oct
07
2019
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Posted by Admin
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After a recent helicopter accident, some old topics popped up on a number of internet forums: aircraft repairs, aircraft data plates, and salvage parts. While it remains to be seen if any previous repairs have fault in this accident, the ensuing discussions demonstrated that there is an ongoing knowledge gap in how aircraft repairs can be performed legally.
First, the use of aircraft salvage parts in aircraft repairs is perfectly legal within the FARs and is a classic example of, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” However, when it comes to data plates, there is – and has been – specific regulatory guidance on how they are made, attached, and maintained.
Unfortunately, some people are not aware of (or choose not to follow) this FAA guidance.
As such, the FAA and the OEMs have become more proactive in this area in recent times. For instance, as recently as October 2018 the FAA issued new guidance. So follow below as we continue the discussion.
[Read More...]
Categories:
Regulatory
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Sep
23
2019
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Posted by Admin
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Siller Helicopters Inc. based in Yuba City, California, performs lift jobs and aerial construction support across the USA flying two Sikorsky S-64 Skycranes, two CH-54 Tarhes, and two S-61s. The company has been doing lift work since the 1970s and is extremely experienced in all aspects of this demanding and very specialized work. Siller Helicopters is also well known for providing high quality and very well maintained firefighting aircraft on both contract and call when needed.
Rotorcraft Pro observed a recent lift job in the northern California city of Roseville at a large mall. The job entailed lifting eight 6,500-pound air conditioners, more than a Sikorsky S-58T can lift but well below the maximum 11,000 pounds their S-61 can lift. For jobs up to 10,000 pounds nothing can do it better than a light S-61. In addition to removing the old air conditioners, a few loads of support scrap metal from the air conditioning base plates were taken away. Precision flying is typical of such jobs, so this one was not particularly challenging for the flight crews. The mall was near sea level and it was a cool morning, so the S-61 had plenty of excess performance. This gave the flight crew many options to complete the job safely and efficiently.
[Read More...]
Categories:
Company Profiles
Helicopter Sectors
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Sep
16
2019
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Posted by Admin
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Are you a military helicopter pilot that didn’t keep your own logbook? Perhaps you thought it was sufficient to let the military track your flight time? You are now in the position of having to translate your military flight time into civilian flight time. Translating flight time is an unavoidable task, because most military pilots did not maintain a logbook. Though this is a very time-consuming task, it is not insurmountable. Most military pilots will need to translate their military time properly into a civilian logbook, as most employers will require a logbook in order to hire you.
[Read More...]
Categories:
Career Development
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Sep
02
2019
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Posted by Admin
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There are some helicopter search and rescue (SAR) missions that are just impossible.
A prime example of this was the crash of a Dehavilland DHC-2 ‘Beaver’ on Alaska’s Thunder Mountain on 4 August 2018. Flown by Rust’s Flying Service, the sightseeing plane had one pilot and four tourists onboard when it accidentally turned into a high-hanging glacier in Denali National Park.
At 1,800 hours, the pilot managed to get a satellite call to Rust’s Flying Service; asking for help before contact was lost. After many reconnection attempts, the pilot was reached once more. He reported being trapped in the wreckage with two possible fatalities onboard. Then contact was lost.
The National Park Service (NPS) dispatched its AS-350 B3e high-altitude rescue helicopter from its base in Talkeetna to the crash location reported by the Beaver’s emergency transmitter. “We had no ability to get to the site at that time, since snowy, windy weather had settled onto the mountain,” said Nic Strohmeyer, an NPS aviation helicopter specialist. “So our SAR helicopter had to return to base.”
[Read More...]
Categories:
Helicopter Sectors
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Aug
26
2019
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Posted by Admin
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Several times a year, I’ll field a question about aircraft records. Not the Chuck Yeager type, but those binders, stacks, or sometimes just boxes of documents and paper products that record the maintenance performed on an aircraft.
The specific topic may vary a bit, but one topic that continually repeats itself concerns the FAA required format for these records. While there is FAA guidance on the content and form for each maintenance entry made into these records, there is no mandated format, i.e. physical form, on which that entry should be written.
[Read More...]
Categories:
Regulatory
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Aug
19
2019
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Posted by Admin
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Becker Avionics has been innovating high-quality products since 1945 when Max Egon Becker created his first aircraft radio receiver. Within three years, he was building luxury car radios for Mercedes.
“Max was a great innovator and great thinker,” Becker Avionics USA President Luis Gonzales related. “He had a passion both for automotive racing and flying.”
Becker’s focus on the general aviation market, especially gliders, naturally led to equipment attributes that all pilots desire. “It required them to build light equipment that was very reliable,” explained Lee Benson, a senior consultant for Becker USA. “That continues in the ethos of Becker today.”
Becker remains a high-tech family company, now under the direction of Max’s son, Roland, with a focus on digital avionics technology. It creates and manufactures communications, navigation, surveillance and search-and-rescue equipment for general aviation, air traffic control, law enforcement, and military operations throughout the world. “He took the company to that next level,” Gonzales said.
[Read More...]
Categories:
Company Profiles
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Aug
12
2019
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Posted by Admin
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“Lyn, when making a decision to accept a flight, I want you to place no more value on the patient than you would a sack of crap.” My response, “Huh? Wait . . . what? Can you say that again?”
[Read More...]
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Aug
05
2019
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Posted by Admin
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I gave a CRM class at a helicopter air medical flight program recently and something occurred that reminded me why it’s imperative that pilots know their aircraft.
The incident happened when I was given a tour of the hospital’s aircraft by the program director and one of the pilots on duty who was a former Black Hawk pilot in the Army. The aircraft looked brand new and I could see it had everything a pilot could ask for to help them while flying in VMC or IMC conditions.
[Read More...]
Categories:
Training
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Aug
05
2019
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Posted by Admin
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Transitioning into the civilian world is stressful for everyone, and this stress causes apprehension and procrastination about preparing for your transition. While others may passively wait for change to happen, or actively avoid change until the last minute, the best strategy is to control your future, which will help reduce stress as a side effect. Feelings you may have about your transition are not yours alone, everyone that has transitioned before you, myself included, have had these feelings. Everyone feels stress during transition; even those that have everything lined up for them feel some sort of stress. Some of the most obvious causes of stress are loss of identity and loss of structure.
[Read More...]
Categories:
Career Development
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Jul
29
2019
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Posted by Admin
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Given all the attention being paid to drones these days, one might think that they are all that is happening in law enforcement rotorcraft aviation.
This isn’t the case. Yes, drones are a big trend in law enforcement aviation, but they aren’t the only trend. Here’s what else is going on, based on what law enforcement aviation officers, and equipment suppliers are telling us.
[Read More...]
Categories:
Helicopter Sectors